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MU
RIEL BOWSER
MAYOR
February 12, 2025
The Honorable Phil Mendelson
Chairman
Council of the District of Columbia
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 504
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Chairman Mendelson:
In accordance with section 2 of the Confirmation Act of 1978, effective March 3, 1979 (D.C. Law 2-
142; D.C. Official Code § 1-523.01), and pursuant to section 4 of the Students in the Care of D.C.
Coordinating Committee Act of 2018, effective April 11, 2019 (D.C. Law 22-303, D.C. Official Code
§ 2-1599.03), I am pleased to nominate the following individual:
Ms. Andria Wisler
Lexington Place, NE
Washington, DC 20002
(Ward 6)
for appointment as a representative from a charter school local education agenc y member of the
Students in the Care of D.C. Coordinating Committee, filling a vacant seat, for a term to end November
15, 2028.
Enclosed, you will find biographical information detailing the experience of the above-m entioned
nominee, together with a proposed resolution to assist the Council during the confirmation process.
I would appreciate the Council’s earliest consideration of this nomination for confirmation. Please
do not hesitate to contact me, or Steven Walker, Director, Mayor’s Office of Talent and
Appointments, should the Council require additional information.
Sincerely,
Muriel B owser
Mayor
1
2 ha1rman Phil Mendelson
3 at the request of the Mayor
4
5
6 A PROPOSED RESOLUTION
7
8
9
10 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
11
12
13
14
15 To confirm the appointment of Andria Wisler to the Students in the Care ofD.C. Coordinating
16 Committee.
17
18 RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
19 resolution may be cited as the "Students in the Care ofD.C. Coordinating Committee Andria
20 Wisler Confirmation Resolution of 2025".
21 Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia confirms the appointment of:
22
23 Andria Wisler
24 Lexington Place, N.E.
25 Washington, DC 20002
26 (Ward 6)
27
28 as a representative from a charter school local education agency member of the Students in the
29 Care ofD.C. Coordinating Committee, established by section 3 of the Students in the Care of
30 D.C. Coordinating Committee Act of 2018, effective April 11, 2019 (D.C. Law 22-303; D.C.
31 Official Code§ 2-1599.02), filling a vacant seat, for a term to end November 15, 2028.
32 Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia shall transmit a copy of this resolution,
33 upon its adoption, to the nominee and to the Office of the Mayor.
34 Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
1
ANDRIA K. WISLER, Ph.D.
EDUCATION
Columbia University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences ~ New York, NY
May 2008 Ph.D., Comparative and International Education
October 2007 M.Phil, Philosophy
Dissertation Peace knowledge: An inquiry in Post-Yugoslav higher education
2007 American Council of Learned Societies travel grant for Southeast European Studies
AY 2006-07 American Council of Learned Societies dissertation fellow in East European Studies
Summer 2004 Foreign Language Area Studies award for Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian language
AY 2004-06 National Security and Education David L. Boren fellowship
AY 2004-05 Foreign Language Area Studies Fellowship for Serbo-Croatian language
Teachers College, Columbia University ~ New York, New York
May 2002 M.A., International Educational Development and Peace Education
Thesis Hope-based peace education for refugees in former Yugoslavia and Great Lakes, Africa
Summer 2002 Foreign Language Area Studies award for Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian language
2002 American Council of Learned Societies award for East European language training
University of Notre Dame ~ South Bend, Indiana
May 1998 B.A. cum laude, English major, German minor, International Peace Studies concentration
CURRENT POSITION
Georgetown University ~ Washington, DC
January 2013-present Executive Director, Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching & Service (CSJ)
August 2022-present Full Teaching Professor, Justice and Peace Studies
2020-2022 American Council on Education Fellow, placement at University of Detroit Mercy
Under my leadership, the CSJ has grown in its student, community, and faculty engagement, physical size,
virtual presence, grant procurement, fundraising, and national reputation. Over 100 programs operate
through the CSJ through which 1,500 students and 50 faculty have commitments each semester. The CSJ has
a comprehensive commitment in all of its processes and programs to racial justice.
