Connect with a Diplomat Contact List

Diplomats in Residence (DIRs) are career Foreign Service Officers who are located throughout the United States and responsible for providing guidance and advice to students, professionals and the community about Department careers. DIRs are available to answer questions and share insight with those interested in Foreign and Civil Service careers, internships and fellowships.

Please take the time to get to know our site. When you’re ready, contact a DIR closest to your geographic location who will answer your questions. You can also find local events under the Connect section.

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Sherry Zalika Sykes, Diplomat in Residence Allegheny
( OH, PA, WV)


Region:OH, PA, WV
Affiliate Universities: University of Pittsburgh
Tours: Lagos, Nigeria (Consular – American Citizens Services); Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (General Services Officer); Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Regional Human Resources Officer covering Djibouti, Eritrea and Ethiopia); Durban, South Africa (Managment Officer); Scientific Affairs Officer in Bureau of Oceans, and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES) Office of Ocean and Polar Affairs; Maputo, Mozambique (Management Counselor); Una Chapman Cox Sabbatical Fellow based at Yale University; OES Office of Conservation and Water (Deputy Director); Durban, South Africa (Principal Officer); Office of Global Talent Management (GTM) Senior Level Career Development Officer; Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate (Senior Advisor on Africa); OES Office of Environmental Quality (Director);
Career Track: Management
Years of Service: 23
Prior Experience: USAID Tanzania – Private Sector Development Team Lead; Executive Director of a Community Development Corporation in Northern California; Director of STEM Education programs in Northen California; Director of municipal housing programs and worker and leader in regional affordable and fair housing initiatives; trained community organizer and mediator; served on many non-profit boards including a San Francisco Bay Area regional leadership program.
Languages: Kiswahili and Portuguese
Education: MPA from Harvard University Kennedy School of Government; Bachelor’s degrees in African and Afro-American Studies and International Relations- from Stanford University; High School studies concentrating in radio, television and film from Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago, IL.
Interesting Experience: While I have many stories I could tell from my many years assisting American citizens in distress, including during the recent COVID pandemic, as well as from all the terrific ways I have been able to significantly enhance the well-being of our thousands of employees at our Embassies overseas, my most intense and exciting experience was as a mid-level officer in 2010. I led the USG’s international campaign to respond to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The spill occurred only in US waters, and while our domestic response was massive, it was insufficient to the task. To protect beaches, wetlands and estuaries from the spreading oil utilizing skimmer ships, floating booms, controlled burns and 1,840,000 US gal (7,000 m 3) of oil dispersant, we needed international support. As the Department of State representative on the National Response Team – the USG-wide body charged with managing all man-made disasters hosted by the Environmental Protection Agency – it was my job to elicit and coordinate the needed international resources to address the spill and keep the White House, the Coast Guard-led Task Force and senior Department Officials and spokesperson fully briefed so they could in turn keep the American people informed. The Department did not yet recognize this domestic disaster as an international affairs matter, so did not stand up a normal Operations Center Task Force. Instead, I had to assemble an ad hoc team on my own to work nearly around the clock for 87 days to find solutions to urgent and unprecedented problems occurring at the bottom of the sea, on its surface, and as each day progressed, increasingly on shore. The international spill response community was challenged by this tragic event and sparked a need for advances in policy and science to help us prepare for future oil spills. My team and I spent the entire year following the spill engaging in the development of needed policies such as a policy for arctic oil spill cooperation, a policy for the Department’s response to domestic disasters, and undertaking an oil spill exercise in the Puget Sound with our Canadian counterparts and observers from all over the world to discuss and engage with the lessons America learned from Deepwater Horizon.
Last Post: OES – Director of the Office of Environmental Quality
Why I chose a Foreign Service Career:I decided to join the Foreign Service because I wanted to give myself and my family the opportunity to work and live overseas within an organization where I could build a career and my family would be provided with good housing and educational opportunities. I had worked overseas as an independent contractor and loved the work, but I did not enjoy the difficulties of setting up house and home including locating (and paying for) the right schools for my kids. (I had three ages 5, 11 and 13 when I first moved overseas.) I initially took a pay cut, but the housing and educational costs were so much lower, it made up for it, and soon enough, I was better off financially than I might have been continuing to contract abroad. I immediately found the opportunities afforded by working with the Department of State as a generalist to be exactly what I wanted: intellectual stimulation; the chance to develop and contribute to goals I wanted to achieve; and good living and educational conditions for my family.

