French, Cumbie Visit ICAR
Longtime ICAR supporters Drucie French and Steve Cumbie visited ICAR this month to welcome Dr. Andrea Bartoli as the new Drucie French Cumbie Chair in Conflict Resolution. When Drucie and Steve established this Chair at ICAR nearly two decades ago, they became pioneers in providing long-term financial support to the fledgling field of conflict resolution. “The Drucie French Cumbie Chair is the perfect environment for the growth of integration of theory and practice,” said Dr. Bartoli, who was named to the post in July, 2007 after a two-year search. “I am honored to be working in this capacity and contributing to the study and practice of peacemaking.”
Drucie was chair of the ICAR Board of Advisors and great friend of Ed Lynch. For more than a decade, she was intimately involved in ICAR’s work, familiar with faculty and students, and well-versed in the importance of ICAR’s endeavors. As she and Steve increasingly saw the need to build the field of conflict analysis and resolution, they generously gave of their time and money to support the cause. The prestigious Drucie French Cumbie Chair provides funding for a senior-level faculty member in conflict analysis and resolution. Dr. Mary E. Clark was the first ICAR instructor to hold the Chair followed by Dr. Chris Mitchell who served for more than 10 years.
Drucie and Steve are accomplished in their own fields. Drucie obtained her Ph.D. in Mythological Studies from the Pacifica Graduate Institute. She is an author, lecturer, and president of the Foundation for Mythological Studies, an organization focused on creating a “renewed interest in the cultural heritage of mythologies.”
She is also a board member of the Archives and Research Center at the Pacifica Graduate Institute. She serves on the Board of Visitors and the Women’s Leadership Council at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Steve is president of NV Commercial, a commercial real estate development and property management firm in Northern Virginia. He is also president of Metro Realty Group, chairman of NV Retail, and a partner of Corporate Oaks.
In addition to his real estate work, Steve is a commissioner of the Virginia Port Authority and chairman-elect of the ENOVA Foundation Board of Trustees. He has served on the boards of Virginia Public Building, Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, and Imanco, which provides consulting services to the Inova Health Systems Foundation.
“Drucie and Steve are one of the most generous that I know,” said ICAR Director Sara Cobb. “I applaud their early leadership support of the field and am thrilled that Dr. Bartoli received this very distinctive honor.”