Tonis joined USIP in January 2015 as a senior program assistant for the Latin America program and currently works on projects for global practice and innovation. Previously, she volunteered in Bogota, Colombia, teaching English as a foreign language with the U.S. nonprofit, World Teach. While in-country, Tonis taught University-level students,  staff and administrators at Universidad Minuto de Dios.

Though still an expert in training, Tonis has focused much of her attention to the Colombian Peace Process and is particularly interested in the forces behind the plight of millions of internally displaced persons in Colombia. She's also interested in education reform and its inclusion of historical memory, peace and mediation in school curriculum.

Tonis holds a post-graduate degree in Conflict Resolution from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota, Colombia and a Bachelor’s of Arts in Political Science and Latin American Studies from Wake Forest University.