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13TH ANNUAL HBCU Foreign Policy Conference – Speaker Bios

134 MINUTE READ
January 24, 2022

Alumni@State

Candice Helton, Public Affairs Specialist, Bureau of Global Public Affairs

Candice Helton is a Public Affairs Specialist in the State Department’s Bureau of Global Public Affairs. In that capacity, she fosters relationships between Department officials and the American people to promote a deeper understanding of U.S. foreign policy. She leads the effort for the Department’s annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Foreign Policy Conference. As a product of an HBCU, Winston-Salem State University (WSSU), she considers this the highlight of her career. She also earned a Master of Arts from Trinity Washington University. She serves as Vice President and Public Relations Chair of the WSSU DC-Metro Alumni Chapter. She is a member of the Thursday Network, the young professional auxiliary to the Greater Washington Urban League; Blacks in Government, Carl T. Rowan Chapter; and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nicole Tillman, Financial Management Officer, Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations

Nicole Tillman is a Foreign Service Financial Management Officer currently serving in the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations within the Financial Policy and Controls Team. She previously served in the Bureau of African Affairs’ Budget Office, at Embassy Kuwait, and at Embassy Beijing. Nicole started her career with the Department of State in 2009 as a Civil Service Budget Analyst in the Bureau of Budget and Planning. Before joining the Department, Nicole worked for the Inter-American Foundation, Georgetown University, the American Red Cross, and Capital One Bank. Nicole graduated from Hampton University, where she was a proud member of the Hampton University Marching Force. She is a resident of Brandywine, Maryland, where she enjoys spending time with her family and volunteering in the community.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lisa Ealy, Senior Career Counselor, Bureau of Global Talent Management

Lisa Ealy is a career coach and HR professional with over 25 years of experience. She has a proven track record in diverse industries, including, nonprofits, manufacturing, and health care, having led a private practice for 11 years delivering career coaching programs, workshops and one-to-one coaching. Her private practice has been dedicated to career development, strategies for entrepreneurs and business executives, leadership effectiveness, career planning, networking, and LinkedIn. Before this pivot in her career, she focused on human capital development, organization, innovation, talent, and workplace immigration. Lisa holds Master of Business Administration, Master of Theology, and Bachelor of Science degrees. She is a Senior Certified HR Professional through the Society for Human Resource Management. She is also a certified leadership coach with a diversity and inclusion certification. Lisa is a proud HBCU graduate, of Central State University, and a 30-year member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

Daniel Delk, Deputy Principal Officer at U.S. Consulate General Shanghai

Daniel K. Delk Jr. is the Deputy Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai. A member of the Foreign Service since 2004, Daniel most recently led the Political Section of the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad. His previous tours include service as Deputy Director of the Office of Taiwan Coordination; Crisis Management Coordinator in the Executive Secretariat; a Senior Watch Officer in the Operations Center; Mission China’s senior Human Rights Officer in Beijing; a language student in Taipei, Taiwan; Desk Officer and Staff Assistant in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs; and Consular Officer in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Daniel earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics and Spanish from Morehouse College and a master’s in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. His foreign languages are Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. Daniel is married, with twin daughters and a son.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jared Yancey, Deputy Director, Orientation Division Foreign Service Institute

A Foreign Service Officer since 2008, Jared Yancey is from Portsmouth, Virginia, and is a recipient of the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellowship. He is currently the Deputy Director of the Orientation Division at the Foreign Service Institute. He has served overseas as a Consular Officer in El Salvador, Deputy Director for Public Affairs Field Programs in Afghanistan, Deputy Public Affairs Officer in Johannesburg, and Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Lahore, Pakistan. His domestic assignments include serving as Desk Officer for Zambia and the former Swaziland; as Career Development Officer, Speechwriter, and Special Assistant in the Office of the Director General; and as a Senior Watch Officer in the State Department’s Operations Center. Jared earned a B.A. in international studies from Bethune-Cookman University and an M.A. in public and international affairs from the University of Pittsburgh.

Business on a Global Scale

Tony Fernandes, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Trade Policy and Negotiations, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs

Tony Fernandes became Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Trade Policy and Negotiations in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs in August 2021. In that capacity, he leads four offices that oversee the State Department’s engagement to open new markets, resolve trade disputes, protect intellectual property rights, and promote agricultural innovation to benefit all Americans.

Before that, Tony was Director of the Multilateral Trade Affairs Office in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Previously, Tony was Director for Regional Affairs in the Bureau of Legislative Affairs and Director for Africa and Middle East Programs in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. He also served in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, on the Diplomatic Readiness Task Force, and in the State Department’s Operations Center. His overseas assignments include positions in Turkey, Nigeria, Russia, Canada, and China.

Tony joined the Foreign Service in 1997 and is a member of the Senior Foreign Service. He holds a B.A. from Boston College, a J.D. from the University of Minnesota School of Law, and a master’s in national security strategy from the National War College.

 

 

 

Mariel Garcia, “Foreign Affairs Officer, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs”

Mariel Garcia is currently the Foreign Affairs Officer responsible for leading the global 5G internet security campaign. In this position, she advocates for the importance of a secure supply chains and diverse suppliers. Previously, she served in the Bureau of Political Military Affairs, the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, and the Bureau for International Organization Affairs.


Prior to her work for the Department of State, Mariel served in Senegal as a Peace Corps Volunteer and as a Legislative Policy Analyst with the Congressional Research Services. Outside of her work in the Department, she is a Founder and Executive Board Member of KAMA DC and community activist. She also volunteers engaging students and young professionals interested in opportunities in national security and foreign policy to expand diversity and inclusion in the field. Mariel holds a B.A. in Government and International Affairs from California State University Sacramento. Connect with Mariel on LinkedIn.

