Career Panel • Linking Foreign Language to Careers in National Security

Join us for an informal discussion on career opportunities with an esteemed group of UNC alumni in the government and non-government sectors and representatives from the National Security Education Program. The participants will discuss how their foreign language and area studies education at UNC has shaped their career trajectories and also share tips on how to get a head start in the national security job market through internships, networking, etc. Meredith Doubleday (Assistant Director; Russian Flagship Program) and Adnan Dzumhur (Associate Director; Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East European Studies) will moderate the conversation.

Sarah Bidgood directs the Eurasia Nonproliferation Program at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies. Her research focuses on US-Soviet and US-Russia nonproliferation and arms control cooperation. Sarah’s work has appeared in publications such as International Security, The International Spectator, Arms Control Today, The Nonproliferation Review, and Foreign Policy, among others. Her analysis has been featured in media outlets including The Washington Post, CNN, NBC, NPR, and The Guardian. In addition to her research activities, Sarah also leads CNS’ Young Women in Nonproliferation Initiative, which aims to encourage more women undergraduates at US colleges and universities to consider careers in nuclear policy.

Stockton Butler currently serves as Director for Nonproliferation at the National Security Council, where he is responsible for coordinating U.S. policy to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, their delivery systems, and related technologies. Mr. Butler has extensive experience working nuclear proliferation challenges in the U.S. government, including Iran and North Korea. Prior to joining NSC, Mr. Butler served as Deputy National Intelligence Officer for WMD and Proliferation at the National Intelligence Council within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. In that capacity, he led the Intelligence Community’s analysis of foreign nuclear weapons capabilities and intentions, proliferation trends, and over-the-horizon proliferation threats.

Roy Savoy completed a distinguished career of over 34 years with the Central Intelligence Agency. He currently serves as the Executive Liaison Support Officer for the Department of Defense National Security Education Program (NSEP) – a program that provides funding for U.S. citizens to study less-commonly taught languages and regions of the world.

Colonel Thomas “Quinn” Wofford joined the Office of the Secretary of Defense as Country Director for Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and Netherlands in July 2020. Before that, he served as Officer in Charge of the International Military Student Office at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, and from there went to the NATO’s only operational air base, the E-3A Component in Geilenkirchen, Germany, where he was deeply involved with operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo. He also assisted the Ukrainian Air Force in improving its operations while serving as Air Attaché at the United States Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, and was a combat advisor for the headquarters staff at Ninewa Operations Center in Mosul, Iraq.

Registration required.

Presented by the Curriculum in Peace, War and Defense; Curriculum in Global Studies; the Russian Flagship Program; and the Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East European Studies.