Dr. Laura Villanueva

• 2020 Ph.D. Doctor of Philosophy in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. George Mason University, Arlington, Virginia. Dissertation title : Local to Global Peace: Japanese Civilians Actively Working for Peace  
• 2005 MS. Master of Science in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. George Mason University, Arlington, Virginia.
• 1997  BA.  Bachelor of Art in International Relations. Department of International Affairs. Lewis & Clark College. Portland, Oregon. Working Group: Zones of Peace

• Sustainable peace(s) and reconciliation(s)
• Integrative power in peacebuilding and reconciliation frameworks and practices
• Harmony-building
• Relational infrastructures for peace
• Peacebuilding and reconciliation in Satoyama socio-ecological systems

• English (native)
• Spanish (native)
• French (limited working proficiency)
• Japanese (limited working proficiency)

Summer School: Ecosystems of History, Memory, and Reconciliation (August 2024)

Role: Program Co-Director & lecturer

Led an innovative transdisciplinary summer school collaboratively organized by Satoyama for Peace: Ecosystems for Peace and Reconciliation (S4P:EPR) and the Jena Center for Reconciliation Studies (JCRS). This scholarly intensive convened emerging researchers and faculty from Waseda University to examine the complex interrelationships between historical narratives, collective memory formation, and reconciliation methodologies. The program was specifically designed to advance the research project "Exploring International Reconciliation Studies Based on Universal Values and Collective Memory," under the direction of Professor Asano at Waseda University.

The summer school focused on three key areas:

• Historical Context and Reconciliation Efforts                                                                                                               • Ecosystem Turn in peace and reconciliation studies and practice                                                                           • Transdisciplinarity: A strategy for innovative research and new collaborations

Religious Freedom and Reconciliation Diploma (2023-2024)

Role: Academic Co-Director & Curriculum Developer

Developed and implemented a comprehensive nine-month diploma program commissioned by the Government of Antioquia. This collaborative initiative between Satoyama for Peace:Ecosystems for Peace and Reconciliation (S4P:EPR) and the Jena Center for Reconciliation Studies (JCRS) provided specialized training for Colombian religious leaders, culminating in July 2024. The curriculum implemented an ecosystemic lens and the Ecosystem Turn framework, weaving together theoretical foundations with context-sensitive pedagogical methodologies designed specifically for religious leaders engaged in peacebuilding processes.

Territorial Peacebuilding Academic Internship (2018)

Role: Program Architect & Academic Supervisor

Conceptualized and executed an innovative hybrid internship program integrating rigorous academic preparation with field-based research for Master's candidates from the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice. The program established collaborative partnerships with grassroots organizations Tejiendo Territorio para la Paz (Tejipaz) and Club Deportivo Santa Ana in the post-conflict Municipality of Granada, Antioquia, Colombia, creating structured pathways for scholarly engagement with community-driven peacebuilding initiatives.

• Provide a structured, safe environment for translating peace studies theory into practical application 
• Facilitate direct engagement with community-led reconciliation and rebuilding efforts in a post-conflict setting.
• Immerse participants in the Club's innovative but previously undocumented peacebuilding methodology.
• Support the systematization of local knowledge and practices that had emerged organically through years of grassroots peacebuilding work.                                                                                                               

Experiential Peacebuilding Education (2008-Present) 

Role: Lead Educator & Program Developer

Conceived and led educational initiatives applying ecosystem-based approaches to peacebuilding and conflict transformation. Programs synthesize transdisciplinary frameworks with experiential teaching methodologies for diverse human networks across conflict spectrums. As a teacher and curriculum developer, I integrate regenerative reconciliation practices with ecological systems thinking. The pedagogy is firmly rooted in harmony-building practices that are derived from an ecosystem lens. This work continues to equip participants with practical tools for implementing sustainable peace processes within their communities and ecosystems.

