The following are the people who made the Generations Dialogue Project Possible:
Danielle Whyte – Generations Fellow, 2023-24
Danielle Whyte’s lived experiences and professional background inspire her fellowship with the Generations Dialogue Project. As a Black woman and first-generation American in International Affairs, her identities align with and model the project’s mission. In her undergraduate academic career, her international affairs studies with a concentration in conflict resolution and a minor in public health center the nexus of conflict resolution and marginalized populations’ physical and mental well-being.
As a fellow, her leadership serves as a testament to the fact that persons from historically underrepresented communities can create, participate in, and facilitate spaces that support the affirmation and realization of the future aspirations of our younger peers at the beginnings of their journeys.
In this mission, Danielle works on the Elliott School of International Affairs Diversity and Inclusion as a representative for the undergraduate student body and with Young Black Professionals in International Affairs, a student organization within the Elliott community, as the Vice President.
Desirée Winns – Generations Fellow, 2023-24
A former film student, Desiree Winns received her Bachelor’s in Political Science from the University of Central Florida in 2022. After living in Hong Kong during the 2020 protests, she gained an interest in the studies of democracy and authoritarianism. Since enrolling for her master’s in International Affairs at the George Washington University, she has been selected for the U.S. Institute of Peace Mentorship, the Generations Dialogue Fellowship, and the Women of Color Advancing Peace and Security Fellowship. After graduating from George Washington in 2024, Desiree plans to continue her academic career with a PhD in Political Science. She is currently the Coordinator at Hostage US, a non-profit that supports former hostages and their families during and after hostage situations. Prior to coming to Hostage US, Desiree was an intern at NASA’s Office of International and Interagency Relations, where she worked on U.S.-Russian collaboration in space and preparations for the Artemis 2 mission. She served as the Acting Communications Director for the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, promoting legislation to support Ukrainian soldiers and non-profits. Desiree has also interned at the Carter Center, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Renew Democracy Initiative, and the Aspen Institute.
Ianne Salvosa (she/her) – Communications Assistant, 2023-24
Ianne is a junior in GW’s School of Media and Public Affairs studying journalism & mass communication. She is currently serving as the Generations Dialogue Project’s communications assistant, tasked with updating and maintaining the project’s social media and website.
She previously worked as the communications assistant for SMPA where she designed graphics to advertise the school’s events, maintained SMPA’s social media accounts and curated content for SMPA’s two weekly newsletters, the Rundown and Above the Fold. She is excited to apply her experience in social media management, graphic design and audience engagement to GDP.
As the daughter of immigrants and woman of color in journalism, Ianne is passionate about diversifying fields that were not historically inclusive, but are made to serve all people. She is committed to amplifying engagement with GDP’s work with the GW community and beyond and ensuring that the project’s legacy of bringing underrepresented groups into American foreign policy lives on for years to come.
Laura Narcisse – Generations Fellow, 2022-23
Laura is a rising junior at GW, double majoring in International Affairs and Anthropology. Originally from West Palm Beach, Florida, Laura is the daughter of Haitian immigrants, which surely influenced her fascination with the political, economic, and cultural systems of developing nations, specifically those in Africa and the Caribbean. Laura is thrilled to be joining the Generations Dialogue Project as a Generations Fellow and looks forward to facilitating discussions between seasoned professionals and underrepresented high school students, particularly women and those of color who may not see themselves represented in U.S. foreign policy.
Leonard B Cisneros – Generations Fellow, 2022-23
Leonard is a GW M.A. candidate studying International Development Studies. A California native and son of Latine immigrants, Leonard is drawn to the causes of transnational migration and the United States’ shifting role of global influence. This is reflected through his research on Sino-U.S. relations, U.S.-Latin America relations, and mechanisms to mitigate human rights abuses. As an inaugural fellow of the Generations Dialogue Project, he is immensely joyful to break the barriers that underrepresented and minority youth continue to face. In his role as a fellow, he looks forward to bridging the gap between career myth and reality, sharing the spark of international affairs, and laying out an open forum for intergenerational knowledge sharing between industry giants and the next generation.