 

Ryan Gliha, Diplomat in Residence Northwest
( Northern CA)

Region: Northern California
Affiliate Universities: University of California, Berkeley
Facebook: Visit the DIR Facebook Page
Tours: U.S. Consulate General, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (Consular Officer 2002-2004 and Principal Officer/Consul General 2018-2021); U.S. Embassy Beirut, Lebanon (Cultural Affairs Officer 2005-2007 and Public Affairs Officer 2009-2011); U.S. Embassy Sana’a, Yemen (Public Affairs Officer 2007-2009); Office of the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Washington, D.C. (Special Assistant 2011-2012); London Regional Media Hub, U.S. Embassy London, United Kingdom (Director and Arabic Language Spokesperson 2012-2015); U.S. Embassy Doha, Qatar (Deputy Chief of Mission 2015-2017 and Chargé d’affaires 2017-2018)
Career Track: Public Diplomacy
Years of Service: 19
Prior Experience: Before I joined the Foreign Service, I was in graduate school pursuing an advanced degree in Religious Studies.
Languages: Arabic, French, Persian, Uzbek.
Education:MA in Religious Studies, University of Pennsylvania; BA in Religious Studies, Arizona State University,
Interesting Experience: This is an extraordinary career that puts unique opportunities in front of those ready to meet the challenge. I’ve been extremely lucky to have had a diverse set of assignments, each with interesting stories, accomplishments, and achievements. To name just a few: I helped Americans evacuate from Lebanon via helicopter during the July War, established a strategic dialogue with Qatar, negotiated the purchase of land for a new embassy in Doha and moved the consulate to a new location in Jeddah, supervised the destruction of retired armored vehicles (and a well-worn set of official china), conducted hundreds of interviews with media from dozens of countries in English and Arabic, survived terrorist attacks in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, mentored and coached hundreds of Foreign Service colleagues, and reestablished U.S. official representation at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Through it all, I’ve been proud to serve the American people, helping advance our interests throughout the world.
Last Post: Consul General and U.S. Representative to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, U.S. Consulate General – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

 

Dara Yin, Diplomat in Residence Northwest
(AK, OR, WA)

Region: Northwest
Affiliate Universities: TBD
Facebook: Visit the DIR Facebook Page
Tours: Skopje, North Macedonia (Information Management Specialist); New Delhi, India (Vice Consul); Bogota, Colombia (Political Officer); Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs (Bulgaria and Romania Desk Officer); Marine Corps Command and Staff College (Long-Term Training and Exchange); Hanoi, Vietnam (Political Officer); Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (Maritime Security and China Program Officer); Warsaw, Poland (Deputy Political Counselor).
Career Track: Political (former Information Management Specialist)
Years of Service:20
Prior Experience: I was enlisted in the U.S. Army as an infantry soldier. I then worked as an applications developer for Multnomah County, Oregon, before joining the Foreign Service.
Languages: Spanish, Vietnamese, and Polish.
Education:Bachelor’s degree in information systems from Portland State University. Master’s degree in security policy studies from the George Washington University and master’s degree in military studies from the Marine Corps University.
Interesting Experience: When I was a Political Officer in Hanoi, Vietnam, I frequently traveled through the Central Highlands to manage U.S. programs to remove unexploded bombs from the Vietnam War. Instead of bitterness against the United States for this unfortunate legacy of war, the people in the villages were warm, welcoming, and focused on the future. The hospitality put forth by the farmers and village leaders was amazing. I will never forget the large feasts of wonderful food and exchanging ideas with the Vietnamese people. Building bridges like this is a quintessential and rewarding part of a career in the Foreign Service. It was also an opportunity to see how the U.S. helped create a new future for these farmers. We watched as organizations cleared bombs from farmland and then farmers planted peppercorn trees and built new buildings on top of the newly safe lands, such as schools and town centers. I then planted a memorial tree in honor of my visit and new friendships that will grow over generations.
Last Post: Deputy Political Counselor, Warsaw, Poland.
Why I chose a Foreign Service Career: Since high school, I dreamed of a career that would allow me to serve a country that presented such great opportunities for happiness and prosperity for my family, while taking me abroad to novel places. I didn’t know much about the Foreign Service growing up in the era before the internet, so started by enlisting in the U.S. Army. I was stationed in then Fort Lewis, Washington, only two hours up Interstate 5 from my hometown Portland, Oregon. After leaving the Army and graduating from college, I tried again by applying for the Foreign Service. Fortunately, I was successful and started down a rewarding and exciting career path. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I am also proudly and humbly following in my father’s footsteps. He worked as a local staff member for the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, before the end of the Vietnam War.