Event: Sri Lanka After the Elections – New Chances for Reconciliation?-  Expert on Panel
Date: March 28–30, 2025 | Location: Evangelical Academy of Bad Boll, Germany

Dr. Villanueva, served as an expert panelist in "What Does Reconciliation Mean and How Can It Be Initiated? Experiences from Other Countries." In her presentation, “Creating New Opportunities for Reconciliation: Catalytic entry point—micro-ecosystems,” Dr. Villanueva introduced micro-ecosystems as innovative, high-leverage catalysts for community-driven reconciliation. These micro-ecosystems serve as catalytic interfaces where trust, collective agency, and reconciliation emerge through non-linear, adaptive interactions. Her insights were grounded on practice-informed research in Colombia and framed within Satoyama for Peace: Ecosystems for peace and reconciliation(S4P:EPR) global conceptual architecture. She emphasized the untapped potential of ecosystem-based strategies and civil society resilience in post-conflict contexts. Dr. Villanueva also moderated the evaluation session, weaving together the outcomes of collaborative group work and the Saturday afternoon dialogues into a coherent synthesis to guide future actions.

Event: "Imaginer la Paix" International Meeting for Peace – Invited Participant
Date: September 22–24, 2024 | Location: Paris, France

Dr. Villanueva was invited to participate in the "Imaginer la Paix" International Meeting for Peace, organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Paris. The gathering brought together global leaders, scholars, and practitioners to discuss innovative peacebuilding approaches, culminating in a symbolic ceremony at Notre-Dame Cathedral as a testament to hope and resilience.

Event: Adoption of the Peace Charter for Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Date: July 4, 2024 | Location: Colombia (virtual signing)

Colombia’s inaugural Religious Ecosystem for Peace and Reconciliation (RE4PR), embedded within the broader theoretical framework of Satoyama for Peace, reached a historic milestone with the formal adoption of the Peace Charter for Forgiveness and Reconciliation in Latin America—the first official endorsement of this document on the continent. This landmark event took place during the closing session of the academic diploma program “Religious Freedom as a Human Right and the Role of Religion in Reconciliation Processes.” The adoption underscores the increasing institutional and scholarly recognition of the role of religious ecosystems in advancing social healing, intergroup reconciliation, and sustainable coexistence in post-conflict societies.

Event: Graduation of the first Religious Ecosystems for Peace and Reconciliation (RE4PR)                        Date: July 2024 | Location: Colombia (virtual)

The inaugural cohort of the Religious Ecosystems for Peace and Reconciliation (RE4PR) diploma program—an initiative situated within the broader conceptual framework of Satoyama for Peace—has successfully graduated, marking a significant advancement in the field of religious peacebuilding. Developed under the Satoyama for Peace: Ecosystems for Peace and Reconciliation (S4P:EPR) and commissioned by the Government of Antioquia, this nine-month academic program (2023–2024) was implemented in strategic partnership with the Jena Center for Reconciliation Studies (JCRS). With over 100 participants completing the program, RE4PR established a novel pedagogical and theoretical precedent for integrating ecological and religious systems into post-conflict reconciliation methodologies at a global scale.

Event: 2nd International Summit on Nonviolence Caicedo – Panelist                                                                          Date: June 11, 2024 | Location: Caicedo, Colombia & Virtual Hub (Dublin City University)

Dr. Villanueva, representing Satoyama for Peace: Ecosystems for Peace and Reconciliation (S4P:EPR), served as co-organizer of the 2nd International Summit on Nonviolence, held in collaboration with civil society actors in Caicedo and supported by the Jena Center for Reconciliation Studies (JCRS). The summit featured a virtual hub hosted by the Center for Religion, Human Values, and International Relations at Dublin City University, enhancing international engagement and fostering richer knowledge-sharing across institutions. As a panelist, Dr. Villanueva contributed to dialogues on forgiveness, and reconciliation. The summit also commemorated Caicedo’s 22-year trajectory as Colombia’s pioneering nonviolent municipality. Above all, it honored the enduring resilience of civil society actors in Caicedo who, despite adversity, continue to uphold and embody the life philosophy of nonviolence in their communities and across borders.

