Jennifer Montgomery Selected for Prestigious Rotary International Peace Fellowship
Rotary International announces that Jennifer Montgomery has been selected as a 2021 Peace Fellow. Montgomery, who was chosen from a pool of global candidates, will take part in the Professional Certificate program at Makerere University in Uganda.
The highly competitive program is made up of proven peace and development leaders with a social change initiative that promotes world peace and development, and have a clear vision of how the fellowship experience will help advance their peace work and increase its impact.
As a Peace Fellow, Montgomery’s efforts will explore the intersections of reconciliation, culture and the arts through development of a set of best practices that will be applicable for local reconciliation work by non-governmental and international organizations serving various at-risk populations across the African continent. These practices will use guided self-inquiry and expressive arts to enable individuals to tell their personal stories to build self-awareness, confidence and resiliency for the purposes of leadership and peacebuilding on a community level.
“My strong commitment to peacebuilding stems from a personal journey through a difficult childhood,” Montgomery said. “I am very grateful to Rotary International for selecting me for this outstanding opportunity and appreciate the support and encouragement I have received from local Rotarians throughout the application process. As a Peace Fellow, I hope to deepen my understanding of conflict resolution and make a lasting contribution to peace and civil discourse in communities in Kansas and across the globe.”
The selection process is rigorous and includes a lengthy application, vetting by committees, and multiple interviews. Patti Mellard, District 5710 Peace Chair, shared, “Rotarians in Kansas have been committed to Rotary’s mission of peacebuilding and have supported the Peace Fellowship program since its inception in 2002. We are very proud of Jennifer’s selection and to have her represent our Rotary District. Her clear vision, experience, and enthusiasm for making a difference make her an ideal candidate for this program.”
Montgomery will spend several months next fall at the Rotary Peace Center at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, where she will study negotiation, facilitation, mediation and conflict transformation. This will be followed by a remote nine-month independent work period which will culminate with a return trip to Uganda in September of 2022 for a one-week Capstone session.
About Rotary International Peacebuilding
The Rotary Peace Fellowship is designed for leaders with work experience in peace and development. Fellows are committed to community and international service and the pursuit of peace. Each year, The Rotary Foundation https://www.rotary.org/en/about-rotary/rotary-foundation awards up to 50 fellowships for master’s degrees and 80 for certificate studies at premier universities.
More information about this program and information on how to apply is available at: https://www.rotary.org/en/our-programs/peace-fellowships-certificate-program
Jennifer Montgomery Bio
Jennifer Montgomery began working on human trafficking issues in the office of Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt in 2013. She currently leads the attorney general’s anti-human trafficking efforts as Director of Human Trafficking Education and Outreach and serves as Chair of the Kansas Human Trafficking Advisory Board.
She is an author and has provided trainings on human trafficking to health care professionals, law enforcement officers, school administrators, members of the business community, students, faith community and non-profit leaders and members of the public. Additionally, she has served as a guest instructor for undergraduate and graduate level courses on social justice and human trafficking at the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, Washburn University in Topeka and the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Montgomery also serves as a subject matter expert with the Attorney General Alliance-Africa Partnership for Justice, an organization that fosters an international exchange of knowledge that can lead to the reduction and prevention of transnational crimes in collaboration with African stakeholders.
Through her life experience and professional work, Jennifer is a passionate advocate for women and youth who have experienced sexual abuse and exploitation. Jennifer also serves as the public affairs director for the attorney general’s office. A fourth generation Kansan, she returned to Kansas after working in Washington, D.C., as a congressional staffer for the Kansas delegation and holding various positions in government affairs and public relations. Jennifer has a B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of Kansas and an M.A. in Arts Education from the University of Florida.
Locally, Jennifer volunteers as a Shawnee County CASA and as a mentor with the Kansas Women’s Leadership Institute at the University of Kansas. She is currently president of the board of directors of Freedom’s Path, an anti-human trafficking non-profit organization affiliated with the Topeka Rescue Mission. Jennifer also volunteers with two non-profit organizations in Rwanda and Kenya in east central Africa who work with at-risk populations on trauma recovery and resiliency building with an emphasis on community peacebuilding.