 

 

 

 

 

Vera Zdravkova, Deal Teams Coordinator, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs

Vera Zdravkova joined the Foreign Service in January 2014 and has served tours in Tijuana, Guangzhou, Beijing, and domestically on the China Desk and the Economic Bureau’s Office of Commercial and Business Affairs (EB/CBA). In her current role, Vera serves as the Department’s Deal Teams Coordinator and leads interagency efforts to promote U.S. exports and investments overseas with her counterparts at the Department of Commerce and 11 other agencies that make up the Deal Teams Initiative. Before joining the China desk, Vera spent two years as an Economic Officer in the U.S. Embassy Beijing, where she reported on various aspects of PRC economic diplomacy, including the Belt and Road Initiative. She also designed and led a “thought leaders” engagement series for the Ambassador, giving him a glimpse into the Chinese elite’s view of the bilateral relationship.

Before joining the Foreign Service, Vera worked for the Idaho Department of Commerce, holding positions at the Idaho Trade Offices in Guadalajara and Taipei. Earlier in her career, she worked in academia as a Program Development Advisor at Boise State University.

 

 

 

Heather Joy Thompson, Public Affairs Officer, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs

Heather Joy Thompson is a diplomat, public speaker, international affairs expert, and attorney. She has served as a Foreign Service Officer at the Department of State for 13 years, with assignments at the United Nations and in Mexico City, Johannesburg, and Washington. Heather Joy is a native of Southfield, Michigan. Her interest in international affairs began in early childhood during summer trips abroad and took root during her junior year at Spelman College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts and completed studies in Renaissance art and Italian in Florence, Italy. Immediately after graduation, Heather Joy started her career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Heather Joy earned a Juris Doctor from Wayne State University Law School, where she was the Kenneth V. Cockrel Scholar and worked under the tutelage of famed attorney Geoffrey Fieger, after winning a prestigious summer internship. Heather Joy is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.; in 2011, she co-hosted Reintroducing Rosa — a celebration that reexamined the civil rights movement and the pivotal role Rosa Parks played as an NAACP investigator and champion for women, including Recy Taylor — at the National Press Club. She is passionate about the arts, design, and food. She speaks fluent Spanish, conversational French, and some Italian.

 

 

 

 

 

Ryan Berger, Foreign Affairs Officer, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs

Ryan Berger is the Indo-Pacific Team Lead in the Office of International Communications and Information Policy at the U.S. Department of State, where he coordinates policy issues on the digital economy and technology involving East Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and South Asia. Between April 2021 and October 2021, Ryan was a Foreign Affairs Officer in the same office covering China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Mongolia. Previously, he was a Special Assistant in the Office of the Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, where he advanced the Under Secretary’s policy objectives amid economic and technological competition. He also advised the Under Secretary on sanctions, threat finance, Near East affairs, and European affairs, and served as coordinator for special projects. Prior to joining the Under Secretary’s staff in July 2019, Ryan worked in the Office of Sanctions Policy and Implementation at the U.S. Department of State, where he managed or co-managed the Iran, North Korea, Western Hemisphere, and Sub-Saharan Africa portfolios. Earlier in his career, Ryan was a Regional Security Advisor at the U.S. Department of Defense, where he focused on East Asian affairs and broader security developments in the Indo-Pacific region, and he also held overseas assignments in the Economic Section of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi and the Political-Economic Section of the U.S. Consulate General in Rio de Janeiro.

Before entering public service, Ryan had a diverse set of professional experiences between the private sector, research institutions, think tanks, and the news media. He has a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University, where he concentrated in international security policy, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Emory University, where he studied management and international business. A native of Connecticut, Ryan has lived in Kenya, Brazil, Spain, and Israel, and he speaks Portuguese and Spanish.

The Great Powers' Interest in Africa: What Happens In Africa Does Not Stay In Africa

Learned Dees, Country Affairs Coordinator
Bureau of African Affairs

Learned Dees is a Foreign Service Officer with the Department of State. He currently serves as Country Affairs Coordinator for East Africa in the Bureau of African Affairs’ Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, where he coordinates public diplomacy activities in 12 East African countries. Dees has worked at the State Department for 15 years and has served as the Human Rights and Democracy Officer in the Bureau of African Affairs, as Africa Coordinator in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs’ Office of Communications and Information Policy, and as Coordinator for the Young African Leaders Initiative in its inaugural year. He has served at embassies in Singapore, Nigeria, and Ethiopia.

Before joining the State Department, Dees worked as a reporter for Stars and Stripes in Darmstadt, Germany, and the Concord Monitor in Concord, New Hampshire, and as a freelance journalist for Voice of America in Kinshasa, Zaire. He also worked as a regional deputy director at the National Endowment for Democracy, supporting civil society organizations. He started his overseas work as a Peace Corps volunteer in a rural village in Zaire, where he worked to expand the reach of the Peace Corps’ successful tilapia-based aquaculture program. He is also an adjunct lecturer at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where he teaches a course in African politics and civil society. A proud Minnesotan, Dees has a B.A. in mass communications from Morehouse College and an M.A. in international relations from SAIS.

 

 

 

 

 

Angela Chang, “Foreign Affairs Officer Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs”

Angela Chang is a Foreign Affairs Officer in the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs’ Global Unit, where she covers Africa and the Middle East. She was previously a Staff Assistant in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ Front Office. Before coming to Washington, Angela lived in China for 10 years, first studying and working at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies (HNC) and then serving as a Consular Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai and the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. Angela received an M.A. in international studies and Chinese studies from the HNC and a B.A. in international and comparative studies and medieval and Renaissance studies from Duke University.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christopher Geurtsen, Political Officer Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs

Chris Geurtsen is a Political Officer in the State Department’s Office of Russian Affairs (RUS). Before joining RUS in September 2020, he served as an Economic Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, covering macroeconomic policy, financial services, and information and communications technology. Before that, he was a Consular Officer in the American Citizen Services Section at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.

