Carmen Iezzi Mezzera has been executive director of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs since January 2014. Previously, she served as Director of Programs and Operations at the Bretton Woods Committee; Executive Director of the Fair Trade Federation; Assistant Director for Education and Outreach at the Atlantic Council of the United States; and Director of Alumni Relations for the School of International Service (SIS) at American University.

Graduating Phi Beta Kappa from SIS, Ms. Mezzera stayed on to complete her master’s degree with a focus on international organizations and sustainable development. In the course of her studies, she provided analyses for NATO’s Partnership for Peace in Mons, Belgium and at the United Nations Development Program Washington Office.

Among her volunteer work, Ms. Mezzera has served with the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area, St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington DC, the Canadian Coalition for Fair Trade, and the Abyssinian Fund. She has written and/or provided interviews for CNN, CBS, Forbes, Foreign Affairs, the Wall Street Journal, Martha Stewart Living, Vogue, US News and World Report, and Cooperative Grocer Magazine – among other outlets. She speaks at numerous national and international conferences. She received the 2008 Rising Star Alumni Award from American University.

Briana Suarez is APSIA’s International Admissions and Operations Manager. Originally from New York City, she completed her undergraduate degree in International Affairs and French at the State University of New York, New Paltz. She graduated with a Master’s of Arts in Security Policy Studies from The Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University in 2018. She specialized in Conflict/Conflict Resolution and Intelligence during her time there.

Briana has previously worked at Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières as the Marketing Intern and has several years of professional experience of administrative work. She served as APSIA’s Summer 2018 Diversity and Inclusion Fellow. She speaks three languages: English, Spanish, and French.

Britnee Chuor serves as APSIA’s Constituent Relations and Communications Coordinator.

As a California native with strong Houston ties, Britnee became interested in migration and education at an early age. Britnee studied abroad in Cadiz, Spain as a Gilman Scholar and later returned to Madrid as a Fulbright Global Classrooms instructor. This introduction to international education reinforced her desire to expand educational opportunities in under-resourced communities. Upon returning to the US, Britnee earned her Master of Global Policy Studies-D.C. Concentration degree from the University of Texas at Austin LBJ School of Public Affairs. There, she focused on the nexus of national security and human rights through migrants’ right advocacy. At the University of Houston, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Liberal Studies and specialized in US immigration policy and state government.