Bios - School of International Relations and Pacific Studies

Career Services
IR/PS SPRING CONNECTIONS ALUMNI PARTICIPANTS
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Jacques Chirazi (MPIA’04), Program Manager – Clean Tech, City of San Diego, San Diego, CA
Jacques Chirazi, certified Biomimicry Professional, has managed the California City of San Diego’s Clean Technology Program since 2007. His focus is to create economic growth while fostering sustainability. One emerging initiative is to
bridge cleantech with biomimicry. He develops and supports a clean technology cluster in San Diego, collaborating
across a diverse range of private, public and non-profit sector groups. With the passion for learning about the natural
world and understanding how nature could transform the corporate environment, his long term vision is to create new
business models and financial instruments to accelerate the commercialization of biomimetic solutions. Jacques
served six years as Senior Project Manager at Bainbridge Inc., a strategic management consulting firm, which
provides consulting services for Fortune 500 companies. He currently teaches sustainability courses and clean
technology to business students at the University of California, San Diego and San Diego State University. Jacques is
also a certified Energy Manager (C.E.M.), Renewable Energy Professional (R.E.P.) and LEED-GC.
Email: [email protected]
Dustin Clinton (MPIA’11), Consultant, Federal Practice, LeighFisher Associates, Washington, DC
Dustin is a Consultant in the Federal Practice at LeighFisher, an aviation management consulting firm. He primarily
works on a contract with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Through this contract he has worked on
project and budget planning, written technical design documents, and helped with contract project management.
Currently he is involved in rolling out a “Risk Based Security” plan for checked baggage across the country. Dustin
received his B.S. in Psychology then volunteered with the Peace Corps in Micronesia. While at UC San Diego, he
studied International Politics with a focus in China and interned with the Pacific Command.
Email: [email protected]
Jessica Graham (MPIA’09), Senior Advisor, Office of Anti-Crime Programs, Bureau of International Narcotics
and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), US Department of State, Washington, DC
The Anti-Crime Office within INL (INL/C) is a functional office within INL designed to draw upon subject matter
expertise in specific priority anti-crime areas in order to develop and/or manage policy and program activities—
particularly multi-country in scope. Jessica has recently developed the Environmental Crime team, which is the
newest of 8 total teams for the office. In this role, Jessica specializes in wildlife trafficking and illegal logging areas.
Prior to taking on this role, Jessica managed programs for regional International Law Enforcement Academies (ILEA)
in Bangkok, Budapest, San Salvador, and Gaborone. Before joining INL, Jessica worked in a contractor role as
International Conference Coordinator for State’s Bureau of Oceans, Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES) in both
the Office of the Executive Director and the Climate Change Office. While at IR/PS, Jessica did an internship with the
U.S. Foreign Commercial Service in Shanghai and worked as a Consultant for SCC and as a Graduate Researcher
for the Center for Creative Leadership. Her career track was and her regional focus was China.
Email: [email protected]
Narciss Greene (MPIA’13), Project Manager, CSA Associates, San Diego, CA
CSA is a professional services firm providing strategic guidance and operational performance solutions to government
and commercial clients. CSA helps clients achieve their goals by enhancing organizational performance and
maximizing return on investments. CSA helps clients plan and execute processes associated with Project and
Portfolio Management, Acquisition and Program Management, Contracts Management, Business and Financial
Management, Logistics and Supply Chain Optimization, and Business Improvement and Analytics Services. CSA
delivers services by combining deep process expertise with strong program management disciplines, analytics and a
focus on performance results. Narciss works in a program office that serves the Navy and is in charge of making sure
systems are fielded on time and projects are completed in a timely manner. She uses Microsoft Project and
Milestones Professional on a daily basis to help manage her program's projects. While at IR/PS, Narciss focused on
Latin America and International Economics. Prior to IR/PS, Narciss completed her B.A. in both International Relations
and Economics at the University of California at Davis. Go Ags!
Email: [email protected]
School of International Relations and Pacific Studies
9500 Gilman Drive, #0519 | La Jolla, CA 92093-0519 | (858) 534-1104 | irps.ucsd.edu
Career Services
Will Hart (MPIA’09), Research Project Manager, PSB Research, San Diego, CA
Will has worked at PSB Research since October 2011. Prior to that he worked over three years in progressively more
responsible positions at UCSD’s IGCC. Prior to coming to IR/PS he served as a Communications Manager in DC with
Radio Free Asia, as a Deputy Director for Radio Communications with the Democratic National Committee, and as a
Press Intern with the U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. While at IR/PS, Will was an International Politics track student
with a regional focus on China.
Email: [email protected]
Ben Jaques-Leslie (MPIA’10), Agriculture Program Manager, J-PAL Global, Boston, MA
Ben joined the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) in 2010 after receiving a Master's in Pacific and
International Affairs from the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies at University of California,
San Diego. Ben co-manages the Agricultural Technology Adoption Initiative at J-PAL, manages J-PAL's global
recruitment efforts, and helps the research team with overarching knowledge management of projects and people. In
2011, he served as acting Country Director for Innovations for Poverty Action in Sierra Leone. Prior to joining J-PAL,
he was a research assistant investigating consumer demand for Fair Trade coffee and interned with the Grameen
Foundation and PlaNet Finance in Beijing.