Before joining the State Department, Chris spent two years as a USAID Field Program Officer in Afghanistan. He also previously worked in the World Bank Group’s Office of Private Sector Development, for the U.S. Peace Corps in Vanuatu, and at Duke University’s Center on Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and history from the College of William & Mary and an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Being Black Abroad: HBCU Alumni Testimonials of the Fulbright Student Program

Dineo Brinson, Program Officer, Office of Academic Exchange Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)

Dineo Brinson (she/her) is a Program Officer in the Multi-Regional Programs Branch in the Office of Academic Exchange Programs in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) at the U.S. Department of State. Dineo’s portfolio includes alumni engagement and diversity and inclusion, and she serves on the Office of Academic Exchange Programs’ Diversity and Inclusion Working Group.

Dineo earned her bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Spelman College and studied abroad in the Dominican Republic. She also earned a Master of Science degree in foreign service from Georgetown University. As a graduate student, she had the opportunity to serve in the U.S. Embassy in Panama’s Public Affairs Section. In service to others, Dineo has hosted many scholars and professionals in State Department programs, including the Fulbright Program and the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). She enjoys mentoring students and young professionals and strongly believes in the transformational power of language, education, and international exchanges.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lee Rivers, Fulbright U.S. Student Program Outreach and Recruitment Specialist, Institute of International Education (IIE)

Lee Rivers is a global education specialist with over a decade of experience managing outreach and recruitment strategies for educational and cultural exchange programs. As a natural connector and skilled communicator, Lee has experience collaborating with sponsors, administrators, faculty, and other key stakeholders in education and government to create plans that support internationalization. He received a master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of Central Missouri and a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Kansas State University. In 2004, Lee received the Gilman Scholarship to study at the University of Canberra, Australia. He also participated in a Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. As an advocate for educational opportunities abroad, Lee is passionate about increasing access for underrepresented populations. Since 2008, Lee has worked at the Institute of International Education (IIE) promoting international exchange through programs such as Gilman, the Boren Awards, and the Fulbright Program.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emmanuel Johnson, Ph.D, Fulbright U.S. Student Program Alum, U.K.

Dr. Emmanuel Johnson is an artificial intelligence (AI) researcher currently working at the University of Southern California (USC)’s Information Science Institute. His work focuses on building AI systems for teaching soft skills. Emmanuel is also co-founder of Routine Solution. He earned a Bachelor of Science in computer engineering from North Carolina A&T, a master’s in robotics from the University of Birmingham in England, and a master’s and Ph.D. in computer science at USC. Emmanuel has worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Intel Labs, and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan. In 2013, he was the first North Carolina A&T student awarded a Fulbright grant, through which he conducted research in human-robot interactions in the United Kingdom. Since then, he has been actively involved in the Fulbright Program as an Alumni Ambassador, advocate, and member of the USC Fulbright Campus Committee.

 

 

 

 

Cheyenne Boyce, Fulbright U.S. Student Program Alum, Malaysia

Cheyenne Boyce is an education advocate and program manager focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Currently, she serves as Strategic Partnerships Manager for the Education Partner Program at HubSpot. In this role, she supports professors and students at HBCUs, community colleges, and other minority serving institutions (MSIs) in developing skills needed to support successful business and marketing strategies. Before working at HubSpot, Cheyenne served as Director of Program Development for U.S.-China global education programming. She was a 2015 Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to Malaysia and a 2017 Critical Language Scholarship recipient to Indonesia. Cheyenne is passionate about cross-cultural exchange as a tool for education and peacebuilding, the reason she has also served as a Fulbright Alumni Ambassador. Originally from Detroit, Cheyenne received her master’s degree in international peace and conflict resolution from American University in 2017 and her bachelor’s degree in international studies from Spelman College in 2014.

 

 

 

 

Ashleigh Brown-Grier, Fulbright U.S. Student Program Alum, Malaysia

Ashleigh Brown-Grier is pursuing a Ph.D. at Howard University in higher education leadership and policy studies. Her research focuses on internationalization at historically Black colleges and universities. Ashleigh was a 2016 Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Malaysia and previously studied Italian opera in Pisa, Italy. She now assists with conducting outreach for the Fulbright Program as a Fulbright Alumni Ambassador. Ashleigh is the founder of Fulbright HBCU, a social media platform (IG, Twitter, FB) highlighting HBCU Fulbright grantees and spreading awareness about the Fulbright Program to HBCU students. She is also the founder and executive director of iHBCUx, which works to increase HBCU student participation in U.S. government–funded international exchange opportunities. Ashleigh is a graduate of Talladega College (B.A., music performance), Morgan State University (Master of Arts in Teaching), and the University of Pennsylvania (M.S.Ed. in Higher Education).

U.S. Diplomacy In International Organizations

Tyrik McKeiver, Public Engagement and Outreach Officer, U.S. Mission to the United Nations

Tyrik “Ty” McKeiver serves as the Public Engagement and Outreach Officer at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Previously, he was the Vice President for Public Relations and Influence at Ogilvy. Before working at Ogilvy, Ty was Vice President for Global Strategy and Communications in the Global Financial Crimes Division at MUFG Bank Ltd. From 2017 to 2019, Ty was the Chief of Staff in the New York City Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, where, as the chief strategist, he promoted city diplomacy.

Before that, Ty was a political appointee in the Obama administration and served as a Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of State in the Office of the Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources. He began his career in various legislative and public affairs capacities at the Departments of Homeland Security and Commerce and as a professional staff member on Capitol Hill.

Ty received a Master of International Affairs degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a bachelor’s degree from Florida International University.

 

 

Michael Hayes, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Mission to the United Nations

Michael C. Hayes is a U.S. diplomat currently based in New York City at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.

Overseas, Michael has worked in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico; New Delhi; and Windhoek, Namibia. In Washington, he served in the Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs and in the Department’s Africa Bureau. Before joining the Department of State, he worked as a management consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton and as a fellow in the U.S. Congress. Michael holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Clark Atlanta University, a master’s in international affairs from Columbia University, and a Master of Public Policy from Sciences Po in Paris. He is fluent in Hindi, French, and Spanish.

He is founder of the Cornelius Travelers Foundation, a nonprofit organization established to provide support for students at historically Black colleges and universities for international travel.

