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PIASO

The Pacific and International Affairs Student Organization (PIASO) is the student body government of IR/PS. Its purpose is to represent and promote the academic, professional and networking interests of the students. It serves as a center for student communication, information, and participation, and as a forum for student development.

PIASO acts as a liaison to the faculty and administration at IR/PS, and organizes social events to promote interaction among students, faculty, and administrators. Any registered full-time or part-time graduate student at IR/PS who pays their PIASO dues is a member of PIASO.

The PIASO Board consists of eight voting executive officers and two first-year student representatives. Students from the second year class hold the executive positions: President (bears tie-breaking vote only), Vice President of Academic Affairs, Vice President of External Affairs, Vice President of Programming, Vice President of Events, Vice President of Internal Affairs, Vice President of Finance, and Vice President of Social Media.

Four IR/PS Representatives to the Graduate Student Association are also voting members of the PIASO board.

 

PIASO Executive Board

First Year Class Representatives

The First Year rep position distinguishes individuals as leaders and champions of their class.

Katily Moushon
Sarah Kirk
Eli Yani

  
Graduate Student Association (GSA) Representatives

GSA representatives are the bridge between IR/PS and the entire UC San Diego graduate community. They represent IR/PS student interests by lobbying for university funding, voicing student concerns, and facilitating IR/PS involvement in GSA programs and positions of leadership.

Yutaka Ishida
Patrick Hennigan
Anthony Nyguyen
Alexandra Tracy

For information about PIASO, please contact the PIASO Board: piasoboard@ucsd.edu

President: Taylor Roberts

Career Track: International Politics/Security
Regional Focus: China
Language(s): Chinese

Before coming to IR/PS, Taylor Roberts, MPIA '13, studied political science at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. At Trintiy, Taylor was the president of his fraternity and a member of the Student Conduct Board.  Professionally, he wold like to work with Sino-U.S. security relations in the public sector, specifically in techonology or intellegence. When he isn't studying, Taylor enjoys playing racquetball, organizing community events, grilling, and soaking up the beautiful San Diego weather.

As PIASO president, Taylor is the chief executive officer of the student government and an official representative of IR/PS students to the community. His duties are to communicate with faculty and administration, and to provide effective responses to all student concerns.

Contact: tcroberts@ucsd.edu

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VP of External Affairs: Julian Himes

Career Track: International Politics
Regional Focus: China
Language(s): Mandarin Chinese, French

Julian Himes, MPIA '13, is a New York City native currently developing his West Coast style. He graduated from Columbia University in 2007 with a degree in comparative literature and society, and was vice president of the Alpha Delta Phi literary society. Before coming to IR/PS, he worked at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, a nonprofit that manages the charitable giving of some of the world's wealthiest families, trusts, and institutions. 

As PIASO's vice president of external affairs, Julian is responsible for connecting the student body and IR/PS alumni, and works with the school's development office to generate private financial support for student activities and fellowships.

Contact: jhimes@ucsd.edu

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VP of Academic Affairs: Elizabeth Martin

Career Track: International Politics    
Regional Focus: China
Language(s): Chinese

Elizabeth Martin is a Chicago native and a recent graduate of University of Wisconsin - Madison, where she studied international studies and Chinese. Prior to coming to IR/PS, Elizabeth studied abroad in Tianjin, China.

At IR/PS, she is studying International politics and China as well as working as a graduate student researcher for the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation. During her summer internship at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, she worked on policies related to cybersecurity.

As the vice president of academic affairs, Elizabeth serves as the primary liaison between the faculty and student body, working to promote a positive academic environment.

Contact: emm004@ucsd.edu

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VP of Programming: Lyndsey Garcia

Career Track: Public Policy
Regional Focus: China
Language(s): Chinese

Lyndsey Garcia, MPIA '13, is currently studying public policy and security issues. Prior to IR/PS, Lyndsey lived and worked in Washington D.C., where she gained experience in the international development sector as a regional assistant in the Bureau for Europe and Eurasia at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).  Lyndsey holds a BA in politics and Asian studies from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA.