Event: May for Life Commemoration in Caicedo (Colombia) – Representative of S4P:EPR and the JCRS                                                                                                                           Date: May 2024 | Location: Caicedo, Antioquia, Colombia

Dr. Villanueva participated in the Day of Life Commemoration honoring Guillermo Gaviria Correa, former Governor of Antioquia, and his peace advisor, Gilberto Echeverri Mejía. This annual observance convenes academic institutions, artistic communities, and civil society actors to collectively advocate for the right to life and to advance nonviolence both as an ethical philosophy and as an applied methodology for conflict transformation in everyday contexts. Held in Caicedo, Colombia’s first officially declared nonviolent municipality, the event reaffirmed the community’s longstanding commitment to cultivating nonviolence as a lived philosophy and a cornerstone of local peacebuilding praxis.

Event: Closing Keynote at CALAS – Keynote Speaker
Date: April 2024 | Location: Guadalajara, Mexico

Dr. Villanueva delivered the keynote address, “Identities and Ecosystems – Reflections on Identities in Tension: Economic Crisis, Violence, and Peace in Latin America,” at the Maria Sibylla Merian Center for Advanced Latin American Studies (CALAS). Anchored in the Satoyama for Peace: Ecosystems for Peace and Reconciliation (S4P:EPR) framework, she employed an ecosystemic lens to analyze how economic crises and structural violence reshape identity formations across the region. Reconciliation was conceptualized as an emergent identity: regenerative, relational, and embodied as a way of life. To address these tensions, Dr. Villanueva introduced her original concept of reconciliation carriers: individuals or groups who embody and transmit reconciliatory identities within their ecosystems. She illustrated this through a recent example from a religious-based ecosystems in the works of S4P:EPR, demonstrating how reconciliation carriers can mediate conflict, foster moral agency, and sustain pathways of transformation in a post-conflict context.

Event: Satoyama for Peace: Ecosystems for Peace and Reconciliation (S4P:EPR) Presentation – Presenter
Date: February 2024 | Location: Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan

Dr. Laura Villanueva delivered a presentation on a dimension of the Satoyama for Peace: Ecosystems for Peace and Reconciliation (S4P) framework, highlighting traditional ecological knowledge systems as an integral part, serving as critical knowledge systems and enabling structures in ecosystem-based peace and reconciliation approaches. Drawing on context specific examples from West Asia, East Asia, and Latin America, she examined how this aspect of the S4P:EPR framework supports locally grounded, ecosystem-based approaches that are adaptable to diverse socio ecological contexts across the rural–urban gradient, where peacebuilding and reconciliation efforts must navigate complex and overlapping social and ecological dynamics.

Event: 4th Annual IARS World Conference – Keynote Speaker
Date: August 1–5, 2023|  Location: Kibuye, Rwanda

Dr. Laura Villanueva collaborates with Professor Martin Leiner as peace partners in advancing the Hölderlin model for holistic reconciliation. This ongoing development is grounded in both empirical inquiry and theoretical refinement, aiming to expand its relevance and applicability across diverse conflict and post-conflict settings. In August 2023, they co-presented the keynote address, “The Hölderlin Model for Holistic Reconciliation in War and Peace,” at the 4th Annual International Association for Reconciliation Studies (IARS) World Conference in Kibuye, Rwanda, where they engaged with an international cohort of 80 scholars and practitioners on critical approaches to reconciliation.