● provide strategic leadership for and oversee all operations, programming, and finances ($1.5 million
operating budget) of mission-critical academic unit under the Vice President for Student Affairs reporting
to the Office of the President (under the Vice Provost for Education until August 2022) that is a hub for
student, staff, and faculty engagement with communities in Washington, DC and beyond through social
justice research, teaching, service, and immersion at a globally renowned Jesuit University
● served university as senior leader on Provost’s Council and now serve the Office of the President to
respond to university needs related to racial justice, student well-being, humanitarian crises, and more
● partner and collaborate through relationships with diverse campus units, such as with Campus Ministry:
co-led and developed immersion program to Peru for faculty and to the US/Mexico border
● collaborate with University leaders of experiential learning units to create supportive, creative ecosystem
● supervise and mentor two direct reports and 12 indirect reports; instituted an annual retreat and “Team
Together Days,” data collection standards, and program evaluations
● oversee Center-based teams that have submitted 100 applications for funding with a 66% success rate
● created new revenue streams through high school programs in response to University funding constraints
● maintain excellent relationships and partnerships with dozens of community-based partners thereby
uplifting the University’s reputation as a place-based, community-engaged anchor institution
● created Engaged Scholarship program for Center Justice Graduate Interns cohort and supported the
renewal of a Faculty Fellows program
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● present on CSJ’s engaged scholarship and impact on student development and community needs to
campus units, the Board of Trustees, Board of Governors Board of Regents, at conferences and to alumni
● represent the University at: Community Engaged Scholars and Practitioners Network (CESPN) of the
Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU); Association for Jesuit Colleges and
Universities (AJCU) Community Engaged Learning Professionals; Community-based Global Learning
Collaborative
SERVICE TO EDUCATION
● 5/2024-present: Lead of The Detail, a campus collaborative infusing restorative practices into
Election season programming
● 4/2024-present: Co-Chair of Carnegie Community Engagement Reclassification Application committee
● 8/2023-present: Co-Chair of Commission on Justice and Reconciliation: Addressing the Legacy of
Slavery and Oppression for the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU)
● 5/2023-present: Board of Trustees member of YouthBuild public charter school (DC)
● 10/2022-present: Board of Trustees member of Global Girls Academy public charter school (DC)
● 8/2022-present: member of Task Force on Reconciliation for International Association of Jesuit
Universities (IAJU)
● 8/2022-present: Steering Committee member of Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities
Community-engaged Scholars and Practitioner Network (CESPN)
● AY22-23: Room Parent for 5th Grade Class at Holy Trinity Elementary School (DC)
● 5/2022-present and 9/2009-6/2015: Board of Trustees members of Cornelia Connelly Center (NY, NY)
● 8/2019-present: appointed by Georgetown University Vice-President for Mission and Ministry to serve on
University-wide Mission Advisory Board
● 8/2018-present: member of Community-based Global Learning Collaborative steering committee
● 8/2017-7/2021: member of National Steering Committee for the Justice in Jesuit Higher Education and
local host for the gathering at Georgetown in June 2021 (800 virtual attendees)
● 2017-2020: member of University’s Truman Fellowship committee
● AY 2017-2018: appointed by University President to serve on group conducting Jesuit Examen
(self-reflection) for the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU)
● AY 2016-2018: appointed by senior leadership to co-chair with Jason Low (C’17) a 35-member
Advisory Board for Access and Affordability, to research and write report with vision, goals, and
deliverables to meet the needs of first-generation students via a “whole institution” approach
● 2015-2018: appointed by University President to co-chair University’s Let Freedom Ring! Initiative
● 1/2013-present: member of Advisory Board of University’s Justice and Peace Studies program
● 2011-2014: evaluator for experiential learning project of George Mason’s School for Conflict Analysis
and Resolution, funded by Fund for the Improvement of Post-secondary Education (FIPSE)
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
● 2020-2022: American Council on Education Fellow, with placement at the University of Detroit Mercy
● August 2017: co-led University’s 15-member delegation to Commitment to Justice in Jesuit Higher
Education Conference at Seattle University, Washington
● Spring 2015: nominated by University leadership and selected for participation in Shaping and
Advancing Georgetown Executives (SAGE) Future Leaders Executive Education program
● June 2014: nominated by University leadership and selected for participation in Association of
Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) Higher Education Leadership Seminar in Chicago
● Summer 2013: nominated by University leadership and selected for participation in Higher Education
Resource Services (HERS) Institute in Denver, Colorado
● June 2009 invited member of 9-faculty member University delegation to Commitment to Justice in
Jesuit Higher Education Conference at Fairfield University, Connecticut
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HONORS AND FELLOWSHIPS (* indicates honor for Center for Social Justice)
August 2021 faculty-selected speaker for New Student Convocation
February 2020 selected as AY 2020-2022 American Council on Education fellow
February 2020 student-selected for membership to Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit Honor Society
January 2020 peer nominated and selected for University’s President’s Excellence award
April 2017 recognized for service to University with Matteo Ricci, SJ award
January 2015 Carnegie Classification of Community Engagement for Georgetown University*
Spring 2015 White House Interfaith Community Service Award (of 814 institutions)*
Nov 2014 Maryland-DC Campus Compact Engaged Campus award (of 34 institutions)*
Nov 2014 invited by University President to be a TEDXGeorgetown presenter
2011, 2012 nominated by students to Georgetown College honors for Excellence in Teaching
SCHOLARSHIP
Edited volume
(2015). co-edited with C. Del Felice and A. Karako. Evaluation for peace education: Sharing experiences,
exploring prospects. North Carolina: Information Age.
