Michael Veasy serves as the Senior Advisor for Diplomatic Fellowships for the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program and the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Program at Howard University’s Ralph Bunche International Affairs Center. He is a retired Foreign Service Officer who began his career with the U.S. Department of State in 1992 as a member of the first cohort of Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellows. In 2019, he served as the U.S. Government’s Interagency Coordinator for Ethiopia Assistance. As Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Asmara from 2016 to 2018, Michael played a leading role in U.S.-Eritrean negotiations that helped bring an end to 20 years of conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia. From 2013 to 2016, he served as the Deputy Principal Officer and Consular Chief at the U.S. Consulate General in Tijuana, Mexico. Other assignments include consular tours in Mexico City, London, Johannesburg (twice), and the Visa Office in Washington D.C. He has also served as an Economic Officer in Basrah, Labor Officer in Lagos, and a Recruitment Officer in the State Department’s Bureau of Human Resources. He is the recipient of a State Department Superior Honor Award and several Meritorious Honor Awards. Prior to his Foreign Service career, Michael worked at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, GA. He has a bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Morehouse College as well as a master’s degree in Social Change and Development from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He is bilingual in English and Spanish.