Hon. Dr. Antonia Chayes

Former Under Secretary of the US Air Force (1979-1981), Professor, Tufts University

Antonia Chayes is a prominent international legal scholar and practitioner. She raised five children with her husband, Abe Chayes, also a renowned international legal scholar, and has nine grandchildren. She lives in Cambridge, MA.

Toni’s career-long commitment to peace and justice has focused on teaching future leaders international law and politics toward the end of instilling in others both the skills and values to work toward a more stable and humane world. She is currently Visiting Professor of International Politics and Law at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, where she teaches courses on international treaty compliance and the law and politics of international conflict management. Her research interests range across conflict resolution and peacebuilding; international courts; international organizations; nuclear strategy; nuclear weapons; international security and arms control; and treaty compliance.

Toni joined Fletcher after a long and prolific career of teaching at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University (1981-2003). She chairs the Project on Compliance and International Conflict Management at the Program on Negotiation at the Harvard Law School, which advises heads of government and corporations. Toni also served as Senior Advisor and Vice Chair of the Conflict Management Group, a non-profit international dispute resolution organization. Toni’s commitment to achieving peace through negotiation has sought domestic expression, as well, in her work with and leadership of ENDISPUTE, a national dispute resolution center where she continues to provide mediation expertise for corporate disputes. As a Board member of United Technologies Corporation for 21 years, she chaired its Public issues Review Committee, and served on its Executive Committee until retiring in 2002.

Not an academic alone, Toni has ventured to Washington, DC to break new gender-ground by serving as President Carter’s Assistant Secretary, and later, Under Secretary of the US Air Force for (1977-1981), where she was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. She has served on several federal commissions, including the Vice President’s White House Aviation Safety and Security Commission, and the Commission on Roles and Missions of the United States Armed Forces.

Toni is a tireless advocate for international law and peace, testifying before Congress when called upon, providing expert commentary on CNN, and authoring and editing books on topics ranging from conflict prevention to how to restore a working society in a post-conflict world (see list of published books below), journal articles, and op-eds with her characteristic clarity and élan.

She was recently honored with the Radcliffe Alumnae Award in recognition of her career of distinguished service. She received her B.A. from Radcliffe College of Harvard University, attended Yale Law School, and received the J.D. from George Washington University.

All this and Toni still had the time and energy to parent five children and to craft a beautiful marriage with her late husband, whom she married at the age of 18 – a marriage enhanced by their shared commitment to international law, the legacy of which includes many co-authored books on international peace and conflict management.