Are you interested in developing professional skills to help you succeed in global careers?

This Diplomacy Initiative forum brings Carolina alumni to Chapel Hill to help students discover global careers and develop skills necessary to work in global affairs. Students are invited to attend the Policy Brief Competition awards ceremony — where finalists will articulate compelling solutions to shared global challenges — and a networking reception with Carolina alumni interested in global affairs on Thursday, April 10. On Friday, April 11, students are encouraged to participate in a resume review workshop and a mini-simulation.

THURSDAY, APRIL 10

Policy Brief Competition Awards Ceremony

5:30 p.m., FedEx Global Education Center, Nelson Mandela Auditorium 

Carolina students are stepping up to take on global challenges like climate change, cybersecurity and migration through compelling policy briefs with innovative solutions. Celebrate the finalists of this year’s Policy Brief Competition at the awards ceremony. Hear from winners as they present their briefs, gain insights from the competition’s judges — four alumni who bring global affairs expertise from their accomplished careers — and learn how complex transnational crises demand multifaceted approaches, and what skills you can hone as you prepare for a career in policymaking.

See alumni judges’ bios below!

Networking Reception

6:30 p.m., FedEx Global Education Center, Fourth Floor

After the awards ceremony, join Carolina students, faculty, staff and alumni interested in global affairs for the annual networking reception. Meet professionals and peers and hear about their experiences and careers to learn about opportunities to chart your path to a career in global affairs.

RSVP to secure your spot! 

FRIDAY, APRIL 11

Resume Review Session: National Security 

9:30 – 11:30 a.m., FedEx Global Education Center, Room 2008/2010 (Second Floor Conference Room)

Want to sharpen your federal resume for opportunities in national security? Sign up for a 10-minute slot to meet individually with Ned Kelly ’05 from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). Ned will review your resume and offer tips to strengthen it. Please bring a hard copy with you and dress professionally.

Resume Review Session: General  

9:30 – 11:30 a.m., FedEx Global Education Center, Room 2008/2010 (Second Floor Conference Room) 

Looking for general resume advice for global careers? Sign up for a 10-minute slot to meet individually with Jatin Srivastava ’23, currently with the U.S. Department of Commerce. Jatin will review your resume and offer tips to strengthen it. Please bring a hard copy with you and dress professionally.

Mini-Simulation 

11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., FedEx Global Education Center, Room 3009 (DeBerry Board Room) 

Engage in a lively simulation and discussion with Jennifer Davis ’94, ’97 (J.D.) and Ambassador (ret.) Carl Paschall ’91, both distinguished career diplomats. You’ll be launched into a crisis situation where you’ll represent different actors to come up with actionable solutions and present your findings. The session will conclude with an open Q&A. Join to sharpen your critical thinking skills and learn from experts!

Space is limited and registration is required. Lunch will be provided!

CLE credit is available for the Policy Brief Competition awards ceremony and the mini-simulation event. Activities can count for the Carolina Diplomacy Fellows program.  

Alumni Judges

Jennifer Davis ’94, ’97 (J.D.) is a career U.S. diplomat and former attorney, who is retiring from the U.S. Foreign Service this month.  She concluded her diplomatic career as the Acting Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, where she oversaw a $7 billion humanitarian budget and U.S. policy to assist vulnerable populations around the world.  She also served as the Chief of Staff to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, the U.S. Consul General in Istanbul, as the senior-most career diplomat on the direct staffs of U.S. Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, Special Assistant to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a Watch Officer in the State Operations Center and other postings.  She is a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. National War College and has served as an executive coach in the Leadership and Management School of the Foreign Service Institute. Before joining the Foreign Service, Jennifer was a corporate attorney and clerked for the Honorable Judge James C. Fox in the Eastern District of North Carolina.  She has a bachelor’s degree with distinction and J.D. with honors from UNC-Chapel Hill and an LL.M. in international law from the University of Oxford in England.

Ned Kelly ’05 is a senior intelligence officer at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), where he oversees DIA’s analytic programs associated with technology protection. Ned began his career as an intelligence analyst with DIA in 2006. Prior to his current assignment, Ned served as a Deputy Research Director, where he managed the Agency’s program of analysis and developed analytic tradecraft best practices. He has served in analytic positions at DIA Headquarters, the Pentagon, United States Africa Command, NORAD and U.S. Northern Command, and the National Counterterrorism Center. He also deployed to Afghanistan to support special operations. Ned graduated from UNC–Chapel Hill with a bachelor’s degree in Latin American studies and Spanish, and was a recipient of the Morehead-Cain scholarship. Ned also received a master’s degree from American University’s School of International Service.

Ambassador (ret.) Carl Paschall ’91 concluded a 33-year Foreign Service career in November 2024 having served in Washington, D.C., Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. His significant roles include Deputy Permanent Representative (Acting) at the U.S. Mission to the UN advancing U.S. national security priorities at the UN Security Council and other UN organizations; U.S. Ambassador to The Gambia, focusing on post-authoritarian democratic reforms and private sector development; and Senior State Department Advisor to the President and CEO of Corporate Council on Africa advocating for greater U.S. government and private sector investment in and engagement on the continent. He has also held key positions within the State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism, Africa Bureau, the National Security Council and served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Beyond government service, Amb. Paschall recently founded The Paschall Group, LLC, and is in the process of launching a non-profit organization focused on promoting U.S. democratic governance principles and well-being both in the United States and abroad. His academic credentials include a master’s degree from the Eisenhower School at National Defense University and a bachelor’s degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. He is the recipient of numerous awards and speaks French and Arabic.

Jatin Srivastava ’23 works for the federal government at the intersection of industrial policy, innovation and national security at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, an agency under the U.S. Department of Commerce. Specifically, he works for the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund, a $1.5B competitive grant program that seeks to enhance the security & resiliency of the supply chain for telecommunications equipment that underly 5G wireless networks by investing in U.S. companies. Prior to that, he worked for the Secretary of Commerce to help implement the Investing in America Agenda under the Biden-Harris administration. He graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a bachelor’s degree in economics and public policy, with a minor in philosophy, politics and economics. He participated in the UNC Honors Seminar in Public Policy and Global Affairs in the spring of 2022.