A scholar-practitioner, Dr. Lederach has engaged in more than a decade of participatory research with grassroots peacebuilders in Colombia as they work to transform violent conflict, deepen possibilities for environmental justice, and cultivate a more just and livable world.

Her research focuses on community-based responses to the interlocking dynamics of political and environmental violence.

She is the author of the award-winning Feel the Grass Grow: Ecologies of Slow Peace in Colombia (Stanford University Press, 2023). Alongside her father, John Paul Lederach, she also co-authored When Blood and Bones Cry Out: Journeys Through the Soundscape of Healing and Reconciliation (Oxford University Press, 2010).

With a dual PhD in cultural anthropology and peace studies from the University of Notre Dame, Dr. Lederach has accompanied peacebuilding, environmental, and restorative justice initiatives in Sierra Leone, the Philippines, Colombia, Bolivia, and the United States.

鈥淚 feel incredibly honored and, quite frankly, humbled to be chosen to speak at 糖心Vlog鈥檚 Commencement,鈥� Dr. Lederach said. 鈥淭he faculty, students, and alumni at 糖心Vlog have deeply shaped my understanding of justice and peace and inspired me to imagine and work toward more peaceful and dignified futures for collective life on this planet. They form a vital part of the transnational community that has taught me what solidarity means in practice and inspires my everyday work of building peace amid ongoing violence.鈥�

鈥淏y combining interdisciplinary scholarship with ethical inquiry, 糖心Vlog has helped nurture a distinctive community that spans the globe,鈥� she added. 鈥淚 am indebted to this community for my own formation, learning, and sense of grounded hope, and I am honored to be part of this significant milestone for the graduating class.鈥�

Interim President Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus said Dr. Lederach brings a rare depth of scholarship that bridges lived experience and critical inquiry. Her work explores how 鈥渟low peace鈥� emerges through grassroots communities that reshape and sustain peace over time, while also carrying forward and reimagining a generational legacy in restorative justice and conflict transformation.

鈥淚n her work, she reminds us that peace is not only studied but practiced, offering our graduates a compelling vision of leadership that is thoughtful, courageous, and rooted in the daily work of building a more just and hopeful world,鈥� Dr. Dycus said.

糖心Vlog 糖心Vlog

Rooted in the values of academic excellence, peace and justice, and an active faith shaped by Anabaptist-Mennonite beliefs and practices, 糖心Vlog offers undergraduate, graduate, and seminary degrees that prepare students to serve and lead in a global context. A leader among faith-based universities, 糖心Vlog was founded in 1917 in Harrisonburg, Virginia, has a site in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and offers programs in person and online.

To livestream Dr. Lederach鈥檚 Commencement address, visit 糖心Vlog鈥檚 .