Diplomat in Residence – Florida
(FL, PR, USVI)
Tours: Guadalajara, Mexico (Consular Officer); Yaoundé, Cameroon (Cultural Affairs Officer); Manila, Philippines (Deputy Non-Immigrant Visa Chief); Bureau of African Affairs (Press Officer for the Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan); Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (Public Diplomacy Desk Officer for the Caribbean); Cape Town, South Africa (Deputy Public Affairs Chief) and Temporary Duty Assignments in Madrid, Spain (Acting American Citizen Services Chief) and Libreville, Gabon (Chief of Press Protocol for the 14th African Growth and Opportunity Act Summit)
Career Track: Public Diplomacy
Year of Service: 15
Prior Experience: Prior to starting the Foreign Service in 2006, I worked in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic for El Fondo de Población de las Naciones Unidas (UNFPA). Here I was part of a dynamic team that supported young mothers and teens with reproductive health and family planning resources. I then joined the Foreign Service via a life changing Fellowship funded by the U.S. Department of State. The Thomas R. Pickering Fellowship brings talented young people from underrepresented groups into the field of U.S. foreign policy. The Fellowship paved the way for me to serve my country as a U.S. diplomat abroad. It is one of many career opportunities offered by the Department of State.
Languages: Spanish and French
Education: BA in Spanish and Mass Communications from Winston-Salem State University and a Masters in Urban Affairs and Public Policy from the University of Delaware
Interesting Experience: When I learned over 40,000 slaves had been transported to the Americas from the little-known port village of Bimbia in Cameroon in the 17th and 18th century, I knew amplifying this historic yet underexplored site would be significant for both Americans and Central Africans alike. Together with the Cameroonian Minister of Culture, village chiefs, local historians and architects, we worked to restore the site’s dilapidated slave cells, iron shackles, and artifacts. Today, the government of Cameroon is bidding to make the Bimbia Slave Trade Village a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has also become a major tourist attraction for Americans tracing their DNA to Cameroon. This bilateral endeavor remains a key component of U.S. and Cameroonian history and one of my most memorable experiences as a U.S. diplomat.
Last Post: Deputy Public Affairs Officer for the U.S. Consulate in Cape Town, South Africa.
Why I Chose a Foreign Service Career: Growing up in a small town, I dreamed of working abroad, but thought these careers were out of reach. As a foreign language and communications major, I began pursuing a career in journalism with the hopes of working as a bilingual news reporter. One day, my professor asked me a question that altered my perspective: “Did I want to report the news or make it?” Intrigued by the question, I began looking into careers that would allow me to take a participatory role in “making” foreign affairs. The Foreign Service was a natural fit. As a Public Diplomacy officer, I work directly with foreign press and media outlets and create programs to advance cultural and educational partnerships abroad. Now, when I read my embassy’s policies in the press, I realize how lucky I am to be in a career that allows me to “make” the news.