The Art & Science of Negotiation

Zachary Elkins’ research focuses on issues of democracy, institutional reform, research methods, and national identity, with an emphasis on cases in Latin America. He is currently completing a book manuscript, Designed by Diffusion: Constitutional Reform in Developing Democracies, which examines the design and diffusion of democratic institutions, and recently completed The Endurance of National Constitutions, which explores the factors that lead to the survival of national constitutions. With Tom Ginsburg (University of Chicago), Professor Elkins co-directs both the Comparative Constitutions Project, a NSF-funded initiative to understand the causes and consequences of constitutional choices, and the website constituteproject.org, which provides resources and analysis for constitutional drafters in new democracies. Elkins earned his B.A. from Yale University, an M.A. from the University of Texas at Austin, and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Mary Faria is the CEO and Acting President of AOMA Graduate School of Integrative Medicine and an Adjunct Professor and Lecturer/Guest Speaker at Texas State University, Concordia University, and The University of Texas at Austin.

Before joining AOMA, Dr. Faria retired after 30 years as a healthcare executive/administrator. She spent 21 years with the Seton Healthcare Family in Austin. She served as COO/VP/Administrator for Seton Southwest Hospital, serving 17 years from the hospital’s opening until she retired on June 30, 2017. She is an adjunct professor at Texas State University and Concordia University. She serves on Institutional Review Board (IRB) for Concordia University and is a seminar lecturer at The University of Texas at Austin. She received her Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin. Her dissertation research was in the area of organizational change. Faria has been involved in research in the area of human and organizational resilience and with Dr. Sheila Armitage presented findings at both SXSW and The Healthier Texas Summit. Faria currently serves on several community advisory councils and not-for-profit boards. She is the board chair for the Austin Mayor’s Health and Fitness Council.