Students have the opportunity to join CGS as affiliates during their first year at the Bush School. CGS student affiliates are encouraged to:
- Pursue coursework within the concentration in International Politics and Grand Strategy
- Attend CGS events
- Participate in CGS-sponsored programs such as the John Quincy Adams Society
First-year affiliates have the opportunity to attend small gatherings with guest speakers and career talks with Bush School alumni. They may also receive preference, if space is limited, in certain classes. First-year affiliates who distinguish themselves through their engagement with CGS will be invited to become fellows for their second year at the Bush School. CGS student fellows are eligible for summer internship support, will be leading candidates for CGS GAR positions, and may be invited to work with CGS faculty to compose an essay for publication on the CGS website.
CGS Student Affiliates
Kendra Alvizures
Kendra Alvizures graduated magna cum laude from South Dakota State University in 2019 with bachelor’s degrees in Spanish, Global Studies, and Political Science. As a student research assistant, she studied the political impact of the type and level of education of national politicians in the Western hemisphere. She also spent considerable time volunteering to teach English classes to immigrants before moving to Texas for graduate school. Kendra is currently completing her Master of International Affairs at The Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, where she is an Albritton Center for Grand Strategy Student Affiliate. Her academic concentrations include American Diplomacy and Foreign Policy, International Politics and Grand Strategy, and Legal Studies. She is also the co-chair of the Foreign Languages & Culture Society, where she works to promote foreign language proficiency through hiring tutors and providing language-focused resources to other Bush School students. As a Pickering Fellow, Kendra will enter the Foreign Service upon graduation.
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.
Olivia “Liv” Cretella
Olivia “Liv” Cretella pursued a BS in Military and Strategic Studies, with a minor in Russian, and graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in May 2021. She is currently a Second Lieutenant in the US Air Force and will begin pilot training in January 2023. Liv is pursuing her Master’s of International Affairs with concentrations in Grand Strategy and Women, Peace and Security. Previously, Liv was a Research Intern for the NATO Association of Canada and was a Departmental Visiting Fellow at the Swedish Defence University in Summer ’22, where she studied nuclear strategy, American and Russian nuclear policy, and feminist thought on defense.
Chris Cutrone
Chris Cutrone is a public affairs professional with over 20 years of experience serving elected officials and government agencies. Refocusing his career toward international affairs, Chris successfully completed a Certificate in Advanced International Affairs (CAIA) from the Bush School in 2019. In 2001, he graduated cum laude with a BA in Mass Communications and a minor in political science from Quinnipiac University (CT). Chris has an international background with dual citizenship, and has lived in several European countries, giving him a strong understanding of the continent’s cultural, geopolitical, and security affairs. As a Master of International Affairs student, his studies focus on Intelligence, Cyber Policy and Europe.
William DiRubbio
William DiRubbio commissioned as a 2dLt in the United States Air Force and graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 2022. As a cadet William pursued a BS in Military and Strategic Studies with a minor in Nuclear Weapons and Strategy. His passion for developing strategic empathy assisted him in standing up the Strategy and Warfare Center, becoming the Cadet Director. William’s interests include analyzing and evaluating U.S. strategy towards NATO and Russia, as well as its impact on the Indo-Pacific. He was awarded the top Graduate award for the Military and Strategic Studies Department in 2022. William is excited to expand his horizon both academically and professionally at the Bush School before attending undergraduate pilot training.
Kaylee Jerman
Kaylee Jerman received magna cum laude honors from the University of Georgia (GA) in 2019, completing a BA in History and a BS in Political Science. At UGA, Kaylee gained international experience working at the US Embassy in Botswana and studying at the University of Oxford in England. After graduation, she accepted a position as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia. Kaylee worked within her community to improve the English education curriculum and also served as her cohort’s elected representative on the Volunteer Advocacy Committee. After her evacuation from the Peace Corps she worked as supervisor of a Covid Response Team for the Georgia Department of Public Health. She currently works in global security at Sandia National Labs as well as for the Center for Grand Strategy as their GAR.
Megan A.J. Kirk
Megan A.J. Kirk earned her BA in Anthropology in 2019 at Washington University in St. Louis. She served in the AmeriCorps-affiliated College Advising Corps for two years after graduating, launching 250+ underrepresented, first generation, low-income high school students toward postsecondary opportunities across the country. While she studies at the Bush School, she serves the local BCS community as English and Language Arts Support through her employment in a high school. Megan is one of 62 members of the United States Global Leadership Network’s 2022 class of NextGen Global Leaders where she will serve on a Texas board of leadership alongside all living secretaries of state, many CEOs, farmers, mayors, and others with a vested interest in a robust foreign affairs budget and diplomacy. She is also a member of the Bush School chapter of the Alexander Hamilton Society. This past summer, Megan interned at Crescent Law Chambers, LLC in Singapore. Previously she has also studied in Germany and Indonesia. Megan intends to join the Foreign Service via the Department of State after graduation.
