Careers in Global Affairs

Through courses on human rights, governance, and global politics at Jackson, I developed a deeper understanding of Pakistan and learned to approach complex policy questions from multiple perspectives. My summer at the U.S. Embassy in Muscat gave me an opportunity to apply these lessons and further refine my skills during my second year. I also strengthened language skills that I now use at my posting in Islamabad. Just as importantly, the friendships and community I built at Jackson continue to support me as I serve overseas as a U.S. Foreign Service officer.

Mushfequr Rahman MPP '25

• U.S. Foreign Service Officer
• Islamabad, Pakistan

Jackson taught me how to move comfortably between rigorous policy analysis and the realities of implementation. Its interdisciplinary coursework helped me understand how governments, businesses, and communities can approach the same challenge from very different perspectives. Through fieldwork in Jordan, Kenya and my summer in Liberia and India, I learned to listen carefully, question assumptions, and translate complex ideas into practical paths forward. I draw on those skills every day while advising global companies on public policy and political complexity in México and Latin America.

María José Ramírez Rosaslanda MPP '24

• Associate Director, DGA Group
• Mexico City, Mexico

The Jackson School provided me with the opportunity to transition into a career in international public service at the UN. With support from Jackson and Yale’s financial resources, I conducted field research in Bangladesh, completed a summer internship at the UN, and visited Jordan, Senegal, and Algeria by taking elective courses with Senior Fellows. These experiences were instrumental in starting my work at the UN.

Eiichiro Takinami, MPP '24

• Associate Expert Officer, UN-ESCAP
• Bangkok, Thailand

I graduated Jackson as a more well-rounded professional and feeling intellectually refreshed. The flexible curriculum allowed me to stretch myself in all the ways I needed - from taking classes at the law school and practicing my second language to diving deep on statistical analysis and experimenting with AI. Above all, I'm grateful for my classmates. Jackson students truly want to be there, and are as engaged in the world as you could hope.

Isabel Linzer MPP '24

• Policy Analyst, Center for Democracy & Technology
• Washington, D.C.

When I came to Jackson, I was interested in U.S.-China relations and initially thought that I was going to focus on trade because of my private sector background. I’m now at the Center for AI Policy, a DC-based non-profit, where I’ve written research reports on the open source AI community in China, as well as how AI safety testing is compatible with U.S. innovation and military primacy. I’m incredibly grateful for Jackson's flexibility, which enabled me to explore different interests and find a pathway that suits me.

Claudia Wilson, MPP'24

• Pre-Jackson: BCG, Senior Associate Consultant
• Post-Jackson: BCG, Geopolitics, AI, Public Policy Consultant

Working with my thesis advisor, Ardina Hasanbasri, I explored maternal mortality in Nigeria and used research to inform policy from the ground up. Ardina’s mentorship also helped me to secure a position at the World Bank’s South Asia Chief Economist's Office. In a career using evidence and data to help governments design better policy, the combination of practical and theoretical skills I honed at Jackson guide my decision-making.

Bomi Okuyiga, MPP'23

• Pre-Jackson: UK Civil Service, Head of Analysis- Cabinet Office
• Post-Jackson: International Development Research Centre, AI for Development- South and Southeast Asia

I came to Jackson wanting to answer big questions about how public organizations learn and respond to crises in a world that is increasingly complex, particularly in the face of climate change. The relationships with faculty and fellows gained from small class sizes have resulted in mentors and professional connections that have allowed me to continue learning and exploring the questions that brought me to Jackson in the first place.

Eva Martin, MPP'23

• Pre-Jackson: FEMA, Emergency Management Specialist
• Post-Jackson: Global Support and Development, Maritime Engagements Manager

Jackson was the perfect place for me to develop both my professional and intellectual goals. The resources and attention Jackson provides to each student are, in my view, unique among professional schools. With Jackson's support, I was able to pursue an internship at the UN in Geneva, an experience that helped me secure my first job working at an investigative non-profit in Washington, D.C.

Jack Freed, MPP'23

• Pre-Jackson: The Cohen Group, Associate
• Post-Jackson: RAND, Research Scientist

I came to grad school because I wanted to gain the skills to center impacted people in policy-making decisions, and Senior Fellows gave me practical approaches to doing so which I employ in my day to day work. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Jackson exposed me to a strong network of alumni who have helped shape my career trajectory and life-long friends who help me be the best version of myself.

Piper O'Keefe, MPP'22

• Pre-Jackson: Peace Corps- Sierra Leone
• Post-Jackson: U.S. Department of Energy, International Relations Expert- African Affairs

The personal curriculum I built at Jackson included classes in international political economy, history of aid and development, and data analytics. Upon graduation I joined the World Bank’s private sector development arm - I feel that my studies at Yale both inspired and enabled me to pursue this unique opportunity.

Gal Komen MPP'22

• Pre-Jackson: Office of the Prime Minister of Israel, Economic Policy Advisor
• Post-Jackson: The World Bank, Economist

I was able to gain a wide range of experiences at Jackson that helped me successfully transition into international civil service from the military. Teaching and research assistantships, summer internship at a prominent think tank, and leadership experiences at various student organizations were invaluable in navigating my transition and provided me with necessary skills and confidence to successfully perform my job in the United Nations.