 

Katelyn Choe, Diplomat in Residence Southern California
(Southern CA, HI, NV)

Region: Southern California
Affiliate Universities: University of California, Berkeley
Facebook: Visit the DIR Facebook Page
Tours: Bern, Switzerland
Career Track: Management
Years of Service: 22
Prior Experience: I often joke I have no other transferrable job skills since I joined the Foreign Service immediately after finishing graduate school as a Thomas R. Pickering Fellow. State Department was my first and the only job I’ve ever had as an adult! I thought I wanted to be a teacher at an urban public school and inspire a lifelong love of learning and enable students to become powerful and thoughtful leaders for their community. But the Pickering Fellowship provided me an opportunity to pursue a career in diplomacy, something I could not have imagined for myself, and engage with the world as my classroom. The Pickering Fellowship provides a scholarship to finance graduate programs to those interested in pursuing a diplomatic career. Based on the fundamental principle that diversity is a strength in our diplomatic efforts, the program values varied backgrounds, including ethnic, racial, social, and geographic diversity. You can learn more about the program here: https://pickeringfellowship.org/
Languages: Korean
Education: Bryn Mawr College (B.A. in Chemistry and English), Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs (M.A. in International Affairs)
Interesting Experience: My first overseas diplomatic assignment was at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea – interestingly, the very same Embassy where my parents and I had gone to interview for our Immigrant Visa when I was nine years old. It was a humbling experience to return years later and to stand on the other side of the visa window. I remembered the waiting room (it looked the same!!) and how nervous we were and the devastated look on my mom’s face when we were denied the first time because she had forgotten to bring her medical records. So, when I interviewed the applicants, I recalled my own personal experience and approached each person with due respect and care as though they were my first and only interview for the day. Throughout my career, I have tried to weave humanity and compassion into all that I do by asking, how can I be of help? How can I make this a better experience?
Last Post: Seoul, South Korea
Why I chose a Foreign Service Career: I chose a career in the Foreign Service because I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself and make a lasting, positive impact on a larger scale. I believe the United States has an immense responsibility and capacity to use our position of influence to pursue just and mutually beneficial solutions to some of the world’s intractable challenges. Diplomacy was once described by Henry Kissinger as “the patient accumulation of partial successes”. That resonates deeply and it has sustained me over the years. In diplomacy, success is not a zero-sum game; the incompleteness of partial successes means there is always room for more learning and that – at least to me – feels more expansive and sustainable. As my computer screen saver, I have a photo of a cruise ship in the distance, its front nose appearing in between office buildings. It’s from my tour at the U.S. Consulate in New Zealand (and yes, New Zealand is all that and more!) and serves as a reminder about why I chose a career in the Foreign Service. Because the Consulate is located near a seaport, we often heard cruise ships sounding their horns before making a turn to head to their next destination. I’d see its nose sticking out in between the buildings but even after much time had passed, I’d look up from my desk and would be surprised to still see it there. Eventually, the massive ship does turn and head to where it needs to go, bringing with it all the passengers at once. At its core, diplomacy work is an endurance test. But there have been moments in my career when I wished I was on a jet ski or a turbo motorboat and make that swift turn to do the right thing. But I always come back to wanting to be part of a bigger enterprise in the business of bringing as many people to come on board and help direct our path to get to where we need to go and together.

 

Antoinette Hurtado, Diplomat in Residence Southwest
(NV, AZ, NM)

Region: Southwest
Affiliate Universities: University of New Mexico
Facebook: Visit the DIR Facebook Page
Tours: Canberra, Australia (Political and Consular Officer); Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Consular Officer); Watch Officer with the Bureau of Intelligence and Research; Advance Officer for the U.S. Secretary of State; Kabul, Afghanistan (Public Diplomacy Officer); Rome, Italy (Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See); Acting Office Director in the formerly-named Bureau of International Information Programs’ Office of Public Engagement; Eagleburger Fellow in the Marketing Department of José Andrés’ restaurant company, ThinkFoodGroup; Public Diplomacy Instructor at the Foreign Service Institute
Career Track: Public Diplomacy
Years of Service: 17+
Prior Career: I joined the State Department right out of grad school as a recipient of the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship. The Fellowship selects talented young people from underrepresented groups to pursue a career in the Department’s Foreign Service.
Languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
Education: Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, Master in Public Policy from Harvard University.
Interesting Experience: When I was the Public Affairs Officer (head of the public affairs section) at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See (Vatican), I got to meet and shake hands with the Pope! Pope Francis had just been elected a few months before I arrived at post and at my first official Vatican function, I got to meet him. Being raised Catholic, this was a big moment for me and my family. Oddly enough, that first official Vatican event I went to was part of a celebration of Wisconsin-based motorcycle company Harley-Davidson’s 110th anniversary. The company gifted the Vatican police force two white motorcycles. The Pope, me, and a hog – who could have imagined that photo op! I met the Pope several more times over the course of that assignment and I had the chance to work with the Vatican, NGOs, and other religious organizations to advance important global issues such as combatting trafficking in persons, advancing human rights, and promoting care for the environment.
Last Post: Last overseas assignment was as head of the public diplomacy section at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See; last domestic assignment was as an instructor on public diplomacy at our Department training facility (the Foreign Service Institute)

