Meghan Spilka O’Keefe
University of Ottawa
Canada

Meghan Spilka O’Keefe is completing a master’s degree at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa. She holds an undergraduate degree in Political Science and Geography from the University of Guelph. She has also studied at the University of Swaziland. In October 2008, O’Keefe presented a paper on the potential involvement of private military companies in Canadian defence strategy at the Conference of Defence Association Institute’s (CDAI) Graduate Student Symposium at the Royal Military College. The presentation received an honourable mention from the CDAI, and she was awarded a trip to the 2009 NATO Summit in Strasbourg-Kehl. For the academic year of 2009-2010, she has also been awarded a SDF grant for her research on private military/security companies and the Canadian Forces. Her academic interests include civil conflict, African politics, private military/security companies, International Relations theory, Canadian defence policy and natural resource governance.