Working in the US Foreign Service: What You Need To Know

As part of the IGL Advisory discussions, please join Michelle Dworkin A00; Zach Landau A07; Mariya Iliyas, F18 as they share their experience working in US Foreign Service.

Michelle Dworkin has been a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for the past 12 years and is currently the Director of the Program Office in USAID/Honduras. She previously served as a Congressional Liaison Officer in USAID's Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs, and as a Program Officer in USAID's missions in Guatemala and Egypt, and USAID's Regional Platform for Western Afghanistan in Herat. Prior to joining USAID, she worked with NGOs on educational and exchange programs focused on the Middle East. She holds a Master of Arts in Sustainable International Development from the Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Anthropology from Tufts University. She is an alum of EPIIC's 2000 class (Global Games: Sports, Politics and Society).

Adam Levy is a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State. Currently he works on the Syria Desk supporting efforts to promote a political resolution to the Syrian conflict. Previously, he has served in Bamako, Havana, Toronto, as well as shorter assignments in Washington, including in the Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Prior to joining the State Department, Adam worked in the international conflict resolution and negotiation field, first founding a non-profit in northern Uganda and then working on Track 1.5 negotiation efforts in Latin America, the Balkans, and the Middle East. He received a BA from Tufts University and a MA from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government where he was also a Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Fellow. Originally from Ecuador, Adam calls Massachusetts home and is an avid bread baker.

Mariya Ilyas is a U.S. Foreign Service Officer currently serving as Vice Consul at the U.S. Embassy Amman. She joined the U.S. Foreign Service in September 2018 as a Thomas R. Pickering Fellow. Previously, Mariya taught English as a Fulbright Scholar in Antalya, Turkey (2015-2016) and worked as a product analyst at Liberty Mutual Insurance, a fortune-100 company in Boston (2013-2015). Mariya holds an M.A. in international relations with Honos Civicus distinction from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a B.A. in mathematics from Bowdoin College. She speaks Arabic, Urdu, Turkish and Spanish. Mariya hails from Alexandria, VA and enjoys sudoku, writing poetry, and baking.