Deanna Bitetti, Senior Communications Officer, UNHCR
Ms. Bitetti currently serves as Senior Communications Officer, Global Communications at the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, where she works to raise public, political, and financial support for forcibly displaced people around the world. Formerly the Deputy Commissioner for Policy and Communications at the New York City Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, she helped create a global platform to share best practices on sustainable development initiatives and strengthen the City’s engagement with the UN and NYC diplomatic corps. She has also served as Senior Policy Advisor for the United Kingdom Mission to the UN; in senior positions in local and state government; as Associate Director of Common Cause NY; and as an adjunct lecturer in the Political Science Department at Hunter College. She holds a BA degree from Hunter College and a MPA with a concentration in International Economic Policy from Columbia University.
Areas of expertise: Human rights & humanitarian assistance, media, journalism & communications, UN & international organizations, US government 
Can offer advice on: General career advice, interviews, networking, getting an advanced degree, career transitions

Anita Botti, WFPG Board of Directors, International Consultant
Ms. Botti, a consultant, previously served as chief of staff in the Secretary's Office of Global Womens Issues. Before that, Ms. Botti served as a legislative liaison officer in the Department's Bureau of Legislative Affairs and as the first congressional coordinator for the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs and for the Under Secretary for Economic and Business and Agricultural Affairs. In 1997, Ms. Botti was seconded to the President's Interagency Council on Women and served as chair of the US Interagency Task Force on Trafficking in Human Beings. Ms. Botti worked closely with Congress to gain bipartisan support for, and ultimate passage of, the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000. Ms. Botti also represented the US in domestic and international fora dealing with trafficking and other global issues affecting women. Previously, Ms. Botti was as director of the US Refugee Reception and Placement Program (1992-1997). She began her career serving with the Peace Corps, both overseas and in the US.
LinkedIn
Areas of expertise: Human rights & humanitarian assistance, US government, women & gender
Can offer advice on: General career advice, resumes and cover letters, interviews, networking, career transitions, federal service

Nikole Burroughs, Staff Director, Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and Nonproliferation, House Foreign Affairs Committee, US House of Representatives
Ms. Burroughs has nearly 20 years of professional and academic experience engaged in international relations, government affairs, foreign policy, management and resources, appropriations and public policy. Prior to her current position as Staff Director for the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific & Nonproliferation at the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, she was Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of State, Senior Advisor at USAID, and a member of the Professional Staff on Appropriations, State and Foreign Ops (Sen. Leahy). She has experience with NGOs and a strong background in foreign aid and transatlantic/EU relations. She received her BA from University of Vermont and Master's degrees in EU Politics from the College of Europe and in International Affairs from Fletcher. | LinkedIn
Areas of expertise: Human rights & humanitarian assistance, international security, international development, nonprofits & NGOs, UN & international organizations, US government
Can offer advice on: General career advice, resumes and cover letters, getting an advanced degree, federal service

Amanda Daquila, Executive Director, Heidelberg University Association
Ms. Daquila is a non-profit professional with a background in international education and exchange. After teaching for six years at the secondary and college levels, she served as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Germany. From there, she moved to a career overseeing exchange programs, which were fee-based or funded by federal and private foundation grants. Most of her portfolio included programs between the US and Germany. Amanda is currently the Executive Director of Heidelberg University Association, the US liaison office for Heidelberg University in Heidelberg, Germany. Her skills include non-profit management, grant writing and management, alumni programming, and relationship management. She has a B.A. in German and Economics from University of Pittsburgh and an M.A. in Area Studies from Virginia Tech. | LinkedIn
Areas of expertise: Nonprofits & NGOs
Can offer advice on: General career advice, resumes and cover letters, getting an advanced degree, federal service

Natalie Donahue, Chief of Evaluation, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, US Department of State
Ms. Donahue has nearly 10 years of experience in international development and diplomacy providing Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) technical assistance, and supporting program activities and various business development efforts. She is currently the Chief of Evaluation in the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) where she directs the measurement and evaluation of educational and exchange programming. She previously served as the Senior M&E Specialist for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs' assistance Coordination Office (NEA/AC), where she was responsible for advising staff and grantees on program design and monitoring activities, designing and managing evaluations, and leading capacity-building efforts within the Bureau. A proud Columbus, Ohio native, Ms. Donahue has a Master's in Public Administration and a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Marketing – both from The Ohio State University. She currently serves on the Board of the Washington Evaluators as the Membership Chair and is an Adjunct Lecturer at American University. | LinkedIn
Areas of expertise: International development, US government
Can offer advice on: General career advice, resumes and cover letters, interviews, working abroad, federal service

