Tools of the Trade: Choosing a Graduate Program

There comes a time in every young professional's life where he or she faces the decision whether to go to graduate school, and if so, for what degree and at which institution. This Tools of the Trade event will explore the difference between an M.A., M.P.A., M.P.P, M.B.A., J.D., Ph.D. - and more! - and examine the various factors weighing upon this important decision.

This event is open exclusively to General Members of YPFP. Affiliate Members will not be able to register, but may pay their dues at any time to become General Members.

John Charles, American University Career Center Charles advises first-year graduate students in the School of International Service as well as all AU students pursuing international internships. His primary function is to work with students in individual sessions on applications for internships, jobs and fellowships. He also leads the Career Center SIS Team, which develops programs for SIS students, including SIS Career Week and networking receptions. Charles' professional experience includes two stints at federal government agencies, serving as program manager for an educational nonprofit, and teaching English in Japan.

Jessica Hatterill, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs As associate director of alumni relations and career services, Hatterill is responsible for coordinating student programming with a Washington focus, managing the
Washington semester program, assisting students who are interested in pursuing a career or internship in Washington, and providing opportunities for GSPIA’s Washington alumni to stay connected with the achool. Previously, Hatterill served as the associate director of student services at GSPIA, where she was responsible for managing GSPIA’s recruitment, admission, financial aid and registration processes.  Jessica began her career at Penn State University as a regional recruiter.

Meghan GiulinoMeghan Giulino is a foreign affairs analyst at the U.S. Department of State. Her portfolio includes Cuba, Suriname, Guyana, and the English-speaking Caribbean. Before joining State as a Presidential Management Fellow in September 2009, she completed a Ph.D. in Government at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Her dissertation examined the ties between social mobilization and political participation in Bolivia, where she conducted fieldwork. In addition, she holds an M.A. in Government from Georgetown and a B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy from Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. From 2005 to 2009 she worked at Hicks & Associates, SAIC, where she supported Department of Defense clients in the fields of cultural intelligence, wargaming, and national security reform. She is a certified yoga teacher, an avid reader of the New Yorker, and has lived, travelled, and studied extensively in the Western hemisphere.

Sarah King, Georgetown M.S.F.S. graduate King recently received a Masters of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. During her time at Georgetown she served as Senator Chuck Hagel's research assistant and worked for Chevron’s international affairs unit. She also worked at the U.S. Department of State in the office of the Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere. King currently works in the Office of the Secretary of State on 21st Century Statecraft. Before graduate school she worked at Kissinger McLarty Associates/McLarty Associates navigating the political, economic and business landscapes in Latin America, supporting multinational corporations in a variety of industries. Prior to joining Kissinger McLarty she was the project director in Paraguay for Amigos de las Americas, where she created and managed rural community development projects with the Ministry of Health, Plan International, and the Fundación Paraguaya/Junior Achievement. She is the President of the Board of Amigos de las Americas Washington, D.C. chapter. Additionally, King worked in Senator Diane Feinstein's Washington office on defense and China affairs, and at the Center for International Policy, supporting their Cuba project. Sarah graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Maryland in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and minor in Spanish.

Mark Vlasic, Georgetown University Law Center graduate Vlasic is a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Institute for Law, Science & Global Security, and a partner at Ward & Ward PLLC, where he heads the firm’s international practice. A public sector specialist at the World Bank Group, Vlasic served as the head of operations of the StAR Secretariat, a presidential initiative to help developing countries recover stolen assets from grand corruption cases. Before joining the Bank, he served as a White House fellow and special assistant to the Secretary of Defense (focused on foreign policy issues), helped advise the President’s special envoy to Sudan, and was awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service by Secretary Robert Gates. Prior to his government service, Vlasic practiced law in the litigation, international trade and public policy practice groups at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, and served on the Slobodan Milosevic and Srebrenica genocide prosecution trial teams at the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague. He has served as an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center, taught the Iraqi judges that tried Saddam Hussein, provided commentary to CNN, FOX News, CBS and NPR, and been published by Foreign Policy, The New Republic, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, The Tax Lawyer, USA Today, Legal Times, Toronto Star, San Francisco Chronicle, Ventura County Star and the Sudan Tribune. As an Army officer, he has been attached to Capitol Hill and the Defense Attaché Office at the U.S. Embassy in The Hague. Vlasic studied business, theology and government at Georgetown University while on an Army ROTC scholarship, and received his Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center. He holds a Certificate in International Law from The Hague Academy of International Law and conducted post-doctorate research at Universiteit Leiden as a NAF-Fulbright Scholar to the Netherlands. Vlasic is a member of the Bars of California, the District of Columbia, and the Supreme Court of the United States, and is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Amy Wilkinson is a senior fellow at Harvard University and a public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center. She is currently writing a book on leadership in the networked world focused on entrepreneurs. Previously Ms. Wilkinson served as a senior policy advisor in the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and as a White House Fellow. An experienced international business and economics executive, Ms. Wilkinson joined the White House from McKinsey & Company, where she advised corporate clients on strategy and its implementation. Before that, she worked as an investment banker at JP Morgan and was the founder and CEO of Alegre, a Mexican art-export company. Ms. Wilkinson began her career as the chief of protocol for the United States Embassy in Mexico. She is an active member of the Council on Foreign Relations and holds a BA in political science and English, an MA in sociology, and an MBA from Stanford University.