Ana Beatriz Domingues (she/her) – Social Media and Logistics Assistant, 2022-23
Ana is originally from southeast Brazil and lived her whole life there, just moving to the US for college. She is studying international affairs, concentrating on international development and environmental studies, and minoring in HSSJ and is helping GD as The Social Media and logistics assistant.
As an international student, Ana really feels strongly that she needs to use her opportunity to bring more equity and diversity to the International Affairs field, hoping to improve global relationships and spread more tolerance and respect.
Ana is extremely excited to join the GD mostly to help to spread the word of the wonderful project and increase awareness of the importance of International Affairs careers in various spheres of society.
She is also looking forward to supporting people that feel underrepresented in the field as also creating a promising future for Global Relations.
Ramani Wilson (she/her) – Outreach Program Assistant, 2022
Ramani Wilson is a rising fourth year undergraduate student at The George Washington University studying International Affairs, concentrating in Conflict Resolution with a minor in Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies (WGSS).
Serving as Outreach Assistant for the Generations Dialogue Project (GDP), Ramani is responsible for initiating partnerships with key stakeholders in the District of Columbia – coordinating at least two Generation Dialogues throughout the summer, and potential additional events for the upcoming academic year. Ramani has expressed her eagerness to support the GDP’s mission and development, and strives to further expose local youth to amazing opportunities within American foreign policy and international affairs (IA).
Ramani attributes much of her success to youth advocacy programs that granted her travel opportunities at a young age, traveling both nationally and internationally to five different countries prior to attending university. As a D.C. native, she understands the significant value of such opportunities in shaping the mindsets of youth in especially marginalized communities – and aspires to help shift the narrative of representation within IA by supporting the GDP this summer.
Abdul Irfan Mohammed – Technical Support Assistant, 2022-23
Irfan is a graduate student at GW School of Engineering studying Computer Science. He is from the southern part of India and is fascinated to learn about new technologies. He worked as an Application Development Analyst for two years before joining GW.
He is a Student Technical Support Assistant for Generations Dialogue Project. His role is to build the web page for the project based on the insights provided by other members of the team. He is elevated to develop a website and discussion forum which allows the students to post their views and communicate with each other effectively on the topic.
Anne Hopewell – Outreach Coordinator
Anne Hopewell has been the Outreach Coordinator for the Generations Dialogue Project since February 2023. She provided support for numerous virtual and in-person dialogues, as well as The Power and Politics of Localization Conference and the HBCU Advisors Workshop. Before her retirement, Ms. Hopewell supported the International Auditors Fellowship Program at the US Government Accountability Office, where she worked for 15 years as a Senior Auditor on the federal healthcare programs. She also held positions as the Executive Director of United Way of Virginia and the Community Outreach Coordinator for Kaiser Permanente MidAtlantic. She is a certified TESOL instructor. Ms. Hopewell has a BA from The College of William and Mary and an MSW in Policy and Practice from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Dr. Jennifer Brinkerhoff – Principal Investigator
Jennifer Brinkerhoff is a professor of public administration and international affairs at George Washington University. She holds a Ph.D. in public administration from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and an MPA from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. She teaches courses on public service, international development policy and administration, development management, and organizational behavior. She is particularly keen on encouraging people to pursue service careers, thoughtfully grounding their commitment to change in self-awareness and working in communities. To that end, she and her husband, Derick W. Brinkerhoff, published Working for Change: Making a Career in International Public Service (Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2005) and she worked with Aaron S. Williams and Taylor A. Jack to write The Giants who blazed the Trail: Lessons for the Next Generation of Black American Foreign Policy Leaders (Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2022). Building on the lessons from The Young Black Leader’s Guide, she leads the Generations Dialogue Project (GDP) for supporting a more representative American foreign policy.