Patricia Ellis, Ellis Global Issues Forums LLC, WFPG President Emeritus
Ms. Ellis is President Emeritus and Co-Founder of the WFPG, an NGO which promotes women's leadership in international affairs. Previously, she was a journalist for fifteen years and covered foreign affairs for the MacNeil-Lehrer Newshour and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. She also taught news coverage of foreign affairs at American University's Washington Semester Program, worked at the US Mission to the UN, and MIT'S Center for International Studies. She was awarded a fellowship at Harvard's Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy; received a scholarship from the Netherlands for graduate study in The Hague; participated in the European Community Visitor's Program; and was a founding member of the International Women's Media Foundation. She frequently moderates global issues programs.
Areas of expertise: Media, journalism & communications, nonprofits & NGOs, think tanks & academia, UN & international organizations, women & gender
Can offer advice on: General career advice, resumes and cover letters, interviews, networking, getting an advanced degree, career transitions

Sarah Farnsworth
Ms. Farnsworth has been a mid-level leader at the US Agency for International Development (Balkans, Burma and the Office of US Foreign Disaster assistance), the Department of State Office of the Special Coordinator for Haiti Response (Governance Officer) and a Special Assistant for the Deputy Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine and Central Asia, Department of Defense. She is a strategic team builder and networker, developing trust and building lines of communication throughout the interagency as well as with non-profit organizations to build coalitions and consensus on policies. | LinkedIn
Areas of expertise: Human rights & humanitarian assistance, international development, nonprofits & NGOs, US government
Can offer advice on: General career advice, resumes and cover letters, networking, career transitions, working abroad, federal service

Paula Feeney, Senior Advisor, Business Development, Cardno
Ms. Feeney is senior advisor for business development at Cardno Emerging Markets USA. Previously, she served 27 years with USAID, including eight years in the Senior Foreign Service. Her overseas assignments included Georgia, Kazakhstan, the US Mission in Geneva, Barbados, and Nicaragua. At USAID in Washington, she directed the Office of European Country Affairs focused on 21 countries, and served as Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for Europe in the Europe and Eurasia Bureau for 18 months. She has designed and/or implemented USAID programs in economic growth, health, governance, energy, environment, disaster response, and post-war reconstruction. Ms. Feeney has an MPH and ABD for a DrPH at Johns Hopkins University, as well as a BS from Georgetown University. She has worked in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, Eurasia, and the Middle East.
Areas of expertise: International development, US government
Can offer advice on: General career advice, resumes and cover letters, interviews, networking, getting an advanced degree, career transitions, working abroad, federal service

Pamela Fierst-Walsh, Senior Advisor, US Department of State
Ms. Fierst-Walsh works for the US Department of State as a Senior Advisor on conflict minerals and diamonds. She has extensive foreign policy experience pertaining to democracy and governance, security and counterterrorism, and humanitarian assistance. She formerly served as Senior Advisor on Atrocity Prevention and as a Foreign Policy Fellow for Senator Edward J. Markey. She is a graduate of the National War College and the Indiana University Maurer School of Law. | LinkedIn
Areas of expertise: Human rights & humanitarian assistance, international security, international business, trade & finance, international development, media, journalism & communications, UN & international Organizations, US government
Can offer advice on: General career advice, resumes and cover letters, interviews, networking, getting an advanced degree, career transitions, working abroad, federal service

Gina Fiore, Principal Associate - Maritime security & Governance, The Pew Charitable Trusts
Ms. Fiore currently works for The Pew Charitable Trusts as a Principal Associate on their Ending Illegal Fishing Campaign. In her role at Pew she is the lead for their work on convergence crimes, maritime security and governance. Prior to Pew, Ms. Fiore worked for Booz Allen Hamilton as a Senior Consultant, supporting offices within the Navy and the Army. She also spent five years working in the Department of Defense, deploying to Afghanistan to facilitate private sector investment. She has also interned in the House of Representatives, and has worked in the private sector. Ms. Fiore has a Masters in Historical Studies and Political Science from the New School University as well as two Bachelor degrees from SUNY at Stony Brook.
Areas of expertise: International security, nonprofits & NGOs
Can offer advice on: General career advice, interviews, networking, getting an advanced degree, career transitions, federal service

