Julie Werbel is a leading U.S. Government expert on security and justice sector reform (SJSR) and countering violent extremism (CVE). She possesses recognized expertise developing U.S. government policies and strategies; designing and implementing development and defense programs; and engaging with donors and other international partners.  Her perspective is informed by extensive field experience in fragile and conflict-affected states in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.

Ms.  Werbel currently serves as a Senior CVE Advisor at the U.S. Agency for International Development.  For more than a decade, she served as the Agency’s Senior Security Sector Reform (SSR) Advisor.  Previously, Ms. Werbel was a Principal at DFI Government Services, a Washington, DC-based defense consulting firm.  She also served as the Program Manager and Director of Participant and External Affairs for the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS), a Department of Defense regional center that she helped to establish.  Her career includes service with the Peace Corps and the U.S. Department of State and business research for the New York-based Conference Board.  She earned an M.A. in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and a Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University.