<p><i><span class="p-body">This article was originally published on July 31, 2024</span></i></p>

<p><span class="p-body">Even a decade after my time at CGA, the same unique qualities that were the reason I attended remain and are what I share with prospective alumni: international perspectives, focus on equity and human rights, and practitioner opportunities to apply what you’re learning.</span></p>

<p><span class="p-body">Along with our Division Director, I oversee the largest Space Force Headquarters division, Current Operations, comprised of 40+ personnel. We support Lt Gen Deanna M. Burt, Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations, Cyber, and Nuclear, and Chief of Space Operations General B. Saltzman. Our branches include the first-ever 24/7 service-level watch cell and teams focused on analytics, operations support and policy, and mission assurance, for example. My job largely entails ensuring our team is equipped with the resources and knowledge needed to keep Lt Gen Burt and other senior leaders informed so that the Space Force is always operationally prepared, remains ahead of the technology curve, and supports its Guardians. </span></p>

<p><span class="p-body">For my entire career—from working for think tanks, to satellite companies, to the government—the understanding of geopolitics that CGA equipped me with enabled me to bring a unique and increasingly valued perspective to the table. More rising leaders are recognizing the importance of diverse educational backgrounds at the table. In my current role, I find my experience studying international law and human rights at CGA allows me to think outside the box, and encourage other senior leaders to do the same, when it comes to geopolitics and ethics.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">In my MBA studies at the Wharton School, my experience at CGA enables me to share often overlooked perspectives in my business ethics, strategy, marketing, and operations classes. I have a deep understanding of businesses’ role in international law and human rights as well as potential positive or negative impacts of businesses on those areas. Thanks to my CGA experience, I’m able to share that knowledge with the wider business community and increase awareness of business implications on human rights and international law.</span></p>

<p><span class="p-body">Aside from meeting my husband in the computer lab in the Woolworth Building?</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">The dynamics between coursework and the real world will always stick with me. At CGA in the early 2010s, I was studying human rights in the heart of New York City at a time when social movements were gaining traction at the highest rate we’d seen in 50 years. I learned about civil society in the classroom, then stepped out to streets flooded by Occupy Wall Street protesters or logged onto social media to see the earliest signs of the Black Lives Matter movement.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">Of course, the Global Field Intensive to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, and the Hague to study transitional justice was another of my favorite memories from CGA. I learn best from hands-on experiences, and through the course we learned about human rights violations, justice, and law directly from individuals impacted by the war in the former Yugoslavia.</span></p>

<p><span class="p-body">In 2024, I won the Women’s Space Award for leadership, awarded by Women’s Aerospace Network. I am currently earning my MBA at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and am a Term Member at the Council on Foreign Relations. In Fall 2022, I was a Space Progress Fellow at the Tony Blair Institute, where I published on the role of the private sector in space debris policies and provided recommendations for governments, bilateral partnerships, multilateral organizations, and the private sector to mitigate against space debris as the industry enters a boom. I have been a Security Fellow with the Truman National Security Project since 2019.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body"><b><i>“The views expressed are those of the authors and do not reflect the official guidance or position of the United States Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force, or the United States Space Force.”</i></b></span></p>