Dena Gudaitis, Acting Team Lead, Strategic Communications & Outreach, USAID - Office of Transition Initiatives
Ms. Gudaitis is a seasoned communications strategist with over 15 years of experience at multiple news outlets and several non-profit, government and international development organizations. Currently, she supports the strategic engagement efforts as a member of the outreach team at USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI), the civilian rapid response arm of the US government which responds to complex, political crises. Previously, she helped manage and contribute to the knowledge management and communications activities for USAID's largest global health procurement contract, the USAID Global Health Supply Chain - Procurement and Supply Management Project. Ms. Gudaitis began her international development career as a public information officer at the UN World Food Program in their New York Liaison Office, after which, she taught journalism at the United States International University in Nairobi, Kenya. She has also held roles at WAMU 88.5FM, NPR, ABC News, and C-SPAN. www.denagudaitis.com | LinkedIn
Areas of expertise: International security, international development, media, journalism & communications, UN & international organizations, US government
Can offer advice on: General career advice, resumes and cover letters, interviews, networking, career transitions, working abroad

Kate Howard, Founder, Vote Girl Vote
Ms. Howard is an international development consultant whose clients include US government and UN agencies, not-for-profit organizations and private sector companies. Ms. Howard is experienced in advocacy and resource mobilization, partnership engagement, policy and legislative development, and political campaigns and elections. Over the past fifteen years, Ms. Howard has worked in Africa, the Balkans, the Caribbean and Central and South Asia (including multiple assignments in Afghanistan and most recently, Egypt and Burma/Myanmar). Ms. Howard began her career on Capitol Hill where she served as both a senate legislative and committee staff member. She held appointments in the Clinton Administration at the Departments of State and Agriculture. She attended Georgetown University Law Center, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and Mount Holyoke College. | LinkedIn
Areas of expertise: International development, nonprofits & NGOs, UN & international organizations, US Government, women & gender
Can offer advice on: General career advice, interviews, networking, working abroad

Ambassador Beth Jones, Retired Ambassador, Yankee Clippers
Ambassador Jones has extensive international experience in Europe, Eurasia, South Asia and the Middle East. She spent 38 years in the US Foreign Service. Her senior positions included Assistant Secretary for the Near East (Acting), Assistant Secretary for Europe and Eurasia and US Ambassador to Kazakhstan. Her other positions included Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Near East, Principal Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Senior Advisor for Caspian Energy Diplomacy, Executive Assistant to Secretary of State Warren Christopher; Deputy Chief of Mission US Embassies Bonn and Islamabad. Her other overseas posts included Kabul, Cairo, Amman, Baghdad and Berlin. She worked at the Washington consulting firm, APCO Worldwide, and, more recently, at ExxonMobil's International Government Relations group in Washington, DC. She has served on several nonprofit boards.
Areas of expertise: International security, US government
Can offer advice on: Working abroad, federal service

Anne Knight, Director, Human Capital, OSD Policy
Ms. Knight is the Director of Human Capital in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (OSD Policy). Within OSD Policy, she has served as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary, Colombia Country Director, and co-chair of the Action Officer Council, among other positions. Ms. Knight also worked in strategic communication at US Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany. She began her career as a Presidential Management Fellow in the Bureau of Democracy, Human rights and Labor at the State Department. From 1999 to 2002, she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Burkina Faso. Ms. Knight is the recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service, among other awards. She holds an MA from Johns Hopkins SAIS.
Areas of expertise: Human rights & humanitarian assistance, international security, international development, US government
Can offer advice on: General career advice, resumes and cover letters, interviews, networking, getting an advanced degree, career transitions, working abroad, federal service