Journal articles, monographs, and chapters in books
(2024). “Unpacking the Liberatory Possibilities of Jesuit Higher Education.” Forthcoming in Beyond
Reforms, Toward Liberatory Higher Education: Community-led, Participatory, and Collaborative
Methods and Resource Sharing (eds. Hartman, E. et al). Under review with Cornell University.
(2022). “Foreword.” In Reardon, B., Comprehensive peace education – Anniversary edition.” Maryland:
Peace Knowledge Press.
(2016, Fall). “Working for peace: Two feet of love in action.” Connections Quarterly 36(1): 2-5.
(2013). with S. Hirsch, N. Lazarus, G. Cerasani, and J. Minde. “Pursuing research through focus groups: A
capstone experience that meets disciplinary and general education goals.” Council of Undergraduate
Research (CUR) Quarterly 33(4).
(2012). “Pedagogies of social justice for higher education community engagement programs.” Peace Studies
Journal 5(3): 72-80.
(2012). “Conflict resolution and international development.” In C. Zelizer (ed.), Conflict mainstreaming
from theory to impact. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
(2011). “The use of humor in the conflict resolution classroom.” Journal of the Wisconsin Institute for Peace
and Conflict Studies 12: 19-27.
(2010). Response to Noah Sobe’s “Rethinking ‘Cosmopolitanism’ as an analytic for the comparative study of
globalization and education.” Current Issues in Comparative Education 12(1). [online]
(2010). “Cosmopolitanism as an applied peace philosophy in post-Yugoslav higher education.” In C. Carter
and R. Kumar (eds.), Peace philosophy in action. New York: Palgrave MacMillam.
(2010). “Portraits of peace knowledge in post-Yugoslav higher education.” Journal of Peace Education
7(1):15- 31.
(2009). “Cosmopolitanism, education, and comparative education.” Guest editor for special issue of
Current Issues in Comparative Education (CICE) 12(1). [online]
(2009). “A peace research perspective on the Yugoslav conflicts.” Peace Review 21(2): 320-327.
(2009). “‘Of, by, and for are not merely prepositions’: Teaching and learning conflict resolution for a
democratic, global citizenry.” Intercultural Education 20(2): 127-133.
(2007). with C. Del Felice. “The unexplored power and potential of youth as peace-builders.” Peace,
Conflict, and Development 11(11): 1-29.
As the Center for Social Justice Executive Director, I have led dozens of workshops and offered presentations
on community and civic engagement; social justice language; engaged scholarship; mission curricular
integration; education as transformation; and community partnerships to parents, donors, alumni, professors,
students, staff, senior leadership, and higher education peers.
