Ariel Eckblad works at the intersection of theory and practice, examining how equity and justice can inform conflict resolution. As such, her teaching focuses on alternative dispute resolution and negotiation. Prior to coming to Georgetown University Law Center as a professor, Eckblad held various positions within the U.S. Government. Most recently, she was deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations where she launched and led the Negotiation Support Unit. Prior to this, she was chief-of-staff in the Office of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and had been the national security legislative counsel in the former Senate office of Vice President Kamala Harris. 

Outside of government, Eckblad has been the visiting Mullen Seminar of Law professor at Georgetown University’s School of Government.  She has also taught negotiation and dispute resolution at the American University Washington College of Law, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Harvard Law School. Eckblad holds a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law, a Masters of Science in Diplomacy from the University of Oxford, and a Masters of Science in International Relations from the University of London. She has been a Marshall Scholar, a Fulbright Scholar, and was the valedictorian of her class at Spelman College.