Alum Anne Witkowsky ’78 Discusses International Relations

Anne Witkowsky ’78 returned to Parker to discuss her role in international relations in Africa with Upper School History teacher Kevin Conlon’s classes. Witkowsky served as Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations during the Biden administration. Her work aimed to advance innovative, integrated, long-term approaches to strengthen security and stability in fragile and conflict-affected states.

During the Modern World History: Imperialism class, Witkowsky described that her office worked in Africa to identify precarious areas that might be prone to violence and instability and develop possible remedies to these situations. She discussed the current issues Africa’s Sahel region is facing, including the effects of climate change, the potential for coups and border security.

Witkowsky also spoke about the effect of the recent elimination of government programs on African trade, as countries begin to operate more in the private sector. There is also room for growth in the tech space as more data and AI centers are continuing to appear, so it will be interesting to see the role of African citizens in this new sphere.

Ready with new knowledge about certain countries, students shared with Witkowsky the African country they hope to focus on for their upcoming research project. 

Parker is grateful to have alumni like Witkowsky return to their alma mater and share their knowledge with students. “I loved my time at Parker and got an amazing education here,” she said. “When I was young, I didn’t know this was a job you could do, so it was great to collaborate with Mr. Conlon to let students know about this field.”

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