A professor in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs has died.

Christina Merchant, a professor of practice in public administration and international affairs, died on Aug. 5.

She was a Maxwell fellow with many years of experience mediating conflict and fostering relations between labor and management, said Ross Rubenstein, professor and chair of the public administration and international affairs department. She also co-authored an award-winning book on conflict management systems, he said.

“She was really a wonderful person,” Rubenstein said. “She had a really incredible record of service for the public, not-for-profit sector.”

He said Merchant was able to bring “all this really wonderful experience she had” into the classroom, teaching students important and difficult skills.

The Maxwell faculty is currently planning a memorial service for Merchant that will take place in Hendricks Chapel sometime in the fall, allowing students and faculty to come together in her memory, he said.

Said Rubenstein: “It’s a very big loss for all us here in Maxwell, we hope to have chance to come together and remember and honor her.”