Class of 2022

Miriam Mona Mukalazi is doing her PhD research on the Regional Governance of Gender, Peace, and Security Policies at Heinrich-Heine-University in Düsseldorf. Previously, Miriam worked for the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy, the World Bank Group, and UN Women Germany. In 2020, Miriam was invited as an expert to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Bundestag to comment on Germany's implementation of the agenda on Women, Peace, and Security.

Alex Vatanka is the founding Director of the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute. He is also a Senior Fellow in Middle East Studies at the US Air Force Special Operations School (USAFSOS) at Hurlburt Field, and teaches as an Adjunct Professor at DISAS at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. He has testified before the U.S. Congress and lectured widely for both governmental and commercial audiences.

Juan Schinas Alvargonzalez is a Parliamentary Assistant at the European Parliament. He works in the office of MEP Antonio López-Istúriz White, a Member of the European Parliament and Secretary General of the European People's Party. He follows the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Security and Defense Subcommittee. Juan previously worked at the Atlantic Council.

Kadri Paris is currently working at the Secretariat of the Committee on International Trade of the European Parliament with the regional focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to working at the trade committee, she worked at the Committee on Development, focusing on humanitarian aid, disaster risk reduction and resilience and private sector development.

Rachel Dunsmoor is a Senior Analyst at the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO), where she leads audits of the Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development. Prior to GAO, Rachel worked as a Research Associate at an economics think tank, the Committee for Economic Development (CED). She has also worked in economic development at U.S. Embassy Brussels and at the International Labor Organization.

Aisha Booker is the Director for the U.S. Commercial Service office in Baltimore, leading a team of experienced trade professionals responsible for promoting U.S. exports and assisting Maryland firms and Senior Executives with international market expansion and market entry strategies. Prior to her promotion as the director, Aisha served as Senior International Trade Specialist for 10 years at the U.S. Commercial Service.

Jasmijn Slootjes is a Senior Policy Analyst with MPI Europe, primarily working on migrant integration. Before joining MPI Europe, Jasmijn was the Executive Director of the Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative (BIMI) at the University of California, Berkeley. Before joining BIMI, she completed her PhD research on how migrants overcome health problems as obstacles to labor market integration.

Neda Noraie-Kia is Head of Migration Policy, Europe at the Heinrich Böll Stiftung in Thessaloniki, Greece. Previously, she worked as a researcher and head of office for the spokesperson for migration policy of the Green Group in the German Bundestag. Prior to that she served as advisor to the GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), with a focus on peace and conflict resolution and good governance, inter allia in a regional program in the Middle East between 2011 and 2015.

Isabel García Támara works as Senior Political Advisor to Javier Moreno Sánchez, Member of the European Parliament (EP) and Head of the Spanish Socialist Delegation. She has provided policy advice to the Spanish Socialist Delegation on citizens' issues, in particular in the following areas of expertise: Home Affairs and Terrorism, Women's Rights and Gender Equality, and Constitutional Affairs and Euro-Latin American Affairs.