Working in the International Arena Both Domestically and Abroad
Jason Chang, USDA; Megan Wilson, Peace Corps Country Director for Albania and Montenegro; Paco Perez, US Foreign Service
Thursday, April 01, 2021 | 05:30 pm
Virtual event
https://bit.ly/2Pxv0Lq
About:
This panel will give students information and guidance on what opportunities exist to work in the international sector for the government both in the USA and abroad.
We will cover what types of jobs are available, how to get a job, what to expect and how to prepare and make yourself competitive.
Jason Chang serves as a Program Analyst with the International Programs Division on behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) by providing access to NRCS’s technical expertise to address responsible natural resource management; scientific and technical exchange; contributing to U.S. foreign policy which promotes economic stability, reduce poverty, and solve world food problems; and provide opportunities to broaden and increase the technical knowledge and professional capability of NRCS personnel. He represents the agency in planning foreign assistance programs with other agencies; and develops and maintains cooperative relationships with federal, state, and private agencies. For the past ten years, Jason has served in various capacities in Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) where he has promoted food security, trade and economic growth as the Western Hemisphere Regional Coordinator for the Office of Capacity Building and Development; a liaison between FAS and the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Food Security by providing USDA technical expertise to address global food security issues in conjunction with Feed the Future; as well as having implemented the Borlaug Fellowship Program that provided training and collaborative research opportunities to fellows from low and middle-income countries. Jason holds a M.A. degree in Sustainable International Development from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management in Waltham, Massachusetts at Brandeis University and a B.A. degree in political science and a minor in business management from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. He was a 2015 Fellow of the Aspen Institute’s International Career Advancement Program (ICAP) and a member of the ICAP Fellows Association.
Megan Wilson has deeply enjoyed her time with Peace Corps, most recently as the Country Director for the Gambia. The Post of 100+ volunteers and 50+ dedicated staff keep her days filled and energized, especially during this pivotal time in Gambian history. Megan is a tri-lingual leader with 20-years of international development experience with a focus on health and environment. Megan’s experience in development starts in a small village in Guinea, where as a Peace Corps Volunteer she taught math and built a community library. This love of empowering others to improve their lives continued and grew during her previous posts as a Congressional aid, then as an EPA, USAID, and State Department staffer, and her time with Population Services International, as the Executive Director for PSI’s network member in Benin. Megan has a Master’s Degree in International Development from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry and International Affairs from the University of Colorado.
Francisco “Paco” Pérez is the Public Affairs Officer for the U.S. Consulate General in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Paco joined the State Department in 2008, following a fellowship with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Capitol Hill. His first assignment was to the U.S. Consulate General in Matamoros, Mexico. His second tour was in the consular section of the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where he became a member of a “tandem couple” serving alongside his Foreign Service officer wife, Stephanie Espinal. After Dominican Republic, Paco was part of a team that received a Superior Honor Award from then-Secretary Clinton for outstanding work in the Operations Center during hostage situations in Algeria, protests throughout the Middle East, and Ebola outbreaks in Africa. Paco then studied French at the Foreign Service Institute prior to embarking on his first assignment in Africa at the U.S. Embassy in Cotonou, Benin, where he inaugurated the Young African Leaders Initiative, training thousands of young African entrepreneurs. Next Paco served as Public Affairs Officer in Panama receiving recognition for creative video outreach. Paco and his wife are proud members of the Hispanic Employees Council of Foreign Affairs Agencies (HECFAA) and have participated in many recruiting events for future Hispanic Foreign Service officers. Paco studied international business and played division II soccer at University of Tampa, graduating in 2005, and earned a juris doctor degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 2008.
Notes:
This lecture is free and open to the public. Individuals of all abilities are encouraged to attend LAII-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in one of our events, please visit laii.unm.edu/events/accessibility.html. You can find more information on available accommodations on the UNM Accessibility Resource Center website. For more information, visit laii.unm.edu or contact laiioutreach@unm.edu.
