Daina S. Eglitis is associate professor of sociology and international affairs at the George Washington University.

Paula M. Pickering is the Richard S. Perles Professor of Government at William & Mary. Her research focuses on peacebuilding, local governance, and civic engagement in Southeastern Europe. Pickering is co-editor of Activism in Hard Times in Central and Eastern Europe and the author of Peacebuilding in the Balkans. Her research has received support from the Polish National Science Center, Evidence in Politics and Governance, the US Institute of Peace, the Social Science Research Council, and Fulbright-Hays. Pickering worked for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina (1996) and as an analyst on Eastern Europe at the US Department of State (1990-1994). She received a Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of Michigan.