Alumni Profiles
Will Cash ‘10
International Supply Chain Manager,
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
“In 2008 I enrolled in a dual degree program offered by the Patterson School and the Gatton College of Business and Economics. This program made it possible to obtain a Masters degree in Diplomacy and International Commerce and a Masters in Business Administration in just two year's time. I wanted an MBA to be able to compete for jobs in the private sector – ... more
K. Evan Plaskett ‘97
Manager-Transatlantic Joint Venture
International Network Planning,
Delta Air Lines
“When I came onboard at Delta in 1998, a fellow '97 Patterson alum recalled the first conversation we ever had. Standing together at Dr. Vince Davis' cookout for new students, he had asked where I hoped to go after graduation. My undergraduate studies were in French, international affairs and math, with no formal business training whatsoever ... more
Joshua Mike ‘06
Foreign Service Officer,
US Agency for International Development
“I always knew that I wanted to work abroad – so much so, that I sold Kit Kat® bars in the main hallway of my high school for a year to raise enough money for a senior year trip to Europe. Sixteen years and 47 countries later, I am living my dream: home based in Bangkok, traveling across China and Southeast Asia promoting development ... more
Amanda Mullikin ‘10
Field Team Leader,
Church World Service/RSC, Nairobi, Kenya
“Refugees have been my focus and my passion. Assisting them will now be my profession. My new position requires traveling across sub-Saharan Africa to engage officials dealing with forced migration and to work directly with displaced individuals. A key responsibility is interviewing refugees in camps and UNHCR compounds to ... more
Richard Wynne '88
Director for Geopolitical and Policy Analysis
Boeing Commercial Airplanes
“I secured my first full-time position with a defense consulting firm in Pentagon City through the assistance of a Patterson School board of advisors member. The work was rewarding and provided my initial exposure to how Washington works, but my heart was in civil aviation. In 1990, with neither engineering nor commercial aircraft marketing experience, I landed a position at British Aerospace Regional Aircraft, launching a career in an industry that, though occasionally turbulent ... more
Nathan Cryder '06
Executive Director, Global Gain and Nash-Brighton Project
“I entered the Patterson School following a year in Cyprus and four years with tech start-ups, intent on learning how to use the business skills I acquired working in the technology sector to help the poor. I imagined myself working at a large development NGO or in the UN system, until Iwas inspired in my studies by the recent social entrepreneurship literature. This set me on an entirely new path, still focused on development and inequalities, but ... more
David Kaluba ‘07
Principal Economist, Ministry of Finance, Zambia
“I entered the Patterson School with zeal to obtain the skills that would prepare me for a position in banking. I was drawn to this specific program because of the focus on diplomacy and commerce, its strong reputation, and the emphasis on personal development. The opportunity to come back to Lusaka for an internship at my country’s Central Bank only seemed to confirm my career aspirations. This professional internship not only exposed me ... more
Stephanie Boven ‘08
Foreign Service Officer, US Department of State
Hong Kong – my first post – is amazing and provides a remarkable sampling of what a Foreign Service career offers. Larger than many embassies and a key stop for Americans visiting East Asia (from businessmen and tourists to Cabinet Secretaries and the US 7th Fleet), there is always something happening here. I’m assigned as a Vice Consul in the Economics Section, covering intellectual property rights, economic labor issues and neighboring Macau (Asia’s booming ‘Las Vegas’ … actually it has three times the ... more
John. T. Ice ‘06
Foreign Service Officer, US Department of State
“Non-immigrant Visa Officer, American Citizen Services officer, Prisoners Issues Officer, Immigrant Visa Officer…I got to do it all during my first tour at U.S. Embassy San Jose, Costa Rica. It wasn’t always easy, but it was always rewarding.
In all of my roles as Vice Consul, the most satisfying was my work as Children’s Issues Officer. Costa Rica became a signatory to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Parental Child Abduction in January, 2008 ... more
Casey Poe ‘09
Study Abroad Advisor, University of Utah; Director, CLSP, Alexandria, Egypt
I never would have thought when I enrolled at the Patterson school in 2007 that I would become a “transcontinental commuter,” splitting my time between Salt Lake City and Alexandria, Egypt.
My official home is the University of Utah’s Office of International Education and Study Abroad where I manage programs in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. My second home ... more
Rachel Lewis ‘07
Executive Director, International Book Project
“As executive director of the International Book Project, I manage the donation of more than 200,000 books each year to schools and libraries throughout the developing world. The best part of my job is being able to partner with hard-working, motivated teachers and students and give them the books they need to improve education in their communities. However, this all takes quite a bit of planning and work ... more
Marta Recinos ‘09
Strategic Analyst, Ministerio de Economia, El Salvador
“After graduating from the Universidad de El Salvador, I spent six months as a trade policy intern at the Ministry of Economics, worked for a year at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and then spent three productive years at Exporta El Salvador, my country’s official trade promotion arm. To advance to the next level, I needed to signigicantly improve my academic and professional skills. The Fulbright Foreign Student Program and the University of Kentucky ... more
Reggie Gibbs ‘06
Overseas Business Development, CV Starr & Co., Inc.
“After six years in the US Marine Corps, I lived in the Mideast and Southeast Asia, working on humanitarian aid and post-conflict reconstruction operations. My plan with graduate school was to build on these experiences and increase my exposure to international security and development. I sought a program that could help meld my past professional activities and new interests into a coherent career strategy. The Patterson School was the perfect match ... more