About the Bureau

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries around the world.

Miller Crouch joined the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in July 2002.

His earlier assignments include previous Washington, D.C., tours with the United States Information Agency (USIA), and overseas tours of duty in France (twice), Romania (twice), Italy (twice), and Ethiopia.

Mr. Crouch is a Career Minister in the Senior Foreign Service.

Thomas A. Farrell Deputy Assistant Secretary of State

Thomas A. Farrell was named by President George W. Bush as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Academic Programs in May 2002. In this capacity, he is responsible for all academic programs sponsored by the Department of State, these include the Fulbright Program for students, teachers, scholars and mid-career professionals in the Humphrey program, Teacher exchange programs, English Language Programs, Study of the United States Programs, and programs for undergraduate students. He serves as the Department of State’s lead executive for programs and initiatives such as President Bush’s National Security Language Initiative to promote quality teaching and mastery of critical need foreign languages. He is also responsible for: international student advising and marketing of American higher education resources through Education USA's network of offices around the world; activities that support specialized scholarly research and other education and people to people activities through the Council of American Overseas Research Centers; and Bureau activities designed to support the educational interests of the United States in international organizations and multilateral initiatives.

Mr. Farrell came to the Department of State with fourteen years of experience in the private, non-governmental arena that was concentrated on education, professional development, training, and exchange. In 1987, he joined the Institute of International Education (IIE) as Regional Director in Houston, Texas, where he led the local Council of International Visitors office, international student services, a large active volunteer corps, and worked closely with an advisory board of corporate, civic, and academic leaders in the South and South Central regions of the U.S. He was promoted to Vice President of IIE and transferred to New York in 1990, and assigned to Washington, D.C. in 1992.

At IIE he concentrated his efforts developing and expanding activities designed to build international capacity for U.S. university and professional school students, primary and secondary school teachers, international students, and U.S. and international professionals. He supervised the operation of the Institute’s U.S. regional office network in Denver, Houston, San Francisco, and Chicago and through them was involved in significant fundraising activities, advocacy efforts and corporate programs for U.S. and foreign students as well as visitors from abroad. In addition to developing new scholarship programs for U.S. undergraduate students, he was active in both foreign government and U.S. business-sponsored programs to enhance leadership development among university students from outside the U.S. and the professional development of American primary and secondary educators and administrators.

Prior to joining IIE, Mr. Farrell worked in the U.S. Department of State; he served as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer from 1978-1987 in Iran, Canada, and Washington, D.C., where he worked in the Department of State’s Operations Center, the Secretariat, and as a Special Assistant to Secretary of State, George P. Shultz. In 1976, while a graduate student at the University of Michigan, Mr. Farrell was a Fulbright Fellow to Pakistan. In addition, Mr. Farrell worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer in India.

Alina L. Romanowski Deputy Assistant Secretary of State

Ms. Alina L. Romanowski currently serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Professional and Cultural Exchanges in the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs where she oversees professional, cultural and youth exchanges. During her tenure at ECA she has seen the launch of several new programs, notably the Edward R. Murrow Journalism Program, the FORTUNE/State Department International Women Leaders Mentoring Partnership and the Global Cultural Initiative. The Murrow Program is a public private partnership between the Department of State, the Aspen Institute and a dozen leading U.S. schools of journalism that brings more than 100 rising leaders in the field of journalism to examine journalistic practices in the U.S. The FORTUNE/State Department program is a public private partnership between the Department and FORTUNE's Most Powerful Women designed to bring emerging women business leaders from around the world to be mentored by a senior executive in a Fortune 500™ company. In September 2006, the First Lady announced the Global Cultural Initiative--an effort by the State Department to build upon and mobilize the vast talents and resources of America's cultural institutions to support a broad reaching international cultural diplomacy effort characterized by partnerships with U.S. government and private sector cultural agencies and institutions.

In the career Senior Executive Service, Ms. Romanowski has 27 years of experience in three key national security agencies in the U.S. government. She came to the Department of State in June 2003 to establish a new office to oversee and manage the President’s Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) and served as Director. For nine months she also served as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. Prior to her appointment at the Department of State, she served as the founding Director of the Near East-South Asia Center for Strategic Studies (NESA Center) at the National Defense University from December 2000 to June 2003.

Ms. Romanowski spent 10 years at the Department of Defense, where she served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense from August 1997-December 2000. As the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Ms. Romanowski was the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense on all matters relating to Near Eastern and South Asian affairs. Prior to assuming the position as Deputy, Ms. Romanowski served as the Office Director from January 1995 to August 1997 and as the Country Director for Israel from February 1990 through December 1994. She came to the Department of Defense from the Central Intelligence Agency in 1990 after serving 10 years as an intelligence analyst on the Near East and South Asia region.

Ms. Romanowski has received several awards and citations. She is a 2005 recipient of the Department of State Superior Honor Award. She is a 2001 recipient of the Presidential Distinguished Rank Award for Senior Executive Service and a 1999 recipient of the Presidential Meritorious Rank Award for Senior Executive Service. Her other awards include two Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Awards for her contributions during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm and again for developing and executing national security goals and force protection initiatives in the post-Gulf War Middle East Region as well as the CIA Exceptional Performance Award.

Ms. Romanowski is a graduate of the University of Chicago where she received her Bachelors Degree in History in 1977 and a Masters Degree in International Relations with a concentration in the Middle East in 1980. In 1985-86, Ms. Romanowski attended Tel Aviv University in Israel to pursue postgraduate work in Middle East studies and learn Hebrew. She speaks French and has studied Arabic and Hebrew.