Nanako Tamaru is a licensed attorney and experienced peacebuilding practitioner in the areas of gender equality and social inclusion, constitution drafting, and inclusive approaches to state building. She is also a seasoned facilitator and has developed training curriculum on a range of topics including Do No Harm, policy advocacy, and P/CVE. In addition to serving as a CDA Associate, Nanako is the Executive Director of the Boston Network for International Development, a faculty member at Brandeis University, and the Principal at the Peace and Security Collaborative.

Previously, Nanako led research and training programs at Inclusive Security that examined why women’s inclusion matters for peace and how it can be achieved. Nanako has also worked on peacebuilding programs in Syria and Somalia and has written on issues related to governance and conflict resolution for UN Women, United Nations Development Programme, Inclusive Security, International IDEA, and Conflict Dynamics International.

Nanako holds a Juris Doctor from the Boston University School of Law and a Masters Degree in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Gender Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.