Category: Despatches

Title: November 2019 Despatches

Dear friends of ISD,

All is good and bright in Nationals-ville this week. For those who may have missed it, Washington is celebrating its first World Series win in nearly a century. ISD has its own All Star roster of heavy hitters, utility infielders, and a powerful bullpen. This year’s cohort of senior State fellows includes Ambassador Joan Polaschik and Ambassador Masha Yovanovitch. They are joined by our two new Dean and Virginia Rusk Fellows, Angela Girard, who comes to us from the NSC and heads next summer to Consulate General Vancouver, and Sharlina Hussain-Morgan, who served in the Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, and will join Embassy Kathmandu at the end of her fellowship.

We have an equally stellar bench of military fellows – Col. Adam Sanderson (U.S. Army), Lt. Col. Chris Auger (U.S. Air Force), Lt. Col. Carolyn Erickson (U.S. Army Reserves), Major John-Paul Adrian (U.S. Air Force), Major Jordan Matthews (U.S. Air Force), and Major Stephen Struber (U.S. Air Force).

Returning for a second season are Ambassador (ret.) Jeffrey DeLaurentis, Distinguished Resident Fellow in Latin American Affairs, and Ambassador (ret.) John Heffern, Distinguished Resident Fellow in Diplomacy and Social Entrepreneurship. They are joined by SFS Centennial Fellow Ambassador Sheba Crocker.

Each of these fellows represents the very best in public service, be it the Foreign Service or the military. Each represents the commitment and dedication to serve the interests of this country and the American people without bias or favor. Each has served U.S. presidents and administrations of both parties in difficult and challenging times and places. And each has stayed true to a shared oath to defend and protect our Constitution, a constitution that begins “We, the people.”

ISD is proud to welcome the 2019-2020 team to Georgetown. Our students are enriched by the opportunity to work with, be mentored by, and learn from the experience and the example of each of these public servants. Please scroll down to meet our fellows and see what they will teach in spring 2020.

ISD is also pleased to welcome former Board of Advisers member, and Foreign Service colleague, Ambassador (ret.) James Gadsden as the Director of the McHenry Global Public Service Fellows Program. Jim’s charge is to translate the vision and generosity of Ambassador Donald F. McHenry to establish a high-impact program for a select group of SFS graduate students, drawn from all eight Master’s programs, to provide them the intellectual tools to meet the complex global policy challenges they will inherit, and to provide the financial support for them to attend SFS. The McHenry Fellows will be a flagship program within SFS’s world-class graduate centers. We are very excited to welcome Jim in this new role, and to be the steward of Ambassador McHenry’s initiative. Please find further program details at www.mchenryfellows.com.

With best wishes,

Barbara K. Bodine

 

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