Rebecca Lamberton, Director, Business Development and Organizational Development Practice, IBI
Ms. Lamberton leads IBI’s efforts to obtain new business by developing responsive and cost effective proposals for IBI’s clients, and also manages IBI’s recruitment systems. Prior to joining IBI she worked at Engility Corporation (then known as IRG). Her experience include 17 years as a Foreign Commercial Service Officer (FCSO) with the US Department of Commerce, serving overseas and at the Inter-American Development Bank. She also served in senior management positions at Commerce HQ in Washington DC as Acting Director for Latin America and the Director of Human Resource Development. Ms. Lamberton holds a certificate in Human Performance Improvement (HPI) from the American Society for Training and Development, and a Master’s degree in Organizational Development and Knowledge Management from George Mason University. She graduated from Grinnell College with a BA in International Studies. She speaks Japanese, and has working proficiency in Spanish and French | LinkedIn
Areas of expertise: International business, trade & finance, international development, US government
Can offer advice on: General career advice, resumes and cover letters, interviews, networking, getting an advanced degree, career transitions, working abroad, federal service

Michele Lynch, Board Member, WFPG
Ms. Lynch is an Adjunct Professor at Duke University with the Science and Society Initiative. Until March 2020, she worked as a member of the Government Affairs & Public Policy team at Google, where she led outreach to the diplomatic community in Washington, DC, and various international organizations. Prior to Google, she managed a global technology project at the American Red Cross, which explored the use of emerging technology for disaster response and served as Director in the Office of the Chairman of the Board of Governors. She also worked at the British High Commission in Malaysia, USAID's Office of US Foreign Disaster assistance and the White House Office of Presidential Advance. Michele earned a MA in Conflict, security and Development from King's College London and a BA in International Relations and Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. | LinkedIn
Areas of expertise: International business, trade & finance, international development, UN & international organizations
Can offer advice on: General career advice, career transitions

Emma Marwood, Public Diplomacy Officer, US Department of State
Ms. Marwood joined the State Department's Foreign Service in 2010 as a Public Diplomacy-coned officer and has served in Sao Paulo, Brazil; Mexico City; and Washington, DC. She recently completed her assignment in the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) section of the US Embassy in Mexico City handling public affairs issues for the bilateral security and justice cooperation mechanism known as the Merida Initiative. She will begin her next assignment as the Public Diplomacy Officer at the US Consulate in Barcelona in August 2020. She has a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. | LinkedIn
Areas of expertise: Media, journalism & communications, US government
Can offer advice on: General career advice, resumes and cover letters, interviews, networking, working abroad, federal service

Suzanne McGuire, Foreign Affairs Specialist, Department of Defense
Ms. McGuire is the F-35 liaison to the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment where she is the lead negotiator for the Joint Strike Fighter (F-35) international cooperative agreements. Previously, she served as the Deputy Division Chief in the Central, South and Southeast Asia Division in the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a policy advisor to General Paul Selva, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Ms. McGuire has held previous positions with the US Southern Command, US Senator Mark Pryor's office, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, National Nuclear security Administration/Department of Energy, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Prior to her federal service, she worked as a contractor with the Air Force and the World Bank. She received her BA from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI and her Master of International Studies from the University of Sydney in Australia.
Areas of expertise: International security, US government
Can offer advice on: General career advice, interviews, federal service

Melissa Miller, Immigration Officer, Fraud Detection and National security, US Citizenship and Immigration Services
Ms. Miller works on fraud detection and national security issues in the asylum system for the Department of Homeland security. Previously, she served in the Refugee Corps at DHS, where she interviewed refugees for eligibility and resettlement in the United States. Prior to entering the immigration field, she worked as a contractor at the Department of Transportation and the Smithsonian, as well as in nonprofit sector. Ms. Miller earned her bachelor's degree in German studies from Mount Holyoke College and her master's degree in international affairs from Texas A&M University. She also studied for two years in Germany, and completed a State Department internship in Leipzig. | LinkedIn
Areas of expertise: Nonprofits & NGOs, US government
Can offer advice on: General career advice, resumes and cover letters, interviews, networking, getting an advanced degree, career transitions, federal service, traveling domestically and abroad for work