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Selected presentations, workshops, speeches, and interviews
AJCU Faith, Justice & Reconciliation Assembly: Creation of a Hope-filled Future, July 2024 ~ invited co-
chair/presenter on Reconciling our Jesuit institutions’ histories of injustice
New Student Convocation, Georgetown, August 2021 ~ invited faculty speaker first major in person
COVID-era event (2,000 attendees)
Teaching, Learning, and Innovation Summer Institute, Georgetown University, May 2020 ~ online
workshop co-creator on Experiential and community-based learning at a distance (200 faculty)
Interview with President John J. DeGioia, Georgetown University, April 2020 ~ online at
georgetown.edu/news/georgetown-now-andria-wisler
Speech as honorary member of Alpha Sigma Nu, Georgetown University February 2020 (200 attendees)
Ford Foundation report launch event on Leveraging Higher Education to Promote Social Justice: Evidence
from the IFP Alumni Tracking Study, New York, NY April 2019 ~ invited panelist (100 attendees)
For seminar “Social Justice Research Methods,” Georgetown University, October 2017, March 2018,
November 2018, February 2019, October 2019 ~ presentation on Research in conflict zones
Teaching, Learning, and Innovation Summer Institute, Georgetown University, May 2016, May 2019 ~
workshop creator and facilitator on Ignatian pedagogy (25 faculty and staff)
Teaching, Learning, and Innovation Summer Institute, Georgetown University, May 2017, 2018 ~
Access and affordability for first-generation students (60 faculty and staff)
Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities Service-Learning Professionals, Seattle University, WA
August 2017 ~ Student activism and curricular initiatives
International Association for Research on Service-learning and Civic Engagement, Boston, November 2016
~ “Intersections” of social justice experiences and learning: An online course for community-based
social action and reflection
6th annual Graduate Education Symposium in Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University, May
2016 ~ Opportunities and challenges for field-based learning
For Master’s level seminar “Theory and Practice of Security” Georgetown University, November 2015 ~
presentation on Just war theory (22 students)
Respondent to Pope Francis’ address to Congress in Washington, DC at Georgetown University, September
2015 (100+ attendees)
Human Development and Capabilities Association (HDCA) conference, September 2015 ~ Invited chair for
Gendered mobilities: Education capabilities and aspiration (40+ attendees)
International Town Gown Association, Washington, DC, May 2015 ~ Community-based learning and the
common good: Community engagement as a core competency in the Georgetown curriculum
Teaching, Learning, and Innovation Summer Institute, Georgetown University, October 2014, Promises of
community (200 attendees)
American Evaluation Association, Minneapolis, MN, October 2012 ~ Evaluating experiential learning in
higher education (10 attendees)
Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education meeting, Washington, DC, November 2011 ~
“Linking theory to practice” as a pathway to a career in conflict resolution (30 attendees)
Comparative and International Education Society 55th annual meeting, Montreal, Canada, May 2010
Peace education pedagogy in the international education classroom (30 attendees)
SUMMARY OF TEACHING
Georgetown University ~ Washington, DC
August 2022-present (Full) Teaching Professor, Justice and Peace
August 2016-July 2022 Associate Teaching Professor, Justice and Peace
August 2008-July 2016 Assistant Teaching Professor, Justice and Peace
AY 2008-2016 Visiting Assistant Professor, Justice and Peace
● first full-time non-tenure line faculty member for program; instituted new level of stability, consistency,
and professionalism, to all aspects of the program which experienced major growth
● developed Social Justice Research Methods; Introduction to Justice and Peace; Engaging and
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Transforming Conflict and partnered with organizations for students’ community-engaged learning
● Fall 2010: Faculty in Residence at McGhee Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies in Alanya,
Turkey; developed and taught Cosmopolitics – Turkey and the Expanding EU and Turkey and Conflict;
lived and traveled (Turkey, Syria) with 2 professors and 15 undergraduates for 4 months
European University Center for Peace Studies ~ Stadt Schlaining, Austria
2006-2010 Lecturer, graduate program in Peace and Conflict Studies
● supervised term paper and thesis writing of 20+ students (list available on request)
Between 2004-2008, I was a teaching assistant for three graduate-level courses at Teachers College,
Columbia University. I developed and taught 3-credit courses on European Politics in the Balkans and
Conflict Resolution at Manhattan College as well as Holocaust Literature at the University of Nevada, Reno. I
developed and co-taught the online graduate level course Peace Education for Drexel University.
