Anna Spain is a lawyer, mediator, scholar, and professor dedicated to the cause of peace. She is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Law School where she teaches courses in international law, international dispute resolution, international human rights, international humanitarian law and mediation. She researches and writes about global cooperation and conflict with a focus on armed conflict, humanitarian intervention, peacebuilding, climate change, resource disputes and international courts and tribunals. She has also taught courses at UCLA Law School, UCLA School of Public Policy, and the Loyola Los Angeles Law School’s summer program in Cyprus.
As a lawyer, Anna served as an Attorney-Adviser at the U.S. Department of State, Office of the Legal Adviser from 2005-2007. She was the lead adviser for investment disputes in Asia and the Pacific; counsel for the Department in three cases before the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal in The Hague; and U.S. delegate to the United Nations Compensation Commission in Geneva. She was awarded the State Department’s Meritorious Honor Award in 2006 and 2007 for her exceptional performance. Anna previously worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air and Radiation and the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office on policy matters.
As a mediator, Anna has worked with individuals, families, communities, businesses, universities and governments to help uncover and address areas of discord that give rise to specific and systemic disputes. With over 17 years of experience, she has a particular interest in identity-based disputes dealing with culture, ethnicity, gender, race and religion. Anna is a founding member and former board member of Mediators Beyond Borders, where she has worked on conflict resolution initiatives with the United Nations and with communities in Ecuador and Zimbabwe.
Anna holds a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School, where she was awarded the Heyman Fellowship, the Kaufman Fellowship and the Lewis Fellowship. She has a Bachelor’s magna cum laude in Environmental Studies and Economics from Denison University. She clerked for the Honorable Judge Raymond Finch in the U.S. District Court of the U.S. Virgin Islands. She is a member of the American Society of International Law where she serves as the co-chair of the Dispute Resolution Interest Group. She serves on the Board of Directors of CDR Associates, a conflict resolution consulting firm in Boulder, CO. She is also a member of the American Bar Association, Council on Foreign Relations (Term Member), Mediators Beyond Borders and the Pennsylvania Bar.
Born in England, Anna grew up in the United States in Virginia and Ohio. She has lived or worked in Belize, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominican Republic, England, India, Japan, Malaysia, U.S. Virgin Islands, Zimbabwe and Zambia. She currently resides in Boulder, Colorado with her husband and daughter.