 

 

 

Desirée Cormier Smith, Senior Advisor, Bureau of International Organization Affairs

Desirée Cormier Smith is the Senior Advisor in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Previously, she was the Senior Policy Advisor for Africa, Europe, and Eurasia at the Open Society Foundations. In this role, she led the global foundation’s U.S. advocacy strategy and execution on a wide range of human rights issues. From 2015 until 2020, she was the Senior Director with Albright Stonebridge Group’s Africa Practice, where she advised and assisted private and social sector clients on growth strategies across the African continent.

Ms. Cormier began her career as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State, with assignments in Mexico, South Africa, and Washington. Ms. Cormier is the recipient of four Department of State Meritorious Honor Awards and the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Undergraduate Fellowship. She is an alumna of the International Career Advancement Program and is a member of the 2019 class of the Next Generation National Security Leaders Fellowship at the Center for a New American Security. She was honored by New America as a 2020 Black American National Security and Foreign Policy Next Generation Leader and is a 2020 alumna of the New Leadership Council Washington, D.C., chapter. Ms. Cormier currently serves on the Advisory Council of Global Kids, an educational nonprofit aimed at inspiring underserved youth to pursue careers in public policy and global affairs, and on the Advisory Board of Shea Yeleen, a social enterprise dedicated to empowering women in West Africa and the U.S. Ms. Cormier is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Ms. Cormier holds a B.A. in political science and psychology from Stanford University and an M.A. in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She is proficient in Spanish and French.

 

Megan Johnson, Public Diplomacy Officer, Bureau of International Organization Affairs

Megan Johnson serves as Public Diplomacy Officer in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Office of Public Affairs and Outreach. Megan joined the State Department as a Foreign Service Officer in 2014. She has served in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Islamabad; and Washington. Before joining the State Department, Megan worked in higher education, with a focus on leadership. She completed her dissertation research on women’s access to education in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kali Jones, Chief of Staff, U.S. Mission to the United Nations

Kali Jones is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and has served in a variety of positions that span the globe. She is currently the Chief of Staff to the U.S. Representative to the United Nations. Prior to this role, Kali was the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy Gaborone and the Diplomat in Residence at Tulane University. Her other international assignments include Ho Chi Minh City, Port-au-Prince, and Brasilia. In Washington, Kali worked in the Department of State’s Operations Center under former secretaries Rice and Clinton.

Before joining the Department, Kali was the Associate Director for Programs of the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center, as well as a lecturer on constitutional law at Howard University. Her international journey started as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Madagascar. Kali is a graduate of Howard University and holds a J.D./MSPH from Tulane Law School and the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

Intersectionality as a Black Fulbrighter Abroad (After-Hours)

M. Lysaght, Program Officer, Office of Academic Exchange Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)

Lysaght (she/her) is a Program Officer in the Multi-Regional Programs Branch in the Office of Academic Exchange Programs in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) at the U.S. Department of State. She manages the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program; is lead coordinator for Fulbright pre-departure orientations, enrichment conferences, and pre-academic and gateway activities; and serves as Vice Chair of the Office of Academic Exchange Programs’ Diversity and Inclusion Working Group.

Hailing from Ventura, California, Ms. Lysaght is the first in her family to go to college and earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public policy and administration from California Lutheran University, a Hispanic-serving institution. She is also an alumna of the Department of Education’s TRIO Student Support Services Program and a Council for Opportunity in Education’s Keith Sherin Global Leaders Program scholarship recipient. Ms. Lysaght served as a Peace Corps Community Economic Development Volunteer in Azerbaijan, where she met her now-wife, Amanda.

 

 

 

 

Tayla Moore, Fulbright U.S. Student Program Alum, India

Tayla Moore was selected as a 2022 Fulbright Alumni Ambassador after receiving a Fulbright U.S. Student Program research grant in India. She spent eight months in New Delhi partnered with Jamia Hamdard University’s Department of Pharmacology; her research focused on Indian health care systems. Tayla was also a Critical Language Enhancement Award recipient and spent the first three months in India taking intensive Hindi at the Zabaan School for Languages. This experience, with the backdrop of complications that COVID-19 imposed on her study, exposed her to the legal implications of addressing health issues, which further strengthened and solidified her interest in becoming a lawyer. Tayla hails from Chicago and is currently a 1L at the University of Minnesota, pursuing a dual degree in law and public health (J.D./MPH). She earned a B.S. in public health and English from Tulane University and hopes to return to Delhi to continue her research once she completes her education.

 

 

 

 

Jude Tunyi, Fulbright U.S. Student Program Alum, Finland

Jude Tunyi received the Fulbright-Tampere University Graduate Award to pursue a master’s degree at Tampere University, Finland, in biomedical technology with a specialization in bioinformatics. He performed research evaluating ribonucleic acid (RNA) sequencing data aiming to identify differentially expressed genes in breast cancer patients. While in Finland, he worked with a biotechnology startup to develop their business plan and expand their company. Jude is currently an M.D.-Ph.D. student, completing his medical degree at The Ohio State College of Medicine and his doctorate at NIH-Oxford University as part of the NIH-OxCam Program on neuronal reinforcement learning. He is also passionate about increasing the diversity in medical and graduate fields. Jude helped found the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization AABPS, the American Association of Black Physician Scientists. He and his colleagues have organized informational seminars to educate the next generation of physician-scientists, as well as provide funding to ease their financial struggles.

 

 

 

 

Shamari Reid, Ph.D., Fulbright U.S. Student Program Alum, Uruguay

Dr. Shamari Reid was a Gilman Scholarship recipient to study in Argentina and a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Salto and Montevideo, Uruguay, in a variety of schools. An Oklahoma native, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish education from Oklahoma City University, a master’s degree in Spanish and TESOL from New York University, and a doctorate in curriculum and teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Reid is an Assistant Professor of Critical Studies in Education in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Oklahoma. His scholarly research focuses on working with Black trans and queer youth and their communities to reimagine the ways we approach social justice teaching, learning, and educational leadership. You can engage more with Dr. Reid and his work on his personal website: shamarireid.com. 

