Foreign service officer to speak at Missouri Southern

(From Southern News Service)

Robert Andrew, a U.S. State Department Diplomat-in-Residence at the University of Oklahoma, will speak with Missouri Southern students on Monday, Nov. 17.

Andrew will speak to Dr. Conrad Gubera’s Introduction to International Studies class at 9 a.m. and to Dr. Steve Smith’s Introduction to Geography classes at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. He will also meet with International Studies majors from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Webster Hall 357.

Andrew is a foreign service officer in the U.S. Department of State and most recently was the political section chief at the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden, from 2011-14. In that capacity, he reported extensively on Sweden’s evolving relationship with NATO as well as Sweden’s leading role in the European Union’s outreach to Eastern European countries.

Prior to the posting in Sweden, Andrew served as the deputy political counselor at the U.S. Embassy in San Jose, Costa Rica, from 2007-10, working closely with Costa Rican authorities to help train and equip their police force to combat drug trafficking. As the political-military officer at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow from 2005-2007, Andrew reported on Russia’s defense and security policies. He also served in several capacities within the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, Mexico, from 2003-05.

Andrew will talk about how individuals can become a foreign service officer, key reasons to join the foreign service, foreign service benefits and various career tracks. His visit to Missouri Southern comes during International Education Week, Nov. 17-21.