معرفی
Derek Sweetman serves as an Adjunct Professor at George Mason University across the School of Integrative Studies, Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, and Schar School of Policy and Government, while also teaching at the University of Colorado-Boulder. He concurrently holds leadership roles as Dispute Resolution Director and Foundation Director at the Better Business Bureau of Metropolitan Washington, DC and Eastern Pennsylvania.
His educational background includes a PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University (2019), an M.S. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University (2006), and a B.A. in Political Science from Colorado State University (1998).
Sweetman's research centers on peace and conflict resolution frameworks, with specialized focus on social movements' resistance strategies, systemic violence analysis, and nonviolent transformation methodologies. His current work critically examines long-term failures in citizen-led efforts to constrain U.S. state violence, intersecting with human rights advocacy and movement-based resistance theories. Teaching portfolios span conflict transformation, community resolution, critical conflict studies, American foreign policy, and social movement rhetoric.
His seminal 2009 publication explores private sector contributions to peacebuilding in violent conflicts, establishing cross-disciplinary connections between business ethics and conflict resolution. The work demonstrates consistent thematic focus on structural violence mitigation through unconventional stakeholder engagement, particularly examining corporate roles in fragile states and war-affected regions.
- GMU Adjunct Teaching Excellence Award (2014)
Professional service includes editorial leadership for Unrest Magazine (2010-2014) and the Online Journal of Peace and Conflict Resolution (1998-2007), DC Association for Conflict Resolution board membership (2005-2010), and current DC Bar Association arbitration. Institutionally, he advanced GMU's antiracism initiatives through the Social Justice Education learning community (2013-2014), Anti-Racist Education Task Force (2020-2021), and Stearns Center Campus Champion role (2023-2024).
