Cathy Knowles: A Global Citizen Making Waves in Peace & Conflict Studies

A World Traveler

Catherine “Cathy” Knowles is a world traveler and a citizen of the world. Born in Kenya to an Ethiopian woman, she lived in several countries before she was five, including Pakistan, Kenya, and Switzerland. Being in so many places has influenced her in every way. “It made my spirit,” she reflected, “and helped me form my identity as a mixed-race person in the South in the 1970s and 1980s and 1990s. It is everything about me.”

Knowles is a true student of the world, and most recently, a graduate student in UNCG’s Peace and Conflict Studies program (PCS) on the Sustainable Peace and Justice Studies track. It is a homecoming of sorts, as she graduated from UNCG in 1998 with a degree in Anthropology and Communication Studies. Before entering her master’s program, Cathy had over 20 years of work experience in several capacities, with the most experience in nonprofits. In these positions, she worked with governing boards and volunteers and raised money from individuals, foundations, and corporations. Cathy has been managing people since she was 27 years old. 

Knowles has been in leadership positions for most of her career, surveying and collaborating with C-Suite level executives, CEOs, CFOs, or CIOs to strategize direction and growth of the organization to create innovative solutions. She has used non-violent communication at work and intrapersonally to support partnerships, resolve conflict, and create empathy in difficult conversations. 

How UNCG’s Peace & Conflict Studies Program Plays a Part in Knowles’ Path Forward

To be a responsible leader, Cathy thought it was important to have formal training on how to enter difficult conversations that are rooted in conflict. “The next logical step was to think of a master’s degree,” she said. Once she saw the interdisciplinary nature of the PCS program, especially coming from her anthropology and communications background, the Peace and Conflict Studies program seemed like the perfect fit, a one-size-fits-all graduate program. During her return to UNCG, she has explored reconciliation and spiritual beliefs in community settings to address local and global conflicts, investigated indigenous beliefs from across the world, and applied global, social, political, and environmental consciousness to her perspectives. 

Reviewed literature within the program has ranged from Ecowomanism to Desmond Tutu and Rhonda McGee and other classic PCS figures that are gendered, racially, and sexually diverse scholars. “[Class] was basically a guided book club that evolved into animated discussions about identity and peace,” offered Knowles. 

The nature of the Peace and Conflict Studies program highlights social justice, conflict transformation, and human rights—all things Knowles has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to, especially from her background in anthropology and communications. 

“PCS is fluid. There may not be an end result, but there is a commitment to the process to move toward a more positive position and outcome. How can we contribute to the process? We can only contribute to a small space. Just enter and find a space where you can do this work by using different lenses to figure ways for people to exist better, with more dignity.” 

-Knowles on the nature of Peace & Conflict Studies

United Nations Involvement – WILPF US 2024

While enrolled in the PCS program, Cathy learned about the United Nations’ conventions, charters, laws, policies, and other terms, leading to her being able to take steps to recognize a lifelong dream. 

Cathy attended the United Nations Women 68th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women in March 2024. The theme was poverty reduction for women and girls. Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world were invited to contribute to the session. Cathy attended with WILPF US, known for feminist peacebuilding in the Peace and Justice field.