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Albritton Center for Grand Strategy

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Student Affiliates Program

Bush School students have the opportunity to join CGS as affiliates at any time during their tenure at the school. CGS student affiliates are encouraged to:

If you are interested in becoming a CGS student affiliate, please email us at bushschoolCGS@tamu.edu. Student affiliates participate in CGS programs and pursue grand strategy coursework.

CGS Student Affiliates

Adriel Arguelles

Adriel Arguelles

Adriel Arguelles is a Master of International Affairs student attending the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, where he is studying grand strategy and China. He was previously a U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Student Fellow and a Research Assistant for the CoronaNet Research Project. Adriel’s interests include Chinese foreign policy and U.S. policy regarding East Asia, Asia-Pacific territorial and sovereignty disputes, and U.S. biodefense policy. In 2017, he earned a BS in genetics from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, NM.

Caitlyn Bess

Caitlyn Bess

Caitlyn Bess graduated in 2016 from Truman State University (MO) with a BA in communication and a minor in religion. Caitlyn then served from 2015 to 2018 in the Peace Corps as a youth development volunteer in Morocco.  Afterwards, she began her studies in the National Security and Diplomacy Track at the Bush School. She had accepted a fellowship to work at USINDOPACOM in the Strategy and Planning Office for the summer of 2020, but the global Covid-19 pandemic altered her plans, so she is currently assisting Dr. Andrew Ross with research on American grand strategy at the Bush School.  

Pal Brahmbhatt

Pal Brahmbhatt

Pal Brahmbhatt earned a BA in international relations and mass communication in 2018 from Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (India). She brings over four years of experience working in the nonprofit sectors in Tanzania and India, and, after working in these developing nations, she firmly believes that the key for tomorrow lies in children. To help them, Brahmbhatt took a leadership role and founded Prayas, a nonprofit that works to counter drug addiction and assists with mental health issues for underprivileged children. An avid researcher, she won the Best Paper Award at the European Institute for Economics, Political and Social Research in Switzerland. She is excited to apply her experiences at the Bush School and work with international organizations to further inclusivity and support sustainable development.

Lane Burdette

Michael Callahan

Michael Callahan

Michael is a first-year Master of International Affairs student at the Bush School of Government and Public Service with interests in nuclear security and American grand strategy. Before attending the Bush School, he completed his BA in political science at Hofstra University in 2020. Michael has previously interned in research positions at the Kluge Center at the Library of Congress and the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, as well as spending a summer in the Philippines working as a research assistant for a public-health-focused project in Manila.

Jonathan Carroll

Jonathan Carroll

Jonathan Carroll is a military historian PhD Candidate with the Department of History, specializing in military history from the American and French Revolutions to the present day. A native of the Republic of Ireland, Jonathan graduated with a Law Degree in 2015, and completed his Master’s in Military History and Strategic Studies in 2016, both from Maynooth University. His research interests include military operations other than war (MOOTW) focusing on military interventions, low-intensity conflict, and counterinsurgency. His current research project, God’s Work in Hell, explores the intervention in Somalia from 1992-1995 by UNOSOM/UNITAF moving away from the current dominance of Black Hawk Down to establish what happened during this experiment in the world’s first failed state. His research argues that Somalia was a preview of Iraq and Afghanistan during the War on Terror. Before coming to Texas A&M Jonathan taught at the Defence Forces Military College, and is a former service member with the Infantry Corps of the Defence Forces. As such he also researches and writes on Irish defense policy.    

Alan Chen

Alan Chen

Alan Chen is a Master of International Affairs candidate with a heavy regional specialization in China and interests in grand strategy, political economy, and international development and economic policy.  Prior to undertaking his studies at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, he served two years in Americorps educating at-risk youth in San Jose. Through his past experiences, Alan is particularly passionate about the potential that public policy has to positively impact lives across the globe and seeks to dedicate his career to public service.

David DuVall

David DuVall

David DuVall graduated from North Park University (IL) in 2014 with a BS in business and economics. During his time at North Park, he was active in SGA, Economic Freedom, and University Ministries. Notably, David founded and led a service trip to Central Appalachia, where he and twenty fellow students volunteered with a home repair ministry.

After graduating, David worked for a strategic fundraising consultancy and was a Field Director on a $130 million dollar campaign in Cincinnati, OH. Most recently, he worked for a software company in Chicago, where he implemented and managed a global partner program consisting of twenty-eight members in eight countries.

At the Bush School, David is pursuing an MPSA (’22) with a focus on state and local government and security policy. He’s excited to join the Albritton Center as a student fellow to better understand how domestic policy influences America’s grand strategy and the impact those policy decisions have on the world.

David and his wife, Kara, live in Bryan with their daughter, Sophie. 

