International Fellows Network Dinner in Washington, DC, April 2025

In April 2025, ProFellow’s International Fellows Network hosted a dinner in Washington, DC, bringing together current and former fellows from across disciplines. The dinner, hosted by Rachel Santarsiero (Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellow alum and Climate Investigator at the National Security Archive), provided an uplifting space for attendees to connect and reflect during what many described as a challenging time in the fields of public service, policy, and international affairs.

Guests shared career updates, upcoming projects, and reflections on how their fellowship experiences continue to shape their work and outlook. As Rachel shared, “The evening was a lovely chance to get together amidst some really difficult news across our fields. It felt grounding to be in community, to collaborate, share ideas, and lean on one another while navigating uncertainty. This was the major theme of the night: resilience through fellowship.”

Several attendees had exciting professional announcements to share:

Trevaughn Latimer recently completed his Presidential Management Fellowship at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and is now a full-time civil servant on the agency’s mortgage markets team. A seasoned fellowship recipient, Trevaughn has previously held the titles of Schwarzman Scholar, Lead for America Hometown Fellow, PPIA Fellow, and Gilman Scholar.

Carin Zissis, Editor-in-Chief of AS/COA Online, is currently a 2024–25 Woodrow Wilson Center International Competition Fellow, conducting research for her project: “The Paradox of Parity: Lessons from Mexico’s Rise as a Global Leader in Women’s Political Representation.”

Christopher Frederick, a Presidential Management Fellow alum, also shared insights from his work as a policy analyst. His fellowship background includes the Critical Language Scholarship and the Dr. C.J. Huang Fellowship in China.

Mark Flannigan, a multi-fellowship recipient (AmeriCorps VISTA, Rotary Peace Fellow twice, PMF, JET, and more), currently serves as Program Manager at the National Association of Japan-America Societies. He is a U.S. Army veteran who has been a civil servant in the U.S. government.

Sam Rafizad, a 2024 UCLA graduate, is currently a Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellow working on Middle East nuclear security at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.

Cornelia Weiss, an Ian Axford Fellow, helped shape public policy in New Zealand through her fellowship work. She’s also a 2015 Rotary Peace Fellow and National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Scholar, with recent research appointments at the Library of Congress and Emory Law.

Sana Motorwala is a current Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellow at the at Win Without War Education Fund.

Rachel Santarsiero (Host) was a 2022 Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellow and currently a Climate Investigator at the National Security Archive and a member of the ProFellow team.

This dinner was one of many IFN gatherings organized to support continued professional growth, cross-sector dialogue, and collaboration among alumni of prestigious fellowship programs. With many events hosted throughout the year, be sure to join the IFN for a get-together near you!

About the International Fellows Network

The International Fellows Network is a professional networking organization of more than 1,800 current and former fellows worldwide. The IFN has held events in San Francisco, Washington, DC, and Berlin, Germany, and hopes to revisit future locations in 2024 and beyond.

Through the IFN, current and former fellows can connect for socializing, advice, and insights on fellowships, jobs, events, graduate programs, and collaborative opportunities. If you are a current or former fellow and would like to join, please sign up for our fellowships database, and we’ll be in touch by email! Also, feel free to check out the new IFN website for future updates on IFN events.

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