Member of the Month - May 2008

Patricia DeGennaro

International Affairs Specialist
[WIIS Member Since January 2007]

Areas of Specialization:
International Affairs and US Foreign Policy, International and National Security, Military Policy, Arms Control, Terrorism, Democratic Transitions and State Building, Negotiation and Conflict Resolution

Regions of Specialization:
Middle East, Balkans, Afghanistan and Southeast Asia

Foreign Languages
Albanian, Arabic, Italian

Patricia (Tricia) DeGennaro is a professor, writer, analyst and consultant. She is a Senior Research Fellow for the Center for the Study of Democracy at Queens University in Canada and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs where she teaches courses on US Foreign Policy, Military Affairs, National Security Policy, and the War on Terrorism.

Tricia capitalizes on over fifteen years of experience in international relations and economic development. Her work recently brought her to Afghanistan with Bearing Point on a provincial governance capacity building program. She will return frequently in 2008 to study Afghan democratization.

During her tenure, she has consulted with the Director of National Intelligence Office, Department of Homeland Security, The Conference Board, Fred Friendly Seminars, World Bank, Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee chaired by Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and several organizations that support the Middle East Peace Process. She also spent four years in Albania, initially as a Small and Medium Enterprise Consultant with the Peace Corps, which was followed by a contract with the US Agency for International Development. Regionally, Tricia continues to focus on the Balkans and the Middle East where she travels often.

Recently, Tricia founded the Institute for Integrated International Policy (www.integratedpolicy.org). Her focus is to encourage critical thinking and participation in forming a comprehensive foreign policy beyond the use of force.

Tricia has published several articles on US foreign policy and national security topics. She has been an expert source for the Washington Post as well as a guest on Fox’s Hannity and Colmes and the O’Reilly Factor, Al Jazeera and NPR’s Leonard Lopate Show.

Ms. DeGennaro holds an MPA in International Security and Conflict Resolution from Harvard University and an MBA from George Washington University.

Tricia frequently blogs on the Huffing Post and writes a monthly column on her website: www.awakenthesenses.com.

As of May 1st she will be in Afghanistan, working as a Senior Policy Advisor for the Chief of Staff in the Office of the Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Strong words of advice from Patricia: "The US is facing one of the most important junctures in its foreign policy track. It is our duty to create a comprehensive holistic vision for our future. We must look beyond militarizing our international efforts and create a world were everyone can gain and contribute to something other than war and violence."

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