Leadership and Staff

The APSIA Executive Committee and Staff are a team of professionals who come together to improve and promote the field of international affairs.

Executive Committee

Staff

Carmen Iezzi Mezzera

Carmen Iezzi Mezzera

Executive Director

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

Briana Suarez

International Admissions & Operations Manager

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.

Bảo Ngân Chuor

Bảo Ngân Chuor

Constituent Relations and Communications Coordinator

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.

Sydney Song

Sydney Song

Diversity Fellow

Sydney Song earned a BA in International Studies, with a concentration in international politics and diplomacy, and a minor in Spanish from Texas A&M University in May of 2023. She was heavily involved on her campus with the Memorial Student Center (MSC), serving as vice president of diversity and earning the MSC Director’s Award. Sydney was born and raised in McAllen, Texas, a border town with a heavy Hispanic influence; this has made her passionate about human rights advocacy, specifically immigration and gender inequality. She is currently a Master of International Affairs candidate at the Bush School of Government and Public Service, where she is focusing on national security and diplomacy.

Krista McSwain

Krista McSwain

Design and Marketing Graduate Fellow

Krista McSwain is pursuing her MA in International Relations, focusing on security, strategy, and statecraft at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Originally from Tennessee, Krista was heavily influenced by her relationship with the local military community and developed a strong interest in international affairs. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Memphis, where she double-majored in International Affairs and Chinese.

Forthcoming

Data and Analysis Graduate Fellow

Information Forthcoming

Jiyoon Choi

Jiyoon Choi

Asia Pacific Fellow

Ji Yoon Choi is a graduate student currently pursuing a Master’s degree in International Commerce at Seoul National University’s Graduate School of International Studies. Born in South Korea and raised in the United States, Ji Yoon has had a life-long interest in the intersection of cultures, human relationships, and governance. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, as well as dual minors in Social & Public Policy and Korean from New York University. She has previously worked as an intern for Seoul National University’s Diversity Council and as a communications admin for the NYC Community of Volunteer Educators. Her research interests include the relationship between trade liberalization and core labour standards, and she is passionate about working to promote international cooperation on similar contemporary transnational issues. In her free time, Ji Yoon enjoys playing the cello and exploring other cultures through art, music, and cinema.

Makda Assefa

Makda Assefa

Communications Intern

Makda Assefa (she/her/hers) is a sophomore at Yale University, originally from Ethiopia & Kenya. She is pursuing a double major in Global Affairs and History, and is excited to work with APSIA this semester! Outside of the classroom, she serves as the Director-General of Operations for the Yale Model African Union, hosts a broadcast show on the Yale Radio Station (WYBC), works as a student assistant at the Afro-American Cultural Center at Yale, and teaches for Yale Hemispheres. In her free time she loves to write poetry, make playlists, take naps, and spend time with her friends.