Reves Center for International Studies Events

Foreign Service Officers (also known as diplomats) help manage political and economic relations with a specific country. Their areas of expertise can encompass a variety of issues from economics and financial sectors to health, politics, military, and entertainment, This panel will highlight William & Mary alums working as Foreign Service Officers with varying experience levels and perspectives. Topics that will be discussed: personal stories, the Foreign Service Officer Exam, Federal Resumes, how to make yourself stand out in a competitive job market, and current trends in the field.

Keabra (kee-bra) OpongBrown (oh-PONG brown), is a Public Diplomacy-coned generalist who first joined the Foreign Service in April 2018 as a Consular Fellow. Born in Spokane, Washington, she grew up outside of Washington, D. C. in Woodbridge, VA. Keabra completed her undergraduate studies at William & Mary in 2016 with a double major in Government and Hispanic Studies. Prior to the State Department, she worked at Merrill Lynch as a Client Associate, and as a translator and social media coordinator at the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain in Washington, D. C. She is a classically trained violinist, and in her spare time, enjoys cooking and teaching aerial fitness classes. She speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian. Keabra was previously posted to U. S. Consulates General Ciudad Juárez and Guadalajara. She is currently the Immigrant Visa Chief at Embassy Georgetown.

Zhanna Imel, (Zhah-nah ih-muhl) is a first tour management- coned Vice-Consul at Embassy Georgetown, Guyana. She has supported first-generation students as a Junior Admission Counselor to one of four Native American Tuition Waiver schools (Fort Lewis College) and taught Central Asian students from a wide range of ages and backgrounds. Most recently, in her role as Director of Operations (CrimDell Small Business Network), Zhanna played a key role in providing free counseling to 60+ COVID-vulnerable small businesses across 14 Virginia counties. She obtained her MBA from William & Mary and is a 2019 Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs fellow. In her free time, Zhanna likes to try new foods, and explore nature.

Kent May joined the Foreign Service in 1998. He is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and is currently assigned to Ciudad Juarez as Deputy Principal Officer and Chief of Consular Services. He has previously served overseas in Chennai, Ho Chi Minh City, Sydney, and Johannesburg. In Washington, DC, Kent served in the Executive Secretariat and in the Bureaus of Consular Affairs and African Affairs. In Los Angeles, Kent was the Director of the U.S. Passport Agency and served on the Federal Executive Board. He holds a Master of Science from the National Defense University’s Eisenhower School and is a 1993 graduate of William & Mary. He and his wife, Melanie, have a son and a daughter who grew up in the Foreign Service and now live in New York and Philadelphia.   

Students can participate in person or virtually. Please sign into TribeCareers for additional details.