Event: Jena Center for Reconciliation Studies (JCRS) 10-Year Anniversary – Invited Speaker
Date: June 2023 | Location: Jena Center for Reconciliation Studies (JCRS)

Dr. Villanueva, founder and director of Satoyama for Peace: Ecosystems for Peace and Reconciliation (S4P:EPR), delivered a launch presentation introducing the Fifth Pillar of the Jena Center for Reconciliation Studies (JCRS). Her contribution significantly expanded the Center’s theoretical and practical framework by integrating ecosystems as critical infrastructures for sustainable peacebuilding and reconciliation processes. As part of this milestone event, she also signed the Peace Charter for Forgiveness and Reconciliation alongside representatives from all JCRS pillars, reinforcing a collective commitment to global peace and reconciliation.

Event: Signing of Memorandum of Understanding for Memory and Reconciliation
Date: May 2023 | Location: Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany

Dr. Laura Villanueva led the negotiation and signing of a trilateral Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Antioquia, the Jena Center for Reconciliation Studies (JCRS), and Satoyama for Peace: Ecosystems for Peace and Reconciliation (S4P:EPR). The agreement establishes a transnational academic-government ecosystem to support memory and reconciliation in Antioquia, advancing the region’s Public Policy on Peace, Nonviolence, and Reconciliation through transdisciplinary engagement, applied research, and sustained collaboration with local communities.

Event: Guillermo Gaviria Correa and Gilberto Echeverri Mejía Award for Peace, Nonviolence, and Reconciliation – Judge
Date: May 2023 | Location: Colombia

Dr. Laura Villanueva served as one of five judges for the Premio Guillermo Gaviria y Gilberto Echeverri, representing the Jena Center for Reconciliation Studies (JCRS) and Satoyama for Peace: Ecosystems for Peace and Reconciliation (S4P:EPR). In this capacity, she evaluated nominees’ contributions to peacebuilding and nonviolent conflict transformation, applying academic and practice-based criteria. The process culminated in the award ceremony at the International Summit for Nonviolence, highlighting locally rooted and globally relevant approaches to reconciliation.

Event: International Summit for Nonviolence Caicedo 2023 – Panelist
Date: May 2023 | Location: Caicedo, Colombia

Dr. Villanueva was invited by the Government of Antioquia to serve as a panelist at the International Summit for Nonviolence in the municipality of Caicedo, Colombia. Recognized as the country’s first officially declared nonviolent municipality, Caicedo earned this designation following a landmark 2007 referendum in which an overwhelming majority of residents affirmed their collective commitment to nonviolence as both a guiding principle and a shared community practice. Representing the Jena Center for Reconciliation Studies (JCRS), Dr. Villanueva brought academic depth and practice-based insight to discussions with global and local leaders. Her participation helped catalyze an ongoing dialogue and laid the groundwork for follow-up initiatives connecting academic research, community peacebuilding, and public policy in Antioquia. Dr. Villanueva’s contributions emphasized co-creation with local communities, deepened ties between international reconciliation networks, and advanced strategic partnerships for sustained nonviolence and reconciliation.

Event: International Association for Reconciliation Studies (IARS) Conference – Research Presentation
Date: August 2022 | Location: Washington, D.C.

Dr. Laura Villanueva and Mr. Abdelghani Elhusseini presented their research titled “Women as Reconciliation Actors: Umm Salamah’s Consultation as a Pivotal Event in Early Islamic Reconciliation Processes.” The study offered a critical re-examination of Umm Salamah’s role in early Islamic history, positioning her as a key actor in conflict resolution and peacebuilding. By analyzing her consultative intervention during a decisive moment in early Islam, the research highlighted the often-overlooked moral and political agency of women in foundational reconciliation processes, contributing to broader discourses on gender, religion, and peace.