Administrators, Faculty, and Family: HBCU Alumni Testimonials of the Fulbright Scholar Program (After-Hours)

Carleitta Paige-Anderson, Ph.D., Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Alum, Indonesia

Dr. Carleitta Paige-Anderson is committed to enhancing the research and education capacities of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Her academic journey began at Virginia Union University (VUU), a small, private HBCU and alma mater of her great-great-grandmother, where she developed a passion for basic science research and earned a B.S. in biology. After obtaining a Ph.D. from Wake Forest University and completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University, she returned to VUU. While there, she established a research program investigating biochemical signaling mechanisms in disease-causing bacteria and viruses. By leveraging her scientific expertise to integrate research into the academic curriculum, she was selected as a 2013–2014 Senior Fulbright Scholar to implement a course-based undergraduate research paradigm at Universitas Airlangga in Surabaya, Indonesia. At VUU, she also served as the Founding Director of the Center for Undergraduate Research, University College Dean, and Vice President for Student Development and Success.

 

 

 

 

 

Rhonda D. Jones, Ph.D., Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Alum, Senegal

Dr. Rhonda D. Jones holds a doctorate and a master’s degree in U.S. history from Howard University and a master’s degree in library science from the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill. She currently works as a Public Historian and Community Digital Archivist at the University of North Carolina–Greensboro; her research centers on the challenges of documenting intergenerational trauma and racial violence. An international scholar who specializes in the role of cultural memory and digital heritage informatics, Dr. Jones was selected as a 2018 Fulbright U.S. Scholar in American studies at the Université Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar, Senegal, and now serves as a Fulbright Specialist and Alumni Ambassador.

 

 

 

 

Everette B. Penn, Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Alum, Egypt

Dr. Everette Penn earned his Ph.D. in criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania after earning a bachelor’s degree in political science from Rutgers University and a master’s degree in criminal justice from Texas A&M University–Central Texas. Dr. Penn works with nine programs in behavioral and cultural sciences. He is the Principal Investigator for the Teen and Police Service Academy, Department of Justice/COPS Office funded program (www.TAPSAcademy.org) and has authored dozens of publications on juvenile justice, race and crime, and homeland security. In 2005, he was named a Fulbright Professor of American Studies in Egypt. He served on the Board of Directors for the Fulbright Alumni Association between 2008 and 2013 and chaired the Diversity Task Force. He continues to teach graduate-level courses, including Race and Crime and Graduate Criminology Seminar and Internship.

 

 

 

 

 

Cydni Gordon, Program Officer, Office of Academic Exchange Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)

Cydni Gordon joined the Fulbright Program Western Hemisphere Branch in the Office of Academic Exchange Programs in April 2020. Since joining the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), she has worked on South American and Caribbean portfolios and is a member of the Office’s Diversity and Inclusion Working Group. Cydni was a 2017 Fulbright Student Researcher to Argentina, hence the program is near and dear to her heart. She holds two bachelor’s degrees, in psychology and mass communications, with a double major in African American studies, and a certificate in global education from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). While at VCU, Cydni studied abroad at VCU’s Qatar campus and in rural southern Mexico conducting qualitative research on migration motivators. She also worked closely with international students on campus as a mentor for English language learners, Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program students, and participants in Department of State programs, and she assisted in managing a 100,000 Strong in the Americas reciprocal exchange program with two institutions in Mexico.

 

 

Athena Mison Fulay, Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Outreach and Recruitment Manager, Institute of International Education (IIE)

Athena Mison Fulay is an education and cultural exchange leader with over 20 years of experience in international education. She created the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Alumni Ambassador Program and the Scholar Liaison Network to expand alumni and institutional engagement in the Fulbright Program. In 2013, Athena was appointed to lead the institutional engagement team, facilitating Fulbright engagement with underserved institutions across the United States. In 2018, she accepted leadership of the Fulbright Scholar Program outreach and recruitment team at the Institute of International Education (IIE). Before joining the Fulbright team, Athena served as an educator with the Peace Corps in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where her projects included developing English-language curriculum and teacher training. Athena has worked at various arts organizations in Los Angeles and Washington. She received her M.A. in liberal studies from Georgetown University and a B.A. in European studies from Loyola Marymount University.

Career Session on Student Programs, Pt 1 (Overview)

J. Nathan Bland, Diplomat in Residence, Bureau of Global Talent Management

J. Nathan Bland is a Foreign Service Officer with over 17 years of experience in a wide variety of areas with the U.S. Department of State. He is currently the Diplomat in Residence based at Tulane University in New Orleans, where he is responsible for recruiting within Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas.

His overseas postings include an assignment as the Political and Economic Section Chief at the U.S. Embassy in Belmopan, Belize. He was an Assistant General Services Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, serving as the embassy’s primary Contracting Officer and overseeing logistics for VIP visits. Before that, he was the Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See, and his first assignment was as a Consular Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Shenyang, China. He began his career as a Presidential Management Fellow working in the Public Affairs Office of the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.

 

 

 

Anastasia Almanzar, Program Analyst, Bureau of Global Talent Management

Anastasia Almanzar joined the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Service Specialist in 2010. She is currently the Program Analyst for the U.S. Foreign Service Internship Program (USFSIP) in the Office of Talent Acquisition, where she is responsible for managing the program, maintaining statistics, and improving processes. Anastasia previously served as an Office Management Specialist in Kazakhstan, Chile, Afghanistan, France, and Washington. Before joining the Foreign Service, she was an Administrative Coordinator for SAIS–Johns Hopkins University in the Washington area. Before that, she was the Admissions Coordinator at the Graduate School of Education and Psychology at Pepperdine University. Anastasia received her Bachelor of Arts in European studies from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her Master of Arts in international affairs from George Washington University. She served on the adjunct faculty for SharePoint at the Foreign Service Institute. She is a native Russian speaker and proficient in Spanish and French. Anastasia lives with her husband and their two children in Virginia.

