I was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I grew up in Western PA with my Mom, Dad, Sister and a ton of extended family who all still live in the area. I graduated high school in 2000, Penn State University in 2004, and then went into the United States Air Force in 2005. While in the Air Force, I was stationed in Germany from 2006 to 2010 and deployed to Afghanistan in 2008. I was a combat correspondent for the American Forces Network (AFN). Between 2010 and 2017 I did public affairs at the federal level for a variety of organizations to include the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Defense Media Activity (DMA), U.S. Army, and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). I am also a former 2013 Presidential Management Fellow (PMF) finalist and 2014 Congressional candidate in Pennsylvania’s 3rd District (northwest).
I have a master’s degree in Public Administration from Bowie State University and a graduate certificate in Campaign strategy from George Washington University. I’ve been with the US Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer (FSO) in the Public Diplomacy track since January 2017. My first tour was in the consular section at U.S Consulate, Porto Alegre, Brazil. My second tour was as a Cultural Affairs Officer (CAO) at U.S. Embassy Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I returned to DC to work as the Afghanistan public diplomacy desk officer for my third tour.
This career has motivated me to create this website and blog as a way to write about my life, passions, and experience as a U.S. diplomat. I hope you enjoy my blog. Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments. Thank you for visiting my website.