Event: Transforming Lives (Framework of PaZiempre) –Panelist
Date: October 2019 | Location: Bogotá, Colombia

Dr. Villanueva participated in a high-level academic panel focused on socio-economic stabilization in post-conflict urban environments. Convened by the High Council for the Rights of Victims, Peace, and Reconciliation of the Mayor’s Office of Bogotá, the panel was part of the city’s PaZiempre strategy to support victims of Colombia’s armed conflict. Drawing on her comparative work across Latin America, West Asia, and East Asia, Dr. Villanueva emphasized the importance of relational and ecosystemic thinking in designing sustainable strategies for urban peace. Her intervention was grounded in a field visit conducted the day before, during which she observed firsthand how PaZiempre weaves together community-led processes through a tangible, relational approach. She reflected on how context-sensitive, community-driven models can serve as powerful mechanisms for long-term stabilization and inclusion. Moving beyond structural interventions, she highlighted the need for frameworks that center affective ties, cultural agency, and the everyday practices of peace. Her perspective positioned PaZiempre as an innovative, locally rooted model that emphasizes the critical role of the private sector and the strategic sequencing of interventions to ensure durability and local ownership in socio-economic policy design.

Event: International Encounter of Collective Reparation Experiences – Plenary Panelist
Location: Bogotá, Colombia | Date: June 2018

Dr. Villanueva was invited as a plenary panelist at the International Encounter of Collective Reparation Experiences, hosted by Colombian Unit for the Attention and Reparation of Victims (UARIV). This high-level international forum brought together 82 victims from 29 collective reparation subjects, along with delegates from international organizations, including the World Bank and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The gathering focused on deepening collective reparation practices as transformative tools for peacebuilding in post-conflict contexts. Participating in the session “Collective Reparation as a Scenario for the Construction of Peace,” Dr. Villanueva examined the epistemic and political dimensions of reparation. She emphasized the centrality of community-led processes, cultural memory, and reparative justice in restoring the social fabric and rebuilding trust within communities affected by armed conflict. The event positioned Colombia’s collective reparation model as a globally relevant practice in post-conflict reconstruction, offering comparative insights for other societies grappling with mass violence and systemic harm.

Event: About the Troubles and Joys of Co-Authorship: A Collaborative Reflection from Peace and Conflict Writers – Joint Presentation
Date: November 2018 | Location: InnPeace – Research Center for Peace and Conflict, University of Innsbruck.

As one of the inaugural InnPeace Fellows at the Research Center for Peace and Conflict at the University of Innsbruck, Dr. Villanueva delivered a collaborative presentation examining the complexities of co-authorship in peace and conflict studies. Drawing from the process of co-writing a chapter for the fourth volume of Local Peace Communities: Facing a National Peace (edited by Christopher Mitchell, Landon Hancock, and Cécile Mouly), the session critically explored the intellectual, interpersonal, and methodological dimensions of collaborative academic work. Held during a week-long residency at the Grillhof Seminar Center, the presentation also invited the academic community into a broader conversation on how co-authorship can reframe the often-solitary practice of scholarly writing as a collective, dialogic endeavor.

Event: Capital Cities Meeting – Invited Expert
Date: December 2017 |  Hosted by the Ministry of the Interior of Colombia & GAPV, Colombia

Dr. Laura Villanueva, invited as an international expert from the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, delivered a lecture entitled “The Colombian Peace Agreement from a Comparative Perspective”during the Capital Cities Meeting held in Bogotá. Convened by the Ministry of the Interior and the Internal Articulation Group for the Policy of Victims (GAPV), the meeting brought together officials from Colombia’s capital cities to exchange experiences and discuss strategies for advancing the territorial implementation of the 2016 Final Peace Agreement. Dr. Villanueva’s intervention provided a comparative analysis of peace processes, contributing to the national dialogue on sustainable peace and the integration of victim-centered approaches within local governance frameworks.

