Class VI (2008-2009)

Sponsor Club: Rosslyn/Ft. Meyer, Virgina, District 7610, USA

Kevin was born in Washington, DC and grew up in Northern Virginia outside of Washington, DC. With a French mother and American father, Kevin grew up surrounded by two cultures and frequently travelling back and forth across the Atlantic to visit family. He obtained a Bachelors of Arts in International Affairs from James Madison University in Virginia. His host club is Rosslyn Ft. Meyer club in District 7610. His first interest in conflict resolution began during his junior year in high school while taking a peer mediation class to mediate between fellow students. Since then, he decided to build a career that promotes dialogue and seeks to provide win-win solutions for all parties involved.

Kevin has spent the last 6 years as an international development professional and post-conflict transition specialist with experience in project design, project development, international conflict management and mitigation throughout the world. He has experience in US government-funded projects, post-conflict economic development, international crisis management, risk analysis, and project training, design and implementation.

Before arriving at UQ in February 2008, Kevin worked with Chemonics International Inc, one of USAID's largest contractors, focusing on transitional development projects in conflict areas including Afghanistan, Colombia, West Bank/Gaza, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, and Sudan. Throughout his short career, Kevin has experienced both the non-profit and contracting sectors promoting international conflict resolution and transitional development. During his time as a contractor, his passion continued for the conflict resolution field acting as a team leader for the Crisis Prevention and Recovery technical sector at Chemonics. His experiences have enabled Kevin to have the opportunity to work with a variety of issues including Disarmament Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR), community strengthening, and economic development. Additionally, he has worked in several conflict zones including Southern Sudan and Southern Afghanistan.

Based on his previous academic and practical experiences, Kevin focused his studies on ways to enhance international security. During his Rotary Fellowship applied field experience, he interned at NATO headquarters in Brussels during the summer working with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan to gain a better understanding of the political-military strategic planning. After finishing his degree he hopes to continue his work in transitional development focusing on civil military relations, peacekeeping, and community development.