 

Denver HerrenDiplomat in Residence Rocky Mountains
(CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)

Region: Rocky Mountains
Affiliate Universities: University of Denver
Facebook: Visit the DIR Facebook Page
Tours: Port-au-Prince, Haiti (Vice Consul); Muscat, Oman (Human Resources and Financial Management Officer); Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (Management Officer); Lusaka Zambia (Management Officer); Baghdad, Iraq (Regional Management Officer); Wellington, New Zealand (Management Counselor); Brussels, Belgium (Deputy Director Joint Administrative Support); Baghdad, Iraq (Director of Contract Management Office); Nassau, The Bahamas (Management Counselor); Washington, DC (Supervisory Post Management Officer); Baghdad, Iraq (Management Counselor).
Career Track: Management
Years of Service:  23
Prior Career: Before joining the service, I was a bit of an aimless wanderer. I worked a variety of jobs, including as a welder, a bar manager, and a foreman on an Alaskan floating fish processor. While working on my masters, I taught entry level university classes on political science, served as a police officer, and ran a congressional campaign.
Languages French, Haitian Creole
Education: BA in Political Science and a MA in American Studies from Northeastern State University (NSU) in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
Interesting Experience:   In 20 plus years, this job never gets old! Most employees will have amazing stories about helping people in crisis. I certainly do. It is the nature of our jobs. For me though, the experiences that stand out are the places I have had the privilege to visit. Whether it was seeing the ancient architecture carved out of the mountains at Petra, exploring the ruins of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, experiencing the raw power of Victoria Falls, or walking the hallowed WW II battlefields near Bastogne and visiting the Guadalcanal Memorial in the Solomon Islands, this life has afforded me opportunities unlike any other. However, New Zealand, more than others, sticks in my mind. We were taking a quick family trip from Wellington to the South Island. It is a short ferry ride and then you can use your own car to travel further down the island. As we were traveling back, a very nice local we were chatting with suggested a quick stop that was on our way. We pulled off at an unassuming spot along the highway and followed an unmarked trail under the railroad tracks and along a flowing stream. Several hundred yards up this path, we arrived at a beautiful waterfall with an idyllic pool at its base. New Zealand has a fair number of waterfalls, but this one was special because the pool was filled with young seal pups splashing and playing. It seems that while the mother seals are at sea hunting, the pups make their way up the stream to hang out. With no protective mothers around, you can have some great quality time with these wonderful creatures. It has been over ten years now since I was last there and somehow remembering that spot still has a calming effect on me.
Last Post: Management Counselor, Baghdad, Iraq
Why I Chose a Foreign Service Career:    As I mentioned before, I was a bit of a wanderer before joining the Foreign Service. I would do a job for a few years and then lose interest. I needed a new challenge. I needed something fresh. The greatest problem with changing jobs often is loss of equity with your employer (never being able to build consistently for retirement). The Department of State gave me the balance between fresh challenges and stability; a luxury to build towards security in retirement. Every few years, we change jobs. We have the chance to keep doing the same work, but we move to a new country. Or we try something totally different in a new location. To me, it is this freedom to reinvent myself every few years that really hooked me. I have a clean slate each time but can keep the parts of me that worked at my last post and discard the elements that were less successful. In traditional settings, none of your history and baggage ever really goes away.

