Ben Hoffman was a specialist in negotiation, mediation, and peacebuilding. He obtained his B.A. and M.A. (Psychology) from Wilfred Laurier University, an M.A. in International Relations from Tufts University, and a Ph.D. from York University in the U.K. He also specialized in International Peacemaking at the Harvard Law School Program on Negotiation.
Dr. Hoffman’s interest in mediation began in correctional services in Northern Ontario and grew over the last 30 years to include healing and restorative justice work in a variety of national and international settings. For the past two years, he has led a community healing process in the City of Cornwall under the auspices of the Public Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse.
From 2000 to 2003, he was Director of the Conflict Resolution Program at The Carter Center, acting as President Jimmy Carter’s representative, focusing on implementing the Nairobi Agreement, which involved negotiations with the Lord’s Resistance Army and efforts to end the 19-year-old war in Sudan.
As President and CEO of the Canadian International Institute of Applied Negotiation, Dr. Hoffman was also active in violence prevention and reconciliation in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, and was mediator in the Gladstone Reconciliation Process in B.C.
Dr. Hoffman was called upon to provide mediation, peacebuilding advice, and to lecture to a wide range of clients throughout the world.