Staff

Kirk Talbott
President & CEO
Kirk Talbott joined the World Affairs Councils of America in May 2009. He brings almost thirty years of experience working with communities, governments and humanitarian organizations in international development, environment, human rights and security. After a year travelling around the world and completing graduate school, he began his career practicing international law in the field of nuclear testing litigation in Bikini Atoll. He then spent ten years at the World Resources Institute as manager of World Bank and USAID-funded environmental action plans in Africa and then as the first Regional Director for Asia. He worked in conservation in Asia the next five years leading in the design and execution of strategies to protect biodiversity and community rights to resources, fundraising and advising several foreign governments. From 2003 - 2009, Kirk was the president of First Voice International, a non profit working across Africa, Asia and the Pacific. In those six years, he rebuilt and led a non-profit and its new operations in Kenya, First Voice Africa, which leverage satellite and community radio, ruggedized computers, solar and other technologies to provide knowledge-sharing platforms to millions of remote Africans and Asians. Kirk has been a guest teacher at Yale, Georgetown, SAIS and the George Washington universities among others, has published widely, and served on several non-profit Boards. A member of the D.C. Bar, and a graduate of Yale University (78), Kirk has a J.D. and M.S.F.S. from Georgetown University Law Center and the Foreign Service School (1986).

Itzel Castillo
Executive Assistant to the President
Born in Cuernavaca, Mexico and raised in Dallas, Texas, Itzel obtained her bachelor's degree from Southern Methodist University with a major in psychology and a minor in art history. Itzel has experience working with international organizations in the area of women and international development in addition to her experience as research assistant for a psychology lab pertaining to the parent-child relationship. Itzel is bilingual in Spanish and English.

Althea Georgantas
Program Officer
Althea Georgantas has experience coordinating programs and logistics at several organizations in Washington, DC and in Boston. She holds degrees from American University and the London School of Economics and Political Science. As Program Officer, Althea will be the primary point of contact for the Academic WorldQuest program and will be involved in the development and planning of a variety of other programs and the annual national conference.

Additional Support

Rahel Cherinet
Administrative Consultant & Office Manager
Rahel has a master degree from American University in International Development and a Bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia in Economics and Foreign Affairs. Her professional experience includes working with Information Communication Technology to disseminate development information to rural regions in the developing world as well as refugees resettlement and gender issues. She is bilingual in English and Amharic.

2010 Fall Professional Associates

Sarah Chacko
American University, Washington, DC

Ajay Kannan
Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, MD