Event: Second Academic Encounter - Women, Peacebuilding, and the Moral Imagination                                      – Invited Expert & Trainer
Date: November 2017
Location: Medellín, Colombia | Hosted by the Women's Secretariat, Mayor's Office of Medellín, and UARIV

In November 2017, Dr. Villanueva, a practitioner-scholar and executive director for the Center for Peacemaking Practice at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, was invited to Medellín, Colombia, and presented "Women, Peacebuilding, and the Moral Imagination." This initiative, organized by the Women's Secretariat of the Mayor's Office of Medellín in collaboration with the Unit for the Attention and Comprehensive Reparation to Victims (UARIV), aimed to empower women who had been victims of the armed conflict and were actively engaged in peace initiatives.​ Dr. Villanueva's training sessions focused on equipping participants with essential tools for leadership, reconciliation, and conflict transformation, emphasizing the concept of moral imagination in peacebuilding. Her contributions significantly enhanced the participants' capacities to lead and implement effective peacebuilding strategies within their communities.​

Event: Civil Society in Peacebuilding and Women as Agents of Change – Invited Expert and Trainer
Date: November 2017  | Location: Medellín, Colombia | Hosted by the Secretariat of Social Inclusion,  Family, and Human Rights, Mayor’s Office of Medellín

In November 2017, Dr. Laura Villanueva, practitioner-scholar and Executive Director of the Center for Peacemaking Practice at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, was invited to Medellín, Colombia, to present Women, Peacebuilding, and the Moral Imagination. Hosted by the Women’s Secretariat of the Mayor’s Office of Medellín in collaboration with the Unit for the Attention and Comprehensive Reparation to Victims (UARIV), the initiative aimed to empower women victims of armed conflict who were actively engaged in local peace efforts. Dr. Villanueva’s training equipped participants with tools for conflict transformation and reconciliation, grounded in the concept of moral imagination as it is applied in diverse peacebuilding contexts around the world. She also introduced an emerging grassroots peace initiative in Syria that was working in the midst of ongoing conflict. This initiative had begun a dialogue with a pioneering Colombian victims' organization, fostering a meaningful cross-context exchange on resilience, solidarity, and community-based peacebuilding. Her contribution expanded participants’ global perspective and supported their capacity to develop transformative strategies within their communities.

Event: Kroc School’s International Day of Peace – Representative & Founding Member
Date: September 21, 2017 | Location: University of San Diego, Kroc School of Peace Studies

​Dr.Villanueva was a founding member and Territorial Advisor of Tejiendo Territorio para la Paz (Tejipaz), a peacebuilding organization dedicated to fostering sustainable peace in Colombia by strengthening the social fabric of communities affected by violence through economic development initiatives, particularly coffee cultivation.  On September 21, 2017, coinciding with the International Day of Peace, she represented Tejipaz at the University of San Diego's Kroc School of Peace Studies' tenth anniversary, marking a significant milestone with the first international sale of Tejipaz's specialty coffee. At this event, Dr. Villanueva introduced the motto “Shaping a Better World One Cup of Coffee at a Time,” encapsulating the organization's vision of peacebuilding through ethical commerce. This motto was inspired by a poignant moment during her documentation of personal stories from those joining the process that had returned to the municipality Granada and had been  affected by the armed conflict. In a 2016 recording, a victim transitioning to coffee farming expressed, “If there is work, there is peace.” The event underscored the transformative potential of grassroots economic initiatives and multi-stakeholder collaboration in fragile post-conflict environments, affirming that sustainable peace can indeed be cultivated from the ground up.​​

Event: California Consensus for Peace through Technology (CalCon) – Presenter
Date: May 2017 | Location: University of San Diego, Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies

Dr. Laura Villanueva presented the Satoyama for Life app at CalCon 2017, an invitation-only symposium co-hosted by the Kroc School and One Earth Future Foundation. The event convened pioneering peace and security researchers, technologists, funders, and policymakers to explore how emerging technologies can address the evolving nature of violent conflict. Dr. Villanueva’s presentation introduced a digital initiative designed to build a cross-cultural human network for peacebuilding between Japan and the Middle East. Grounded in the Japanese Satoyama ecological philosophy, the app promoted sustainability, replication, and people-to-people engagement as tools for reconciliation.