Roy Eakin

Roy Eakin

Roy Eakin pursued a BA in history, with a minor in Asian studies, and graduated cum laude from the University of Nevada, Reno, in 2018. During his time as an undergraduate, he developed a strong interest in modern Chinese affairs and Chinese history. This interest led him to spend a semester abroad in Mainland China as an undergraduate and later to pursue over one year of full-time Mandarin Chinese study in Taiwan. Roy is interested in how China’s multifaceted rise has influenced U.S-China relations, Chinese foreign policy initiatives, cross-strait relations, and security issues in the Indo-Pacific.

CJ Godkin

CJ Godkin

CJ Godkin completed his studies at Texas A&M University in 2019. He received a BS in political science, with a minor in history. During his time as an undergraduate, CJ was heavily involved with the Memorial Student Center (MSC) and served in various officer roles within the organization. As a result of his involvement with the MSC, he was awarded the J. Wayne Stark Outstanding Leadership Award. Before graduating, CJ was also able to complete a summer internship in Santiago, Chile, working with a local NGO on education policy issues. He is excited to join the Albritton Center for Grand Strategy and explore the role of diplomacy and development in grand strategy.

Maddison Gold

Michael Hollis

Michael Hollis

Michael E. Hollis is a second-year student at the Bush School of Government and Public Service, where he serves on the Bush School Ambassadors Council. His academic interests include American defense policy, Middle East studies, and U.S.-Iranian relations. Prior to entering the Bush School, Michael worked in international business for just under five years. In 2013, he received his undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina, where he majored in international studies. Additionally, he received a graduate Certificate in Advanced International Affairs in 2019 from the Bush School of Government and Public Service. Michael enjoys spending time with his wife and his Norwegian Elkhound, reading history, traveling, listening to classical music or jazz, and cheering on the University of South Carolina Gamecocks.  

Ramil Kazimov

Ramil Kazimov

Ramil Kazimov graduated from Baku Slavic University (Azerbaijan) in 2010 with a degree in international relations and regional studies. Ramil spent over five years working in NGOs, holding project coordinator and manager positions in “Hayat” International Humanitarian Organization and the Economic Research Center. He also held internships at the International Republic Institute and the UN Office in Azerbaijan. Ramil graduated from the European Security and Defense College, the Managing Defense in the Wider Security Context program, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, and the NATO International School of Azerbaijan. He worked as a UK Defense attaché representative and advisor to the ambassador on defense and security relations, working on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at the United Kingdom Embassy in Azerbaijan. Furthermore, he co-organized a Women, Peace, and Security roundtable discussion and the 70th Anniversary of NATO in Azerbaijan.

Carter Keating

Carter Keating

Carter Keating is a first-year Master of International Affairs student at the Bush School of Government and Public Service. His professional interests include international diplomacy, grand strategy, and transnational security issues. Before coming to the Bush school, Carter earned a BBA in marketing and advertising strategy from Texas A&M University, where he served as the writing and script supervisor for the 2020 TAMU National Student Advertising Competition Team. Beyond his studies, Carter enjoys running and spending time with friends.

Danyale Kellogg

Danyale Kellogg

Danyale is an MIA student and graduate research assistant in the Bush School on the National Security and Diplomacy Track with concentrations in East Asia and pandemics and biosecurity. She is also a Global Health Graduate Certificate student at the Texas A&M School of Public Health, a graduate research assistant, and a Women in Defense HORIZONS Scholar. In addition, she represents the Bush School in the Student One Health Association in the College of Veterinary Medicine. She has interned with DoD, DHS, the U.S. Congress, and several other organizations. Her research interests include biodefense and health security broadly, U.S. military preparedness for naturally occurring and man-made infectious disease outbreaks, and U.S. interests in East Asia, particularly on the Korean Peninsula. She previously earned a BA in history from Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX.

Audrey Kuhnle

Audrey Kuhnle

Audrey Kuhnle completed her BA in international criminal justice, with a minor in political science, from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 2020. During her undergraduate studies, Audrey found a passion for justice and human rights. She was a member of the John Jay College Women’s Soccer team for two years, receiving scholar-athlete awards from John Jay and the CUNY Athletic Conference. In her second year at John Jay, she moved to Albany to participate in the Edward T. Rogowsky Internship Program in Government and Public Service. After a successful legislative session, she moved back to New York City and became the program manager of a national political nonprofit. To focus more on international politics, Audrey is currently a Junior Associate at an international public strategy firm. While completing her undergraduate degree in three years, she received Dean’s List awards five times along with being awarded a Presidential Scholar from John Jay. At the Bush School, her current concentrations are cyber policy, international politics and grand strategy, intelligence, and U.S. military and defense policy.

Laura Leddy

Laura Leddy

Laura Leddy is a second-year graduate student at the Bush School of Government and Public Service, where she is pursuing an MA in international affairs. She also works as a research assistant for Dr. John Schuessler. Laura’s research focuses on the intersection between diplomacy and military power in U.S. homeland defense and foreign policy, with particular emphasis on climate security and the Arctic region. Originally from Westchester, New York, Laura received her undergraduate degrees in history and Russian studies from the University of Virginia in 2016. Prior to arriving at the Bush School, Laura worked for almost three years at the American Political Science Association in Washington, DC.

