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Fletcher Eurasia Club Former Leaders

Madeline Diorio served as a Fletcher Eurasia Club leader during the 2020-2021 academic year. She received her Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy at The Fletcher School focusing on Human Security and International Negotiations and Conflict Resolution. Her regional focus is Russia and Eastern Europe. Before enrolling at Fletcher, Madeline served with the Peace Corps in Ukraine where she worked on youth development and HIV programming. Madeline holds a B.A. in International Relations with a concentration in inter-cultural communications from Syracuse University. Additionally, Madeline studied the politics of reconciliation in Eastern Europe and its importance to today's geopolitical security. Madeline is currently a recipient of the Boren Fellowship with a focus on Ukrainian Language.
Erica Johnston served as a Fletcher Eurasia Club leader during the 2020-2021 academic year. She received her Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy at The Fletcher School where she studied International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution as well as Russia and Eurasia. Prior to attending Fletcher, she was a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Germany for the 2016-2017 academic year. She received her bachelor’s degrees in German Studies and Political Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She currently works as an administrator at a law firm in Newburyport, Massachusetts, which specializes in estate planning matters and probate proceedings.
Bobby Sterling served as a Fletcher Eurasia Club leader during the 2019-2020 academic year. He received his Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy degree in 2020 at The Fletcher School where he concentrated on International Conflict Resolution and International Security. Before coming to Fletcher, he was a Peace Corps volunteer in the Kyrgyz Republic, where he worked as a consultant to NGOs and small businesses. In summer 2019, he expanded upon his regional expertise through an internship with the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Lisa May served as a Fletcher Eurasia Club leader during the 2019-2020 academic year. She received her Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy degree in 2020 at The Fletcher School where she studied Human Security and International Information and Communication. Her regional focus is Russia and Eastern Europe. Before coming to The Fletcher School, she interned at the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation and worked as a social media and marketing manager for small and medium businesses. Lisa received her B.A. in Global Affairs with the concentration in Global Governance from George Mason University. Additionally, she studied translation from Spanish and English into Ukrainian at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Following her time at Fletcher Lisa was a fellow with the ERA institute and is currently a marketing associate with Anderson.
Matt Kokkinos Served as a Fletcher Eurasia Club leader during the spring 2020 academic semester. He received a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy degree in 2020 from The Fletcher School, where he studied International Security Studies and Russian and Eurasian Studies. Before Fletcher, Matt worked at the European Public Law Organization in Athens, Greece, where he assisted on EU Twinning Projects research and planning. Fall 2019, Matt completed an exchange semester with MGIMO University in Moscow. He received a BS in Political Science and a BA in International Affairs from Northeastern University in 2018. After graduating from Fletcher, Matt began working as the Coordinator of the Negotiation Task Force at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University.
Elmira Askerova served as a Fletcher Eurasia Club leader during the 2018-2019 academic year. She received a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy degree in 2019 from The Fletcher School, where she concentrated on International Development. She received a bachelor’s degree in Public Finance from Indiana University, Bloomington. She started her career in the corporate sector working for Chase Bank in retails sales in New York City and then joined Deloitte management consulting in Astana, Kazakhstan. She then pivoted her career toward foreign affairs by joining the Public Affairs Section at the U.S. Embassy in Astana. Last summer, she interned with the World Bank in Washington, D.C. working on a project advising Central Asian governments on how to leverage new technology.
Markian Kuzmowycz served as a Fletcher Eurasia Club leader during the 2018-2019 academic year. He received a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy degree in 2019 from The Fletcher School, where he studied International Political Economy with a focus on Eastern Europe. In the summer of 2018, he interned at the New Europe Center in Kyiv, Ukraine. Previously he has worked in finance, economic development consulting, and e-commerce. Markian has served as an international election monitor for two Ukrainian national elections. His research interests include the Balkans, Ukraine, and the Caucasus, as well as frozen conflicts. He speaks Ukrainian and French and studies Russian. After graduating from The Fletcher School, Markian participated in a one year Fulbright Fellowship as a Public Policy Specialist in Ukraine. He now works as a Malign Influence, Social Media, and Disinformation Analyst for Miburo Solutions.
