James Pershing

Foreign Service Officer @U.S. Department Of State

Washington D.C.; Beijing, PK

Bureau of the Secretary of State (Washington, DC) – Synthesizes and analyzes intelligence, defense, and open-source reporting for the Secretary’s daily national security briefs and to prepare him for meetings with foreign ministers and heads of state. Coordinates engagement between the Secretary’s office and over 270 overseas posts. Political/Economic Officer (Islamabad, Pakistan) – National security lead for terrorism and Pashtun politics at Emb. Islamabad, analyzing both long-term trends and breaking news. After a 10-year State draw-down from Peshawar, re-built extensive contact networks with leaders in government, business, military, law enforcement, journalism, and tribal politics. Collaborated with the Regional Security Office to create threat assessments for Embassy and Consulate operations. Staff Assistant to Ambassador (Beijing, China) – Spearheaded charter flight program to staff Emb. during COVID, while acting as primary Emb. representative for prisoners’ issues. Coordinated Ambassador’s engagement with Emb. Beijing’s 40+ federal agencies and CCP interlocutors. Crafted issue briefs and talking points for Ambassador’s press events.

University of Notre Dame

Bachelor's degree, Political Science, Arabic

Harvard University

Masters Public Policy (MPP), International and Global Affairs, Economics

Yarmouk University

Arabic Language