Current position and employer: Manager, Economist at Causal Design; I am a Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF) Finalist and have tentatively accepted a position with the State Department's Central African Office as a part of that program (I'm just currently waiting on a security clearance investigation)

Hometown: Grand Rapids, MI

Current City: Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Why did you choose McCourt? It was important for me to do a program with an international development focus. While evaluating programs, I realized that all roads led to DC. No matter what program I assessed as an option, the next step after graduation would necessitate moving to DC as it is the epicenter of international development in the US. As I value building relationships and networks, I wanted to start on day one of graduate school instead of post-graduation. I also spoke with some faculty at different programs before deciding and admired the goals and vision of the Georgetown MIDP faculty.

What professional/ work experience did you have prior to coming to McCourt? I served for seven years in the Marine Corps Reserves as an infantryman, including one deployment to Afghanistan. Once I returned from Afghanistan, I exited the Marine Corps and began working as a Logistics Specialist with Lineage Logistics in Detroit, MI. I wanted to transition to international development, so I joined Chemonics International and worked as a Supply Planning Specialist on the malaria team within GHSC-PSM. From Chemonics, I came to Georgetown.

What was the best part of your experience? So far, the best experience has been making friendships within my cohort and establishing relationships in DC. DC is full of interesting people trying to make a difference, and I enjoy the community. The food scene is pretty dynamite here as well.

What internships did you have during your time at McCourt? I completed a Research Officer internship with Consilient Research in Hargeisa, Somaliland over the 2022 summer. The position consisted of writing impact evaluations for agriculture and security programs. The opportunity to gain field experience in the Horn of Africa was absolutely invaluable and an overall great experience!

Student organization involvement while at McCourt: In my final year at McCourt, I founded the Development Implementer Group (DIG) student association which aims to provide future international development project managers an environment to hone their skills. We received a lot of positive feedback from the development community (inside and outside Georgetown) and have grown in size and in our relationships with practitioners. I handed it off to a fantastic group of leaders and am excited to see all that they accomplish!

Undergraduate University, degree, and major: Central Michigan University, Bachelor in Business Administration: Logistics Management, Marketing, Bachelor of Science: Political Science

Hobbies/ Interests: I am extremely interested in insurgencies, counterinsurgencies, and asymmetric warfare, particularly on the African continent. My focus is peacebuilding, stabilization, and transitions out of a conflict state. Outside of career themes, I enjoy: military history, punk & rock music, backpacking, travel, chess/board games, reading, stand-up comedy, and I'm absolutely obsessed with hockey. (Go Red Wings and Caps!)