Staff

SCOTT AUGHENBAUGH

Scott Aughenbaugh is the director and project manager of the Next America Project, a CSIS initiative that seeks to engage young professionals in dialogue to redefine America’s role in the world. He is also a research assistant for the CSIS Global Strategy Institute where he works on Seven Revolutions and the Higher Education Initiative. Mr. Aughenbaugh holds a B.A. in history, and politics & government from Ohio Wesleyan University and an M.A. in history, with a focus on the Cold War, Europe, and China, from Kent State University. He has also worked at the Lyman L. Lemnitzer Center for NATO and EU Studies at Kent State University and studied at Beijing University.

OWEN SANDERSON

Owen Sanderson is the co-director of the Next America program and program coordinator for the CSIS Global Strategy Institute, where he plans and organizes the activities of the Seven Revolutions Initiative. Prior to joining the Global Strategy Institute in September 2008, Owen served as an intern for the Post-Conflict Reconstruction Project at CSIS, where he was engaged in the Project’s study of failed and fragile states. He also interned at the U.S. Department of State and the Brookings Institution. Owen graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University in 2008 with a B.A. in government and a concentration in international development. As part of his course of study, he spent a semester at King's College London and conducted research in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil..

KYLE THOMPSON-WESTRA

Kyle Thompson-Westra graduated with honors from Tufts University with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Economics. In the summer of 2007, he interned with the New England Public Policy Center, part of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. There he assisted in researching the effect of temporary work visa programs on the region’s economy. Prior to joining CSIS, Mr. Thompson-Westra did some work for the Corporate Council on Africa, helping to formulate policy recommendations for its Energy Group.

KATRYN BOWE

Katryn Bowe was previously a research assistant at Water Advocates, the first US-based organization dedicated to increasing American support for worldwide access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation. Katryn graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania in 2008. She studied global health policy and economic philosophy with an emphasis in international development issues. While a student, Katryn conducted field research on water and sanitation in rural Cameroon with the Philadelphia Global Water Initiative. She also interned in the health department of the microfinance organization Pro Mujer in Puno, Peru in 2006.

CHRIS HALL

Chris Hall received his undergraduate degree in 2008 from the College of William and Mary, where he studied international relations and history. His academic interests include: Russia and Eurasia, post-conflict reconstruction, ethnic conflict, and energy policy. At GSI, Chris has been heavily involved in the publication of a teacher’s manual for a college-level course based around the information found in Seven Revolutions. He is also the primary author of the Seven Revolutions material found on the GSI website and a regular contributor to GSI Online.

SAMUEL BALL-BRAU

Samuel Ball-Brau is from Johns Hopkins University. In addition to studying political science and economics, he has spent time working with many governmental institutions in his native Baltimore including the Baltimore City Public Schools and the Office of Public Defender. In his last year of undergraduate studies, Samuel will be developing a senior thesis on future trends in food security both domestically and internationally.

MOLLY WALTON

Molly Walton graduated from Wheaton College (IL) in 2008 with a major in International Relations and a minor in Communications. She is currently pursuing her M.A. at Boston University, focusing on International Relations and Environmental Policy. Her work focuses on water policy/governance, the relationship between water and alternative energy and the implications for water management, and China. She held previous internships at the Crystal Lake & Watershed Association (Frankfort, MI, Summer 2008) and with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Energy Program (Washington, DC, Summer 2007).

ELIZABETH SULLIVAN

Elizabeth Sullivan is an adviser to the Next America Project. In 2008, Sullivan cofounded and directed the Next America Project. Prior to launching Next America, Sullivan was the program coordinator for the CSIS Africa Program where she worked on issues pertaining to U.S.-Africa policy, including, global health, non-traditional security, and capacity building. Before joining CSIS, she served as a political and economic intern at the U.S. embassy in Lusaka, Zambia, where she worked on refugee issues, PEPFAR grants to combat HIV/AIDS, and economic development. Earlier, she worked for the Foundation for Security and Development in Africa in Accra, Ghana, where she facilitated peace-building initiatives and conducted regional conflict analysis. Sullivan graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a degree in political science, emphasizing international relations and a minor in history. Sullivan is currently pursing a Masters of Law and Diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.