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 2021-2023

President

Manuel Muñiz
Manuel MuñizDean, School of Politics, Economics & Global Affairs
IE University

Vice President

Amaney A. Jamal
Amaney A. Jamal Dean, School of Public and International Affairs
Princeton University

Secretary/Treasurer

Arancha González Laya
Arancha González LayaDean, Paris School of International Affairs
Sciences Po

At-Large

Carissa Schively Slotterback
Carissa Schively SlotterbackDean, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
University of Pittsburgh

At-Large

Peter Loewen
Peter Loewen Director, Munk School
University of Toronto

At-Large

Danny Quah 柯成兴
Danny Quah 柯成兴Dean, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
National University of Singapore

Ex-Officio

James Levinsohn
James LevinsohnDean, Jackson School of Global Affairs
Yale University
Temporarily Vacant

STAFF

Carmen Iezzi Mezzera
Carmen Iezzi MezzeraExecutive Director
Carmen 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, and Cooperative Grocer Magazine – among other outlets – and spoken at numerous national and international conferences. She received the 2008 Rising Star Alumni Award from American University.

Briana Suarez
Briana SuarezInternational 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 ChuorConstituent 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 SongDiversity 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.
Mukta Gawde
Mukta GawdeDesign and Marketing Graduate Fellow
Mukta Gawde, a business analyst by profession, was drawn to the development sector through her various projects with the NABARD & RBI (apex banks for agriculture and monetary policy in India). She is the co-founder of an agri-marketing start-up and has a wealth of experience working with SMEs to leverage international trade relations. She is currently pursuing her Masters in International Relations at SIPA, Columbia University. She hopes to work as an international relations and development specialist at the intersection of agriculture, trade and economic growth specifically focused on developing countries.
Data and Analysis Graduate Fellow
Bio unavailable at this time
Ji Yoon Choi
Ji Yoon 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.
Natsuki Murai
Natsuki MuraiCareer Fellow
Natsuki Murai is a Japanese graduate student at Sciences Po’s Paris School of International Affairs. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in International Governance and Diplomacy, with a specialization in Gender Studies. She also holds a dual Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Sciences Po and Keio University in Japan. She is passionate about promoting the UN’s sustainable development goals — especially with regard to gender equality, quality education, and decent work — and aspires to work in the field of international relations and public policy. She enjoys discovering different cultures through food, art, travel, and meeting new people.
Joyce Zhang
Joyce ZhangCommunications Intern
Born and raised in central Maryland, Joyce Zhang is a junior at Boston University majoring in International Relations with a focus on international systems and Asia studies. She is also pursuing a minor in Business Administration. Coming from a close-knit Chinese-American family, “I spent my childhood being immersed in culture-rich communities,”she says. “In college, I have delved into the world of marketing through my studies, serving as a campus ambassador for many consumer-market-based companies.” By getting involved on campus, she learned the importance that social media and marketing have on her generation and why “…it is now more important than ever to get involved.” Through connecting students from across the world, she hopes to be able to further enrich one’s knowledge of the culture of another and the welcoming community of APSIA.