As the vice president of programming, Lyndsey serves as the primary liaison between the faculty, administration, and diverse student organizations at IR/PS. She is also responsible for coordinating and organizing club-sponsored events and programs and managing the Mentor Program.

Contact: lkgarcia@ucsd.edu

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VP of Events: Sarah Winters

Career Track: International Economics
Regional Focus: Japan
Language(s): Japanese

Sara Winters is an international economics and Japan IR/PSer from scenic New Jersey. She spent half of her undergraduate time at the University of Delaware, and the other half split between studying at Soka Daigaku in Tokyo, Japan, at BeiShiDa in Beijing, China, and fixing broken water pipes in northern Vietnam. In class, she is taking a liking to econometrics.

As the vice president of events, she manages the large events put on by PIASO each year.

Contact: sbwinters@ucsd.edu

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VP of Internal Affairs: Jean Tseng

Career Track:  International Management
Regional Focus: China
Languages: Mandarin

Jean Tseng, MPIA '13, is a native of San Jose, California, the heart of the Silicon Valley, and a UC San Diego transfer. At UC San Diego, she earned a BA in international relations - economics, after which she worked for three years in the private sector as a logistics coordinator. Prior to attending IR/PS, Jean spent four months in Shanghai and traveled extensively through Asia.

As vice president of internal affairs, Jean serves as a liaison between the student body and PIASO. Students should feel free to contact her with any issues, if she cannot resolve an issue, she will point them in the correct direction.

Contact: j6tseng@ucsd.edu

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VP of Finance: Dechawuthi "Jeff" Dispanurat

Career Track: International Management
Regional Focus: Southeast Asia
Languages: Thai, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish

Jeff Dispanurat completed his undergraduate studies at USC, and has three years of business analyst experience in risk management. At IR/PS, he is studying international management with a focus on the financial and equity markets.

As PIASO's vice president of Finance, Jeff's role is to oversee the annual budget for PIASO operations and IR/PS organizations.

Contact:  ddispanurat@ucsd.edu

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VP of Social Media: Galen Berkowitz

Career Track: International Management
Regional Focus: China
Language(s): Mandarin Chinese, Spanish

Galen Berkowitz is a native of Madison, Wisconsin. He has extensive international experience, including work and study on four continents. Most recently he was in China for three years interning at a consulting firm in Dalian that specializes in assisting foreign-owned companies to invest in the country, and teaching English at a university. Galen also served two terms with AmeriCorps, where he developed and managed after-school programs. At IR/PS he is focused on international management and China to deepen his understanding of international trade and foreign investment in China. 

As the vice president of social media, Galen is in charge of managing PIASO's web presence and leading the IR/PS Podcast.

Contact: gberkowi@ucsd.edu

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GSA Representative: Yutaka Ishida

Career Track: International Economics
Regional Focus: Japan/China
Language(s): Japanese, Mandarin

Yutaka Ishida, BA/MIA '13, is studying international economics with a regional focus in Japan and China. He was born in Japan and moved to Seattle, Washington at the age of 14. Majoring in international economics and spending a summer as an intern in the investment banking division of a financial firm lead him to study financial regulation and trade policy at IR/PS.

As a Graduate Student Association representative for IR/PS, Yutaka acts as a liaison between IR/PS and the entire graduate student community.

Contact: yishida@ucsd.edu

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GSA Representative: Patrick Hennigan

Career Track: Public Policy
Regional Focus: Japan
Language(s): Japanese,Mandarin

Patrick Hennigan, MPIA '13, was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. He graduated from Arizona State University with a BA degrees in political science and history in 2006. Prior to coming to IR/PS, Patrick worked as an English teacher in South Korea and Japan.

Patrick greatly enjoyed his first-year stint as an IR/PS representative to the Graduate Student Association and member of the PIASO Board, and is looking forward to another productive year as a member of both of these important bodies. Academically, Patrick is very interested in public policy and East Asian affairs. Outside of the classroom, he enjoys watching and playing sports, especially soccer.

Contact: phennigan@ucsd.edu

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