Careers at the Department of State
Whether you are interested in foreign affairs, public diplomacy, or people-to-people exchanges, you can find a fulfilling career with the U.S. Department of State. With dozens of overseas and domestic career, internship, and fellowship opportunities, the U.S. Department of State has something for everyone.
Please join Robert Ogburn, a Foreign Service Officer working in Washington D.C.; Dr. Ashleigh Huffman, a Civil Service Program Specialist; and Jasmine McClam, a former ECA exchanges alumna and intern, and current Pickering Fellow, to learn about the many different paths to employment with the U.S. Department of State.
View the webinar recording.
PLEASE NOTE: The first 1,000 attendees to log in will be able to view the session live. The session will be recorded and posted on the NSHSS website here.
Presenter - Dr. Ashleigh Huffman
Program Specialist, Sports Diplomacy Division
U.S. Department of State
Dr. Ashleigh Huffman is an experienced professor, public speaker, entrepreneur, and author in the sport for social change and women’s empowerment movements. She is passionate about gender equality, human rights, access, and inclusion and has worked in more than 30 countries using sport to achieve these ideals. Huffman’s co-led efforts on the Global Sports Mentoring Program resulted in the 2018 ESPN Stuart Scott Humanitarian Award and the 2018 Peace and Sport Diplomatic Action of the Year. Huffman has worked across sectors with athletes, corporates, government, and nonprofits to create holistic and sustainable models for social change.
In her current role as a Program Specialist at the U.S. Department of State, Huffman educates and equips professional, Olympic, Paralympic, and university athletes to use their passion and platform as a force for good.
Huffman is a graduate of the University of Tennessee with a PhD in Sociocultural Studies.
Presenter - Jasmine McClam
Student, Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA)
As a fourth generation Historically Black College/University graduate, Jasmine McClam knew she was destined to attend Spelman College. Following in the footsteps of her mother and aunts, Jasmine decided to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies and Spanish. While at Spelman, Jasmine travelled to seven countries across Latin America, served as the President of the Mu Pi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and incorporated & held the position as the U.S. Department of State Campus Coordinator. As a 2020 recipient of the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship, Jasmine is currently obtaining her master’s degree in Public Administration at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). At SIPA, Jasmine is currently pursuing an internship with the Council on Foreign Relations and serves as the 2021 Vice President of the SIPA Student Association.
Presenter - Robert Ogburn
Director of the Office of Citizen Exchanges
U.S. Department of State
Robert Ogburn leads the U.S. State Department’s public diplomacy efforts in youth, culture+arts, sports, and professional fellows. He is especially honored to help facilitate his colleagues outreach efforts. Over the past ten years, Robert has been a Visiting Fellow at George Washington University; Public Affairs Minister-Counselor in Seoul; deputy consul general at the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City; and the State Department’s senior advisor for rule of law at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
In addition to serving in Iraq, he considers his career highlights to be supporting educational exchanges to and from the United States; helping next-generation leaders understand America’s alliances and international partnerships, and empowering his colleagues to be creative, effective, and responsible to American educators, students, and their families.