Conference on Hybrid Warfare

Professor Andrea Kupfer Schneider is the executive director of the Council on Countering Hybrid Warfare, the successor to Project Seshat, a group of conflict management experts that focus on awareness, education, research, and building resilience for lawyers, businesses, and governments who are responding to increasing threats presented by hybrid warfare. In conjunction with Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Conner College of Law, the Council will host a conference entitled Converging Fields: Hybrid Warfare as a Cross-Disciplinary Imperative, on January 30-31, 2026. 

The objective of the conference is to promote cross-disciplinary awareness among scholars of how their fields intersect through the lens of hybrid warfare. 

The members of the Council include: 

Calvin Chrustie, Senior Director and Steering Committee Member, Security Intelligence and Defense Associates, and Partner Organizations. 

Calvin Chrustie is a senior partner and critical risk consultant with over three decades of global experience in crisis management, complex investigations, and high-stakes negotiations. A former senior operations officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and United Nations veteran, he has led international operations targeting transnational organized crime and terrorism, including hostage negotiations and cyber threats. Calvin holds multiple degrees, including a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Dispute Resolution and Negotiations, and has trained with the FBI and Scotland Yard in hostage negotiation. He is the founder of the Critical Risk Team, where he advises governments, corporations, and NGOs on emerging threats and conflict resolution strategies. In 2016, he received the International Police Award for his contributions to global crisis response. 

Janice Fischer, Senior Director and Steering Committee Member, Corporate Sector Engagement 

Janice Fischer is a globally recognized expert in enterprise cybersecurity, technology operations, and risk management, with decades of experience leading major initiatives for Fortune 500 companies. A former senior executive at IBM, she served as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for a public cloud platform and led global IT operations supporting critical infrastructure across industries. Janice has overseen international teams of over 45,000 professionals and was instrumental in developing and deploying IBM Cloud’s Multi Zone Regions worldwide. She is known for her strategic leadership, hands-on approach, and ability to advise and coach diverse global teams. 

Cynthia Alkon, Senior Fellow and Steering Committee Member, Law Schools and Studies Professor 

Cynthia Alkon is a faculty member and Director of the Criminal Law, Justice & Policy Program at Texas A&M University School of Law. She teaches Criminal Law, Advanced Criminal Procedure, and Negotiation, with her scholarship centered on plea bargaining, criminal dispute resolution, comparative criminal procedure, and rule of law reform. Prior to joining academia, Professor Alkon was a deputy public defender in Los Angeles County. She held senior international positions focused on advancing the rule of law and criminal justice reform, including serving as a Rule of Law Liaison in Belarus and as Head of the Legal Department for the OSCE in Albania. From 2002 to 2006, she directed the Rule of Law Unit at the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, overseeing reform initiatives throughout Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe. 

Adrian Borbély, Senior Fellow and Steering Committee Member, Business Schools and Negotiation 

Adrian Borbely is an Associate Professor of Negotiation at Em-Lyon business school in Lyon, France. A litigation lawyer by training, he contributed to the Indiana Conflict Resolution Institute (IU Bloomington), then the Institute for Research and Education on Negotiation at ESSEC Business School, before launching his career in academia. He has been teaching and practicing negotiation, mediation, and conflict management since 2008, teaching in French business, law, and public administration schools, as well as in professional settings. He has a special interest in negotiation theory and has contributed to the Negotiator’s Desk Reference, among other books. Sanda Kaufman, Senior Fellow and Steering Committee Member, Public Policy and Conflict Management Sandra Kaufman is Professor Emerita of Planning, Public Policy, and Administration at Cleveland State University’s Levin School of Urban Affairs. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on negotiation and intervention in environmental and public conflicts, social-environmental resilience, disaster preparedness, and negotiation pedagogy. She has collaborated with scholars across fields including law, geography, political science, and physics, with her work published in leading journals such as the Negotiation Journal, Conflict Resolution Quarterly, and the Journal for Conflict Resolution. Sandra holds degrees in Architecture and Planning from Technion and a Ph.D. in Public Policy Analysis from Carnegie Mellon University, and she is a trained mediator through the Program on Negotiation.