 

 

 

 

Yolonda Kerney, Diplomat in Residence, Bureau of Global Talent Management

Dr. Yolonda Kerney joined the U.S. diplomatic corps as a Foreign Service Officer in 2004. She served as Counselor for Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Mission to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean, and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States; Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica; Cultural Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in the Republic of Cameroon; and Economic Officer and Chief Consul at the U.S. Embassy in the Republic of Guinea. She is the recipient of several Department of State Meritorious Honor and Superior Honor awards and the Lois Roth Award for Excellence in Cultural Diplomacy. Dr. Kerney is a proud alumna of Howard University, from which she earned undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees in music history and literature, and religious studies. Before joining the Foreign Service, she served as a music historian at the U.S. Library of Congress.

 

 

 

 

Megan Kuhn, Program Analyst, Virtual Student Federal Service

Megan Kuhn connects the talents of U.S. citizen college students with the needs of the federal government through the Virtual Student Federal Service (VSFS). She is a civil servant Program Analyst at the U.S. Department of State.

Career Session on Student Programs, Pt 2 (How To Get Started)

J. Nathan Bland, Diplomat in Residence, Bureau of Global Talent Management

J. Nathan Bland is a Foreign Service Officer with over 17 years of experience in a wide variety of areas with the U.S. Department of State. He is currently the Diplomat in Residence based at Tulane University in New Orleans, where he is responsible for recruiting within Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas.

His overseas postings include an assignment as the Political and Economic Section Chief at the U.S. Embassy in Belmopan, Belize. He was an Assistant General Services Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, serving as the embassy’s primary Contracting Officer and overseeing logistics for VIP visits. Before that, he was the Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See, and his first assignment was as a Consular Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Shenyang, China. He began his career as a Presidential Management Fellow working in the Public Affairs Office of the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.

 

 

 

Yolonda Kerney, Diplomat in Residence, Bureau of Global Talent Management

Dr. Yolonda Kerney joined the U.S. diplomatic corps as a Foreign Service Officer in 2004. She served as Counselor for Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Mission to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean, and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States; Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica; Cultural Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in the Republic of Cameroon; and Economic Officer and Chief Consul at the U.S. Embassy in the Republic of Guinea. She is the recipient of several Department of State Meritorious Honor and Superior Honor awards and the Lois Roth Award for Excellence in Cultural Diplomacy. Dr. Kerney is a proud alumna of Howard University, from which she earned undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees in music history and literature, and religious studies. Before joining the Foreign Service, she served as a music historian at the U.S. Library of Congress.

Creating Lasting Academic Partnerships With African Universities

Karl Adam, Southern Africa Public Diplomacy Desk Officer, Bureau of African Affairs

Karl Adam is a career member of the U.S. Foreign Service at the State Department, currently the Public Diplomacy Desk Officer for Southern Africa, also covering higher education engagement. Previously, he served at U.S. Embassies in New Delhi; Port-au-Prince, Haiti; N’Djamena, Chad; and Quito, Ecuador. Karl earned his B.A. in chemistry, history, and German at Texas Tech University and his M.A. in history at the University of Chicago. Before joining the Foreign Service, Karl was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, as well as working at IES Abroad and Cartus International. Karl speaks French, German, Spanish, and Wolouf. His spouse is a USAID Foreign Service Officer, and he is the proud father of three young children.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark Weinberg, Director, Southern African Affairs, Bureau of African Affairs

Mark Weinberg is currently the Acting Director for Southern African Affairs at the State Department. Before that, he served as the Public Affairs Officer in Côte d’Ivoire, South Sudan, and Montenegro. He has also served as Regional Refugee Coordinator in Kenya and Nepal, as well as postings in Sudan, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe. He has a B.A. in political science from Middlebury College and an M.A. from Indiana University. Originally from suburban Chicago, he now calls a small town in Massachusetts home. He is joined in his adventures around the world by his wife and son.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kyle Farmbry, President, Guilford College

Kyle Farmbry, J.D., Ph.D., began serving as the 10th President of Guilford College on January 1, 2022. Previously, Kyle served as a professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) at Rutgers University–Newark. From August 2013 to July 2019, he was Dean of the Graduate School at Rutgers University–Newark. Before joining the faculty of Rutgers, he taught at The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Diego State University, and Grand Valley State University. In 2017–18, Kyle served as an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow. In this role, he worked with the Vice-Chancellor (President) of the University of Pretoria in South Africa and examined university-based innovation and the implementation of the University of Pretoria–Mamelodi Campus’ anchor institution strategy. In 2016, he served as a Fulbright Fellow, examining European Union immigration policies — with an emphasis on the challenges and management of the North African refugee movement and integration in the nation of Malta. In February 2009, Kyle was selected as one of 35 people from around the world to serve as a Fulbright New Century Scholar. In this role, he was engaged in research examining factors of youth entrepreneurial and civic engagement in South Africa. In May 2016, Kyle launched the United States–South African Higher Education Network, aimed at building enhanced collaboration between higher education institutions in South Africa and the United States. In November 2017, he served as one of the founding members of the University Alliance for Refugees and At-Risk Migrants, which aims to engage universities and their communities in local and international advocacy on behalf of refugees and at-risk migrants. Kyle’s research and programmatic work has been supported by the Open Society Foundations, the South African Department of Higher Education and Training, the U.S. Fulbright Commission, and the U.S. Embassy in South Africa. He is currently working on a project entitled Building a Pipeline for Executive-Level Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategies, which is funded by the IBM Center for The Business of Government. In February 2009, Kyle’s book Administration and the Other: Explorations of Diversity and Marginalization in the Political Administrative State was published by Rowman & Littlefield. In August 2012, his book Crisis, Disaster, and Risk: Institutional Response and Emergence was published by M.E. Sharpe. His book The War on Poverty: A Retrospective was published by Rowman & Littlefield in July 2014. His book Migration and Xenophobia: A Three Country Exploration, examining issues of migration and xenophobia in the United States, Europe, and Southern Africa, was published by Rowman & Littlefield in May 2019. Kyle has served on the Board of Trustees of The George Washington University. In November 2021, he was inducted as a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. Kyle received his B.A., M.P.A., and Ph.D. from The George Washington University. He completed his J.D. at the Rutgers University School of Law. https://www.guilford.edu/who-we-are/president

