Julie Leftwich, J.D., M.A.
International Human Rights and Women, Peace and Security Expert
Julie Leftwich is a passionate international human rights and women, peace and security expert with extensive experience in rule of law, access to justice, combating sexual and gender-based violence, refugee and asylum law, women’s political and security sector participation and governance. She serves as an international advocate, advisor, trainer, speaker, researcher, and writer for the civil society, political, security, and justice sectors.
An experienced nonprofit and thought leader, Julie has created and led nonprofit organizations and developed and managed programs related to gender justice, women’s rights and the rule of law in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America. She has advised, trained and published extensively on gender, peace and security, women’s rights, international human rights law, gender-based violence, refugee and asylum law and human trafficking with audiences including judges, legal practitioners, law enforcement, military, government, social workers, religious and cultural leaders and civil society.
Julie works with domestic groups globally to build local capacity, strengthen institutions, create legal frameworks, develop initiatives, build awareness, and share global best practices. She also works with national and international agencies to ensure that women and gender perspectives are included in diplomatic, development, and defense efforts in line with international and U.S. policy.
Julie is the Director of International Peace and Security Initiatives at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, where she is leading efforts to establish a new interdisciplinary Center for International Peace and Security that will advance inclusive peace and security, support global organizations and institutions dedicated to human rights, women, peace and security, and train future advocates.
Previously Julie was Founder and Executive Director of the Immigrant and Refugee Law Center, where she also represented women seeking asylum from gender violence and brought voice to the rights of migrants.
Julie worked with the National Democratic Institute (NDI’s) Gender, Women and Democracy Program as Lead Technical Advisor on a global initiative to address accountability and justice for sexual violence in conflict and was Senior Gender and Inclusion Advisor for Freedom House. She led the Women, Peace and Security program at Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND), working to empower women politically both in the U.S. and in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Middle East and North Africa as leaders on critical issues of conflict prevention, peace building, violence against women, and national and global security. Prior to that, with funding from the U.S. Institute of Peace, Julie worked with groups in the Great Lakes region of Africa to integrate gender equality and women’s rights into post-conflict legal structures in order to further the women, peace and security framework.
With Former Chilean President Michele Bachelet
Julie has managed programs related to gender, women’s rights, and the rule of law in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America, and has advised, trained, and published extensively on gender, women’s rights, human rights, international human rights law, women, peace and security, gender-based violence, and human trafficking, with audiences including judges, legal practitioners, law enforcement, military, government, social workers, religious and cultural leaders and civil society.
Julie has worked with numerous other organizations including Women in International Security (WIIS), One Earth Future Foundation, George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), National Defense University, International Association of Women Judges, American Association of People with Disabilities, Internews and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
Julie has also held adjunct faculty appointments at the University of Colorado Boulder and the Korbel School of International Affairs at the University of Denver. Her teaching focuses on human rights, gender, peace and security, and refugee and asylum law.
