Globetrotting diplomat visits Wright State

Wright State alumnus Morgan O’Brien will return to campus Wednesday, Nov. 28, to speak to students about his career as an American diplomat.

His address, “From Dayton to Diplomacy: Working in the U.S. Foreign Service,” will be held at 3 p.m. in 401 Millett Hall on Wright State’s Dayton campus.

O’Brien received his M.A. in international and comparative politics from Wright State in 2007.  He has served as a foreign service officer for the United States since June 2009.

“Morgan is a great example of commitment, perseverance and dedication to something larger than himself,” said Laura Luehrmann, Ph.D., director of Wright State’s International and Comparative Politics Program. “To think that he is the face of the U.S. government for citizens around the world—it’s great to know that Wright State played a small role in helping to make that happen.”

O’Brien served his first foreign service tour with the late ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke, in the office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.  Next, he was a public affairs officer in the Press and Public Diplomacy section of the United States’ Mission to the United Nations in New York.  In April of 2011, he began a two-year assignment as vice consul in the U.S. Embassy in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo.

Prior to enrolling at Wright State, O’Brien earned his bachelor’s degree in Russian and political science from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.  From 2004 until 2007, he served as a public affairs officer in the United States Air Force.  His military career included service at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Baghdad, Iraq; Doha, Qatar; Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia; Kigali, Rwanda; and throughout the Gulf Coast during the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.

O’Brien’s visit is co-sponsored by Wright State’s International and Comparative Politics Program, Graduate School, Department of Political Science, and International Studies Program.