David Whippy is an assistant professor of Intercultural Peacebuilding at BYU–Hawaii and the Director of the David O. Mckay Center for Intercultural Understanding. In this role as an assistant professor, he teaches undergraduate courses on transformative mediation, nongovernment organizations and peacebuilding, peace education and peace ecology.
The David O. McKay Center for Intercultural Understanding helps BYUH students, faculty, staff and alumni fulfill that prophecy by functioning as a cross-cultural peacebuilding laboratory that:
- Educates BYUH students, faculty, staff and alumni with the theoretical and practical tools they need to be leaders and peacebuilders
- Sponsors practical community building and cross-cultural leadership opportunities in the university, community and the world
The McKay Center is engaged in a number of projects at the university, in the community and internationally in its efforts to further intercultural understanding.
David has a bachelor's degree in Psychology from BYU-Hawaii, a master's degree from the School of Government, Development and International Affairs at the University of the South Pacific in Diplomacy and International Affairs. He is currently working on his Ph.D. dissertation through the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Otago. His dissertation is centered on peace education in Fiji as a non-violent means of addressing the reoccurring conflicts in the islands.
He continues to work as a trainer and facilitator in the field, as well as consulting NGOs and facilitators on programs, projects, and curriculum.
