Brigid Otieno ’09

Foreign Service Officer - U.S. Department of State

Brigid Otieno is a foreign service officer at the U.S. Department of State and currently serves on the Executive Secretariat Staff in the Office of the Secretary of State. She earned her bachelor of arts degree from Trinity in 2009, majoring in international affairs, and her master’s in international affairs from American University’s School of International Service. She believes that her Trinity education developed her self-esteem and confidence, but, more importantly, the environment encouraged her to have her own voice. “Trinity definitely has a unique atmosphere and it was a very positive experience for me. I gained confidence in setting and accomplishing my goals. In my work, I think people see this strength and feel empowered to approach me about the issues they face.”

In her current role, she plans and prepares the Secretary of State’s domestic and international travel and reviews briefing materials in support of the Secretary and other senior-level principals on U.S. foreign policy issues. Prior to her current assignment, Otieno worked at the U.S. embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, covering bilateral counterterrorism policy, countering violent extremism programs, and security cooperation. She served as a consular officer at the U.S. embassy in Rome, Italy, where she adjudicated non-immigrant visas and worked on issues related to the welfare and protection of U.S. citizens, the issuance of passports, and treaty trader and investor visas.

She is the recipient of three U.S. Department of State Meritorious Honor Awards and was selected to participate in the competitive Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Graduate Fellowship program. She was awarded a prestigious Fulbright grant when she graduated from Trinity and traveled to South Korea to high school English – read more about her experience in South Korea. She has also worked at the National Institutes of Health and the National Democratic Institute. She speaks Italian and Arabic and has studied Korean. She calls Washington, D.C., home.

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