 

Dr. Ahmed Legrouri, Vice President for Academic Affairs, IUGB, Côte d’Ivoire

Dr. Ahmed Legrouri holds a B.S. in chemistry from Mohammed V University in Rabat, a doctorate in materials science from the National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse, France, and a Ph.D. in materials chemistry from Glasgow University, U.K. From 1982 to 1994, he served as a professor at Marrakech University. In 1994, he moved to the newly established Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (AUI) as a professor. Four years later, he became Academic Coordinator and later Dean of the School of Science and Engineering. He also served as Vice President for Academic Affairs. In January 2015, he received a sabbatical leave from AUI and moved to Côte d’Ivoire to work for the International University of Grand-Bassam (IUGB) as VPAA. His research interests are in intercalation compounds, biomaterials, and education. He also founded at AUI research groups on water management and natural resource valorization, which have received external funding to work on regional projects. He has supervised several doctoral theses and published more than 40 articles in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. He is member of several scientific advisory committees, including the Global Engineering Dean’s Council, the Board of Governors of the Arab Water Council, the Board of Advisors of the Arab Water Academy, the Advisory Board of Arab Knowledge Report, and the Network of Experts on Water and Environment. He is a former Fulbright (USA), DAAD (Germany) and TWAS (Italy) scholar. He speaks Arabic, French, English, and German.

 

 

Department of State Study Abroad Opportunities as a Path to Service, Policy, and Practice

Amelia VanderLaan, USA Study Abroad Outreach Officer, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

Amelia VanderLaan is a Foreign Service Officer currently serving as the USA Study Abroad Outreach Officer in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. She previously served as the Assistant Public Affairs Officer at U.S. Embassy Cyprus, managing exchange and cultural programs, along with outreach initiatives. From 2015 to 2017, she served in Canada, heading the Investment Visa Section of the U.S. Consulate in Toronto. Before joining the Foreign Service, she was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to teach in Sinop, Turkey, for a year. She also advised students on pursuing international opportunities when she worked as a fellowship’s advisor at Smith College and served as a Teaching Fellow at Athens College. Amelia graduated from Smith College in 2009 with a B.A. in government. She received her M.A. from the University of Athens in Southeast European studies in 2013. She speaks Greek, Turkish, and Spanish.

 

 

 

 

Brandon Ramsay, Critical Language Scholarship Alum, Arabic

Brandon Ramsay is a Foreign Policy Legislative Correspondent in the Office of U.S. Senator Chris Coons, where he covers the Middle East, with a special focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, sub-Saharan Africa, the Western Hemisphere, and veterans affairs. He received his master’s in security studies from the Georgetown University Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. During his graduate studies, Brandon served as an intern at the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Albright Stonebridge Group. Brandon received his bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from Howard University and has studied abroad in Morocco as a Critical Language Scholar, in Jordan as a Benjamin Gilman Scholar, and in Israel.

 

 

 

 

 

Alsace-Lorraine Gallop, National Scholarships and Fellowships Coordinator, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

Alsace-Lorraine (Alsace) Gallop is the national scholarships and fellowships coordinator at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, the country’s largest historically Black university. In that role, she also serves as the Fulbright Program Adviser. Alsace has served as a selection panelist for the Boren Scholarship, the Gilman Program, and CLS. She has presented at the past three biennial conferences for the National Association of Fellowships Advisors on topics related to actively identifying, guiding, and supporting first-generation college students and underrepresented ethnic and racial minorities as candidates for nationally competitive and prestigious scholarships, fellowships, and internships.
During her nine years in the scholarship and fellowship advising field, Alsace has recruited and advised hundreds of students and alumni at North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina State University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her student and alumni national outcomes for international awards include NC A&T State University’s first documented Fulbright Program grant finalist from among their alumni community and three Rangel SEP Scholars. Alsace recruited and advised UNC-Chapel Hill’s first Churchill Scholar in five years and first Marshall Scholar in nine years, as well as NC State’s first Truman Scholar in 15 years and their first Marshall Scholar in 10 years, who was also their first Black Marshall Scholar. Alsace earned a diploma from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, a B.S. in biological sciences as a Banneker/Key Scholar at the University of Maryland in College Park, and an MHA in health policy and administration with a focus in marketing from the School of Public Health (now the Gillings School of Global Public Health) at UNC–Chapel Hill.

 

 

Kashmiere Dotson, Gilman Scholarship Alum, Brazil

Kashmiere Dotson is a 2021–22 Gilman Alumni Ambassador and Digital Representative. She currently works as the School Counselor at Colorado High School Charter GES. Major parts of her role include communicating with Spanish-speaking parents, advocating alternative education options, and helping students magnify their voices. In 2020, Kashmiere was offered a Fulbright ETA to teach English in Colombia, where she planned to utilize her TEFL Certification. Kashmiere served as an educational assistant at the Douglas County Student Support Center, where she first learned about alternative education and restorative justice practices as educational activism. In 2018, she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and comparative women’s studies, with a film concentration and a Spanish minor, from Spelman College. Kashmiere studied Afro-Brazilian culture and Portuguese in Bahia, Brazil, as a Gilman Scholar in 2017. She aspires to become a travel filmmaker and research Black identities in other countries.

