Spotlight on the Fellows

Profiles in Action

Azra Smailkadic-Brkic (Forest Hills, NY)

Azra was born and raised in Bosnia and Herzegovina, republic of the former Yugoslavia.  The war and genocide in Bosnia (1992-1995) and its aftermath have fostered her strong interest in genocide prevention, conflict management, peace building, and human rights.  Azra holds a Master's Degree in Human Rights from the University of Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and the University of Bologna (Italy).  Her thesis entitled 'Violence against Women: from the Bedroom to the Battlefield' focused (among all) on mass rape as a weapon of war and a tool of genocide.  Azra worked as a Program Coordinator of the MA course "War Crimes, Genocide and Memories," the first of its kind in Southeast Europe.  Azra believes that the Carl Wilkens Fellowship will empower her to "break the silence" in her community on situations of genocide and mass atrocity and to advocate for the protection of all civilians in situations of such egregious violence still happening worldwide.

Corey Dragge (Las Vegas, NV)

Corey is the founder of a grassroots Darfur activist group called Champion Darfur.  While using his website to educate people about the crisis in Darfur and to create a virtual community of engaged citizen activists on the West Coast, Corey has worked on the ground with STAND chapters in the San Francisco Bay area and in Las Vegas, Nevada.  He recently organized a rally in front of the Federal Building in downtown Las Vegas, an event so successful that Champion Darfur received an invitation to meet the foreign affairs advisors for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.  Cory plans to use his Carl Wilkens Fellowship to develop a more robust anti-genocide movement within Las Vegas and across Nevada.

Marty Michelson (Bethany, OK)

Marty is a Professor at Southern Nazarene University and the Director of the Eupan Global Initiative.  Marty has worked with students of various ages in churches, schools, and interfaith agencies toward expanding awareness of genocide.  For over a decade, Marty has advanced issues of discerning tolerance and understanding differences, specifically educating about the genocide of the Jews.  Marty has been recognized for his work by the local Jewish Federation of Oklahoma City and continues to partner with this and other religious, educational, and interfaith agencies.  In partnership with a group of individuals committed to advance "the good for the all (the root etymology of eupan),"  Marty is working with various affiliations in Oklahoma City and the State of Oklahoma to educate about issues of genocide prevention.  Marty intends to use his Carl Wilkens Fellowship to develop working partnerships with federal leaders from Oklahoma for the anti-genocide movement, as he continues to work in and around Oklahoma City to empower individuals to be active participants in staving off any future genocide in our world.

Pam Smith (Niceville, FL)

Pam Smith has been a public school teacher for over twenty years.  Currently, Pam is an online instructor for Okaloosa Online, blue Ridge Learning Academy, and Troy University, as well as an English instructor for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.  She is active in Holocaust education, receiving the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Teacher Fellowship in 2000, planning and implementing statewide Holocaust education workshops in Alabama and area-wide teacher workshops in Northwest Florida, and offering Holocaust related presentations through community programs.  Additionally, Pam writes and directs a Florida Humanities Council Partnership Grant that provides free, public programming that has been featured in area print and television media with regular recording and broadcasting by the local PBS station, WSRE.  Pam plans to use her Carl Wilkens Fellowship to develop a program series for area schools and community forums that will educate and mobilize Northwest Florida and South Alabama populations to advance the advocacy priorities of the Genocide Intervention Network.

Download bios of all 2010 Carl Wilkens Fellows here.