The Certificate in Conflict Transformation and Reconciliation (CCTR), facilitated by scholars and practitioners in the fields of conflict transformation and reconciliation from Duke University and other institutions, provides a timely learning opportunity for pastors and other church leaders seeking theological and practical skills to foster reconciliation in their congregations and surrounding communities.
Hybrid
For Clergy
For Laity
For UMC Clergy
Our Staff
Dr. Vilma “Nina” Balmaceda
Program Director
Born and raised in Lima, Peru, Dr. Balmaceda is a scholar-practitioner whose work focuses on interdisciplinary education and civic leadership development for conflict transformation, justpeace and reconciliation. She is the associate director of the Center for Reconciliation and an administrative faculty at Duke Divinity School. Dr. Balmaceda also serves as president and CEO of Peace and Hope International (PHI), a faith-based peacebuilding nonprofit dedicated to preventing and confronting violence and other forms of injustice in Latin America. She is a former human rights lawyer, with a Ph.D. in political science and M.A. degrees in international peace studies, and government and international studies from the University of Notre Dame.
Leslie Gilbert
Program Coordinator
Les Gilbert was born in Cleveland, Ohio and raised in the suburbs of Dayton, Ohio. He holds a bachelor's degree in organizational management. For almost 30 years, while based in New York City and Fairfield County, Conn., he has provided creative and technical leadership in a wide range of communications and marketing services for leading institutions around the world.