Mark Phelan is an MAS candidate at the Yale Jackson Institute for Global Affairs where he specializes in East Asia Pacific policy. An international relations specialist and veteran leader, he brings a demonstrated expertise on issues concerning national security, foreign policy, and business. While at Yale, Mark will assist with a collaborative seminar between faculty and practitioners examining key topics related to diplomacy, development, and defense under the mentorship of Jackson Institute Senior Fellow Emma Sky. Prior to joining the student body at Yale, Mark left a career in business management to serve in the United States Army where he deployed six times in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Inherent Resolve, ultimately as a Regional Chief of Operations. In this role, Mark led a distributed cross-functional team working side by side with key international partners to broaden security and enable civil governance. In doing so, he provided leading-edge insight and analysis to senior leaders and policy-makers regarding regional dynamics impacting domestic policy agenda and external behaviors. Mark holds a Public Leadership Credential from the Harvard Kennedy School, an MBA from Chapman University, and a BA in psychology from The Pennsylvania State University.