Carter Coudriet is a second-year Master’s student in the Global Commerce & Policy program, concentrating in Global Risk & Strategy. He graduated with a Bachelor’s in political science from the University of Pennsylvania in 2017. Carter’s research focuses include the Arctic economy and Nordic affairs.
Leo Field is a MA student in the International Security program at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. He holds a B.A. in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations and minors in History and German from Stonehill College. He has interned with the Eurasian Partnership Foundation in Yerevan, Armenia, and became interested in International Relations and Political Science after participating in the NYLF National Security program in high school. After graduating Leo hopes to pursue a career with the State Department, serving in embassies abroad.
Christine German is a PhD student in political science at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. Her work focuses on ideological extremism and its impact on political behavior, gender and extremism, and US and MENA politics. Prior to starting her PhD, Christine spent more than a decade working in international development in the Middle East and North Africa focused on gender and human rights, democracy and governance, and countering extremism.
Christopher Gettel graduated from Rutgers University with a B.A. in Criminal Justice. He served for 8 years in the U.S. Army, then earned a graduate certificate in Nuclear Deterrence from Harvard University’s Extension School. He is currently in his third semester as a graduate student studying international security at GMU.
Post graduation, Christopher plans on earning his PhD, then working in the field of nuclear weapons policy for the government.
Brandon Grosch is a full-time graduate student in the Schar School’s International Security program. He holds two B.A. degrees in History and International Studies from Towson University. His research interests include strategic air power, NATO alliance politics, and European security and economic issues. After graduation he hopes to pursue a career in foreign policy.
Ryan Lee is a graduate student in the second year of his MA in International Security program at the Schar School of Policy and Government. He holds a BA in Political Science and Spanish from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He currently teaches Spanish, History, Government, and Economics at the high school level. After earning his degree, he hopes to pursue a career in foreign policy and diplomacy.
Will Nelson is an International Security M.A. student at George Mason University. He works as the Administrative Coordinator for the Anti-Illicit Trade Institute at the Terrorism, Transnational Crime, and Corruption Center with Dr. Louise Shelley and David M. Luna and is a research assistant with the State Department’s Regional China Office, focusing on Chinese Digital Silk Road activities in Southeast Asia.
A 2017 graduate of the College of William & Mary with a B.A. in International Relations and minor in economics, his research focuses on intelligence and strategic analysis with an emphasis on the rise of China in the Indo-Pacific and the political structure of authoritarian states. He has lived and worked in China, Japan, Thailand, Spain and Azerbaijan and speaks fluent Chinese, Japanese, Spanish and intermediate French.
Kathleen Sowder is a M.A. student in International Security at George Mason University. She holds a B.A. in French and a B.A. in Political Science with a concentration in Comparative Politics from the University of South Carolina. She has participated in research on political accountability and oversight from the Torture Report, civil societies’ role in countering executive overeach, and anti-colonial resistance campaigns in Africa.
She has lived and worked in France, participated in the Boren Scholarship to Senegal, and studied Darija in Morocco. She speaks French and conversational Wolof. In her future career, she plans to focus on factors in economics, political violence, and state fragility contributing to security threats in Africa.
Sarah Wells is a graduate student in the second year of her MA in International Security. She graduated from George Mason University in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Government and International Politics. Sarah is currently a Pathways Intern with the Department of State in the Office of Children’s Issues. Her research interests include European security, specifically issues related to NATO, rising nationalism/democratic slides, and coalition building.
Caroline Wesson is a third year PhD student studying Political Science at George Mason University where she is a President’s Scholar and a graduate research assistant. She also holds a bachelor’s and master’s in International Affairs from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Caroline is currently working on research related to the intersection of culture, technology, and economic development. In the security realm Caroline produces research on national innovation systems, strategic trade, and emerging technology. Caroline was a research intern with Center of Strategic and International Studies in 2019 and worked on their China Power Project. In the summer of 2020 Caroline was a Summer Associate at RAND working on issues related to the international scientific research community and security. Caroline also serves as the Managing Editor for the Arts and International Affairs journal.