SPIA alumna Caroline T. Nguyen, Director for Clean Energy and Global Public Sector Partnerships in the Council on Environmental Quality at the White House, briefs Lichtenstein Institute International Policy Associates during their visit to Washington, D.C. Photo: Kristoffer Tripplaar

Liechtenstein Institute International Policy Associates Take High-Level Meetings in Washington, D.C.

Mar 15 2023
By Tom Durso
Source Princeton School of Public and International Affairs

As the School of Public and International Affairs works to continue expanding its footprint in Washington, D.C., its Liechtenstein Institute (LI) recently brought 14 students to the nation’s capital for a day and a half of meetings with leaders from the public, private, and civil society sectors.

The Institute’s International Policy Associates – a select group of students who attend events, conduct research, contribute to programming, and serve as LI’s ambassadors to the larger student community -- met with practitioners working in national security, intelligence, defense, development, law, technology, and public affairs. The practitioners were from the White House, the Departments of State, Defense, and Treasury, New America, Google, and Apple, as well as various private law firms.

In the midst of their meetings, the delegation gathered for an alumni reception in SPIA’s new Washington location, just off Dupont Circle. Addressing them was guest speaker and SPIA alumnus Ambassador Dereck J. Hogan, a career member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service who currently serves as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.

“We got a unique opportunity to see how general principles of policy-making learned in the classroom translate into the everyday, real-world experience of top government and private decision-makers,” said senior and International Policy Associate Riley Owen. “Also, hearing how alumni made the transition from college to career illustrated the fascinating variety and diversity of professional opportunities to act ‘in the nation's service and in the service of humanity.’”

“We packed 14 hours of substantive meetings into a day and a half with top people and, all told, touched base with around 75 alumni,” said LI director Andrew Moravcsik, a professor of politics and international affairs in SPIA. “Students were thrilled and acquitted themselves very well. We had a successful trip that exceeded all expectations.”


Photo caption: SPIA alumna Caroline T. Nguyen, Director for Clean Energy and Global Public Sector Partnerships in the Council on Environmental Quality at the White House, briefs Liechtenstein Institute International Policy Associates during their visit to Washington, D.C.