Event: ISA 57th Annual Convention – Exploring Peace
Date: March 16–19, 2016 | Location: Hilton Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia

On the panel Zones of Peace I: Peacebuilding and Legitimacy at the Local Level, Dr. Laura Villanueva presented “Harnessing Legitimacy through Networks: Civilian-led, Closed-Virtual Communities (CVCs) as a New Type of 'Zone' of Peace.” Based on original fieldwork, she identified a Mexican civilian-led virtual community as an emergent Zone of Peace (ZoP), characterized by its sanctuary function and distributed legitimacy. Her research proposed a new framework for understanding CVCs as adaptive, trust-based ecologies of civilian agency operating within closed digital networks.

Event: Practitioner’s Retreat on Religion and Conflict Transformation
Date: February 2015 | Location: Center for Security Studies, ETH Zurich

Dr. Villanueva, invited participant, took part in an advanced retreat on "Improving Practice through Intervision and Arts-Based Approaches." This retreat, hosted by the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, brought together practitioners engaged in conflicts with religious dimensions to explore innovative peacebuilding methodologies through interdisciplinary dialogue.

Event: Redefining Peace: Many Ways to Speak About Peace – Invited Speaker
Date: November 2012 | Location: Institut d'Études Politiques de Lille (Sciences Po Lille)

At the invitation of the Director of the Conflict & Development Program at Sciences Po Lille, Dr.  Villanueva presented Satoyama for Peace as part of her lecture, "Redefining Peace: Many Ways to Speak About Peace." In this session, she introduced Satoyama for Peace as a practice-based peacebuilding model grounded in traditional Japanese ecological knowledge, cultural values, and the lived experience of coexistence in Kosuge Village. First articulated as a peacebuilding model in 2012, Satoyama for Peace originated in 2008 as a set of practices and insights rooted in local engagement, later synthesized into a formal academic framework. Rooted in the relational and ecological practices of the village, the framework reconceptualizes peace as an embodied, affective, adaptive, and regenerative process. The session incorporated a participatory design-thinking component through which students engaged in the creative application of theoretical concepts to envision innovative peace practices. Taken together, this experience reframed peace as a dynamic ecology of cultural sustainability, emotional resonance, and adaptive capacity—grounded in the interdependence between humans and nature, wherein the relational ethics cultivated through human–nature engagement inform and sustain harmonious human–human relations.

Event: New Challenges for Catholic Peacebuilding – Invited Participant
Date: May 29–30, 2012 | Location: Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Rome, Italy

Dr. Laura Villanueva was invited to participate in the New Challenges for Catholic Peacebuilding seminar, convened by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in collaboration with Caritas Internationalis and the Catholic Peacebuilding Network. This gathering brought together Catholic leaders from conflict-affected regions, including representatives from Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, to explore emerging approaches to peacebuilding. The seminar facilitated high-level discussions on the evolving role of the Church in conflict resolution and reconciliation, emphasizing proactive efforts to prevent violence and promote peace. ​

Event: Inter-Gender Ministry: A Path to Peacebuilding and Collaboration – Workshop Co-Designer & Facilitator
Date: October 2012 | Location: JPIC Commission USG/UISG, Rome, Italy

Dr. Villanueva co-designed and co-facilitated a three-day workshop titled “Inter-Gender Ministry: A Path to Peacebuilding and Collaboration,” in collaboration with the Co-Secretary of the JPIC Commission (USG/UISG). The workshop took place during the Society of the Divine Word’s (SVD) international tertiate renewal program in Rome. The program aimed to empower SVD missionaries to address global issues and foster intercultural and interfaith dialogue. Through participatory and reflective methods, the workshop explored gender-inclusive approaches to ministry and peacebuilding.

