Christy Vines

About Christy Vines

Christy Vines is the Executive Director of the Center for Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation at Fuller Theological Seminary and a California-based expert on issues at the intersection of faith, culture and social division. A published writer and international speaker with close to 20 years of experience, she has served as an expert and advisor to government leaders and agencies in and outside of the U.S. Her work has been published in the Washington Post, Religion News Service, Capital Commentary and Christianity Today.Prior to her role with Fuller, Christy founded Ideos Institute, a faith-based organization addressing division and polarization in the Church and society more broadly. She also founded and led the Center for Women, Faith & Leadership at the Institute for Global Engagement, where she also served as Senior Vice President for Global Initiatives and Strategy, and before that held several roles with the RAND Corporation, including with the RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy, Center for Asia Pacific Policy, and Center for Global Risk and Security. She also played a lead role on the RAND African First Ladies Initiative where she was responsible for the development of multi-sector partnership strategies for first lady priority policy issues and projects. Christy earned her Master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and has a B.A. in Sociology with an emphasis in quantitative research.

Experience

1. Executive Director, Center for Peacebuilding & Conflict Transformation

   Fuller Theological Seminary

   Jul 2025 — Present · Pasadena, CA, US

   As the founding Executive Director of the Center for Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation at Fuller Theological Seminary, I lead the development and execution of the institution\'s interdisciplinary vision to establish peacebuilding and conflict transformation as core competencies of Christian leadership and equip Christian leaders to engage conflict with empathy, moral courage, and theological depth. I oversee the Center’s strategy, programming, research, and external engagement, shaping how Fuller forms students and practitioners to become agents of reconciliation in a fractured world.My work involves designing and facilitating high-impact convenings with pastors, scholars, nonprofit leaders, and students; commissioning applied research at the intersection of theology, neuroscience, and social healing; and developing curricula that integrate spiritual formation with practical peacebuilding tools. Through this work, I aim to advance a distinctly Christian vision of peace rooted in humility, proximity, and sacrificial love—both inside and outside the seminary walls.

Education

• Harvard Kennedy School

  M.A, Public Administration

  2009 — 2010

• University of California, Riverside

  Bachelor of Arts - BA, Sociology

Skills

• Program Management
• Research
• Community Outreach
• Nonprofits
• Capacity Building
• Grants
• International Relations
• Management
• Policy
• Risk Management
• Strategy
• Human Rights
• Social Entrepreneurship
• International Development
• Qualitative Research
• Non-Profits
• Economic Development
• Program Evaluation
• Grant Writing
• Leadership
• Philanthropy
• Public Relations
• Politics
• Non-Profit Experience
• Non-Profit Consulting
• Public Policy
• Policy Analysis
• Non-Profit Board Development
• Organizational Development
• Fundraising
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Strategic Partnerships
• Strategic Communications