Ryan Rogers served as a Fletcher Eurasia Club leader in Fall 2018. He received a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy degree in 2019 from The Fletcher School, where he focused on International Security Studies and Development Economics. Originally from Fairfax, Virginia, he graduated from Virginia Tech with a B.A. in International Studies and Russian Studies. Ryan served in the United States Marine Corps where he worked in several different operational and leadership capacities from the West Pacific to the United Kingdom. As a USMC officer, he supported crisis response operations and foreign military engagements in multiple theaters of operations around the globe. Additionally, Ryan has studied at the Russian State University for the Humanities in Moscow and worked for the U.S. Department of Defense, focusing on regional security cooperation and defense strategy and policy. Since his time at Fletcher, Ryan has served as a defense consultant for Booze Allen Hamilton and now a Defense Strategist for the US Air Force.
Cindy Garcia served as a Fletcher Eurasia Club leader during the 2017-2018 academic year. She received a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy degree in 2018 from The Fletcher School, where she focused on International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution and International Security Studies. Her research interests include political polarization, international education, cyber security, information warfare, cultural diplomacy, and U.S.-Russia relations. Before coming to Fletcher, Cindy served as a Teach for America corps member in eastern North Carolina for three years both teaching and writing curriculum for 5th grade Language Arts and Social Studies. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Florida while majoring in Political Science, Anthropology, and Russian language and culture.
Austin Bowman served as a Fletcher Eurasia Club leader during the 2017-2018 academic year. He received a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy degree in 2018 from The Fletcher School, where he concentrated on International Security Studies and International Political Economy. His research interests include cyber security, information warfare, European and NATO policy, terrorism and counterterrorism, illicit finance, and U.S.-Russia relations. Previously he served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in a small village in Kosovo. As part of the first Peace Corps group in Kosovo, Austin worked closely with the local community, helped create a nationwide assessment for Peace Corps, and coordinated multiple USAID sponsored grants for communities across the country. Austin graduated magna cum laude from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, where he majored in Psychology and Leadership Communication with a minor in Political Science. Currently, Austin serves as a Cyber Policy Advisor as the Department of Treasury.
Karl Afrikian served as a Fletcher Eurasia Club leader during his time at Fletcher from 2020 - 2022. He received a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy degree in 2022 from The Fletcher School, having focused on geopolitical risk in the post-Soviet space. Before Fletcher, Karl served in Peace Corps Ukraine as a Community Development Volunteer working in organizational development and HIV programming and policy making for LGBT individuals and people who inject drugs (PWIDs). Prior to that, he worked on the trades team at Brown Brothers Harriman for two years in Boston as a senior mutual fund accountant. He holds a B.A. in Economics and Russian Studies from Sewanee: The University of the South. He spent a semester at the American University of Armenia in Yerevan. He later returned there to intern at PINK Armenia working to support LGBT equality in Armenia while also observing for human rights violations at the Electric Yerevan protests. Karl speaks English, Russian, Spanish, and intermediate Ukrainian.
Nastia Kukunova served as a Fletcher Eurasia Club leader from 2020-2022. She received a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy degree in 2022 from The Fletcher School, having concentrated on International Security Studies and Eurasian Affairs. She received her bachelor’s degree from Boston University in International Relations and European Studies in 2020. Nastia’s family immigrated from Russia and Ukraine, and her mixed Eastern European and American background inspired her to study International Relations as a teenager. Her interests include post-Soviet transitions, language politics, freedom of the press, and US-Russia relations. Nastia is fluent in Russian and English, and proficient in French, Spanish, and Ukrainian.
Alex Thomas served as a Fletcher Eurasia Club leader from 2021-2023. He is a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy 2023 candidate at The Fletcher School who focuses on International Security and Global Governance. His area of expertise is in Russian Foreign Policy, Central Asian Politics, and U.S.-Russian relations. Prior to attending Fletcher, Alex received his B.A. in International Political Economy and Environmental Studies from the College of Idaho and served as an English Education Specialist for the Peace Corps in Kyrgyzstan. In this capacity, Alex oversaw the development and implementation of a regional English language curriculum and gained grant-writing experience with USAID. Upon the completion of his service, Alex worked as a grassroots organizer for the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin and was appointed as the Assistant Secretary of the Idaho Senate for the 2021 legislative session. Alex is a Senior Web Editor for the Fletcher Forum of World Affairs and speaks English, Spanish, Kyrgyz, and intermediate Russian.