Speaker Series

Melissa Schumi Jones currently serves as the Political/Economic Counselor at the U.S. Mission to the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She joined the U.S. Department of State in 2002 and entered the Foreign Service as a Public Diplomacy officer in 2008. Prior to moving to Ethiopia, she was the Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Maseru, Lesotho.  Domestically, she served as Speechwriter and Press Officer for the Bureau of African Affairs, and as Deputy Communications Advisor at the Foreign Service Institute. Prior overseas positions include Cultural Affairs Officer in Lima, Peru (2011-2013) and Vice Consul in Jakarta, Indonesia (2009-2011). Before joining the Foreign Service, Melissa served in the Civil Service at the Department of State for six years with positions in the Executive Secretariat, Consular Affairs, and Political-Military Affairs.  

Melissa received her B.A. in Government and Italian from Smith College and a Master’s in International Affairs from George Washington University. She speaks Spanish, Italian, Indonesian, and a smattering of Sesotho.

Anne is a strategic transformation leader with nearly 20 years of experience advising senior executives around the world. From a top-tier management consulting firm in the US and Asia Pacific to the White House, Anne has counseled C-suite executives on data-driven operations, communications, and transformation strategies.

Anne is the Transformation Director for Deloitte Asia Pacific Financial Advisory, based in Hong Kong, where she leads strategic transformation initiatives across the entire APAC region. Before moving to Hong Kong, she was based in Deloitte’s Washington, D.C. office as a Senior Manager in the Government & Public Sector practice, advising cabinet-level government agencies on analytics-driven transformation.

Prior to joining Deloitte, Anne served in the US federal government for 13 years. She started her government career working for a Minnesota Senator in the U.S. Senate, then transitioned into the international relations and security realm, serving at a variety of Federal agencies, including: the Department of Defense, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Department of State, and two U.S. embassies overseas (Paris, France and Hanoi, Vietnam).

Anne graduated with honors from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service with a MS in Foreign Service and from Tufts University with degrees  in International Relations, French, and Spanish. She lives in Hong Kong with her husband, Liam, and their two daughters, Riley and Mary Katharine. Anne is an avid reader, fitness enthusiast, and traveler.

Sasha Aslanian '86 has worked as a producer and reporter for American Public Media for nearly three decades after making her radio debut during her SPA Senior Project at MPR. Sasha currently resides in St. Paul, MN.