Dr. Paul Carter assumed leadership as Consul General in Yekaterinburg in August 2017. Dr. Carter received his M.A. in Political Science from IU in 1984 and his Ph.D. in Political Science, with an REEI Certificate, in 1997. Prior to his current posting in Yekaterinburg, Dr. Carter also served as Director for Eurasia in the Department of State’s Office of the Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia and as the Senior State Department Advisor to the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, among numerous domestic and overseas roles related to Russia and Eastern Europe. He also authored the book "Shef ideolog: M.A. Suslov i "nauka" o kommunizme v SSSR" (Moscow: MGU/TEIS Press, 2003), which is available at the Wells Library or the Library of the Department of Political Science. Dr. Carter commented, “My IU Russian training – language, politics, and culture – were a tremendous start for my career, and I now call on this knowledge daily. Thank you, Indiana University!”
Andrew Berdy has served as Consulate General Yekaterinburg’s Management Officer since 2015. Andrew received a BA in Slavic Languages and Literatures and Religious Studies from Indiana University in 1997. He joined the Foreign Service in 2004 and has served in St. Petersburg, Russia; Tunis, Tunisia; Ashgabat, Turkmenistan; and Frankfurt, Germany. "I acquired my passion for Russian language on the beautiful IU campus,” Berdy said. “In fact, I enjoyed it so much, I spent my summers there in the SWSEEL program. My time at IU served as the foundation for a fulfilling career."
Margaret Sullivan serves as the American Citizen Services Chief in Consulate General Yekaterinburg’s consular section. She received her M.P.A. from IU’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs in 2013. During her time at IU, Margaret took advantage of advanced-level Russian language offerings and made frequent use of the resources available through REEI’s Title VI National Resource Center. “Young professionals benefit greatly from REEI’s rich alumni network, and it is amazing how often I meet fellow Hoosiers in the foreign affairs world,” she said.
The IU alumni team at Consulate General Yekaterinburg welcome questions from REEI students and associates of all levels and backgrounds considering careers in public service. They can be reached at consulyekat@state.gov.
Nicholas Aleshin (REEI M.A., 1988) retired after a 21-year career with the U.S. Army including work as a Political-Military Analyst.
Hilary Brandt (Slavic B.A./REEI certificate, 1991) is the Acting Deputy Director of the U.S. Diplomacy Center at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. Currently under construction, the U.S. Diplomacy Center will be our nation’s first museum and education center dedicated to telling the story of American diplomacy. Funded through a public-private partnership, the U.S. Diplomacy Center will include a public museum with exhibits, educational programs, and events related to American diplomacy.
Megan Browndorf (REEI M.L.S., 2012) has a new position as the East European Studies Liason and Reference Librarian at Georgetown University.
Rich Choppa (REEI M.A., 1994) has a new position as the Senior Director of Boeing Space and Missile Systems through the Boeing Company.
Kathleen Claussen (REEI Minor, 2006) has a new position as an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Miami Law School.
Emily Collins [nee Rich] (REEI Minor with Language Certificate, 2004) has a new position as a Corporate Counsel with H&R Block.
Norma Corigliano Noonan (REEI, 1963) published Challenge and Change: Global Threats and the State in Twenty-First Century International Politics. Noonan worked with Vidya Nadkarni (University of San Diego) in editing and contributing to this multi-author volume, which includes scholars from Russian, Australian, and American universities. Noonan is a Professor Emerita at Augsburg College in Minneapolis.
Richard and Stephanie Fitzmaurice (REEI M.A., 2006) have both been working for the US State Department Foreign Service Office and have recently returned from assignment in Bratislava, Slovakia. The tour saw their family expand to include a son and daughter, Kyle and Sloane, respectively. The couple are studying Mandarin at the Foreign Service Institute at present in preparation for an assignment with the US Consulate General in Chengdu, China. Richard will serve as the Political-Economic Chief and Stephanie will lead the Public Affairs Section.
Jen Gubitz (REEI Minor, 2005) is now the Rabbi at Temple Israel of Boston.
Brad Gutierrez (REEI M.A., 1995) is now the Director of the Executive Secretariat of the National Science Board with the National Science Foundation.
Kristofer Hellen (REEI M.A., 2016) contributed his article “How an American historian came to call Narva home” to Estonian World, an independent online magazine.
Peter Isaac Holquist (REEI Minor, 1986) has a new position as the Director of Graduate Studies for the Department of History with the University of Pennsylvania. He also has a new title as a Ronald S. Lauder Endowed term Associate Professor of History. He also recently published his work “Okkupatsionnaia politika Vremennogo Pravitel’stva kak osvobozhdenie: na primer ‘Turetskoi Armenia’’ (“The Occupation policy of the Russian Provisional Government as a a Form of Liberation: The Case of Turkish Armenia”). This is published in Epoka voin I revoliutsii, 1914-1922: Materialy medzhdunarodnogo kollokviuma (St. Petersburg: Nestor, 2017).
Karissa Jackson (REEI M.A., 2017) is now working as a Program Associate (for Eurasia Programs) with Freedom House in Washington DC.
Shoshana Keller (REEI Certificate, 1990) has a forthcoming publication through the University of Toronto Press entitled Russia and Central Asia; Coexistence, Conquest, Convergence.
Zachary Kelly (REEI M.A., 2012) co-lead a study abroad program in Poland, Czech Republic, and Germany focused on the co-existence of minority groups in East-Central Europe. The trip included meetings with a number of community leaders, an immigration lawyer, non-profit representatives, Holocaust survivors, and the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Representative to Poland, Ziyad Raoof.
Joel Kleehammer (REEI M.A., 2009) has a new position as a security Cooperation Analyst with Stracon Services Group in Arlington, Virginia. This is following his retirement in May of this year from the U.S. Army after 23 years of active duty service.
Lynn Lubamersky (REEI Minor, 1998) presented her research at the third Congress of International Researchers of Polish History. The conference took place on October 11-14, 2017 in Kraków, Poland, The congress brings together academics every five years whose research pertains to Polish history, culture, arts, and sciences. This congress’ theme was “The Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth: History- Memory- Legacy.”
Rebecca Mueller (REEI M.A./M.P.H., 2016) recently began work as Events Coordinator with The Language Conservancy, a leading partner in the revitalization of Native American languages based in Bloomington, Indiana. She's excited to draw on her passions for language learning and community development as she organizes summer language institutes, language weekends, and fundraising events in cities and on reservations throughout the US."
Robert L. Oprisko (REEI Minor, 2002) has a new position as the Founder and Chief Academic Officer at Tenure Track.
Rebecca Pasini (REEI Certificate, 1996) has hit her 20 year mark with the State Department. Rebecca and her family recently arrived in Rio de Janerio, Brazil as she begins her three year tour as the Chief of the Consular Section.
Valery Perry (REEI M.A., 1994) has a new position as a Project Coordinator for the Countering Violent Extremism in Serbia- Early Warning and Prevention initiative through the OSCE Mission to Serbia. She additionally published her policy paper “Reflections of Efforts to Prevent and Counter Violent Extremism in the Balkans” in June.
Zackary Suhr (REEI M.A., 2016) accepted a position as a Program Assistant with the National Democratic Institute in Washington D.C.
Nate Turner (REEI Minor, 2001), currently a Pastor for the United Pentecostal Church International, has participated in a number of Church-related excursions in recent years including 2017, primarily through the Baltic States and parts of Russia. Nate has worked primarily in Estonia.