STAFF

Colin Keating, Executive Director
Joanna Weschler, Director of Research
Amanda Roberts, Programme Coordinator
Robert Afriyie, Research Analyst
Anne-Gaëlle Claude, Research Analyst
Shamala Kandiah, Research Analyst
Nina Pregellio, Research Analyst
Astrid Forberg Ryan, Research Analyst
Brian Lockstone, Communications Consultant
Robbin VanNewkirk, Publications Coordinator
Jamaal Young, Programme Assistant

Contact Information

Colin Keating is the founding Executive Director of Security Council Report. He was formerly a New Zealand diplomat. He served as Legal Adviser of the Foreign Ministry and also as Deputy Secretary of the Ministry responsible for management. He was the New Zealand Ambassador to the UN between 1993 and 1996 and served on the Security Council in 1993 and 1994. He was Council president during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and led the Council Mission to Somalia and chaired the Council Committee on Sanctions against Iraq.  Subsequently, he was appointed as the Secretary of Justice of New Zealand.  From 2000-2004 he worked in the private sector as a partner in legal practice. top

Joanna Weschler joined Security Council Report in 2005 as its Director of Research where she is responsible for supervising the production of high-quality and timely material published by the organisation.  From 1994 until 2005 Ms. Weschler was the UN Representative for Human Rights Watch. She also regularly represented Human Rights Watch at the UN Human Rights Commission. She has conducted human rights investigations in countries on five continents and written numerous reports and articles on human rights. A native of Poland, she was previously a reporter for the Solidarity Union press agency, in charge of covering most meetings between Union President Lech Walesa and the communist government, and meetings of the executive leadership of the union. Ms. Weschler holds a master's degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies from the University of Warsaw and a master's in journalism from Columbia University. She speaks English, Polish and Spanish. top

Amanda Roberts joined Security Council Report in August 2005 as its Programme Coordinator.  In this role she works on all aspects of the organisation with a particular responsibility for production and quality control of all of the organisation's publications. She also serves as the main point of contact for the organisation's outreach activities, donors, Board of Directors, and International Advisory Group. Before joining Security Council Report, Ms. Roberts gained nine years of non-profit management experience from positions at Columbia University and the World Policy Institute.  Previously, she worked in the Occupied Palestinian Territories as an educator and a human rights advocate. Ms. Roberts holds a BA from Hampshire College and a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs with a concentration in human rights and Middle Eastern history.  She also received an Advanced Certificate from the Middle East Institute at Columbia University. She speaks English and Arabic. top

Robert Afriyie joined Security Council Report in June 2007 as a Research Analyst. Mr. Afriyie is responsible for the Great Lakes Region as well as Central African Republic, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Côte d'Ivoire, and Zimbabwe. In addition, he is responsible for covering the Peacebuilding Commission and conflict prevention. Before joining Security Council Report, Mr. Afriyie was the Security Council Political Coordinator for Ghana's Mission to the UN and has worked in various positions for Ghana's Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1999.  Mr. Afriyie holds an MA in International Affairs from the University of Ghana and he is currently a PhD candidate with Sofia University in Bulgaria specialising in Peace Studies and Conflict Management.  He speaks English, Twi and Ga, and has a working knowledge of French and Hebrew. top

Anne-Gaëlle Claude joined Security Council Report in August 2005 as a Research Analyst. In this role she is responsible for writing reports on issues covered by the Security Council focusing particularly on Middle Eastern issues in addition to Haiti, Cyprus, North Korea, Western Sahara, women peace and security, and disarmament. Previously, Ms. Claude worked in the field of policy, human rights and development in various UN agencies (UNDP, UNESCO, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia), NGOs and French embassies in the US, Asia and the Middle East. She also interned at the Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General. Ms. Claude has a degree from the Political Science Institute of Strasbourg, France, a Master in International Public Law from the University of Paris-Pantheon Sorbonne, and a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs with a special emphasis on Middle East and security issues. She speaks French, English and has a working knowledge of Arabic. top

Shamala Kandiah joined Security Council Report in May 2007 as a Research Analyst after a year of consulting for the organisation.  She is responsible for writing reports on issues covered by the Security Council particularly focusing on Asian issues (such as Nepal and Myanmar) and European issues (such as Kosovo and Georgia).  In addition she covers children and armed conflict. Ms. Kandiah has fifteen years of experience in media and public policy making. In 2001 Ms. Kandiah set up a communications consulting company based in Singapore marketing, developing and executing communications training programmes. Prior to this she worked with the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta covering ASEAN and UN issues. She began her career as television reporter in Singapore and has worked as a foreign correspondent in New York. Ms. Kandiah holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the National University of Singapore and a Master in International Affairs from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. She speaks English, Malay and Indonesian. top

Astrid Forberg Ryan joined Security Council Report as a Research Analyst in October of 2008. She is responsible for thematic issues such as protection of cilvilians in armed conflict and sanctions, as well as country-specific issues including Somalia, Liberia, Western Sahara, and Ethiopia/Eritrea. Before joining Security Council Report she worked for eleven years in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Vice Consul for the Norwegian Consulate in San Francisco and more recently as First Secretary for the Mission of Norway to the United Nations in New York. Ms. Ryan holds a Master of Science Degree in Business from the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration and a Diplôme International d'Administration Publique from Ecole Nationale d'Administration in Paris and Strasbourg, France. She speaks Norwegian, English and French and has working knowledge of Spanish. top

Nina Pregellio joined Security Council Report as a Research Analyst in July of 2008. She is responsible for thematic issues such as terrorism and international justice, as well as country-specific issues including Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Chad, CAR, LRA affected areas and Kenya. Before joining Security Council Report she worked in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Department of Defence.  Ms.Pregellio holds a post graduate Diploma in International Relations and Asian Politics from the University of Queensland and a Bachelor of Applied Science from the Queensland University of Technology. top

Brian Lockstone is a communications consultant and he aids the organisation on a part-time basis as a copy-editor and in its outreach activities. He has worked in journalism and government relations in several parts of the world. He has worked for the New Zealand Government and with the Solomon Islands government. He has been an adviser to airlines and private sector companies on government relations and the intersection of foreign and domestic policy. He has served on many government/private sector advisory committees. He is the author and co-author of several books and has written extensively for the technical press and historical journals.  He is a Member of the Royal Aeronautical Society (United Kingdom) and the Chartered Institute of Transport & Logistics. top

Robbin VanNewkirk became Security Council Report's Publications Coordinator in February of 2009 after working as SCR's administrative assistant since August of 2007. She is responsible for the production, quality control and distribution of all SCR publications, both in print and electronic format. Before joining Security Council Report, Ms. VanNewkirk was a criminal background researcher and office assistant at a pre-employment screening company in Atlanta, Georgia and a writing tutor in the Writing Center and Athletic Learning Lab at Georgia State University.  Ms. VanNewkirk holds a bachelor's degree in Anthropology and Interdisciplinary Studies from Appalachian State University in North Carolina and a master's degree in Women's Studies from Georgia State University. top

Jamaal Young joined Security Council Report in November 2008 as the Programme Assistant. He is responsible for managing the day to day functions of the organisation and for providing support during the production of all SCR's publications. Before joining SCR, Mr. Young spent many years as a political consultant on education and civil rights and has worked for a number of prominent non-profit organizations, including the Clinton Global Initiative.  He also writes a political column for the New York Press.  Mr. Young holds a bachelor of science degree from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and is fluent in both English and Spanish. top