Tory Morgan, Program Officer, US Department of State
Ms. Morgan is a Program Officer in the State Department's Office of International Visitors. She coordinates professional exchange programs for emerging leaders from the Middle East. Previously, she worked in the Office of the Chief of Protocol and was responsible for the credentialing process for over 100 incoming foreign ambassadors and helped establish an anti-trafficking program for domestic workers of foreign diplomats. Tory has a M.A. in International Communication from American University and B.A. in International Affairs from Mount Holyoke College. She is a former WFPG Intern from 2011. | LinkedIn
Areas of expertise: US government
Can offer advice on: General career advice, resumes and cover letters, interviews, getting an advanced degree, federal service

Mariya Parodi,  Senior Press Officer, Amnesty International USA
Ms. Mariya Parodi has over a decade of experience working in human rights communication for UNICEF, the International Rescue Committee, PEN America, StoryCorps, and the OECD. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English Literature, as well as Political Science, from the City of New York (CUNY) Hunter College, a Master of Arts degree in Human Rights from Central European University in Hungary, and a Master of Arts degree from Sciences Po – the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action. | LinkedIn
Areas of expertise: Human rights & humanitarian assistance, media, journalism & communications, nonprofits & NGOs
Can offer advice on: General career advice, getting an advanced degree 

Sarah Schafer Pan, Senior Global Digital Editor/Writer, UNHCR
Ms. Schafer Pan worked as a journalist for nearly 20 years, first as a business reporter for The Washington Post in Washington and later as a foreign correspondent based in Beijing for Newsweek magazine. Ms. Schafer Pan then moved to Moscow, where she freelanced but mostly spent time with her young son. She later switched to human rights research and worked at Amnesty International in Hong Kong as their China researcher. She took a short break after her daughter was born, during which she served as a founding board member for PEN Hong Kong, a chapter of PEN International, which advocates for freedom of expression and works to spread the love of literature. While at PEN, she edited an anthology of Hong Kong based writers and thinkers, including Joshua Wong, former NPR journalist Louisa Lim, and many others. She recently moved back to the States after nearly 20 years abroad and now works for the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, as a senior writer and editor. She speaks Mandarin and love tennis!
Areas of expertise: Human rights & humanitarian assistance, media, journalism & communications, nonprofits & NGOs, UN & international organizations
Can offer advice on: General career advice, resumes and cover letters, interviews, networking, career transitions, working abroad

Jean Schindler, Special Assistant to the President, International Foundation for Electoral Systems
Ms. Schindler serves Special Assistant to the President at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). In this role, she supports the president’s work on strategic initiatives and partnerships external to IFES, and leadership and management priorities within the organization. She previously spent eight years at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) on the Government Relations and Public Affairs team. While there, she stood up and directed NED’s Penn Kemble Forum on Democracy, now one of DC's premier fellowships for young foreign policy professionals. She has also consulted with the QED Group and Tesco PLC, and served as Chief of Staff for the Muslim American Leadership Alliance, a small non-profit dedicated to peace through storytelling. Jean is listed in the OSCE/ODIHR Elections Expert Database and is on the Advisory Council of the US-Europe Alliance, which works to promote America’s transatlantic alliance. Ms. Schindler holds a BA from the University of California, Los Angeles (summa cum laude), and an MA in diplomatic history from the London School of Economics. | LinkedIn
Areas of expertise: Human rights & humanitarian assistance, international development, nonprofits & NGOs
Can offer advice on: General career advice, resumes and cover letters, interviews, networking

Laura Schulz, Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator, E3, USAID
Ms. Schulz is the Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Economic Growth, Education and Environment Bureau (E3), where she oversees the Water, Professional Development and Management Services and Planning, Learning and Coordination offices. An international development professional with over 25 years of experience, she has extensive experience working both in government and for nongovernmental organizations. Ms. Schulz served for two years as Director of Global Engagement at the National security Council, where she led interagency policy processes on civil society and freedom of association, religious leader engagement, and young leaders. She also managed the MENA portfolio at the Congressional Research Service, and spent nearly 15 years supporting civil society programs in the Middle East including with the Department of State, NED, and NDI, where she was based in the West Bank. She has degrees from Brown and Georgetown Universities and speaks Arabic and French.
Areas of expertise: Human rights & humanitarian assistance, international development, nonprofits & NGOs, US government, women & gender
Can offer advice on: General career advice, interviews, networking, getting an advanced degree. career transitions, working abroad, federal service

