International Affairs and Leadership Faculty

Faculty of the MA in International Affairs and Leadership program include ambassadors, military general officers, and experts in their respective fields. Students have direct access to faculty with first-hand experience and expertise in areas of diplomacy, character-driven leadership, ethics, foreign affairs, intelligence, national security, and economics.

Program Director

Ambassador Roderick Moore

Professor of Practice
Three decades of experience as a diplomat, leader, manager, teacher, and consultant.
Teaches: Human Rights and Realpolitik
Full bio

Program Support Staff

Ashley Wright
Department: ASU Leadership, Diplomacy and National Security Lab
Title: Program Manager

Jenna Roelle
Department: SPGS
Title: Graduate Coordinator    

The faculty within the School of Politics and Global Studies and the ASU Leadership, Diplomacy and National Security Lab work very closely with graduate students.  The following faculty are associated with the MA in International Affairs and Leadership.

Lieutenant General Benjamin Freakley (ret.)

Special Advisor to the President
More than 36 years of active military service, and was serving as Commanding General, U.S. Army Accessions Command.
Teaches: Character-Driven Leadership, Applied International Leadership: Case Studies
Full bio

Ambassador Michael Polt

Ambassador-in-Residence, Professor of Practice
35-year diplomatic career holding assignments as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Estonia and to Serbia and Montenegro.
Teaches: Character-Driven Leadership, Applied International Leadership: Case Studies
Full bio

Ambassador Edward B. O’Donnell

Professor of Practice
33 year career in the U.S. Foreign Service serving in Latin America, German-speaking Europe and other positions in Washington, D.C.
Teaches: U.S. Diplomacy in Action, The Holocaust and World War II Today, Genocide Prevention, International Negotiations: Trust but Verify
Full bio

Ambassador David Scheffer

Professor of Practice
Former U.S. Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues and 22-year teaching career in international law fields of study.
Full bio

Ambassador Kurt Volker

Distinguished Fellow
Leading expert in U.S. foreign and national security policy with 35 years of experience in a variety of government, academic, and private sector capacities. Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO and U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations.
Teaches: Transatlantic Relations: Does Europe Still Matter?
Full bio

William Deere

Distinguished Fellow
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and serves as Senior Congressional Advisor to the Washington, D.C. office of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.
Teaches: The Role of Congress in U.S. Foreign Policy
Full bio

Chaplain Margaret Kibben

Distinguished Fellow
Retired Navy Rear Admiral with 35 years of experience and presently serving as the 61st Chaplain of the House of Representatives.
Teaches: Religion and Diplomacy
Full bio

Caroline Lynch

Distinguished Fellow
Founder and owner of Copper Hill Strategies, LLC, providing client-focused government relations, strategic planning, legislative, and business development services.
Teaches: The Dark Side of Foreign Policy
Full bio

Ambassador Charles Ray

Distinguished Fellow
Retired U.S. Army Major and former U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe and Cambodia.
Full bio

Ambassador Peter Romero

Distinguished Fellow
As a career U.S. diplomat, entrepreneur, professor and lecturer, Ambassador Romero specializes in conflict mitigation for private companies and individuals overseas.
Full bio

Ambassador Daniel Smith 

Distinguished Fellow
Former Foreign Service officer with the highest rank of Career Ambassador, served as the State Department’s Transition Director for the 2020 Presidential Transition and subsequently as Acting Secretary and Acting Deputy Secretary of State
Teaches: Intelligence and National Security 
Full bio

Ambassador James Swan

Distinguished Fellow
Former United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia and U.S. State Department official 

Teaches: The United Nations in the Global Arena
Full bio

Ambassador Tina Kaidanow 

Distinguished Fellow
Retired Foreign Service officer with 30 years of political-military and foreign affairs experience. Ambassador Kaidanow has held numerous senior positions in the U.S. Departments of Defense, Navy, and State and at the White House.

Teaches: U.S. Security Policy  
 

Lieutenant General (ret.) Vern “Rusty” Findley

Distinguished Fellow
35 years of active military experience. Findley's last three assignments with the U.S. Air Force include: Vice Commander, Air Mobility Command; Director, Strategy, Plans and Policy (J5) for Headquarters, U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, FL; and, Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategy Plans and Assessment for Multi-National Force-Iraq, Baghdad, Iraq.
Teaches: Leading in a Dynamic International Environment
Full bio

Lieutenant General (ret.) John Goodman

Distinguished Fellow
Retired from the U.S. Marine Corps following 42 years of active and reserve military service. Currently the Senior Advisor to U.S. Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), the U.S. Lead Oversight Agency. 
Teaches: Leading in a Dynamic International Environment
Full bio

Lieutenant General (ret.) Frederick Rudesheim

Distinguished Fellow
36 years of experience in the U.S. Army and working with other U.S. agencies and international partners, the last 11 years principally in the national strategic and international arena.
Teaches: Capstone
Full bio

Dr. Lee Voth-Gaeddert

Distinguished Fellow
A professional environmental engineer, U.S. registered sanitarian, certified systems engineer and a certified emergency responder with 10+ years of experience in solving complex global challenges. 

Teaches: Diplomacy Lab
Full bio