Holy Child Middle School at Cornelia Connelly Center ~ Lower East Side, New York, New York
AY 1998-2001 Middle School Teacher (post-graduate service)
● fully participated as faculty of Catholic, independent middle school for bilingual girls from
im/migrant families; lived in community above school with other teacher volunteers
SUMMARY OF ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS
Georgetown University ~ Washington, DC
2013-present Executive Director, Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching, and Service
● oversee all administrative processes including 19-van fleet, 200 federal work study students, staff
hiring and retention, faculty fellows programs, and space utilization
2011- 201 Academic Director, Justice and Peace Studies Program (JUPS)
● represented JUPS program on the Main Campus Executive Faculty committee; Executive Council of
the College; Fellowship committees; and College Curriculum Committee Faculty
Teachers College, Columbia University ~ New York, New York
Department of International & Transcultural Studies
2007-08 Coordinator, Comparative & International Education Society (CIES) meeting
● worked directly with CIES board and program committee to plan all aspects of 5-day conference
with 1,840 in attendance including logistics, budget, planning, facilities, and local businesses and
oversaw peer-review of 1,200 proposals and communication with conference presenters
2003-05 Peer Advisor, Programs in Comparative and International Education
2001-02 Academic Secretary, Programs in Comparative and International Education
Cornelia Connelly Center (CCC) for Education ~ Lower East Side, New York, New York
Camp Holy Child ~ Lake Placid, New York
2009-2011 Director (volunteer)
● oversaw all staff, operations, curricula, and safety of summer overnight camp for 60 middle school girls
INTERESTS AND PERSONAL NOTES
• interests: travel; Jesuit history and Ignatian Spirituality
• married to Bill Rebeck, Professor of Neuroscience, and have a child, Jackson, 12 years old
• parishioner of Holy Trinity Church in Washington, DC; member of Social Justice committee
• work and research travel: Nicaragua, Peru, Mexico, Turkmenistan, Italy, Serbia, Slovenia, Kenya, Liberia,
South Africa, Syria
• longer-term post (3 months+): Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Austria, Tanzania, Turkey
• personal travel: Iceland, England, Denmark, Ireland, Morocco, France, Canada, Montenegro, Japan
• Georgetown University Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine; Disability Employee Resource Group
E
xecutive Office of the Mayor – Mayor’s Office of Talent and Appointments
John A. Wilson Building | 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 600 | Washington, DC 20004
A
ndria Wisler
D
r. Andria Wisler currently serves as the Executive Director of
Georgetown’s Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching & Service
(CSJ). Through her service as the Executive Director for the past eleven
years, Dr. Wisler has held significant responsibility for the University’s
community engagement portfolio. Under her leadership, CSJ’s programs,
such as After School Kids (ASK) and the DC Schools Project (DCSP),
have achieved nearly four decades of service to diverse DC families and
youth. CSJ works with over two dozen DC public and charter schools,
including institutions that serve youth involved in the juvenile and
criminal justice systems. In addition to her work at Georgetown, Dr.
Wisler serves as chair of the board of Girls Global Academy and is a
member of the board of YouthBuild Public Charter School.
She began her career in education as a teacher at the Cornelia Connelly Center (CCC), an
independent Catholic school serving girls from immigrant and working- class families on the
Lower East Side of Manhattan . Her research and teaching focus on peace education and conflict
transformation, with a principal interest in the transformative potential of educational initiatives in
post-conflict societies and for girls living in urban poverty. She is also passionate about global
service learning, particularly the pedagogy of immersion, and innovative methods for supporting
meaning-making through online reflection, dialogue, and community-building.
Dr. Wisler made Washington, DC her home in 2008, and over the past fifteen years, she has built
a distinguished career in progressive leadership and management at Georgetown University. She
has earned a strong reputation for her commitment to inclusive leadership, racial equity, and
fostering nourishing relationships. As a white cisgendered woman with advanced schooling, she
is dedicated to using her privilege for a vocation of service. She draws on her first-hand experience
as a hard-of-hearing person to integrate disability justice into all aspects of her professional work,
including programming, events, and training.
Dr. Wisler’s tenure as a faculty member responsible for Georgetown University’s community
engagement portfolio has allowed her to work comfortably alongside a wide range of people, from
renowned scientists to formerly incarcerated youth, from novice teachers at striving schools to
generous donors. She lives with her husband, neuroscientist Bill Rebeck, and their child, Jackson.
A Ward 6 resident, Dr. Wisler earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Comparative and International
Education, Master of Philosophy in Philosophy, and Master of Arts in International Educational
Development and Peace Education from Columbia University
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Executive Office of Mayor Muriel Bowser
Office of the General Counsel to the Mayor
______________________________________________________________________________
The John A. Wilson Building • 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW • Suite 300 • Washington, D.C. 20004 • Office (202) 724-7681
To: Kimberly A. Bassett, Steve Walker
From: Betsy Cavendish
Date: February 10, 2025
Subject: Legal sufficiency review of a resolution appointing Andria Wisler as a member of
the Students in the Care of D.C. Coordinating Committee
This is to Certify that this office has reviewed the above-referenced Order and found
it to be legally unobjectionable. If you have any questions in this regard, please do not hesitate
to call Michael Porcello, Deputy General Counsel, Executive Office of the Mayor, at 202-727-
0872, or me at 202-724-7681.
______________________________
Elizabeth Cavendish