Email: [email protected]
Jennifer Shin (MPIA’12), Senior Analyst, Obsidian Analysis, Washington, DC
Jenn currently supports a national preparedness assessment division within the Federal Emergency Management
Agency, applying qualitative and quantitative methodologies to analyze state and local preparedness programs. Her
work also involves managing stakeholder engagement for the 2014 National Preparedness Report and providing
written assessments for the 2014 Catastrophic Resource Report. Additionally, she has assisted in the execution of an
active shooter scenario on the campus of George Washington University and provided recommendations on
improving their emergency response plans. From 2008 to 2013, Jenn worked at Science Applications International
Corporation as Strategic Nuclear Security Analyst supporting two nuclear defense policy offices within the Department
of Defense, managing a nuclear deterrence policy portfolio. Her work was incorporated in the 2010 Nuclear Posture
Review and during the negotiations of the New START Treaty with Russia, which was honored with a DoD Certificate
of Appreciation. Prior to that, Jenn worked on the Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue program at the Institute on
Global Conflict and Cooperation from 2007 to 2008 and again in 2010. Jenn obtained her B.A. in Political ScienceInternational Relations in 2007 from UCSD. In 2012, Jenn graduated from IR/PS with an MPIA degree specializing in
International Economics and the Korea Peninsula.
Email: [email protected]
Jed Sundwall (MPIA’06), Co-Founder, Civic Knowledge, San Diego, CA
Jed is the co-founder of Civic Knowledge, a California benefit corporation that helps government and non-profit
organizations use data for social development. For over ten years, his work has focused on finding ways that the
Internet can improve the quality of governance around the world. Before Civic Knowledge, he created Measured
Voice, a social media management tool designed for government. Measured Voice is used by the U.S. Department of
Energy, NOAA, Texas.gov, USA.gov, and the World Wildlife Fund among many others. Measured Voice was honored
to participate in the first Code for America Accelerator program. Throughout his career, Jed has consulted for the U.S.
General Services Administration, the World Bank, State Department, and World Wildlife Fund. He has also worked
extensively throughout Latin America and on U.S. Hispanic outreach campaigns, giving him a unique perspective into
the needs of Spanish speakers worldwide. His work has yielded coverage in CNN, the Washington Post, the New
York Times, The Politico, Wired.com, Slate.com, and the Associated Press. A proud and committed San Diegan, he is
also the founder of Open San Diego, a group working to make data about San Diego freely available for anyone to
use. Launched late in 2009, Open San Diego has quickly developed a vibrant community of volunteer software
developers, journalists, and citizens interested in leveraging the power of data to improve the quality of policymaking,
journalism, and overall decision making in San Diego.
Email: [email protected]
School of International Relations and Pacific Studies
9500 Gilman Drive, #0519 | La Jolla, CA 92093-0519 | (858) 534-1104 | irps.ucsd.edu
Career Services
Eri Tagaya (MPIA’12), Oncology Business Consultant, Humana, Louisville, KY
After completing her studies in International Management, Eri moved to Louisville, KY to join the post-graduate executive
training program at the headquarters of Humana, one of the country’s leading healthcare companies. For six months, she consulted on the Marketing Strategy and Planning team when she learned of an opportunity even better suited to her
clinical background and interests. Now, together with directors in Clinical Strategy and National Contracting and the
Kentucky Medical Director, she is managing Humana’s Oncology Quality Management cancer program—helping grow
two start-ups, implement them across the country and manage the businesses internally.
Email: [email protected]
Elizabeth Torres (MPIA’12), Associate, MANAUS Consulting, Los Angeles, CA
Elizabeth is an Associate at MANAUS Consulting. Elizabeth has worked in the field of corporate social responsibility
since 2012 in capacities such as supply chain mapping, risk identification and quantification, and stakeholder
engagement. She is responsible for designing and conducting research on various social issues including labor
standards and human rights. Elizabeth has designed methodologies with customized indicators and metrics that
identify the source and measure the degree of risk present in a supply chain. Before joining MANAUS Consulting,
Elizabeth interned at Not for Sale Campaign where she researched the strategies companies take to address the
issue of human trafficking in various industries including apparel, chocolate, electronics and jewelry. This research
was used for a mobile application and interactive website (www.free2work.org) to educate consumers and promote
corporate transparency. Elizabeth obtained her B.A in Political Science with an emphasis in International Relations
and a minor in Latin American Studies at UCLA. In 2012 she graduated from IRPS and earned an MPIA degree with
a specialization in International Development and a regional specialization in Lain America.
Email: [email protected]
Jenny Weng (MPIA’10), Operations Manager, M Powered Strategies, Washington, DC
Jenny received her Master’s degree in International Management with a concentration in Japan from IR/PS in 2010. She joined M Powered Strategies, a Washington, DC-based government consulting firm, as an Applied Management
Professional in 2009 and returned in 2011 as a Team Lead for the Applied Management Professionals Program.
Since then, she has worked with clients at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, and the
Department of Health and Human Services. Jenny currently manages all the proposals and contracts for M Powered
Strategies as the Sales Operations Manager.
Email: [email protected]
School of International Relations and Pacific Studies
9500 Gilman Drive, #0519 | La Jolla, CA 92093-0519 | (858) 534-1104 | irps.ucsd.edu