Kenny Donaldson holds a BA Hons Degree in Journalism and Politics (via Leeds University)
and a Diploma in Community Development Practice. He also holds a range of qualifications
in Mediation and Conflict Resolution.
Kenny has worked/volunteered within the victim/survivor sector for approximately 20
years and has been SEFF鈥檚 Director since 2008. Located in Northern Ireland, SEFF provides
support to survivors/victims of terrorism. In his role he now oversees 42 staff, circa
45 further service providers, 140 plus volunteers delivering for a direct membership
in excess of 2,000 but also contributing to wider community cohesion issues.
Kenny is also Spokesman for Innocent Victims United (an umbrella organisation for
24 groups based across Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and Great Britain) with
a combined membership in excess of 16,000 individual victims/survivors.
Kenny is passionate about victim鈥檚 issues and of seeing all innocent victims/survivors
(irrespective of postcode) being able to access support services which meet their
needs.
Whilst Director SEFF were granted the Queens Award for Voluntary Service, becoming
the first victim and survivor support group to receive this award. In 2022 Kenny was
also acknowledged in the late Queen Elizabeth II鈥檚 New Years Honours, receiving an
MBE for his work in support of victims and survivors. Kenny was clear that in accepting
the award that he was doing so on behalf of innocent victims and survivors.
Nancy Okail is President and CEO of the Center for International Policy. Dr. Okail
is a leading scholar, policy analyst, and advocate with more than 20 years of experience
working on issues of human rights, democracy, and security in the Middle East and
North Africa region.
In 2020, Okail was appointed as a visiting scholar at the Center for Democracy, Development
and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) at Stanford University, focusing on accountability and
the intersection of human rights and technology. Prior to joining Stanford, she served
as Executive Director of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP), which
under her leadership became an internationally renowned policy research organization.
Before coming to the United States, Okail worked on, managed, and evaluated foreign
aid programs for several international organizations, including the World Bank and
the United Nations Development Programme. In her subsequent role as Director of Freedom
House鈥檚 Egypt program, Okail was one of the 43 nongovernmental organization workers
convicted and sentenced to prison in a widely publicized 2012 case for allegedly using
foreign funds to foment unrest in Egypt. She was then exonerated by a court ruling
in December of 2018.
Okail holds a Ph.D. from the University of Sussex in the UK. Her policy analysis and
political commentary have been featured in top outlets including the Washington Post,
New York Times, Foreign Affairs, and Lawfare. She has been interviewed or quoted by
The Guardian, BBC World News, MSNBC, and Al Jazeera, and she regularly speaks on current
affairs panels at world fora and academic institutions.