 

TBD Diplomat in Residence Texas
(TX)

Region: Texas
Affiliate Universities:
Facebook: Visit the DIR Facebook Page
Tours: TBD
Career Track: TBD
Years of Service:TBD
Prior Career: TBD
Languages:TBD
Education:TBD
Interesting Experience: TBD
Last Post: TBD

 

Shane Hough, Diplomat in Residence Central South
(AR, LA, MS, OK)

Region: Central South
Affiliate Universities:Tulane University, Southern University and A&M College (HBCU), and University of Oklahoma
Facebook: Visit the DIR Facebook Page
Tours: Consulate General Guayaquil, Ecuador (Consular Officer); Embassy San Salvador, El Salvador (Consular Officer); Embassy Guatemala City, Guatemala (Economic Officer); Washington, D.C. (Desk Officer for Peru); Embassy Asuncion, Paraguay (Chief of Political and Economic Affairs / Acting DCM); Embassy Tegucigalpa, Honduras (Director for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement); Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (Analyst)
Career Track: Economics
Years of Service:17+ with the Foreign Service; 4 with the Civil Service
Prior Career: Mechanical Engineer for a manufacturing firm, Legislative Assistant in the U.S. House of Representatives, Peace Corps Volunteer (Tanzania), Presidential Management Fellow – U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
Languages: Spanish, Swahili
Education: BS in Mechanical Engineering – Louisiana Tech University; MS in International Development Management – American University
Interesting Experience: There’s really no typical day in the Foreign Service, and I have had plenty of memorable experiences – from monitoring tense election polling centers in rural Guatemala during presidential elections to being accidentally tear-gassed while helping defuse a constitutional crisis in Paraguay to providing equipment that allowed the Honduran Police to crack a cocaine smuggling ring – no two overseas assignments are alike. One of my favorite experiences was as the Environment Officer for Embassy Guatemala City. Northern Guatemala’s Peten region is not only one of the most significant ancient Mayan territories but also one of the most dynamic Central American biodiversity hotspots under threat of deforestation from illegal logging. I had the opportunity to join a survey flight over the western Peten to document NGO progress in preventing illegal logging and reforesting large swathes of jungle along the Mexico / Guatemala border. I’ll never forget the experience – small Cessna, 1,500 feet above the jungle, NO doors – and then seeing the tip of the newly discovered El Mirador pyramid peeking above the canopy – a sight very few people have ever been lucky enough to see.
Last Post:Embassy Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Why I chose a Foreign Service Career: I am strongly committed to public service and feel blessed to be a U.S. Citizen. I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in East Africa, and upon returning home, I looked for a career in which I could continue to be of service to the American people and travel overseas. I knew very little about the Department of State or the Foreign Service. I pursued a career in international development thinking the only way to do international humanitarian work was to join a non-governmental organization. During graduate school I discovered the Presidential Management Fellowship and joined the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration as the Civil Servant refugee assistance officer for East Africa. I wanted to live and work primarily overseas, however, and that Civil Service experience led me to ultimately sit for the Foreign Service assessment and join the Foreign Service four years later.

 

Sara Stealy, Diplomat in Residence Central
(IA, KS, MO, NE, ND, SD)

Region: Central
Affiliate Universities: Washington University in St. Louis
Facebook: Visit the DIR Facebook Page
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: 14
Prior Career: I’ve worked in the front office for two Minor League Baseball teams, as a meeting services manager at a hotel, and as a marketing manager for a national accounting/consulting firm.
Languages: Latvian, Lithuanian and French
Education: Bachelor’s degrees in theatre/speech and communications from Northwestern College of Iowa
Interesting Experience: When I was studying Latvian at the Foreign Service Institute, we would frequently watch Latvian news and TV shows and — most importantly — we would sing pop songs at the end of each day. One day the deputy chief of mission mused, “When we get to Riga, we should throw a party and invite all these people who ‘helped’ us learn Latvian.” That’s exactly what we did, although we weren’t sure if anyone would show up. To our delight, actors, newscasters and singers all came to hear the American diplomats speak in their beloved Latvian language. A music producer who had helped us invite many of the singers told us that she was also the producer of the Latvian equivalent of the Grammys, and she would love it if we would give the award for Best Song at the ceremony the next month. I penned a song-and-dance shtick that incorporated songs my colleagues and I had learned in class, and we performed it on live national television from the stage of the Latvian National Opera. The response was phenomenal. To be clear, we were not good. We overlooked the fact that none of us could sing. But we touched hearts in a way that earned us a tremendous amount of good will as we went on to pursue our policy goals. I am a firm believer in the importance of reaching people in their own language. Two years later, near the end of my tour, Latvians would still come up to me and say they remembered seeing us on stage. My favorite? The woman who exclaimed, “I remember you! That was so nice. Such bad singing, but such good feeling.”
Last Post: Public Affairs Officer, Vilnius, Lithuania
Why I chose a Foreign Service Career: As the daughter of a postmaster, I grew up seeing how proud my dad was of the service he provided to his fellow citizens. My parents were adamant about voting and being involved in the community, and while we didn’t travel internationally, they nurtured a desire to experience new places through numerous road trips across the United States. I had a vague sense that we had embassies overseas; when I studied abroad in college, I had seen the U.S. ambassador at an event once. But I had no idea who worked in embassies or what they did. Then one day I read an interview with Secretary of State Colin Powell and I learned there was a place for someone like me in the Foreign Service —a career that would combine service to country with travel and my love of words, writing and speaking. I enjoy analyzing local audiences, culture and history and working out how to reach them, what will resonate with them. When I’m describing my job, I tell people that the ultimate goal, of course, would be that I explain U.S. policy and they all say, “That’sthe best thing I’ve ever heard. I totally agree.” But since that’s not realistic, what I want is for them to understand us. They still may not agree, but if they understand us, we can have a conversation, we can build trust and start forming relationships.

