Executive Director and President of the Board, Claudia Abate, created the Foundation for Post Conflict Development after working at the United Nations for 13 years, and realizing that her most fulfilling moments were when she was sent on official business to post conflict countries. In an effort to make a personal impact in assisting the world's most vulnerable citizens, it was a natural progression for her to create this foundation, inspired primarily by observing the elections in Fiji, and helping in the organization of the independence of East Timor. During this time Ms. Abate saw first hand democracy in action, and the effects of poverty on citizens of other countries as a consequence of post conflict situations. This inspired her "to want to do more."

Ms. Abate recognized that there already exist other organizations that focus on the trauma of a post-disaster (man-made or natural) situation. The Foundation for Post Conflict Development was therefore founded at a time where there seemed to be a vacuum of targeted NGOs, particularly in the United States, focusing primarily on post conflict situations.

In the fall of 2004 Claudia Abate was successful in inspiring the Monaco Red Cross to engage in a development project in Timor-Leste. She was given the responsibility of coordinating the project from proposal phase to execution phase. While she steers this project in her personal capacity, an overlap exists in that the Prince Rainer III of Monaco Maternity Clinic will help to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals in post conflict Timor-Leste. This skills and experience she has learned from working with the Monaco Red Cross will prove to be invaluable in leading the FPCD.

After vast consultation with a variety of actors in the diplomatic community, non-governmental sector and governmental sector, Ms. Abate officially incorporated the FPCD in April of 2005.

Ms. Abate worked for the United Nations from 1993 - 2006 in the Department of General Assembly and Conference Management organizing meetings of the Security Council, the General Assembly the Economic and Social Council and various subsidiary bodies, as well as some of the major summits world-wide such as The World Summit on Social Development in Copenhagen, Denmark, the International Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey, Mexico, the World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa and meetings of the International Seabed Authority in Kingston, Jamaica. Ms. Abate was thus able to gather a "bird's eye view" of the inner workings of UN negotiations.

While working for the UN organization, in September 2004, she was elected Chairperson of the Department for General Assembly Affairs and Conference Management Working Group on Integrity that produced an advisory report for the Department's Under-Secretary-General on measures to improve integrity, accountability and transparency. In the same vein she was elected to sit on the UN Deputy Secretary General's consultative group of the same subject. The principles learned and highlighted through this process will be used in guiding the work of the FPCD.

From November 2006 - July 2007, Ms. Abate was the Special Advisor to the President of Timor-Leste for Investment and Development and Special Advisor to the Permanent Mission of Timor-Leste to the United Nations. When former President Gusmao was elected Prime Minister of Timor-Leste in July 2007, Ms. Abate was appointed Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Timor-Leste for Investment and Development, a position she is currently performing.

Ms. Abate received a BA in Spanish (1993) with a minor in Political Science from Rowan University and an MA in Social Science (1999) from Long Island University with a graduate certificate in United Nations Studies. Ms. Abate speaks English, Swedish, French and Spanish and is learning Portuguese and Tetum.

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