Alan Linenberger

Alan Linenberger

Alan Linenberger is a Master of International Affairs candidate attending the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, where he is studying cyber policy, Chinese regional studies, and intelligence as an instrument of statecraft.  He is currently a Staff Assistant Intern at the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Science and Technology Innovation Program  and was previously an Intern at the Consortium for Capacity-Building’s Belt and Road Initiative project, the Colorado State Legislature, and Gulf State Analytics analyzing Sino-Arab trade. Linenberger’s interests include the impact of space policy and artificial intelligence on national security, Chinese foreign policy, cyber threat mitigation, and US space policy. He graduated from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, in 2018 with dual degrees in political science and history.

Nikolaus Pittore

Nikolaus Pittore

Niko Pittore is a first-year Master of International Affairs student at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. He is a graduate of the Ohio State University, where he received a bachelor of arts in world politics, specializing in foreign policy and security. His research interests at the Bush School include American foreign policy, particularly toward Iran and the Persian Gulf; Iranian foreign policy; and European security affairs, with a focus on NATO. His concentrations at the Bush School will be international politics/grand strategy and the Middle East. Before coming to the Bush School, he was a research intern in the Defense and Foreign Policy Studies Department at the Cato Institute as well as for U.S. Senator Rob Portman and former Ohio Governor John Kasich. While at Ohio State and Cato, he had six case studies published by Dr. John Mueller and the Cato Press on domestic terrorism in the United States since 9/11.

Margalita Shakarashvili

Noah A. Stevens

Noah Stevens

Noah A. Stevens is a second-year Master of International Affairs student at the Bush School, where he also serves as a graduate research assistant to Dr. Jasen J. Castillo. His research and professional interests focus on U.S. defense policy and planning, nuclear deterrence, military strategy and operations, and international security. He is also the founding President of the John Quincy Adams Society at Texas A&M. Prior to enrolling at the Bush School, Noah was a U.S. Foreign Service Intern with the U.S. Department of State with a political-military affairs portfolio serving in both the Political-Economic Section at the U.S. Embassy in Oslo, Norway, and the Office of Iraq Affairs in Washington, DC. He has a BA in international affairs and Middle East studies and a BA in Arabic, both from Western Kentucky University. When he is not reading, Noah enjoys running, traveling, watching professional tennis, and sipping Kentucky bourbon with family and friends.

Abdelrahman Taha

Abdelrahman Taha

Abdelrahman “Abdel” Taha is a first-year Master of International Affairs student at the Bush School of Government and Public Service. His research interests include grand strategy, civil-military relations, security in the Middle East, and United States foreign policy in the Middle East. Before joining the Bush School, Abdel lived in Lebanon for five years, obtaining a BA in political studies from the American University of Beirut and working on geopolitical research.

Jael Espinoza-Tishler

Jael Espinoza-Tischler is a Master of International Affairs student at the Bush School of Government and Public Service, where she also serves as the Executive Chair of the George Bush Public Service Organization. For the past two years, she has worked as a remote intern with the U.S. Department of State J/IRF Office (formerly S/RGA), where she contributes to the department’s understanding of the role of religion in foreign policy, in the Middle East, and around the world. Beyond her academic experience in the U.S., she has conducted award-winning field research about minority ethnoreligious groups in the Middle East.

Ashley Vance

Ashley Vance

Ashley Vance is a PhD candidate in United States history. Her dissertation focuses on the U.S. Army’s presence in Germany in the decades following World War II. Within the context of the shifting international landscape during the early Cold War, her research examines how the military created a unique Cold War army in West Germany that was a combat-focused peacetime deployment. She also addresses the soldiers’ lived experience and how their perceptions and behavior influenced Army policy at the time. 

Annie Joy Williams

Annie Joy Williams

Annie Joy Williams completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Mississippi through the Lott Leadership Institute, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy Leadership and a minor in Journalism in 2020. In the summer of 2018, she received a scholarship from the Lott Leadership Institute to conduct a self-designed research study at the US Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where she primarily studied women’s rights in the region and Saudi-American relations while working to improve her Arabic skills. In 2019, Annie Joy studied conflict resolution and city planning at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel. In her time at Ole Miss, Annie Joy held the role of director of philanthropy and community service for the student body. She also served as head dance instructor and choreographer at two large dance studios in Mississippi. Currently, Annie Joy is a student at the Bush School of Government and Public Service where she is pursuing a Masters in International Affairs with concentrations in Middle Eastern Studies, International Media Engagement, and Women, Peace, and Security Studies. Annie Joy is a member of the Bush School Ambassadors Council, as well as the Bush School Public Service Organization.