Irene Eun Jung Oh MPP'22

• Pre-Jackson: National Assembly of The Republic of Korea, Foreign Policy Legislative Assistant
• Post-Jackson: Asian Development Bank, Security and Emergency Services Specialist

As a grassroots organizer, I came to Jackson to hone the skills necessary to craft policies responsive to marginalized communities and the working class. I combined Jackson’s policy-focused economics courses with classes at the Schools of Environment, Public Health, and Law to explore environmental injustice and economic inequality. Seminars led by Senior Fellows provided insights into policy implementation challenges. Jackson’s funding enabled my independent research on climate resilience in the Caribbean and Latin America. After graduation, Senior Fellow Howard Dean helped me secure a job in the U.S. Senate, where I’ve applied my Jackson learnings to influence and implement policy.

Darryl Alexander MPP'23

• Pre-Jackson: Mutual Aid Houston, Community Organizer
• Post-Jackson: United States Senator Peter Welch, Policy Advisor

Seiyoon Ko MPP '27 spent her summer on the Privacy & Data team at Center for Democracy & Technology in Washington, D.C., where she focused on consumer privacy and emerging questions around AI-driven advertising — including commercial content embedded in chatbots and AI interfaces, the harms it may pose, and the protections it may require. She also researched federal and state privacy legislation, connected vehicles, and the effects of AI on workers and consumers, engaging directly with advocates, industry voices, and policymakers across D.C. to help shape the debates defining tech policy today.

After serving as the U.S. delegate for the Reform of Global Governance track at the 2024 G20 Youth Summit, Hekmat Aboukhater MPP '27 returned in summer 2026 as chair of the Fragility, Conflict, and Violence track when the summit came to Washington, D.C. Over several weeks of preparation and a four-day summit, he worked with delegates from across the G20 to negotiate policy recommendations addressing conflict, governance, and youth engagement. "These young leaders will one day sit across from one another debating the world's most consequential issues, and I think we'll be in very good hands.”

Sarah Pieslak MPP '25 spent a summer in Nairobi, Kenya, as an intern with Fresh Life, a social enterprise that provides safe, affordable sanitation solutions in urban areas. She conducted a project to strengthen Fresh Life’s service delivery model and improve customer retention, conducting stakeholder interviews and defining the project through implementation and evaluation. She also designed and built a data analytics platform to optimize Fresh Life’s government and community relations engagements. "I loved the opportunity to work with a mature social enterprise and see concepts from my Jackson coursework — like results-based financing and systems change — in action."

Anthony Asuega MPP '25 spent his summer in Pago Pago, American Samoa, as an intern with the Coral Reef Advisory Group and the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources. The reefs in American Samoa are home to 800 species of fish, 200 species of coral, countless invertebrates, and four endangered species of sea turtle. Anthony helped develop a comprehensive coral bleaching response strategy, which involved coordinating scientific research, policy recommendations, and funding opportunities to actively protect American Samoa's coral reefs during future bleaching events.

Sherab Dorji MPP/MEM '27 spent her summer in her native Bhutan supporting the Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation in Thimphu. In her role, she helped strengthen the monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems that underpin Green Climate Fund and Adaptation Fund investments, helping ensure international climate finance translates into durable, locally led adaptation and sustainable development outcomes. "This experience has also shown me that when resources are mobilized with purpose, they can turn national vision into real, lasting change for communities on the ground."

Isaiah Williams MPP '27 spent his summer as a policy intern at Centro Brasileiro de Relações Internacionais in Rio de Janeiro, working with the center's North America and Environment and Climate programs. The experience let him dig into Brazil's foreign policy debates over critical minerals and the energy transition, building on the regional expertise he gained as a Peace Corps volunteer in Panama and the Portuguese fluency he developed through Yale's Brazilian community. "Conversations with diplomats, business leaders, and researchers give me an insider's view of what Latin American policymakers are wrestling with right now ... watching that unfold in real time is exactly the immersion I came to Yale for."

Shivonne Logan MPP '26 spent the summer at the UN World Food Programme's HQ office in Rome working on humanitarian policy issues within their emergency preparedness and response function. She led the initial steps of crafting new policy on emergency responses, helping kick off the two-year process of a policy formulation that will eventually be approved by member states and the executive board. "I'm particularly glad to have learned from a team whose members contribute expertise in migration, conflict, and peacebuilding at a critical juncture for the UN and the nation-state system."

For his summer internship, Dan Kent MPP '26 worked at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change in London, specifically with the Global Tech Partnerships team, which collaborated with governments and technology partners around the world to develop solutions to major public sector challenges. Dan focused on two main areas: partnerships-wide analysis and strategy, and further development of a specific partner tech offering. "Working with different individuals and functions across the organization was a fantastic learning experience that I’m sure I will draw from wherever I land after Yale."