Contributors to the blog are Master’s students from the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Each student has both country and sectoral expertise and will be blogging here. Students include Joshua Bartlett, Bilal Bawany, Madeline Clark, Travis Clayton, Caley Corsello, Stephen Farshing, Anne Hulsey, Spencer Jones, Jesse Libra, Stephanie Redfern, Cherie Saulter, Dustin Stephenson-Reynolds, Carson Stones, Katy Wang, Miyako Yerick, and Ramzey Zbeida. Read on for more detailed bios.
Joshua Bartlett
Joshua Bartlett is a second year Master of Global Policy Studies student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, specializing in Development and Security. He has experience in International Education, Development, and Political Analysis. He has a B.S. from Indiana Wesleyan University in International Relations and has lived in China, Azerbaijan, and Turkey.
Bilal Bawany
Bilal Bawany is a second year Master of Global Policy Studies student at the LBJ School specializing in International Development and Governance. His experience in the public health, agribusiness and education sectors has fuelled his interest in how public private enterprise, aid and development policies affect the political economy of service delivery in developing countries.
Madeline Clark
Madeline Clark is a second year Master of Global Policy Studies student at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. In the summer of 2013, Madeline acted as a GIS and data management consultant to Nepali NGOs as part of her work with the AidData Center for Development Policy, which works to promote aid transparency at the donor and INGO level. She is interested in the role that data literacy plays in empowering disadvantaged and marginalized communities; natural resource management; International Agriculture and Food Security; and Post-Conflict Development.
Travis Clayton
Travis Clayton is a first year Masters of Global Policy Studies and Asian Studies student with a B.A. in Economics and Chinese from the University of Texas. His interests lie in Chinese energy policy and international finance. He has foreign experience living in Taiwan and interning at a consulting firm in Shanghai, China.
Caley Corsello
Caley Corsello is a first year Master of Public Affairs student at the LBJ School. Over the last six years, she has worked in the nonprofit sector on issues related to environmental policy and education. Most recently, Caley served as the Conference Program Manager at the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) in Washington, DC.
Stephen Farshing
Stephen Farshing is a second year Master of Global Policy Studies student at the LBJ School. After working in the sustainable agribusiness sector in Peace Corps Ecuador, he came to the LBJ School to explore ways of leveraging international finance, trade, and public private partnerships to promote economic growth and development, especially in Latin American energy and business sectors. Stephen is from North Carolina and he holds a B.A. in Political Science and Psychology from Appalachian State University.
Anne Hulsey
Anne Hulsey is a dual degree Master of Public Affairs and MS Civil Engineering student. Her interest is in the implementation of crucial engineering technology through policy. She has lived internationally in Turkey and Germany. Anne holds a B.A. in Humanities from the University of Texas at Austin.
Spencer Jones
Spencer Jones is a second year student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs studying Global Policy. His career in business process consulting and risk management led him to pursue a career in international economic policy and particularly the intersection of national security and economics.
Jesse Libra
Jesse Libra is a Masters Candidate in Global Policy Studies and Energy and Earth Resources at the University of Texas at Austin. She is specializing in water management and development, and is particularly interested in adaptive policy responses to climate change. Jesse spent the summer working for Innovations for Poverty Action in Zambia, and is currently working for The Robert S. Strauss Center’s CCAPS program. She has a B.S. in Geoscience from the University of Iowa.
Stephanie Redfern
Stephanie Redfern is a second year Master of Global Policy candidate specializing in Energy, Technology, and the Environment. She holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. After working in the tech industry for several years, she returned to school in 2012 to focus on energy policy.
Cherie Saulter
Cherie Saulter is a Masters student in Global Policy Studies at the LBJ School of Public Affairs specializing in International Development with a regional concentration on sub-Saharan Africa. Her research interests include food security and the impact of factors like climate change and conflict on achieving food security. She is a research fellow with Innovations for Peace and Development and works with the AidData Center for Development Policy at the University of Texas at Austin.
Dustin Stephenson-Reynolds
Dustin Stephenson-Reynolds is a Master’s Candidate in Global Policy Studies at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. His main interests are in conflict management, humanitarian aid and intervention, and Middle East regional policy. Stephenson-Reynolds is a former National Security Education Program Boren Scholar and former Center for Arabic Study Abroad Fellow. He received a B.A. in French Language and Literature from the University of Kansas and has lived in Morocco; Egypt; France; and Israel.
Carson Stones
Carson Stones is a Master’s Candidate in Global Policy Studies at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas. Carson specializes in Energy, Climate, and Security and spent the summer in Hong Kong working on low carbon development. He holds Bachelors degrees in History and Communications from UT and is interested in solar photovoltaics, distributed generation, and creative financing incentives for low carbon energy generation. But really, he likes camping… and reading.
Katy Wang
Katy Wang is a first year Master of Global Policy Studies Candidate. Prior to joining the LBJ School, Katy worked at a non-profit organization developing microfinance programs in rural Western China. The programs provided farmers with capacity building in animal husbandry, agriculture and the adoption of renewable energy technology at the household-level. Her policy interests revolve around the intersection of development and sustainability.
Miyako Yerick
Miyako Yerick is a second year Master of Global Policies student at the LBJ school. With a strong background in American foreign policy, she is now specializing on East Asian policy, specifically the Koreas. She is currently focusing on South Korea and short-lived gasses. Miyako is from Annandale, VA and holds a B.A. in History from Columbia University.
Ramzey Zbeida
Ramzey Zbeida is a second year Master of Global Policy Studies Candidate. His bachelor’s work in Economics and Peace Studies spurred his interest in climate change related policy areas. His other policy interests include trade, development, technology and innovation, and security. During the summer of 2013, Ramzey participated in a Climate Change Negotiation & Sustainable Development summer course, in Hiroshima, Japan. He is also working as a consultant for the Revenue Watch Institute, dealing with Oil & Gas revenue management and distribution reforms in Libya.
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