IGE is pleased to welcome three new members to its team.

Jessica Smelser is a 2009 fall intern at IGE. She is a recent graduate of Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, where she earned two bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies, with a minor in International Affairs and Arabic. Born in northern Virginia, Jessica studied abroad in Egypt last summer on an Arabic scholarship. Her academic interests include religious and ethnic conflict, as well as the role non-profits play in developing countries.

Allison Wilhite is a 2009 fall intern at IGE. Allison is an undergraduate student at Stonehill College pursuing a degree in International Studies with a focus on Latin America and Political Science. She has been an active member of her college’s campus ministry, serving as a student minister and traveling to the Dominican Republic and Peru for service trips. Her last semester was spent in Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil studying regional integration, development, and social change in the Southern Cone. After graduation she hopes to return to Latin America to volunteer with a service agency before eventually attending law school. She was born and raised in San Diego, CA and is currently part of the Ford Motor Company Global Scholars Program through The Washington Center.

Amber is a graduate fellow for operations and administration at IGE. She earned her B.A. from California State University, Fullerton, with a major in Business Administration. She was active on campus as a member of the Professional Business Fraternity of Delta Sigma Pi. Since graduation, Amber has held program management and administrative roles within mid-sized and fortune 100 companies in Southern California and New York City. Amber has a heart for developing and oppressed regions of the world and has traveled extensively throughout the Americas, Asia, and Europe. She has led and participated in mission trips to Mexico and India, and also enjoys volunteering with local and global organizations serving underprivileged communities and individuals.