Byron Bland retired from the Stanford Center on International Conflict and Negotiation (SCICN) in 2009 after serving as associate director for twelve years. During his tenure, he initiated SCICN’s collaboration with community groups and political leaders in Northern Ireland and furthered its involvement in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. While at SCICN, he was also appointed a research associate at the Center for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) at Stanford Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI). Prior to joining SCICN, he worked in the Ethics Program at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at FSI and, as an ordained Presbyterian minister, led United Campus Christian Ministry. He has also served as an ombudsman and conflict resolution consultant for Palo Alto University and various community and church groups. His recent work focuses on rebuilding political community in the US. He regularly posts on LinkedIn and Substack.

After 18 years as a Stanford campus chaplain, Bland left that post in 1994 to focus on peacemaking in Northern Ireland. He led a research project with Community Dialogue, a grassroots dialogue organization in Northern Ireland, examining the social and political dynamics of reconciliation. He has also worked with community groups and civil leaders in Israel and the West Bank.

Before coming to Stanford University in 1976, Bland pastored a multiracial, urban church in San Francisco. While at Stanford, he was appointed an associate fellow in the Program for Interdisciplinary Studies during 1993-1994. He is a founding member of the Colloquium on Violence and Religion. For over 20 years, he taught an interdisciplinary course on peace at Stanford. He was also appointed Lecturer at Stanford Law School, the School of Education, and the International Relations program. He received an undergraduate degree in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech, an MA in social ethics, and a master of divinity from the San Francisco Theological Seminary.