Heather Selig, Senior Program Manager, USDA Foreign Agriculture Service
Ms. Selig is a Senior Program Manager for the Borlaug Fellowship Asia and Latin America Portfolios in the USDA Foreign Agriculture Service, which provides technical leadership and consultation to agricultural research staff, and works to communicate scientific information to foreign counterparts. Previously, she was a Management and Program Analyst for USDA-APHIS, where she liaised with the Department of Defense to improve training of military customs inspectors, and traveled to Haiti to assist in rolling out a traveler outreach program. She served for 12 years in the US Navy where she served as a Civil Engineering Corps Officer and as a Space and Naval Warfare Command (SPAWAR) HQ 466 Assistant Operations Officer. She holds a BS from the US Naval Academy, a MS from Virginia Tech in Agricultural and Life Sciences, and a MA in Defense and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. | LinkedIn
Areas of expertise: US government
Can offer advice on: General career advice, resumes and cover letters, interviews, federal service

Divya Sooryakumar, Program Officer, VIVA Girls, MADRE
Divya Sooryakumar is MADRE’s Program Officer for Partnerships and Grantmaking. She manages MADRE’s portfolio focused on intergenerational leadership and adolescent girls. Divya brings nine years of experience working with girls through grassroots feminist organizations including the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA Bharat) and smaller initiatives like Chhoti Si Asha. She brings expertise in education, gender, and strategic communications. She received her M.Ed in International Education Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. in Economics from Northwestern University. | LinkedIn
Areas of expertise: International development, nonprofits & NGOs, women & gender
Can offer advice on: General career advice, resumes and cover letters, interviews, applying for grants and fellowships, working abroad

Denny Taylor, Professor Emerita and Founder, Garn Press
Dr. Taylor, an author, academic and activist, has been continuously engaged in research with families living in extreme poverty, and in regions of armed conflict and natural catastrophes, since 1977. The concept of "family literacy" originates in her doctoral research--which is now used by many UN Member States in local projects and initiatives that are a conduit for peacebuilding and for addressing the many problems and challenges that are captured by the UN SDGs. Dr. Taylor's transdisciplinary research combines anthropology, sociology, psychology and education. She is the author of many field-based award-winning books that are used by universities throughout the world. Most recently Taylor founded Garn Press, through which she mentors writers of conscience and publishes books by teachers and scientists that address some of the most urgent global issues. In 2019, she received Columbia's Distinguished Alumni Award and NCRLL's Distinguished Scholar Award for her lifetime of research. | Website | Garn Press | Reading Hall of Fame | Webinar, Women's Foundation for World Peace, International
Areas of expertise: Media, journalism & communications, nonprofits & NGOs, think tanks & academia
Can offer advice on: General career advice, interviews, getting an advanced degree

Nick Tiernan, Lead Program Officer, US Department of State
Mr. Tiernan is a public diplomacy expert with extensive experience in partnership building with the private sector, in particular with the international exchange community. His work history includes 14 years of experience in the civil service at the State Department, including 13 years in public private partnership with the international exchange industry. He has over nine years of professional supervision and practical leadership experienceand has proven leadership to direct, motivate, coordinate, and integrate the work of others at the Department of State. Currently, he leads a team in managing the au pair, summer work travel, and camp counselor programs. | LinkedIn
Areas of expertise: Nonprofits & NGOs, US government
Can offer advice on: General career advice, resumes and cover letters, networking, federal service

Sarah Yerkes, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Dr. Yerkes is a senior fellow in Carnegie's Middle East Program, where she focuses on state-society relations in the Middle East and North Africa. She is a former member of the State Department's policy planning staff, where she focused on North Africa. She was also a foreign affairs officer in the State's Department's Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs. Prior to that, Dr. Yerkes served as a geopolitical research analyst for the US military's Joint Staff Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate (J5) at the Pentagon, advising the Joint Staff leadership on foreign policy and national security issues. She has been a fellow at the Brookings Institution and the Council on Foreign Relations, and has taught at Georgetown and George Washington Universities. She holds a Ph.D. from Georgetown University and a M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard. | LinkedIn
Areas of expertise: Think tanks & academia, US government
Can offer advice on: General career advice, interviews, networking, getting an advanced degree, federal service