Staff Biographies
Heidi Shoup
Heidi Shoup became Executive Director of the World Affairs Council - Washington in October 2006 (President in 2008) after two decades in non-profit management. She previously served as founding Executive Director of the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center, the Mosaic Foundation, and the Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development. She is a Middle East area specialist who has lived and worked in the region and is originally from Portland, Oregon.
Stephanie Fassler
Stephanie Fassler is a International Affairs Officer at the World Affairs Council - Washington, DC. She recently completed a Master's degree at American University in the Comparative and Regional Studies program of the School of International Service. Her academic interest is in Europe and foreign policy, and how they influence peace and conflict. In the summer of 2010 she interned in the Conflict Studies Department at the Royal Military Academy in Brussels, Belgium, assessing the impact of the Africa-EU Strategic Partnership on peace and security. A native of California, she graduated from California State University, Stanislaus in 2007 with her bachelor’s degree in political science.
Scott Erich
Scott Erich is the Global Communications Officer at the World Affairs Council - Washington, DC. Prior to joining WAC-DC, he was the Program Officer at the Middle East Institute's Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center, an initiative of the Royal Court of Oman. Scott earned his Bachelor's degree in Religious Studies (Islam) and Peace & Justice Studies Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania. He wrote his undergraduate thesis on grave visitation rituals in southern Oman, spending several months conducting on-the-ground ethnographic research and ultimately earning the Nicholas Prize in Religious Studies for his work. Scott speaks Arabic and has basic knowledge in Spanish and Swahili.
Amanda Stamp
Amanda Stamp is the Global Education Director for the World Affairs Council - Washington, D.C. During her tenure, Ms. Stamp has overseen two successful Summer Institutes for Teachers attracting 50-60 high and middle school teachers from around the country and a student exchange to Costa Rica. In addition, she has expanded the WACDC Youth Forum Series allowing high school students from the Washington, DC metropolitan area to increase their knowledge of world issues with hands on role playing activities. Prior to her work at the council, Ms. Stamp spent a year teaching English in Beijing to both adults and children. There she also assisted in editing of English subway signs and in the creation of a series of English textbooks. She is originally from Homewood, IL, a close suburb of Chicago and spent a year working for her Congressional Representative, Mr. Jesse Jackson, Jr. Ms. Stamp graduated from American University with an Interdisciplinary BA in Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government and has a knowledge of intermediate level Mandarin Chinese.
2013 Interns
Spring
Jessica Castillo (International Affairs Intern) is currently a first-year Masters student at American University in Washington, DC. She is pursuing her graduate degree in International Affairs—International Politics with a focus on International Organizations and International Development. Jessica has been living and working in the Washington, DC area since May 2010, when she graduated with a B.S. in Psychology and minor in International Studies from the University of Florida. Originally from Miami, Florida with a Cuban and Colombian heritage, Jessica has always maintained a keen interest in global affairs. She has traveled to Costa Rica and to Peru for environmental and health outreach work, respectively, and studied abroad at the Paris Research Center as an undergraduate student. Jessica is fluent in Spanish and is continuing to improve her fluency in French. She plans on pursuing a career in the U.S. Foreign Service or in the International NGO community.
Chardonnay Crumpler (Global Communications Intern) is originally from Ridgefield, New Jersey. She recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Montclair State University where she majored in Communication Studies with a concentration in Organizational Communication, minored in International studies with a focus on Africa. Her passion for International Relations began after she traveled to Nicaragua as a member of the learning delegation affectionately named Team Nica. Her time there allowed her learn about the struggles of developing countries and understand the relationship between said countries and the United States, using Nicaragua as a model. Currently, she resides in the Washington DC area and is a participant of The Washington Center’s academic internship program.
Matthew Dopsovic (International Affairs Intern) is a senior at South Lakes High School in Northern Virginia, just outside of Washington DC, and is participating in this internship through a program offered at South Lakes. After graduating from high school Matthew wishes to pursue a degree in International Relations. His interest in international affairs and politics came from his experiences in Model United Nations and the International Baccalaureate History program offered at his school. His areas of interest are Eastern European Politics and the Middle East.
Amanda Halacy (International Affairs Intern) is a senior at South Lakes High in Reston, Virginia. Amanda, granddaughter of one of the founders of The Peace Corps, has been raised with an international awareness. She has traveled independently to 5 continents for service, is fluent in Japanese, and plans to study international development in college. Her passions include human rights advocacy and community service. Amanda was the 2013 Fairfax County Peace Award recipient for her international service working at a refugee camp on the Thai-Burmese border and fundraiser for a preschool in Nairobi, Kenya. She recently completed a research paper about The UN’s discrepancy in definitions of ethnic cleansing and genocide, in reference to the situations in Burma and Tibet. Amanda hopes to someday organize an NGO or nonprofit.
Christopher Lynch (International Affairs Intern) is a senior at the University of New Hampshire at Durham and will be graduating with a B.A. in Political Science this spring. Currently, he lives and studies at The Washington Center Residential and Academic Facility. He developed an interest in international affairs after he visited Spain in high school and was to travel all around the country and experience all that Spain had to offer. He has a minor in Art so he has developed an appreciation for the creative process and enjoys creating and developing ideas and projects. Christopher was born and raised in Londonderry, New Hampshire.
Mariel Rodriguez (International Affairs Intern) is a senior at South Lakes High School and an International Baccalaureate Program Diploma Candidate. She has lived in Northern Virginia for the greater portion of her life and hopes to finally take advantage of the close proximity to DC through working with the World Affairs Council as part of her school’s Political Science program. Mariel expects to attend college in the fall of 2013 but is waiting to hear back from certain colleges before making a final decision.
Edward Rozynski (International Affairs Intern) is earning his Master’s degree at George Mason University in Global Affairs, with a concentration in Global Governance and Public Management. He has both studied abroad and taught English in Spain, through the Council on International Educational Exchange. He speaks Spanish proficiently. Eddie has also studied and lived abroad in Thailand and the Philippines. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Geographic Sciences with minors in Political Science, Humanitarian Affairs and Spanish from James Madison University. While at JMU, Eddie worked extensively with the local Refugee Resettlement Office to settle newly-arrived Iraqi families. He hopes someday to be involved in international development.
Yating Wan (Global Communications Intern) is an international student from China and is currently a graduate student at American University, pursuing a graduate degree in International Economic Relations with a concentration on International Development. Growing up in Shanghai, China, a city with the blend of eastern and western cultures, she has developed a great appreciation for the role of promoting intercultural understanding. Yating is a native speaker of Mandarin and understands basic French and Korean. She has a passion for cross-cultural communication and economic development and plans on pursuing a career with the World Bank.
Aaron Weckenstein (International Affairs Intern) is currently a senior at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland. Born and raised in a suburb of DC, Aaron is interested in studying International Development and/or Social Change in college. After high school, Aaron plans to take a year off to work with AmeriCorps in New Orleans, either for City Year tutoring in inner-city schools, or for the St. Bernard Project helping to rebuild. He is in the International Studies Academy at Blair and has taken several courses through the academy on such topics as global issues, Cultural Anthropology, and Comparative Religion.
2012 Interns
