Our Advisory Board

Doug Brooks is recognized as a paramount thought leader in the stability operations space. He founded and developed the International Stability Operations Association (ISOA), the world’s leading private sector association focused on advancing the global role of the industry in supporting international efforts in conflict, post conflict, humanitarian rescue and disaster relief environments. Mr. Brooks led ISOA during a decade of unprecedented activity and grew the association to a $1m budget, unifying more than 50 diverse companies and organizations from numerous industries and sectors. Under his leadership, ISOA was instrumental in shaping the industry and hosted numerous conferences and events on topics such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Human Trafficking, security for extractive companies, and many other vital issues. During his decade of leadership, Mr. Brooks worked with multiple stakeholders from academia, think tanks, industry, government and NGOs to develop and negotiate international codes, norms, standards and guidelines for private sector operations in stability operations. Now President Emeritus, Mr. Brooks maintains a close relationship with ISOA as he shares his expertise with leading firms in the industry as an independent consultant.

Mr. Brooks has testified before the U.S. Congress, South African Parliament and at many UN functions. He has appeared on numerous television and radio programs, including al Jazeera, the BBC, CBS News, NBC News, Fox News, CNN International, National Public Radio, the Diane Rehm show, Voice of America, SABC in South Africa and the Lehrer News Hour. He has lectured at a number of universities and colleges, including Georgetown University, the South African Defense College, the Inter-American Defense College at Ft. McNair, George C. Marshall Center in Garmisch, Germany, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He has authored numerous articles, book chapters and op-eds that have appeared in leading media including the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Johannesburg Star.

A native of Indiana, Mr. Brooks earned a BA in History from Indiana University and an MA in History from Baylor University, with additional doctoral studies at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh. He has previously worked as a teacher in Kambuzuma Township in Harare, Zimbabwe, the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and the Institute of International Education (IIE). Before founding IPOA/ISOA, he was an academic fellow at the South African Institute for International Affairs in 1999-2000 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Molly Dunigan is a political scientist and policy analyst specializing in private military and security contracting, civil–military relations, irregular warfare, counterinsurgency, security force assistance, maritime security, and arms control. Prominent among Dr. Dunigan's published work are Victory for Hire: Private Security Companies' Impact on Military Effectiveness (Stanford University Press, 2011), Hired Guns: Views About Armed Contractors in Operation Iraqi Freedom (RAND, 2010), Out of the Shadows: The Health and Well-Being of Private Contractors Working in Conflict Environments (RAND, 2013), and The Markets for Force: Privatization of Security Across World Regions (University of Pennsylvania Press, forthcoming in 2015). She serves as a manuscript reviewer for multiple university presses and refereed journals, including Stanford University Press, Toronto University Press, Security Studies, and the Journal of International Relations and Development. Dunigan's work has been cited by major U.S. media outlets including USA Today, The Washington Post, and Time Magazine, and reviewed in Military Review, the Journal of Military and Strategic Studies, the Journal of Military History, Survival, and Parameters, and her op-eds have appeared in The Hill, U.S. News & World Report, and The Christian Science Monitor.

Molly received her Ph.D. from Cornell University in 2008, where she specialized in International Relations and Military Studies.

Mark Wielga is a Director of Nomogaia, a non-profit think-tank devoted to business and human rights. He has over twenty years direct experience with human rights in action. He has managed and performed human rights impact assessments on large footprint corporate projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America. He has worked with transnational corporations to design and implement corporate human rights policies as well as emergency responses to urgent human rights controversies. He has taught, lectured and published on human rights and corporate social responsibility in universities and institutions around the world. Mr. Wielga is a lawyer licensed in the United States and his extensive international legal experience informs his human rights work.

As a United States diplomat, James Yellin’s assignments included Ambassador to Burundi, principal U.S. representative to the Burundi peace talks in Arusha, Rule of Law Coordinator in Iraq, Deputy Chief of Mission in Burundi, Consul General in Lubumbashi, Chief of the Political Section in Algeria and Lebanon, Economic Officer in Morocco, and Political Officer in South Vietnam and Paris. While at the U.S. Embassy in South Vietnam, he was a Vietnamese interpreter and political advisor for a U.S. delegation that traveled to North Vietnam and negotiated implementation of a protocol to the peace accords signed by the United States, North Vietnam, and South Vietnam.