 

Susan Falatko, Diplomat in Residence Midwest
(IA, IL, MN, ND, WI)

Region: Midwest
Affiliate Universities: University of Illinois at Chicago
Facebook: Visit the DIR Facebook Page
Tours:Deputy Chief of Mission/Chargéd’Affaires Ljubljana, Slovenia; Director of the Office of South Central Europe (Western Balkans), Washington; Graduate Student at the Eisenhower School, National Defense University, Washington; Deputy Chief of Mission Port Louis, Mauritius; Public Affairs Officer Kigali, Rwanda; Multilateral Affairs Officer Geneva, Switzerland; Economic Officer Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; OSCE Desk Officer, Washington; Economic Officer Havana, Cuba; Economic and Consular Officer Bamako, Mali.
Career Track: Economic Officer
Years of Service: 23
Prior Career: Teacher of English as a Second Language
Languages: French, Spanish, Serbo-Croatian (sort of…)
Education: M.S. in National Resource Strategy from the Eisenhower School at National Defense University (2017); M.A. in International Relations from the George Washington University (1997);B.S. in Psychology from the University of Iowa (1990).
Interesting Experience: Where to start? From the serious to the ridiculous, every day on this job brings something interesting and new. From rescuing four abducted American citizen children in my first tour as a Consular officer to trying to figure out how to find pretzels in West Africa for a visiting Secretary of State; swapping t-shirts with one of Fidel Castro’s security thugs at a rally in Havana to having my fortune read by a Santería priest; being present in Srebrenica to honor the victims of the 1995 genocide to playing softball (very carefully) in a formerly mine-strewn field; visiting the magnificent gorillas in Rwanda to dealing with the embassy walk-in of a wanted war criminal; successfully helping us get a more secure embassy building to celebrating Hindu, Muslim, Christian, and Buddhist holidays with staff in Mauritius; witnessing the end of a 27-year long bilateral feud between Greece and North Macedonia over the latter country’s name; meeting dissidents, presidents, prime ministers; visiting assistance projects that make real differences in people’s lives; marching in Pride parades; supporting women’s empowerment; this list could go on and on. I look forward to sharing my stories with you.
Last Post: Deputy Chief of Mission in Ljubljana, Slovenia
Why I chose a Foreign Service Career: I first went overseas to teach English as a second language in 1992, starting in Tokyo, then followed by stints in Bangkok and Prague. I loved the thrill of learning new cultures and languages and realized I wanted to find a job that would enable me to continue doing this. The Foreign Service, with its many career tracks, certainly fit the bill, so I took the Foreign Service exam. Best decision of my life!

 

Louis Fintor, Diplomat in Residence North Central
(IN, KY, MI, OH, TN)

Region: North Central
Affiliate Universities: University of Michigan
Facebook: Visit the DIR Facebook Page
Tours: Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen
Career Track: Public Diplomacy, Retired
Years of Service: 25
Prior Career: Journalism, Public Health
Languages: French, Dari, Hungarian
Education: University of Michigan, American University, University of California Berkeley
Interesting Experience: Working with local and international journalists, especially those in conflict zones, provides you with a very different perspective on news and current events. The professional relationships you develop and unique experiences you share lead to lasting friendships.
Last Post: U.S. Embassy Spokesman, Kabul

 

Saúl Hernández, Diplomat in Residence South
(AL, GA, SC)

