Tours: Lagos, Nigeria (Vice Consul and Political Officer rotation); Algiers, Algeria (Cultural Affairs Officer); Near Eastern Affairs Bureau (Libya Desk Officer); Cairo, Egypt (Arabic Language Student); Beirut, Lebanon (Public Affairs Officer); Educational and Cultural Affairs Bureau (Special Assistant to the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary); European and Eurasian Affairs Bureau (Senior Poland Desk Officer and Visegrad Unit Chief); Brussels, Belgium (Spokesperson and Deputy Public Affairs Advisor at the U.S. Mission to NATO)

Career Track: Public Diplomacy

Years of Service: 18

Prior Experience: I supported a retired Ambassador in establishing the Montana World Affairs Council, part of the World Affairs Councils of America – the largest independent, non-partisan grassroots international affairs organization in the country. I served as the Montana council’s first Executive Coordinator.

Languages: Arabic, French and intermediate German

Education: M.A. in Communication from Johns Hopkins University; B.A. in History and B.A. in French Language and Literature from the University of Montana

Interesting Experience: When I was the head of the Public Affairs Section in Beirut in 2011, the Syrian government next door began to violently oppress civilian protests calling for democratic reforms and Lebanon became host to almost 1 million Syrian refugees fleeing the fighting by the end of my tour in 2013. A large number of refugees were being supported by rural Lebanese host communities with limited resources. The international community and aid organizations quickly addressed the pressing issues of food, shelter and healthcare, but educational and psycho-social services for children were lagging behind given the ever increasing demand. To help address this gap, my team and I independently created and funded a program for 600 Lebanese and Syrian economically disadvantaged elementary school students to study English and participate in nonviolent conflict resolution activities through sports and the arts. The program helped improve educational outcomes for the students and built community cohesion while lessening tensions. The four-year program filled a critical gap until greater resources for children were made available. It was deeply rewarding to know that, working with our local partners, we were able to make such a big impact in a short amount of time for these Lebanese communities and the Syrian refugees they were hosting. Every smiling kid’s face gave us the energy to give it our all in response to the crisis.

Last Post: Spokesperson and Deputy Public Affairs Advisor at the U.S. Mission to NATO in Brussels, Belgium

Why I Chose a Foreign Service Career: I was first exposed to the Foreign Service as a career by a 6th grade teacher in rural Oregon whose sister was serving in West Africa. My family has a strong tradition of public service and I always loved history and exploring different cultures, languages, and places, so her stories naturally spoke to me. As time passed, my interests were reinforced in high school and college where I was mentored by professors and a retired Ambassador at the University of Montana. With their encouragement, I soon found myself moving from a small college town to the vibrant mega city of Lagos, Nigeria. It’s been a rewarding adventure of public service ever since!