Johns Hopkins SAIS to host “A deeper understanding of the intersection of foreign affairs, international relations, and the global experience for African-American people,” with Ambassadors Reuben E. Brigety II and Harriet Elam-Thomas, February 19, in Wash
MEDIA ADVISORY
Johns Hopkins SAIS will host “A deeper understanding of the intersection of foreign affairs, international relations, and the global experience for African-American people,” with Ambassadors Reuben E. Brigety II and Harriet Elam-Thomas on February 19. The event is presented by the school’s Diversity Council.
Ambassadors Brigety and Elam-Thomas will join Eliot A. Cohen, dean of Johns Hopkins SAIS, to discuss the importance of increasing exposure to international affairs education and fostering diversity and inclusion in foreign service, particularly for African-Americans and other people of color.
Speakers
Ambassador Reuben E. Brigety II
Dean, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University
Ambassador Harriet Elam-Thomas
Director, Diplomacy Program, University of Central Florida
Moderator
Eliot A. Cohen
Dean, Johns Hopkins SAIS
Time and Date
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Location
Johns Hopkins SAIS
Kenney Herter Auditorium
1740 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20036
Registration
The event is open to the public and media, with registration. Members of the working press can request to cover the event by selecting "Media" on the online registration form. Final media access will be confirmed at least one day prior to the event. Pre-authorized camera setup will only be permitted from 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Media Contact
Jason Lucas
Communications Manager
Johns Hopkins SAIS
+1 (202) 663-5620 office
+1 (202) 422-2652 mobile
[email protected]
About the Speakers
Ambassador Reuben E. Brigety II was named dean of George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs on August 3, 2015. Most recently, he served as the appointed representative of the U. S. to the African Union and permanent representative of the U.S. to the UN Economic Commission for Africa on September 3, 2013. Prior to this appointment, Brigety served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of African Affairs from November 14, 2011 to September 3, 2013 with responsibility for Southern African and Regional Security Affairs. In the two years prior to that, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.
Brigety previously served as Director of the Sustainable Security Program at the Center for American Progress from January 2008 to November 2009 and as a Special Assistant in the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance at the U.S. Agency for International Development from January 2007 to January 2008. From November 2008 to January 2009, he also served as a senior advisor for Development and Security to the U.S. Central Command Assessment Team in Washington and in Doha, Qatar. Prior to his work in the policy arena, Brigety was an assistant professor of government and politics at George Mason University and at the School of International Service at American University. Before joining academia, he conducted research missions in Afghanistan and Iraq with the Arms Division of Human Rights Watch (HRW). Brigety is a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a recipient of the Council’s International Affairs Fellowship.
Ambassador Harriet Elam-Thomas directs a rapidly growing global initiative at the University of Central Florida (UCF), the Diplomacy Program. From 2003-2005, she served as Diplomat in Residence at UCF under the auspices of a national U.S. Department of State program. In that capacity, she was the U.S. Department of State’s official liaison in Central Florida.
Prior to Fall 2005, she was a Senior Foreign Service Officer with the rank of Career Minister. Previously she served as U.S. Ambassador to Senegal from 1999-2003; Chief of Mission to Guinea-Bissau; Acting Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA); Cultural Attaché at the American Embassy in Athens; Country Affairs Officer for Greece, Turkey and Cyprus; director of the American Press and Cultural Center, American Consulate, Istanbul, Turkey; and in other positions at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, the President’s Appointments Office at the White House, and the Foreign Service Personnel Office. Her additional posts abroad were in France, Mali, and the Ivory Coast. Elam-Thomas is the recipient of numerous awards including the U.S. Government’s Superior Honor Award, the Lois Roth Award for Excellence in Informational and Cultural Diplomacy, and a Group Superior and Meritorious Honor Award for her work in connection with the first Persian Gulf War. In 2007, she received the Director General’s Cup of the U.S. Department of State.
About Johns Hopkins SAIS
A division of Johns Hopkins University, the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is a global institution that offers students an international perspective on today's critical issues. For 75 years, Johns Hopkins SAIS has produced great leaders, thinkers, and practitioners of international relations. Public leaders and private sector executives alike seek the counsel of the faculty, whose ideas and research inform and shape policy. Johns Hopkins SAIS offers a global perspective across three campus locations: Bologna, Italy; Nanjing, China; and Washington, D.C. The school's interdisciplinary curriculum is strongly rooted in the study of international economics, international relations, and regional studies, preparing students to address multifaceted challenges in the world today.
For more information, visit sais.jhu.edu or on Twitter @SAISHopkins
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