Public Diplomacy Desk Officer for Central Asia - Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs - Office of Press and Public Diplomacy (SCA/PPD)

International Refugee Affairs Division (IRAD)(6/24-8/24)

Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs - Office of Central Asian Affairs (SCA/CEN)

• Led business development efforts for Central Asia and Afghanistan portfolios.• Led design of and secured over $1 million in funding for peacebuilding projects in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan.

• Supported management of programming with teams across 14 countries in Europe & Eurasia including Central Asia, Western Balkans, South Caucasus, and Central/Eastern Europe to strengthen electoral systems, promote inclusive and responsive governance, address election conflict and security, fight corruption, and strengthen resilience against malign influence on democratic processes• Wrote briefings and fact sheets on implications of upcoming elections and IFES programmatic activities to support senior staff meetings with key stakeholders• Conducted analytical background research to support business development and organizational strategy in Central Europe, Western Balkans, and Central Asia• Created Election FAQs to inform the public about important electoral events in Serbia, Hungary, and Belarus• Developed communications materials to highlight IFES programming across Europe & Eurasia on the organization’s website and social media platforms

• Assisted in program management to support a portfolio of over 30 peacebuilding projects, including in North Macedonia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Sri Lanka• Prepared reports outlining project activities and results for donor organizations including USAID and U.S. State Department• Created communications materials including one-pagers, website landing pages, and capacity statements to share organizational activity with external audiences

• Monitored Kazakh news outlets to track protest activity and co-wrote report with research team analyzing significance of protest trends in Central Asia for regional governance and stability• Conducted interviews with citizens of Kyrgyzstan including vulnerable groups and wrote paper analyzing public perceptions of the Kyrgyz president• Published article analyzing Central Asia’s response to the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan and its implications for refugee flows from Afghanistan, regional stability and conflict risk

• Analyzed and developed visual representations of survey data from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan using data visualization software

Secondary School English Teacher• Worked with local counterparts to improve host country teaching capacity while promoting intercultural understanding and tolerance between citizens of the United States and the Kyrgyz Republic• Led design and implementation of $2450 grant project to create a school conference and resource center, including monitoring and evaluation of project goals• Organized technology and methodology training events for 30 teachersSafety & Security Liaison for Jalal-Abad Province• Monitored for regional instability and security risks and developed first Emergency Action Plan for volunteers in province since 2010 ethnic clashes• Coordinated with administration to organize and conduct emergency consolidation drills and safety briefings for volunteers• Led development of additional consolidation point for potential emergency evacuations.Peer Support Network Committee Member• Acted as confidential and anonymous outlet for volunteers during service • Facilitated support among volunteers and healthy communication between volunteers and staff • Organized and conducted mental health presentations and events fostering rapport among volunteers

English Teaching Assistant• Worked alongside local counterparts at Otto-Brenner Career School through a U.S. State Department grant• Fostered intercultural exchange and dialogue with teachers and students to build U.S.-German relations as a representative of the United States

Refugee Resettlement Internship• Assistant to Housing department and to Case Workers• Designed comparative price database for regularly procured household items for incoming refugee families• Transported refugees to and from appointments

• Worked door-to-door offering fixed energy rates• Won A.C.E. Award for outstanding customer service