Robert Livingston
Robert Livingston is a China specialist with over eight years’ experience living in China & Taiwan. Prior to joining the Bush School, Robert worked as a journalist in Beijing and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in Asian Cultures and Languages (Mandarin) and a focus on Taiwan Studies. From 2019-2020, Robert studied Mandarin intensively in Taipei on a scholarship from the government on Taiwan. He possesses a deep understanding of the foreign policies of China, Taiwan, the US, Japan, Korea, and the Indo-Pacific region, along with foreign language skills in Mandarin and Spanish. Robert aims to apply the lessons he has learned abroad towards a career in foreign affairs.
Sarah Logan
Sarah Logan graduated cum laude with departmental honors from Hendrix College in 2018, where she received a BA in International Relations. In that time, Sarah completed internships with Carnegie Europe in Brussels, Belgium, and the State Department at US Embassy Kathmandu, Nepal. Following undergrad, Sarah was named Director of the Arkansas Courts and Community Initiative, a program aimed at educating Arkansans in all 75 counties about the importance of an independent judiciary. She then served as the inaugural outreach coordinator at the Center for Arkansas Legal Services, a nonprofit legal aid organization covering half the state, and directed numerous clinics, many focused on access to justice in rural communities. Sarah concentrates in conflict and development and cyber policy at the Bush School and is currently an intern for Sandia National Lab’s Center for Global Security and Cooperation.
Ross Nikides
CPT Ross Nikides graduated summa cum laude from Hofstra University (NY) in 2014 with degrees in political science, global studies, and history; he received departmental honors in the latter and earned memberships to Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Alpha Theta honor societies, was a Distinguished Military Graduate, and commissioned as a military intelligence officer in the United States Army. Since graduation, CPT Nikides has served in several positions, including as a Chief of Operations and Company Commander, and most recently, as the Brigade Plans Officer for the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade (Theater) in Germany, where he supported the US response to the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Upon completion of his Masters at the Bush School, CPT Nikides will instruct at the United States Military Academy, teaching classes on officership and ethics.
Brian Reddy
Brian Reddy was born and raised in New Hampshire. He graduated from the University of Florida in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. During that time, Brian worked a variety of financial, political, and community service positions. After graduating, he entered the private sector, working as a technical recruiter. In this capacity, Brian recruited for government contractors such as Deloitte, Raytheon, and Kratos. As a result of these experiences, Brian knew that he wanted to transition into a career in public service. In 2021, he enrolled at The Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. He is a 2nd year student earning his master’s degree in international affairs, and he is in the national security and diplomacy track. He has concentrations in grand strategy, American diplomacy, and intelligence. Brian is interested in the intelligence community, defense policy, conflict analysis, international aid, and the relationships between the US and our allies. Brian currently works for NORAD & USNORTHCOM as a remote intern in the J7.
María Gabriela Reyes
María Gabriela Reyes attended Universidad del Rosario in Bogotá (Colombia) and, in August 2022, obtained a BA in International Relations and minors in global affairs and in security, peace, and conflict. She received and kept the Beca al Talento Fundación Bolivar Davivienda Scholarship until her graduation. She is a native Spanish speaker who speaks English fluently and Portuguese and Italian at an intermediate level. María Gabriela helped low-income adults get high-school diplomas during her time as the office coordinator and head of the English Department in the Colombia Crece Foundation. She also worked as an English teacher and spent an internship working for the Italian Chamber of Commerce for Colombia. María Gabriela will concentrate her MIA studies in intelligence, counterintelligence, and cybersecurity.
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.
Cody Workman
COL Cody Workman is a US Army War College Fellow at the Scowcroft Institute in the Bush School. He is a Field Artillery Officer in the Utah Army National Guard. He simultaneously served for the past 15 years as CEO of a non-profit organization that provided college and career opportunities to Native American high school students. In that capacity he managed multi-million dollar grants and worked closely with the Navajo tribal government. He has commanded Soldiers at multiple echelons and is a combat veteran. His current research interests include the strategic impact of Western weapons and training in the Ukraine conflict. COL Workman has participated in operational and contingency assignments in Korea and Japan and has served in myriad domestic missions, including the 2002 Winter Olympics and 2020 Presidential Inauguration. He is married to his best friend, DonaMae. They are very proud of their son, Derek (& wife Sydney) and daughter, Aspen, who are on their own path to change the world.
David Winter
David Winter earned his undergraduate degree at Vanderbilt University in Neuroscience and Anthropology. After obtaining a B.A. in 2014, David joined the Japan Exchange & Teaching (JET) Program to explore Asia and continue his Japanese studies from undergraduate school. Between 2015 and 2020 David taught Junior High School and High School students English in a small countryside town in northern Kyoto prefecture. During his tenure on the JET Program, David participated in various volunteer groups to promote cultural exchange and community building. He is very excited to continue his mission of bridging the gap between the East and West through peace, diplomacy and cooperation. His Master of International Affairs degree focuses on intelligence and grand strategy. After completing a summer internship at University of Maryland’s Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security he is excited to continue working in the IC.