Engaging Underrepresented Voices In Foreign Policy

Thomas Debass, Managing Director, Office of Global Partnerships

Thomas Debass serves as Managing Director of the Office of Global Partnerships (GP) at the U.S. Department of State. Thomas is responsible for coordinating the Department’s private sector engagement efforts and providing thought leadership on partnerships related to economic growth, global finance, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Thomas has played a leading role in promoting and institutionalizing the role of public-private partnerships as a tool for advancing foreign policy and development objectives. He regularly gives lectures and talks about the intersection of policy, business, and society.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michael Veasy, Senior Advisor for Diplomatic Fellowships for the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program and the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Program

Michael Veasy serves as the Senior Advisor for Diplomatic Fellowships for the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program and the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Program. He is a retired consular career track Foreign Service Officer and was a member of the first cohort of Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellows in 1992. In 2019, he served as the U.S. government’s Interagency Coordinator for Ethiopia Assistance. As Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Asmara from 2016 to 2018, Michael played a leading role in U.S.-Eritrean negotiations that helped bring an end to 20 years of conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia. From 2013 to 2016, he served as the Deputy Principal Officer and Consular Chief at the U.S. Consulate General in Tijuana, Mexico. Other assignments included consular tours in Mexico City, London, Johannesburg (twice), and the Visa Office in Washington. He has also served as an Economic Officer in Basrah, Iraq; Labor Officer in Lagos, Nigeria; and a Recruitment Officer in the State Department’s Bureau of Human Resources. He is the recipient of a State Department Superior Honor Award and several Meritorious Honor Awards. Before his Foreign Service career, Michael worked at The Carter Center in Atlanta. He has a bachelor’s degree in international studies from Morehouse College as well as a master’s degree in social change and development from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He is bilingual in English and Spanish.

 

 

 

 

Bryan Gerhart, Senior Partnerships Advisor, Office of Global Partnerships

Bryan Gerhart is a Senior Partnerships Advisor in the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Global Partnerships. He oversees the Office’s Foreign Policy for the Middle Class and youth engagement efforts, which include Women in Science (WiSci) STEM camps for teen girls and Diplomacy Lab, a public-private partnership that enables the Department of State to “course-source” research related to foreign policy by harnessing the efforts of students and faculty at academic institutions across the country. Bryan is a native of Long Beach, California, a graduate of UC Berkeley, and a proud resident of Washington.

From The Yard To The Embassy: Former HBCU Student Leaders/ Athletes Turned Diplomats (After-Hours)

Mignon Houston, Diplomat in Residence, South Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands

Mignon Houston is currently a Diplomat in Residence, recruiting for the State Department in Southern Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Her overseas assignments included the U.S. Consulate in Cape Town, South Africa; the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines; the U.S. Embassy in Yaoundé, Cameroon; and the U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara, Mexico. Domestically, she worked in Washington for the Office of the Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, as well as for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. She served two temporary duty assignments, in Madrid and in Libreville, Gabon. She received her undergraduate degree from Winston-Salem State University in 2004 as a double major in Spanish and mass communications and her master’s degree from the University of Delaware in 2006 in urban affairs and public policy. She grew up in North Carolina and is married, with a son named Atlas.

 

 

 

 

 

Deneyse Kirkpatrick,
Senior Advisor, U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy

Deneyse A. Kirkpatrick is the Senior Advisor of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy and has served as the Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassies in Angola and Niger. Other tours include São Paulo, Cairo, Baghdad, and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
Deneyse is the recipient of the 2020 Public Diplomacy Association of America Achievement Award, the 2018 Edward Murrow Award for Public Diplomacy, and a Civilian Army Achievement Award for communication leadership during the 2017 ambush against U.S. service members. Deneyse holds a Master of Arts in Latin American studies from Georgetown University, a Bachelor of Arts from Howard University in communication, and a Certificate in Public Diplomacy from the University of Southern California. She is proud to call Prairie View, Texas, home and is married, with three children.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bruce Baldwin, Diplomatic Security Special Agent

Bruce Baldwin is a Foreign Service Specialist, serving as a Special Agent for the past 13 years. He is currently a supervisory special agent with the Diplomatic Security Service, assigned as a Branch Chief in the Office of Antiterrorism Assistance, charged with overseeing the delivery of approximately 150 counterterrorism training courses annually to partner nations globally.

As a Special Agent, he has worked domestically and abroad protecting our national security and ensuring that his diplomatic colleagues can conduct diplomacy safely and securely anywhere in the world. Over the course of his career, he has served in domestic and overseas assignments that focused on investigations, protection, and managing and leading security programs and policy. His domestic assignments included the Washington Field Office, the Office of Protective Intelligence Investigations, being the Diversity and Inclusion Officer, and work in the High Threat Programs Directorate as a desk officer covering Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, and Syria. Bruce’s overseas assignments included service as Assistant Regional Security Officer in Khartoum, Sudan, and Kampala, Uganda, and most recently as the Deputy Regional Security Officer in Algiers, Algeria.

Before his service with the Department of State, Bruce worked as a pension investigator with the Department of Labor, a contract specialist with the Department of Defense, and a minor league baseball player for the Colorado Rockies. Bruce received his Bachelor of Science in management, with a minor in criminology, and his master’s in public administration, concentrating on administration of justice, from George Mason University in 2005 and 2007, respectively. In November, he completed a one-year executive leadership program from the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security. He mostly grew up in South Florida and is married with two daughters.

 

Donyá Eldridge, Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer (ACAO) in Mexico City

Donyá Eldridge joined the U.S. Department of State in 2010 with prior experience in the private and nonprofit sectors. Ms. Eldridge is currently the Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer (ACAO) in Mexico City. She previously served as the ACAO in Cairo, the Regional Social Media Coordinator and Arabian Peninsula Public Diplomacy Desk Officer for Near Eastern Affairs in Washington, and the Public Affairs Officer in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. During her first tour as a Consular Officer in Trinidad and Tobago, she also served as Chargé d’Affaires in Grenada.

Ms. Eldridge is a Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellow. She interned in the International Labor and Corporate Social Responsibility Office in Washington and in the Public Affairs Office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in international business and Japanese studies from Dillard University and a Master of Arts in international politics and human rights from American University. She is a proud aunt of one niece and five nephews.