2023 Rising Experts Cohort

Each year, Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (YPFP) welcomes a new class of Rising Experts, formerly known as Writing Fellows. Through a highly selective process, Rising Experts are selected for their knowledge and passion for their respective fields, as well as for their ability and desire to hone and share their analysis with a wider community of interest. Supported by an editorial team, they publish regularly at major online media outlets in their Rising Experts Program focus area and participate in professional development events. 


Alejandro Turino
Latin America Expert

Alejandro Turino is a political scientist and technology professional interested in Latin American politics, technological innovation, and sustainable development. Alejandro has worked in sectors varying from academia to development and organizations like Oxfam, the Pan American Development Foundation, and the Washington Office on Latin America. 

From 2019-2021, Alejandro served as a Program Coordinator for YLAI, an international exchange program that connected Latin American social entrepreneurs to U.S. small businesses they could collaborate with. Currently, Alejandro is an Operations Specialist within Premise Data, where he works at the intersection of technology and economic development, leading and overseeing projects that gather and use crowdsourced data to solve some of the most pressing challenges facing Latin America.    

Turino holds an MA Degree in International Relations from Syracuse University and a BA in Political Science from the University of Central Florida (2017). Follow him on LinkedIn.

Alejandro Turino

Latin America Expert


Anjali Bhatt
Economics Expert

Anjali Bhatt is the Social Media and Digital Communications Manager at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. She is also pursuing a Masters of Advanced Studies in International Affairs at the University of California, San Diego. Prior to PIIE and UCSD, she completed dual undergraduate degrees in economics and marketing at Sciences Po and the University of British Columbia. Her research interests include international trade and supply chains, technology, and national security. In addition to international affairs and economics, Anjali is well-versed in all things social media and enjoys following how information and memes move across platforms and reach different groups of people.

Anjali Bhatt

Economics Expert


Aya Kamil
Middle East Expert

Aya Kamil (she/her) is a 2022- 2023 James C. Gaither Fellow at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Her areas of interest and research include humanitarian programming, scenario planning and climate change-human security nexus.

Aya has held positions in several organizations. Most recently as a 360/Sherlock Digital Lab Forensic Scholar at the Atlantic Council and as UNITE2030 SDG Changemaker; a coalition of 100+ civil society leaders pledging to work towards the achievement of SDG’s. Her research surveyed nuclear non-proliferation at the Middle East Institute, women’s guardianship laws at Human Rights Watch, and legacies of fragmentation, demilitarization and institution building  at Carnegie. 

Aya received a BA in Political Science, International Relations and Middle Eastern Studies from St Olaf College in 2022. She is an alumna of the Cambridge Security Initiative at Magdalene College, the London School of Economics, and the University of Oslo. Aya is a United World College Scholar alumna and a 2018 Global Citizen Year Fellow. She speaks 6 languages fluently.

Aya Kamil

Middle East Expert


Colleen Devine
Human Rights Expert

Colleen Devine is a litigation associate in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP where she maintains an internationally focused practice involving foreign judgment and arbitral award enforcement, transnational litigation, international human rights law, and matters of asylum. Prior to joining the firm, Colleen served as a fellow with the Permanent Mission of Afghanistan in Geneva Switzerland participating in the Universal Periodic Review process and U.N. Human Rights Council. Colleen received her JD from the University of Michigan Law school where she served as the Managing Online Content Editor for the Michigan Journal of International Law and as an International Law and Development Fellow at the Law Reform and Development Commission, a division of the Namibian Ministry of Justice. She received her BA in Women’s Studies from the University of Michigan. 

Colleen Devine

Human Rights Expert


Giulia Di Donato
Geostrategy Expert

Giulia Di Donato is an incoming UN/DESA Fellow and Policy Officer at UNDP Viet Nam. Previously, she also worked as Economic Advisor to the Italian Minister for Sustainable Infrastructure and Mobility. She is the Co-founder of Officine Italia, an Association with the mission to activate and train tomorrow’s decision makers to catalyze a positive change of Italy’s outlook. Giulia holds a Master in Diplomacy from the Italian Institute for International Political Studies, a Master in Public Policy from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, a MSc in Accounting and Finance and a BA in Business and Management from Bocconi University.

Giulia Di Donato

Geostrategy Expert


Jared Stancombe
Cyber Expert

Jared Stancombe is a Senior Associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he specializes in enterprise cybersecurity risk management, cybersecurity strategy, and security operations for the banking and finance sector. He is a former Coding It Forward fellow at the National Institutes of Health where he worked for their information security program. He also has experience in education and global health with fellowships with Global Health Corps and the American India Foundation. In 2011 he served as an AmeriCorps member with City Year Washington, D.C. He received his BA in political science from Indiana University and his MS in cybersecurity risk management from Indiana University.

Jared Stancombe

Cyber Expert


Jasmin Alsaeid
National Security Expert

Jasmin Alsaied is a United States Navy Surface Warfare officer currently pursuing her master’s in Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Her research focuses on maritime domain awareness, emerging technology integration challenges, and nuclear counterproliferation in the Indo-Pacific. She is a graduate of NC State University (BS Nuclear Engineering, ’17) and is currently a non-resident fellow at the Middle East Institute. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Jasmin Alsaied

National Security Expert


Justin Brightharp
Energy Expert

Justin Brightharp is a Senior Program Manager with the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance, leading the organization’s energy-efficient transportation priorities and initiatives. His prior experience includes working on clean transportation deployments in the United States at the Center for Transportation and the Environment, and clean vehicle policy and projects with the Electrification Coalition and the City of Atlanta. Justin has a Bachelor of Science in Geosciences from Georgia State University. You can find him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Justin Brightharp

Energy Expert


Justin Kwan
Asia-Pacific Expert

Justin Kwan is a researcher, public policy professional, and international development practitioner based in Vancouver, Canada. As a Senior Program Manager at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, he is currently focused on managing the APEC-Canada Growing Business Partnership, a Government of Canada-supported project focused on micro, small, and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) growth in developing Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies. Justin graduated with an Honours BA (High Distinction) from the University of Toronto, with a double major in Political Science and Contemporary Asian Studies and a MA in Asia Pacific Policy Studies from the University of British Columbia.

