Marie-Louise Coleiro will appear as part of the 28th annual Lynch Lecture at Mason's School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Photo provided.
The President of Malta, Her Excellency Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, will speak on “Peace beyond the Patriarchy” at the 28th annual Lynch Lecture at George Mason University’s School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution in Arlington, Va., at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 22.
Coleiro Preca, who is a member of Malta’s Labor Party, began her five-year term as head of state in April 2014 after serving in the island nation’s parliament from 1998 to 2014. She was appointed to presidency while she was serving as Minister for the Family and Social Solidarity.
Since assuming office as the ninth and youngest Maltese president, Coleiro Preca has worked to strengthen trade agreements around the world and established the President’s Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, which focuses on research and policies affecting children, families, addiction, the environment and living with dignity.
George Mason’s School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution has a dual-degree program with the 400-year-old University of Malta, the president’s alma mater. Mason students study in Malta for a year and earn a master of arts degree in Mediterranean security and diplomacy from the University of Malta, while also earning a master of science degree in conflict analysis and resolution from Mason.
“Our graduates are employed in Malta in the Office of the President of Malta, the Foreign Ministry, one of the major NGOs that advocates on behalf of refugees, in the Press Office of the European Parliament and in the Embassy of Malta here in the U.S.,” said S-CAR professor Susan Hirsch.
The Lynch Lecture, named for benefactors Edwin and Helen Lynch, was created to bring conflict theories and ideas to the university community at large. Previous lecturers include such leaders in the conflict field as James H. Laue (1987), John W. Burton (1989), Roger Wilkins (1993), Vivienne Jabri (2012) and John Paul Lederach (2014), and also public figures such as Ambassador Jan Eliasson and the former U.S. Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-Ind.).
The lecture is at 7 p.m. at Founders Hall auditorium, 3351 N. Fairfax Drive in Arlington. Click here for more details.