Region:South
Affiliate Universities:
Facebook: Visit the DIR Facebook Page
Tours: Director of the Outreach and Communications Unit, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources – Washington, DC; Press Officer – Lima, Peru; Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Digital Media Advisor – Washington, DC; Foreign Press Center Media Relations Officer – Washington, DC; Cultural Affairs Officer – Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia; Consular Officer – Prague, Czech Republic; Consular Officer – Bogotá, Colombia
Career Track: Public Diplomacy
Years of Service: 18
Prior Career: Before joining the Foreign Service, I was an information technology specialist and consultant in Atlanta, Georgia.
Languages:Spanish, Czech, Georgian
Education: Bachelor of Science in Political Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Interesting Experience: As a Foreign Service Officer, I have had several opportunities to highlight U.S. humanitarian assistance efforts. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck Peru in 2020, a number of U.S. federal agencies provided donations and support totaling millions of dollars, including personal protective equipment, contact tracing coordination, and mobile testing laboratories. My job was to share information about these efforts through press releases, social media, and news conferences. One donation was so substantial that the Peruvian president and our Chief of Mission participated in a live television news conference at an air base in Lima, with pallets of equipment behind them. Watching the event broadcast on all the country’s major broadcasters and reading the posts from thousands of Peruvians who thanked the United States for its helping hand to their country in a time of need, has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career.
Last Post: Washington DC, Director of the Outreach and Communications Unit for the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources.
Why I chose the Foreign Service:I spent several years living abroad with my family when my father was deployed as a U.S. service member, and it spurred my interest in public service and international affairs. On my first day in Foreign Service orientation, I felt like I had made the right choice, with colleagues from diverse backgrounds who were interested in making a positive contribution to U.S. foreign policy. This is a challenging career, but incredibly rewarding. You will develop a deep knowledge of other countries and cultures, make lifelong friends, and know that your work makes a difference.

 

Mignon T. Houston, Diplomat in Residence South Florida
(FL, PR, USVI)

Region: Florida
Affiliate Universities:Florida A&M University, Florida International University, and Miami Dade College
Facebook: Visit the DIR Facebook Page
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
Years of Service: 15
Prior Career: 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.

 

Andy Sisk, Diplomat in Residence Mid-Atlantic
(NC, VA)

Region:Mid-Atlantic
Affiliate Universities:Duke University
Facebook: Visit the DIR Facebook Page
Tours:Ambassador’s Staff Assistant/Vice Consul Tel Aviv, Israel; Vice Consul Melbourne Australia; Ambassador’s Staff Assistant Baghdad, Iraq; Assistant General Services Officer London, United Kingdom; Deputy Management Counselor Tel Aviv, Israel; Management Officer Erbil, Iraq; Management Counselor Lisbon, Portugal (including 16 months as Acting Deputy Chief of Mission)
Career Track:Management
Years of Service: 22
Prior Career:Began USG service as a U.S. Department of State Presidential Management Fellow in the Bureau for Consular Affairs, including rotations to the White House Office of the Vice President, the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of International Aviation and the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan
Languages: Hebrew/Portuguese
Education: BA Wake Forest University, MPA The George Washington University
Interesting Experience: I’ve certainly had a boatload of interesting experiences working as a Foreign Service Officer, so hard to choose just one, but in 2008 as Vice Consul in Melbourne, Australia I represented the Consulate at a farewell ceremony for a delegation of Australian firefighters heading to join an international effort to combat out-of-control wildfires in the western United States. Shortly after arriving at the Tullamarine airport, I was gripped by the sight of a firefighter kneeling beside his young daughter with tears in her eyes as Dad prepared to leave. It was my honor to thank him and the delegation publicly for coming to my country’s aid during such a challenging time. It would also be the first time I dealt with the media and have the opportunity to amplify the gratitude of the American people, as the major Australian television networks prominently featured the story. It would be an early example of many where I saw exactly how working with likeminded governments on issues of mutual concern could produce lifesaving results and deepen the bonds between two peoples.
Last Post:Lisbon, Portugal
Why I Chose a Foreign Service Career: The events of 9/11. I was a Presidential Management Fellow wrapping up a short, two- month temporary assignment working in the consular section at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan that fateful day, and for the remainder of my time I got to see firsthand how in a crisis situation the focus of an overseas mission shifts to doing everything we can to ensure the safety and security of American citizens. Directly assisting American citizens in an evacuation at that early stage of my career convinced me to apply for the Foreign Service, and for that I remain grateful.

