PARCC Director
Catherine Gerard
Director, Program for the Advancement of Research
on Conflict and Collaboration
Associate Director, Executive Education Programs
Adjunct Professor of Public Administration
Maxwell School of Syracuse University
400 Eggers Hall
Syracuse, NY 13244
(315) 443-2756
cgerard@maxwell.syr.edu
Catherine M. Gerard serves as Director of the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC), Associate Director of Executive Education Programs, and Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. In her role as Director of PARCC, she oversees an internationally known center for theory-building and practice in conflict analysis and resolution. Her focus is research, education, and practice of managers and students in the skills of collaborative leadership and change. She is co-editor of Pushing the Boundaries: New Frontiers in Conflict Resolution and Collaboration (2009) and co-author of “The Contribution of Leadership to the Movement from Violence to Incorporation” in the book, Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding (2009). As Associate Director of Executive Education, she oversees the Executive degree programs and develops and instructs executive education programs for domestic and international customers. Before joining Syracuse in 1995, she was Assistant Director for the New York State Governor’s Office of Employee Relations where she led a consulting and training organization that designed and implemented an award-winning statewide management training and organizational effectiveness system. Throughout her 13-year state government career, she specialized in assisting agency leaders with organizational change efforts and in the developing system-wide training programs. In addition, Ms. Gerard served as adjunct faculty member at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs at SUNY Albany.
Ms. Gerard teaches leadership and collaborative management for managers at many levels. Her graduate courses in leadership, group conflict, and conflict fundamentals at the Maxwell School are targeted for mid-career managers from public and nonprofit organizations in the United States and abroad. She has recently conducted leadership training for executives in New York State government, the United States government, and officials from China, Thailand, and India. Ms. Gerard co-developed and delivered a workshop, entitled, “Leadership and Learning,” for almost 8,000 managers in federal and New York State agencies.
Ms. Gerard consults with public and non-profit organizations in the areas of strategic planning, leadership/management, organizational change, team-building and conflict resolution. Her current research project focuses on collaboration as a strategy for leaders in the federal sector. Ms. Gerard holds an MA in Philosophy from the University of Toronto, an MPA from the Rockefeller College, and has completed substantial graduate work in the field of education.
PARCC STAFF
Administrative Assistant Responsibilities include program budgets, payroll, reimbursements, travel and speaker arrangements, grant writing, grant administration, coordinating the Summer Institute for Creative Conflict Resolution, assisting PARCC co-directors with the day-to-day administration of the Institute, and assisting PARCC faculty with various research and course related activities. Contact the PARCC Office: parcc@syr.edu.
Records and Publications Coordinator 
Responsibilities include keeping PARCC records, running the certificate of advanced study in conflict resolution program, advising students in the certificate program, serving as webmaster for PARCC, and crafting the institute's annual report. In addition, she assists the PARCC Director with the day-to-day administration of the institute, and assists PARCC faculty with various research and course related tasks. Contact Debbie Toole at: datoole@syr.edu.