THE BRIEF by Maya Plentz
Maya Plentz is the founder and chief editor of THE BRIEF, a weekly newsletter with exclusive interviews and analysis focusing on tech policy, and the global digital economy. She has over two decades of experience in the news media sector. Her work has aired at UN Radio, BBC World, RFI and Bloomberg TV.
During her tenure as a producer and presenter at Bloomberg TV in New York, she covered Google, Microsoft, and the 2000 dot-com boom. She also produced a daily segment on science, medicine, and technology.
At the UN News and Media Division in New York, she served as a broadcast producer and website news editor, conducting interviews with UN officials, government representatives, and diplomats. Her programs reached millions of viewers weekly across the globe, airing on UN national broadcast partners in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa.
As a member of the European Commission High-Level Group of Experts, under the leadership of Pascal Lamy, former WTO Director General and Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research and Innovation, she was tasked with reviewing the EU's research and innovation funding framework, Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe. She provided advisory on communication strategies to promote innovation funding at the EU.
THE BRIEF by Maya Plentz
Interview with Dr. Jenna Russo, Director of Research, International Peace Institute
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The UN Brief +
Support the show & get subscriber-only content.Jenna Russo is the Director of Research and Head of the Brian Urquhart Center for Peace Operations at the International Peace Institute in New York.
Dr. Russo completed her PhD in Political Science at the CUNY Graduate Center, with a focus on the protection of civilians in armed conflict settings.
Her dissertation analyzes UN protection of civilians activities and their contribution to the broader peace process, with case studies on the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan.
Her other research considers the normative development of the human protection regime, in particular how member states conceive of and implement their protection responsibilities. Her research has been published in Third World Quarterly, Journal of International Peacekeeping, Global R2P, and featured on Africa at LSE.
Prior to joining IPI, Dr. Russo spent more than ten years working as a consultant to the United Nations, with a focus on disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of ex-combatants; peacekeeping training; and as a project manager in the Office of the Secretary-General. She also spent time with the Global Centre for R2P as a senior fellow in peacekeeping.
Dr. Russo teaches at Baruch and Hunter Colleges, including courses on international conflict; the UN and world politics; and women, war, and peace. In addition to her Ph.D., she also holds an M.Phil. in political science, an M.A. in international relations, and a B.A. in music. Prior to her time working in the field of international relations, she taught music at a performing arts high school in New York City.
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