Jennifer Park Stout (M.A. '06) was recently named the U.S. Department of State's deputy assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs. In her new position, Ms. Stout will oversee all public diplomacy operations including Fulbright programs, cultural exchanges, and English language teaching programs.
"The region is home to a third of the world's population and to some of our most important security and trade partners," said Ms. Stout. "Americans understand that our future is linked to the future of the Asia-Pacific region, and so we remain deeply engaged."
Ms. Stout most recently served as senior advisor and director of Senate affairs in the Bureau of Legislative Affairs at the Department of State, where she coordinated the development of the department's and administration's foreign policy-related legislative priorities. Prior to joining the Department of State, Ms. Stout, who studied international affairs with a concentration in security studies at the Elliott School, spent 11 years on Capitol Hill as a staff member to Senators Joseph Biden, Patrick Leahy, and Jim Webb, and to Representative James Moran.
"After spending my entire career prior to the State Department on Capitol Hill, it has been fascinating to witness a different perspective of foreign policymaking," said Ms. Stout. "I have enjoyed the ability to focus on a particular region of the world and drill down to a more detailed level of policy. I have been impressed with the caliber of the professionals who work for the State Department and who work hard every day in support of our foreign policy goals and objectives."
Ms. Stout credits her Elliott School education with providing her a good foundation on which to pursue a career in foreign policy.
"The classes were a good mixture of theoretical and practical application and were a valuable complement to what I was getting in the workplace."
http://elliott.gwu.edu/news/briefing/nov10/stout.cfm
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