Who We Are

Melissa is a retired FBI Special Agent with more than 23 years of experience as a federal law enforcement officer, assigned to the New York City and Cleveland field offices.

Melissa was a certified FBI crisis negotiator and undercover agent. She spent her final 15 years with the FBI as a crisis negotiator, leading FBI Cleveland’s Crisis Negotiation Team for 10 of those years. In this capacity, she successfully resolved domestic and international kidnappings, barricaded-subject incidents, and other crisis events.

Melissa planned and delivered formal crisis negotiation training for hundreds of law enforcement officers. She also worked as an assessor and coach for the FBI’s National Crisis Negotiation Course. In 2020, the FBI selected Melissa to teach crisis negotiation strategies to international law enforcement officers at the International Law Enforcement Academy in Budapest, Hungary.

In addition to her FBI training, Melissa represented the FBI as a student at the Metropolitan Police Hostage Negotiation Course in London in 2019.

As an FBI undercover agent, Melissa operated domestically and internationally. Her portfolio included transnational organized crime, public corruption, drug trafficking, and counterintelligence matters. One case in which she was directly involved was briefed to the President of the United States and recognized with the FBI Director’s Award.

Melissa is the Founder and Chief Negotiation Officer of the Alchemy Team. She is married and has two daughters.

Naseem Khuri is a trainer, consultant, mediator, and facilitator specializing in negotiation, influence, and conflict management. He is a senior partner at Dragonfly Partners, a senior facilitator at Vantage Partners, and a senior consultant at Oakbay Consulting and CMPartners. He is also an adjunct assistant professor of International Negotiations at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

In the private sector, Naseem provides training and consulting services to a diverse range of Fortune 100 clients in the manufacturing, energy, consulting, and banking industries.

In the public and nonprofit sectors, he works with foundations, international organizations, and government institutions. His work includes managing strategic planning processes, delivering customized negotiation and influence training, and facilitating internal change conversations and initiatives.

His clients have included international diplomats and political leaders, the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Navy SEALs, U.S. Senate staff, human rights organizations in Northern Ireland, and the World Bank.

Previously, Naseem was a senior advisor to the Kennedy School Negotiation Project at Harvard Kennedy School, where he developed and delivered customized capacity-building workshops for public sector clients in Europe, Asia, and the United States.

He also served as Executive Director of the Dubai Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School, where he oversaw the program’s budget and fellowship program and developed research and outreach programs focused on Middle Eastern issues.

Naseem holds a Master in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School and a Bachelor of Arts from Bowdoin College. He is a member of the Truman National Security Project.

Jessica’s multicultural family and personal background, including citizenship in the United States, Italy, and Venezuela, fuels her commitment to reshaping traditional approaches to positional communication and negotiation.

She is continuously immersed in the space where civil society meets decision-makers and policymakers to cultivate sustainable solutions.

Michael’s academic background in conflict transformation through the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School and his passion for learning design led him to spend seven years living in the Middle East, where he worked to integrate negotiation skills into formal school systems.

From founding an experiential education department at a K–12 school in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia, to designing and facilitating immersive teacher education courses across North America, Africa, and South Asia, Michael’s experience has left him optimistic about how current and future generations will navigate conflict.

Michael is most energized when working with like-hearted partners to reimagine learning spaces and systems that harness what he believes is at the core of learning: play, creativity, connection, and genuine curiosity.