Elsie Mares

MPP Candidate
Max Bell School
McGill University

Elsie Mares, originally from California, United States, worked in Washington DC as a Policy and Programs Associate with a Peace Direct, an international peacebuilding organization prior to pursuing graduate studies at McGill. At Peace Direct, Elsie worked with the US Advocacy Team and the International Programs Team to advance local peacebuilding partner’s advocacy priorities, develop partnerships and program proposals across conflict- affected countries, and support research and policymaking around the localization agenda in the humanitarian and security sphere. In Washington D.C, Elsie is affiliated with the Herbert Scoville Peace Fellowship, Foreign Policy for America’s NextGen Initiative, Women of Color Advancing Peace and Security, and is an endorsed Progressive Talent Pipeline young professional.

At McGill, Elsie is pursuing a Masters of Public Policy at the Max Bell School where she serves as the Public Policy Association of Graduate Students (PPAGS) President. She attends with the support of a McCall MacBain International Finalist Award. Elsie holds a B.A. in Political Science from Loyola Marymount University where she served as Student Body Vice President, leading initiatives focused on equity and inclusion. Throughout her undergraduate collegiate career, she interned with EMILY’s List, the UK Parliament, and LMU’s Global Policy Institute. She also previously worked with the United Farmworkers Foundation and continues to be involved with grassroots efforts to serve immigrant workers in the US.

Through her involvement with McGill’s Center for International Peace and Security, Elsie is thrilled to pursue her passion for addressing and preventing displacement through policy and programs work toward a world without violent conflict.