Event: Refugee-Seminary Dialogue Program – Facilitator
Date: April 2012 |  Location: Seminario Arcivescovile, Fermo, Italy

In April 2012, amidst a significant influx of African refugees arriving in Italy via Lampedusa due to ongoing conflicts and instability in North Africa, Dr. Laura Villanueva designed and facilitated a pioneering three-day program aimed at enhancing communication and collaboration between these newly arrived refugees and the local seminary community in Fermo. Hosted by the Seminario Arcivescovile, this initiative was the first of its kind in Italy, fostering mutual understanding and social integration through structured dialogue and community engagement. The program provided a platform for participants to share experiences, address cultural differences, and build relationships, contributing to the seminary's mission of social responsibility and intercultural dialogue.​

Villanueva, Laura, Francesco Ferrari, Davide Tacchini, and Binyamin Gurstein, eds. Transdisciplinary Approaches on Reconciliation Research: Studies in Honor of Martin Leiner. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2024. https://www.vr-elibrary.de/doi/book/10.13109/9783666500299External link.

Villanueva, Laura, et al. “Rural Human Networks in Granada: The Challenges of Sustaining Peace Infrastructures in a Post-Agreement Phase.” In Confronting Peace: Local Peacebuilding in the Wake of a National Peace Agreement, edited by Susan H. Allen, Landon E. Hancock, Christopher R. Mitchell, and Cécile Mouly, 137–156. Basingstoke & New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67288-1_7External link.

Villanueva, Laura. Local to Global Peace: Japanese Civilians Actively Working for Peace. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, George Mason University, 2020.

Villanueva, Laura. “Harmony-Building in Japan and Its Implications for Mediation.” Perspektive Mediation 16, no. 4 (2019): 221–226. https://doi.org/10.33196/pm201904022101External link.

Villanueva, Laura. “Harnessing Legitimacy Through Networks: Civilian-Led, Closed Virtual Communities as a New Type of Zone of Peace.” In Local Peacebuilding and Legitimacy: Interactions Between National and Local Levels, edited by Landon E. Hancock and Christopher R. Mitchell, 153–170. London: Routledge, 2018. ISBN 978-1138224148.

Villanueva, Laura. “Reflections on Practice Through Intervision and Arts-Based Approaches.” S-CAR News 9, no. 2 (March 2015). https://activity.scar.gmu.edu/newsletter-article/reflections-practice-through-intervision-and-arts-based-approachesExternal link.

Villanueva, Laura. “Reconciliation From the Bottom Up: Experiences From San Carlos and Granada.” S-CAR News 10, no. 2 (October 2015). https://activity.scar.gmu.edu/newsletter-article/reconciliation-bottom-experiences-san-carlos-and-granadaExternal link.

Founder & Director (2022–Present)
Satoyama for Peace: Ecosystems for Peace and Reconciliation (S4P:EPR),                                                       housed at the Jena Center for Reconciliation Studies (JCRS)

Executive Director (2014–2020)
Center for Peacemaking Practice, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University, USA

Founding Member & Peace Advisor (2016–2023)
Association Weaving Territory for Peace (TEJIPAZ), Colombia

Co-founder & Peace Adviser (2017–Present)
Daret Salam (Peace Circuit), Syria

Peace Adviser (2017–Present)
Asociación de Víctimas Unidas del Municipio de Granada (ASOVIDA), Colombia

Peacebuilding Practitioner (2007–Present)
Peace Field Japan (PFJ), Tokyo, Japan

Peacebuilding Practitioner (2007–Present)
Kiyosato Educational Experiment Project (KEEP), Japan

Dialogue Center Staff (2007–2009)
Kiyosato Educational Experiment Project (KEEP), Japan

Project Management & Research (2004–2005)
Gernika Gogoratuz Peace Research Centre, Spain

Dean’s Fellow for Practice 2014 – 2018                                                                                                                           Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. George Mason University, Arlington, Virginia.       

S-CAR Advisory Board 2018-2019 Scholarship Recipient                                                                                       Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. George Mason University, Arlington, Virginia. This scholarship recognizes excellence in leadership, research, publications, and service