How did your Penn State graduate studies prepare you for your career?

The MPA program helped me better understand how government institutions work, the importance of organizational culture, and the policy formation process.

In 2-3 sentences, describe what you do in your profession.

I live in two worlds.  For the one, I advise on policy issues and work with partners on capacity-building projects.  For the other, I teach a graduate-level course on international organized crime.

What’s the one thing you wish you knew as a graduate student that you know now?

 That I was going to be fine, and not everyone takes the same path.  It’s okay to be different and on your own path.

What ways do you stay engaged with Penn State today, and what inspires you to stay involved?

I serve on the Graduate School Alumni Society Board of Directors.  I care deeply about graduate education and building bridges between academia and public service.  I serve on the professional development committee, and I’m impressed by the current students’ innovative ideas. It’s a privilege to have current students be interested in my career path and be able to learn from my successes and mistakes.

What’s your fondest memory of graduate school?

I worked full-time (for Penn State) during my MPA program, so I don’t have the same memories of “grad school” that I have from my other master’s program or my doctoral program.

What was your favorite class or project from Graduate School, and why?

I took a doctoral-level Russian history class.  Once a week, I drove from Hershey to UP. I loved being able to discuss the material at a deeper level than in my master-level classes. The class size was smaller too.  One of my undergraduate degrees was in history, so I also liked being able to reengage with that academic discipline.

What career accomplishment are you most proud of?

When my academic research became a national security concern, resulting in a publication by the State Department

What part of your Penn State graduate degree experience had the biggest impact on you?

It’s hard to separate my undergraduate and graduate experiences at Penn State. Penn State teaches the idea of one family, one team; we are all Penn State.  This way of thinking has helped me in my current career; we are all on the same team.

When you were a graduate student, did you envision yourself having this profession? If not, tell us about the journey.

No, I did not.  While working on my MPA, I aimed to gain admission into American University’s (AU) doctoral program and work with a specific professor.  I wanted to be a professor, and I was for a while.  My Ph.D. is from AU, and my dissertation chair was the person I wanted to work with since I was an undergraduate student at Penn State.  After graduating from AU, I started a tenure track position with SUNY-Plattsburgh and taught the classes I wanted to teach. One day, I received an email from a colleague who had retired from academia and joined the U.S. Department of State.  She wanted to know if I would be interested in their Franklin Fellows program.  I said yes, moved back to Washington, D.C., and eventually decided to stay with the Federal government. Throughout my graduate school education, I did not think I would do anything else than be a professor.  I still needed connections to academia, so I took a position as a Senior Advisor/Affiliated Faculty with one university and then as a Professorial Lecturer at another.  Later, I joined the Graduate School Alumni Society Board of Directors. 

What professional development tip would you recommend to current students?

Focus on writing and critical thinking skills.