After Amanda Brown earned her MA in Peace and Justice Studies from the Kroc School in 2020, she founded AB LiveWell (ABL), a nonprofit organization committed to preventing violence through holistic advocacy. Her firm partners with credible messengers, strengthens government-community relations and leverages restorative practices. AB Livewell’s goal? For society to realize that individuals with a criminal history, background or organized crime affiliations can transform their lives and contribute to society.  

“We have to be trusted by those we consult,” Amanda says. The work begins with deep listening—learning histories and understanding systems—to create safe spaces for stakeholders to have hard conversations with compassion and drive change.  

An early project, “No Shots Fired” with the City of San Diego, shows how this approach works in practice. The ABL team began by building trust with the program’s executive director and other credible messengers to implement restorative practices. When pressure from city systems created setbacks, Amanda’s team rebuilt trust with credible messengers through 1:1 conversations, apologies and advocacy, ensuring the program stayed rooted in community needs. ABL’s persistence led to renewed unity among city partners, including police leadership, and contributed to reductions in gang violence.

Amanda’s pathway was shaped at the Kroc School, where she honed skills in mediation, evaluation and conflict analysis, participated in global practicums each semester and interned with the San Diego Mayor’s Office. These opportunities allowed her to build her network and work alongside the Executive Director of the Gang Commission, enabling her to better understand systems. “Diving into all of these experiences made me realize I didn’t want to work for the government or a nonprofit; however, I wanted to be a bridge and a partner to all entities because it’s needed to build safer communities,” she reflects.  

Her advice for the next generation of peacebuilders? Take care of your health holistically and “surround yourself with others that have optimism, humility and courage, and allow yourself to feel through it all. You got this!”

After Amanda Brown earned her MA in Peace and Justice Studies from the Kroc School in 2020, she founded AB LiveWell (ABL), a nonprofit organization committed to preventing violence through holistic advocacy. Her firm partners with credible messengers, strengthens government-community relations and leverages restorative practices. AB Livewell’s goal? For society to realize that individuals with a criminal history, background or organized crime affiliations can transform their lives and contribute to society.  

“We have to be trusted by those we consult,” Amanda says. The work begins with deep listening—learning histories and understanding systems—to create safe spaces for stakeholders to have hard conversations with compassion and drive change.  

An early project, “No Shots Fired” with the City of San Diego, shows how this approach works in practice. The ABL team began by building trust with the program’s executive director and other credible messengers to implement restorative practices. When pressure from city systems created setbacks, Amanda’s team rebuilt trust with credible messengers through 1:1 conversations, apologies and advocacy, ensuring the program stayed rooted in community needs. ABL’s persistence led to renewed unity among city partners, including police leadership, and contributed to reductions in gang violence.

Amanda’s pathway was shaped at the Kroc School, where she honed skills in mediation, evaluation and conflict analysis, participated in global practicums each semester and interned with the San Diego Mayor’s Office. These opportunities allowed her to build her network and work alongside the Executive Director of the Gang Commission, enabling her to better understand systems. “Diving into all of these experiences made me realize I didn’t want to work for the government or a nonprofit; however, I wanted to be a bridge and a partner to all entities because it’s needed to build safer communities,” she reflects.  

Her advice for the next generation of peacebuilders? Take care of your health holistically and “surround yourself with others that have optimism, humility and courage, and allow yourself to feel through it all. You got this!”

These are just two stories. We have more than 500 changemakers working in nearly 100 countries around the world. Our students are employed with some of the most influential modern peace-building organizations. This is an impact you can measure and feel.

How USD's Kroc School Amplifies Your Intention to Bring About Peace

At the Kroc School, we turn your commitment to justice into professional impact. As the first stand-alone peace school in the U.S., our MA in Peace and Justice attracts people from around the world who are dedicated to building more equitable communities.  

Our engaging courses combine theory and practice — we foreground the deep insights and skill-building that can only be gained from hands-on experience. And, as practitioners of peace themselves, our faculty members draw from firsthand experience when they speak to the most effective approaches for shaping more peaceful and just societies.

Through the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice (Kroc IPJ), students also collaborate with practitioners and changemakers from around the globe to end cycles of violence and strengthen communities.