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Gerard Johansen

Gerard Johansen is a security professional whose career has spanned over a decade of experience in law enforcement, security and intelligence.  Gerard has received a Bachelor of Science in Justice and Law Administration where he focused his studies on Terrorism, Information Security and Corporate Risk Management.   Over the next decade, Gerard worked for law enforcement agencies at the state and federal level engaging in cyber crime investigations.  After completing a Master’s of Science in Information Assurance from Norwich University, Gerard transitioned into the private sector focusing on cyber security, incident response, cyber threat intelligence and cyber counter intelligence.  In addition, Gerard has written two books and several articles on various aspects of cyber security.  
 
Gerard is currently pursuing graduate level studies in Monitoring, Surveillance and Intelligence at Utica College where he will be focusing on terrorism and intelligence operations.  
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Shailene Pimentel

Shailene Pimentel is a 2019 graduate from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey. She received her Master’s Degree in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies with a specialization in Financial Crime Management. During her time at the Middlebury Institute, Shailene served as a Graduate Researcher, in which she participated in the creation of the Special Operations Research Database (SORD). The database focused on analyzing strategic issues in Special Operation Forces-related places concerning policy decision making. Moreover, Shailene also partook in a seminar on Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) where she took on the role of analyzing current CVE initiatives in the Philippines. This research included examining indicators of success, areas of improvement, and applicability to the CVE initiatives in other countries. Previously, she has obtained a Bachelor’s Degree from California State Monterey Bay in Social and Behavioral Science with a minor in Pre-Law. As an Undergraduate Researcher, Shailene developed a capstone where she illustrated the theoretical framework of her research on the First Amendment as it relates to mass surveillance.
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Simone Matassa

Simone Matassa is currently studying at the Technological University of Dublin in Ireland where she conducts research on the Western media’s representation of Islamic state terrorism. This research aims to show the significance of sensationalising certain terrorist attacks in the media and the effects of such on the general public and for terrorist organizations. Prior to this, she completed her Undergraduate Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology at The National University of Ireland where she carried out research on religious extremism and the social/psychological motivations of terrorism.

As a Counter-Terrorism Research Fellow with Rise to Peace, Simone will be focusing on women in extremism in order to highlight how women become involved in terrorism and to create a comparison between the processes of radicalization for women versus men. The issues surrounding women in extremism are particularly under-researched and she hopes through her work at Rise to Peace to help shed light on this complex dynamic and create something that could help educate people on the factors that may lead a person to become more susceptible to joining a terrorist organization.

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Nick Webb

Nick Webb recently graduated from George Mason University with a degree in Global Affairs, a minor in Middle Eastern Studies, and a concentration in Global Governance.  At Rise to Peace, he is a Research Fellow, where he is focused on the Peace Talks in Afghanistan.  He focuses on the weekly critical moments of these talks to secure a legitimate government and peace in the country.  Nick updates the Rise to Peace Facebook page with articles with up to date information on the peace talks.  He hopes that though his writings there can be a better understanding of the region, as well as a way forward to counter terrorism and to create peace.  Nick has also served as an intern for Congressman Gerry Connolly in Washington D.C, where he worked closely with the Foreign Affairs liaison.  He has also studied at Sciences Po in Reims, France and obtained a certificate in International Relations and Security.

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Matthew Tyris

Matthew Tyris graduated from York College of Pennsylvania in 2017 with a degree in International Relations. Throughout his college career, Mathew found an interest in terrorism and cyberspace. This led to him to conduct analysis on topics such as terrorism recruitment strategies and a study on international law in cyberspace. He involved in York Colleges National Model United Nations Team in New York City.

After graduating from York College of Pennsylvania Mathew decided to work for City Year AmeriCorps in Philadelphia. At City Year I assisted at-risk youth in subjects such as math, literacy, and Social Emotional Learning for over 1700 hours. I found the greatest sense of satisfaction when I was just talking with them, answering their questions and allowing them to speak their mind and expand their thoughts. This is why Rise to Peace’s mission to educate youth resonated with me so deeply, and was one of the many reasons I applied for the position.

Mathew works as a Counter Terrorism Researcher with Rise to Peace, focusing on Digital Extremism.The position will allow Mathew to research two topics of interest, terrorism, and cyberspace. “During my time here I plan to showcase the issue of digital extremism and share insight pertaining to propaganda and recruitment strategies through cyberspace”, Said Mathew.

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