Life After DPIR - Ms Rebecca Anne Schneider
Alumni 2011,
Summary
I am the Chief of Staff at the McCain Institute for International Leadership, a center for research and action in national security and foreign policy based in Washington, D.C. I earned my MPhil in European Politics and Society in 2011 from St Cross College and am still actively involved with many University and College activities, including serving as a North American Alumni Representative for my college.
Having helped launch the McCain Institute in early 2012, I have worked to grow the Institute into one of D.C.s leading hubs for innovative decision-making and leadership. I have managed all aspects of this new organization since its inception. This has included the recruitment of world-class staff and building programmatic activity focused on strengthening US national security and fighting for human rights, freedom and democracy worldwide.
One thing that makes the Institute unique is that it plays a nonpartisan role in bringing together global leaders, American politicians, and all types of civil society to discuss pressing local, national, and international issues. Its mission is to convene different types of people and give them as much data and expertise as possible in order to make better decisions. This simple model is poised to help create better leadership at all levels.
In a separate capacity, I recently coordinated the Project for a United and Strong AmericasSetting Priorities for American Leadership: A New National Security Strategy for the United States. The strategy was devised by a bipartisan group of foreign policy and security experts, including officials from the last three U.S. presidential administrations. Over a period of six months, I helped bring the group together to contemplate the United States changing role in the world, different strategic threats facing the international order, and opportunities to improve the geopolitical landscape.
My commitment to bringing people together in creative ways to address pressing international issues led to the Diplomatic Courier andYoung Professionals in Foreign Policyrecognizing me in September 2013 in the Top 99 Under 33,an international list recognizing the most influential foreign policy leaders under the age of 33.This years list specifically aimed to capture the extraordinary impact that 99 diverse Millennials under the age of 33 are making on international affairs.As Gary Barnabo, President of the Young Professionals in Foreign Policy, notes: The Millennial generation has a deep responsibility to deliver new ideas, new approaches, and new solutions to the worlds toughest challenges.
Since receiving this prestigious award, I hope to continue my work in international relations, particularly working to find new solutions to global and local problems by convening different groups of actors from a myriad of political, religious, socio-economic, and geographic backgrounds. Throughout my career, I hope to enrich the political landscape through these different voices. And while I focus on building these relationships and networks, I know that I owe much to Oxford University and to the political education and mentorship I received while there. For current students and recent graduates, the University and the Department of Politics and International Relations provide many opportunities to forge new ideas, research, and connections on a global scale that allow for ingenuity when they leave for a career in politics and foreign affairs.
