Douglas Sylva, Ph.D. is a businessman and author. He was president of DMI Personal Care, a manufacturing company in New Jersey. Sylva took DMI from a small family company to a highly profitable enterprise which provided jobs for hundreds of families including operations during the Covid-19 shutdowns of 2020-2021.

Before taking over DMI, Sylva was a member of civil society at the United Nations, advising diplomats on matters of human rights and humanitarianism. He addressed government officials at the European Parliament, British House of Lords, German Bundestag, and the US Congress. Sylva also served as a member of the Holy See delegation to the United Nations Ad Hoc Committee on the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities (2005-2007), and on Holy See delegations to the Organization of American States.

Sylva is co-editor with Susan Yoshihara of Demographic Decline and the Remaking of Great Power Politics (Potomac, 2012). He served as a non-fiction book critic for the New York Times Sunday Book Review and the Washington Times. His writing appeared in publications such as National Review, National Review Online, Insight on the News, the National Catholic Register, the Weekly Standard, and the Daily Standard. Sylva earned a doctorate in Political Science from Columbia University in 2001. His doctoral thesis investigated the philosophical foundations of conflicts over values and morals, and how political communities attempt to resolve such conflicts. Sylva also taught political philosophy at Columbia. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Dartmouth College in 1993, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He and his wife, Susan, are the parents of five children.

Piero A. Tozzi serves as senior director for China Policy at AFPI. Tozzi came to AFPI following over 12 years on Capitol Hill, where he had served as staff director of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.  His previous positions include Republican staff director of the bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and staff director and counsel for the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations. He has also served as senior foreign policy advisor and counsel to Representative Christopher H. Smith (NJ-4).

Tozzi received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and his B.A. from Columbia University. Tozzi speaks Mandarin Chinese and is the author of several works on international law and comparative constitutional law, including Constitutional Reform on Taiwan: Fulfilling a Chinese Notion of Democratic Sovereignty.

Michelle Quinn has worked in high-threat theaters and post-conflict operations for more than twenty years, providing a broad scope of security, operational, logistics, and training solutions for the Deparments of State, Defense, and Energy as well as other government agencies. At Constellis, Michelle focused on critical U.S. Government missions and programs where Constellis leads, both CONUS and OCONUS. In these roles and across the years, Michelle has led initiatives on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS), answering the question: “What peace might be possible across the globe, if we include, empower, and give voice to half of the world’s population?”

Michelle joined at Constellis in 2021; previously, she served as Senior Vice President at Patriot Group International; Vice President at VxL Enterprises; Vice President at A-T Solutions; Operations Manager for a multi-agency Counter-Terrorism program at the FBI National Lab; and Manager of Operations and Training for Department of State’s Worldwide Protective Services Program. Michelle has also worked on Capitol Hill, supporting the House Banking Committee on legislation tied to work and funding of USAID, IMF, World Bank; at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB); and at several private family philanthropies.

Michelle serves on the Board of Directors of the International Code of Conduct Association (ICoCA), holding the Americas Security Industry Pillar/seat for Private Security Contractors. She serves on the Board of The Friends of the American University of Afghanistan and Eagle Online Academy, supporting the undying education dreams of Afghan women and girls. Michelle chaired the International Stability Operations Association's Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Working Group and initiated ISOA’s formal WPS Certification program for the private sector.  Most importantly, Michelle is the proud mother of five great kids, all out-and-about the world accomplishing great things. 

Wendy Wright is president of Christian Freedom International, an international human rights organization that aids, equips, and advocates for persecuted Christians. Christian Freedom International provides material and spiritual support such as schools and shelters; food and medicines; Bibles and churches.

Kevin Monroe, CPA is a retired Audit Partner at Deloitte with more than 35 years of experience in auditing, accounting, and risk management across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. During his career, he held senior leadership roles overseeing audit quality, professional practice, compliance, and technical consultation for Deloitte offices across the United States, including serving as Professional Practice Director for the firm's Nashville, Memphis, Charlotte, and Raleigh offices.

Monroe recently completed service on the Tennessee State Board of Accountancy and currently serves on the Dean's Advisory Board for the College of Business at Lipscomb University, where he also serves as Partner-in-Residence, mentoring students and supporting accounting education. A former White House Fellow, he served as Special Assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, contributing to national food security and recovery initiatives. He brings decades of financial leadership, public service, and governance experience to the Board.

Susan Yoshihara is founder and president of the American Council on Women Peace and Security (ACWPS), a non-partisan nonprofit organization advancing women’s leadership in international peace and security. She advised the Defense Department as Senior Advisor at USNORAD and NORTHCOM’s WPS Team and as WPS Advisor to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency and University. She serves as a lay advisor to the US Catholic Conference of Bishops Committee on International Peace and Justice, and adjunct professor at the Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Yoshihara has given expert testimony before UN and U.S. government bodies, including the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, UN Security Council, and the UN Economic and Social Council.

Dr. Yoshihara served for 20 years as an active-duty U.S. Navy helicopter pilot in the Western Pacific. She led combat logistics missions in the Gulf War, conducted humanitarian assistance missions in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Islands, and served on the personal staff to the combatant commander of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet/NATO Striking Fleet. Dr. Yoshihara was on the faculty at the U.S. Naval War College where she taught national security affairs, international relations, strategic leadership, and organizational management. She holds a Ph.D. in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, M.A. in National Security Affairs from the Naval Postgraduate School, M.F.A. in creative nonfiction from Antioch University, Los Angeles, and B.S. from the U.S. Naval Academy. She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband Dr. Toshi Yoshihara and their two daughters.