Expertise.
Strategic Stabilization Advisors is a partnership of seasoned experts in stabilization, who came together to make its impact more pronounced and sustainable. Our team includes former government officials, military leaders, research experts and practitioners, who combine decades of experience working in the Middle East and North, West and Central Africa, and the Caucuses. We also have an extensive roster of field-based and local consultants that we work by, with and through. Together, we bring a grounded and evidence-based approach to addressing complex challenges in fragile and complex environments.
The Team
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Aneliese Bernard
FOUNDER & DIRECTOR
Aneliese is the Founder and Director of Strategic Stabilization Advisors, and Director of Research and Programming for Elva Community Engagement. Aneliese brings a decade of expertise in counterterrorism, stabilization, demobilization, disarmament and reintegration (DDR), and security sector reform in North and West Africa. Previously, she was the Stabilization Advisor for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau for Conflict and Stabilization Operations in Niger, managing the U.S. government's Counter-Boko Haram response, and leading a defections and reintegration program in the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel, in close coordination with U.S. Special Operations Forces and USAID. She has also lived and worked in West Africa and the Sahel since 2014.
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Mark van Embden Andres
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Mark is the COO of SSA and Director of Elva Community Engagement, a data-driven research consultancy that has been active in fragile, conflict-affected contexts in over 15 countries worldwide. As such, he has a proven track record in starting and scaling-up innovative stabilization approaches in a range of challenging environments, from Eastern Ukraine to the Lake Chad Basin region. Since 2017, he has been leading Elva in its work in West Africa and the Lake Chad Basin.Previously, Mark worked for the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Georgia and Albania.
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Major General (Rt.) J. Marcus “Mark” Hicks
PRINCIPAL MILITARY ADVISOR
Marc Hicks is a principal military advisor to SSA. He previously was a two-star general and former Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command Africa (now retired), where he was responsible for all Special Operations Forces conducting counterinsurgency operations and foreign internal defense across the African continent. He previously commanded the Combined Joint Special Operations Air Component at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. His Pentagon assignments included operations directorates of HQ U.S. Air Force and the Joint Staff. Prior to his final assignment, he was the Director of Operations, headquarters US Special Operations Command.
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Rodrigo Behague
Senior Risk and Security Consultant
Rodrigo is the Parakou-based Benin principal consultant for SSA, and regional terrorism expert. He previously was a Program Officer of Decentralized Cooperation in Parakou, Benin, where he has become a local expert on project monitoring and evaluation, and community and civil society capacity building. He has previous experience in counter-poaching with the World Wildlife Foundation and the french conservation NGO, Wildlife Angel in Central African Republic and across the Park W-Arly-Pendjari complex. He has also worked as a eco-tourism guide and environmental and pastoralism researcher.
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Amit Arkhipov-Goyal
Senior Consultant
Amit is a Senior Consultant at SSA. He brings his experience in strategic analysis, research design, and program & stakeholder management for the effective execution of SSA’s services. Amit was the Head of Programs for several years with Elva and also previously worked with foreign and defense ministries, international organizations and the energy sector on strategy-level research, analysis and advisory.