 

Kyla Brooke, Diplomat in Residence New York Metro
(NJ, NY)

Region: New York Metro
Affiliate Universities:
Facebook: Visit the DIR Facebook Page
Tours: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (Consular Officer); The Hague, Netherlands (Economic Officer); Kabul, Afghanistan (Deputy Director of Counternarcotics Unit); U.S. Mission to the United Nations, NY (ECOSOC Advisor); Tel Aviv, Israel (Deputy Economic Counselor); Eagleburger Fellow (Citi)
Career Track: Political
Years of Service: 16
Prior Career: Before I joined the Foreign Service, I was a campaign manager in California; an English teacher in Japan; and a grad student through a 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 and paved the way for me to serve my country as a U.S. diplomat.
Education: BA in Communications and Political Science from University of California, Los Angeles and a Masters in International Relations from Yale University
Interesting Experience: One of the most interesting aspects of the Foreign Service is the number and variety of experiences you will have no matter what position you work in. From liaising with all of the Major League Baseball teams at their Dominican Republic training camps to launching an internet freedom initiative with the Secretary of State in the Netherlands to working with numerous Ministers and Governors to discuss economic opportunities and alternate livelihoods in Afghanistan to negotiating the development financing document for the sustainable development goals and standing up for human rights at the United Nations to participating in a negotiations program with Israelis and Palestinians in Israel, I have had a chance to have an exciting and interesting career. There is nothing like a career in the Foreign Service if you are looking for varied and interesting experiences.
Last Post:Deputy Economic Counselor, Tel Aviv, Israel
Why I Chose a Foreign Service Career: Since college, I had been interested in a career in public service, but had never realized the Foreign Service was an option until I went to a talk given by a Diplomat in Residence at my university and I studied abroad my junior year.Those two experiences planted the seed for my desire to combine my interest to work in public service with my interest in working and living overseas, leading me to pursue a career with the Foreign Service.

 

Michelle Kayser, Diplomat in Residence New England
(CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)

Region: New England
Affiliate Universities:
Facebook: Visit the DIR Facebook Page
Tours: Bangui, Central African Republic; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Executive Secretariat; European Union and Regional Affairs Office; Bern, Switzerland
Career Track: Political
Years of Service: 12
Prior Career: N/A (came in directly from graduate school)
Languages: French, German, and Spanish
Education: Master’s in Public and International Affairs from Princeton University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont
Interesting Experience: Supporting former Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to Luxembourg in July 2016. It meant a lot to me to help plan and facilitate this visit because Luxembourg is my father’s home country. I was honored to bring our most senior Diplomat to the beautiful country and to help forge even stronger relations between our two countries.
Last Post: Bern, Switzerland
Why I Chose a Foreign Service Career: While I was always interested in international affairs, I chose a career with the Department of State because every day is different and unpredictable so I’m never bored and am constantly learning. I have been able to travel and work with outstanding colleagues in five continents. This job presents me with unique opportunities and challenges every day and I love the exposure to different people, languages, and cultures.

 

John Dinkelman, Diplomat in Residence DC Metro
(DC, DE, MD)

Region: DC Metro
Affiliate Universities:Howard University (HBCU)
Facebook: Visit the DIR Facebook Page
Tours: Belgrade, Yugoslavia (Consular and Management rotation); London, UK (Management); Majuro, Marshall Islands (Management); The Hague, Netherlands (General Services Officer); Ankara, Turkey (Human Resources Officer); Foreign Service Institute (Orientation Officer); Nogales, Mexico (Principal Officer); Nassau, Bahamas (Deputy Chief of Mission); Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (Office Director, Executive Director); Bureau of Administration (Chief of Staff, Deputy Assistant Secretary).
Career Track:Management
Years of Service: 35
Prior Career: I worked my way through college as a real estate agent. Upon graduating I worked for Unisys Corporation prior to joining the Foreign Service.
Languages:Spanish, Dutch, Serbo-Croatian, and Turkish
Education: Degrees (Bachelor’s) in business/finance and Spanish from Brigham Young University
Interesting Experience: For me, it’s the “little things” that make the difference. Experiences at corner grocery stores, street markets, churches, and barber shops. Even though most of my hair has long since disappeared, I’ve especially enjoyed developing relationships with the various barbers I’ve known over the years. Their insights into the community, society, and language all come in short fifteen-minute lessons every two weeks where I have sat as a truly captive audience of one. Over the course of years, these relationships have deepened and led to visits to homes, family celebrations, life events, and a deeper appreciation of the journey that is a career in the Foreign Service. Tip your barber!
Last Post: Deputy Assistant Secretary for Logistics Management.
Why I Chose a Foreign Service Career: I spent two years in Izmir, Turkey as a teenage “Army Brat” during which I had the opportunity to spend an afternoon observing the operations at our consulate and was fascinated as I watched foreign service officers issuing visas, birth certificates, and passports. I learned how these State Department professionals also visited hospitalized and imprisoned Americans and was amazed by the idea that I could spend a career devoted to such work. It amazed me that one could even get paid to learn new languages and spend years living and traveling around the world. It seemed too good to be true; but the more I learned about the Foreign Service, the better it sounded. In the years since, it has yet to disappoint.