Justin Kwan

Asia-Pacific Expert


LeAnn Glover
Africa Expert

LeAnn Glover  is a Senior Program Associate Intern based in Washington, D.C, where she works mainly on locally-led development, human rights, climate change and African development. LeAnn was raised in Accra, Ghana and studied at the University of San Francisco, where she graduated with a BA in International Studies. She moved back to D.C where she interned at various non-profit organizations such as Society for International Development - U.S Chapter and The Komenda Project to support improved access to education for children and women in developing countries. She is also a believer in building relationships around the globe based on trust, unity, and equality. In 2021, she received the Oscar Romero Award for her efforts in advocacy and justice within her university's campus organization, the African Student Association. She has participated in the Kenya Elections, training in Kyrgyzstan, and contributed to providing career opportunities for Afghan refugees.

LeAnn Glover

Africa Expert


Marko Mocevic
Eastern Europe Expert

Marko Mocevic serves as a Program Analyst for Headquarters, Department of the Army. Prior to his current role, he was a Special Assistant under the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs (ASA M&RA). His previous experiences include working in policy, law enforcement, and diplomatic spheres across local, state, and federal government. He holds a master’s degree in Global Finance, Trade, and Economic Integration from the University of Denver, Josef Korbel School. Marko is fluent in Serbian and worked, lived, and studied in the Balkans. He is a 2018 Boren Fellow, part of the inaugural cohort of the DoD John S. McCain Strategic Defense Fellows Program, and a former Army Emerging Leader Fellow.

Marko Mocevic

Eastern Europe Expert


Michael Walker
National Security Expert

Lieutenant Michael Walker is a submarine officer in the U.S. Navy. He currently serves as an operations officer for Submarine Squadron 12 in New London, CT, where he coordinates the schedule, training, maintenance, and certification of 11 operational submarines for worldwide deployment. He is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy class of 2018, with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He holds an MPhil in Fluid Mechanics from the University of Cambridge, as a Churchill Scholar, and is a graduate of the Naval nuclear propulsion program. His research interests are in undersea warfare, deterrence, and aero- and fluid dynamics. He has previously worked as an analyst at the Institute for Defense Analyses, and a research associate at Lawrence Livermore and Sandia National Laboratories. In the fall, he will matriculate as a PhD candidate at Princeton University. He is a licensed Professional Engineer and a native of College Station, TX.

Michael Walker

National Security Expert


Noah DeMichele
Europe Expert

Noah DeMichele is a master’s student at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs where he concentrates on transatlantic relations and international security. He is also currently a Transatlantic Relations Intern with Bertelsmann Foundation North America. In previous roles, he has interned with the United Macedonian Diaspora and the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center.  He has spent time living in Berlin, Germany and holds a B.S. in political science and international studies from Frostburg State University. Noah’s primary research interests include transatlantic security cooperation, German foreign policy, and the European Union. Follow Noah on Twitter.

Noah DeMichele

Europe Expert


Nsikakabasi George
Global Health Expert

Nsikakabasi George is a Public Health Practitioner with over 4 years cross-cutting experience across Health Policy and Management, Epidemiology, Health Financing, and Global Public Health, working with local and international organizations which targets sustainable development.

He works as the Program Manager for the ZeroNOMA Initiative, an organization pushing for the eradication of Noma in Africa. He is currently studying for a European Masters in Public Health degree (MPH) at the University of Sheffield.

Nsikakabasi as a health equity evangelist pushes to improve access to healthcare especially primary healthcare, reduce health disparities through influencing public health policies and its implementation.

You can find him on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Nsikakabasi George

Global Health Expert


Pauline Melvin
International Development Expert

Pauline Melvin (she/her) is a foreign policy professional with over 10 years of experience with bi/multilateral and civil society organizations in Africa, Asia, and Europe. Currently, she serves as the Civilian-Military Coordinator for the Africa Command in the US Agency for International Development (USAID). In this role, Pauline enhances US government interagency coordination, across strategic and operational levels, in conflict prevention and stabilization efforts throughout Africa.

Pauline has a mission to challenge the status quo by empowering the underserved and marginalized through community-led initiatives, at home and abroad. By transforming her anthropological knowledge and work experiences into tools of gaining socio-cultural insights, Pauline approaches her work through a human-centered lens to develop feasible solutions that cater to communal dilemmas. 

Prior to joining USAID, Pauline’s work included designing and implementing global projects and leading multicultural teams for the World Health Organization, United States Air Force, and Slum Dwellers International. Her servant leadership and cultural competency has resulted in accolades including the Humanitarian Service Medal in Japan, Global Engagement Distinction Award in Ghana, Citizen Diplomacy Action Fund Award in Mauritania, 2021 US Youth Delegate to the G7 in the United Kingdom and other notable achievements. 

Pauline holds a Masters from the University of Manchester in England, UK and Bachelors from Kennesaw State University in Georgia, US. She hails from Georgia by way of New Jersey and prides herself on being a caffeinated geocacher, "mysterious, cool auntie”, and cartoon aficionado.

Pauline Melvin

International Development Expert