Program Staff
Patricia Scroggs
Director
Patricia Scroggs has been the Director since January 2006 and has enjoyed working with outstanding Rangel Fellows and Scholars who are committed to making a difference in the world.
She joined Howard University after 20 years of service in Asia, Latin America and Washington as a Foreign Service Officer. Until November 2005, she served as the Director of the East Asian and Pacific Bureau’s Office of Regional and Security Policy. In this capacity, she led a large office that handled security, multilateral affairs, counter-terrorism, strategic planning, foreign assistance, congressional affairs and transnational issues for the Asian-Pacific region.
In addition to traveling to over 20 countries, her overseas posts included Tokyo, Japan, Seoul, Korea and Mazatlan, Mexico as a Foreign Service Officer. During Washington assignments, she was Chief of the Asia, Near East and Africa Division in the Trade Office; Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs; and an Economic Officer and a Science, Technology and Environment Officer in the Office of Japanese Affairs.
Her languages are Japanese and Spanish. She has an MA in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and did considerable leadership, management, language, and area studies trainings at the State Department’s Foreign Service Institute. She was awarded four Superior Honor Awards and the Averell B. Harriman Award for outstanding contributions to diplomacy.
Dr. Carlton McLellan (Ph.D)
Director
Dr. Carlton McLellan joined the Rangel Program as its director in January 2023. He brings to the position a wealth of experience in international exchanges, education and diplomacy with more than 25 years of global organizational and program leadership. His expertise includes creating and leading international people-to-people education, exchange, and diplomacy programs; growing the international presence of organizations; creating and cultivating strategic global partnerships; promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (particularly among people of color) in diplomacy and international affairs; managing government contracts and sponsored programs; and fundraising and new business development through managing and writing proposals (e.g. grant writing). In addition to his role at Howard University, he is also a Senior Fellow at the Association of Black American Ambassadors (ABAA) where he focuses on research that celebrates and educates on the history and contributions of Black American U.S. Ambassadors to domestic and global affairs.
Among his previous leadership positions are as Senior Advisor to the International Labor Organization’s (ILO’s) Office for the United States & Canada – a United Nations (UN) specialized agency; Founding Director and Senior Association at Global Ties South Africa; Managing Director at Global Ties U.S.; and Deputy Director in the Center for International Exchange at the Academy for Educational Development (AED). He has also worked or consulted at nonprofit organizations such as the Institute of International Education (IIE), FHI360, Meridian International Center, Mississippi Consortium for International Development (MCID), and WorldChicago; private consulting firms such as Exegesis Consulting and Pillar Systems; and at multilateral agencies such as the ILO and The World Bank.
Dr. McLellan received his doctoral degree in international policy studies from the Faculty of Education at the University of Pretoria, South Africa; his Master’s degree in international and development education from the University of Pittsburgh; and his Bachelor’s degree in international studies from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.
Bunmi Akinnusotu
Deputy Director
Bunmi Akinnusotu is a foreign policy enthusiast and organizational management leader. As the Deputy Director of the Rangel Fellowship at Howard University, Bunmi builds the talent pipeline of foreign service officers and international affairs leaders. Prior to Howard, Bunmi was the Chief of Staff at Young Professionals in Foreign Policy which also amplifies the voices of rising global policymakers. She was a political appointee in the Obama Administration where she served as a Special Assistant in the Office of Land and Emergency Management at the US Environmental Protection Agency. There, she coordinated international and domestic efforts to advance resource conservation and bring greater visibility to the social and economic benefits of reducing negative environmental impacts. Bunmi’s international journey began at Search for Common Ground in Timor-Leste and she later taught English in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. Prior to her career in foreign affairs, Bunmi was a non-profit fundraiser for the YWCA and United Way in Chicago. She’s also an Americorps Alumn, a Truman National Security Fellow, and a Penn Kemble Democracy Fellow.
Bunmi obtained her Master’s degree in Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and also a Master’s in Sociology from Illinois State University Stevenson Center for Applied Community and Economic Development. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems from Bryant University located in her home state of Rhode Island. Bunmi is a recovering collegiate volleyball player, loves anything made of red velvet, anything from Chicago, and enjoys producing her radio program and podcast, What in the World?. She is relentless in her pursuit to help more Americans understand the connection of foreign policy to their every day lives.
Emmebet Selassie
Senior Finance Manager
Emmebet Selassie joined the Diplomatic Fellowship in January 2022 as the Senior Finance Manager. She had worked at Howard University in Grants and Contracts for a year as a consultant before joining the Diplomatic Fellowship. She has worked for over 25 years in the Finance and Accounting world, and in the past few years has been working as a consultant in the DC metro area. She has worked at American Red Cross, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Africare, and African Union Mission to the USA to name a few. Her interest has always been working in the nonprofit world hoping to make some contribution to society. Emmebet has a BS in Accounting from the University of the District of Columbia.
Nika Julius
Finance and Operations Manager
Nika is the Finance and Operations Manager for the Rangel Program and was previously the Lead Accounts Payable technician at Howard. She brings over 14 years of combined experience in management and in various roles in the finance management.
Cynthia Valentine
Program Manager, Congressional Affairs
Cynthia Valentine is the Program Manager for Congressional Affairs for the Rangel Program, a position she has held since fall 2018. Prior to this, she served as the Program Manager for the Donald Payne International Development Fellowship and as Program Coordinator and Acting Deputy Director for the Rangel Program. Prior to her employment at Howard University, Cynthia worked as a Research Associate at Costar Group, as a Field Organizer for the Obama Campaign, and as an intern in U.S. Embassy in Niger. Cynthia is a graduate of Howard University.
Kristen Shannon
Program Manager, Summer Enrichment Program and Selections
Kristen Shannon is the Program Manager for Summer Enrichment Program and Selections for the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program. She comes to Howard from IREX, where she oversaw the alumni engagement portfolio for the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, including leading Alumni Enrichment Institutes – a unique opportunity Fellowship Alumni to travel to U.S. for two-week placements at U.S. institutions of higher education to learn about topics such as the United States’ diverse culture and society, resiliency and ethics in leadership, and social justice principles. Prior to IREX, Kristen served as the program manager of the NEA Foundation’s Global Learning Fellowship – a year-long professional development program designed to support American public-school educators develop the necessary knowledge and skills to prepare students for 21st century global citizenship. In this role, Kristen co-authored a K-12 global competency curriculum book, aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals titled “12 Lessons to Open Classrooms and Minds to the World”. Under Kristen’s leadership, the NEA Foundation successfully designed and implemented week-long international teacher field studies to Peru, China, and South Africa. Kristen has additional international affairs experience through past roles at EF Education First, Youth for Understanding (YFU), and the International Executive Service Corps (IESC). She holds a Bachelor of Arts in international studies with concentrations in international development and public administration from American University and studied community development at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa.
Veronica McIntire
Program Coordinator, Summer Enrichment Program and Selections
Veronica McIntire is the Program Coordinator for the Summer Enrichment Program and Selections. She obtained her Bachelor’s in Political Science with Honors at the University of Washington, Seattle. Veronica interned with the Department of State in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, focusing on Western Hemisphere Affairs. She also interned with a boutique strategy firm researching global development and health for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and was a Fellow with the Hillary for America campaign. Veronica is excited to support Rangel Graduate Fellows and Scholars and make their dreams of entering the foreign service a reality.
André Vincent
Program Coordinator, Recruitment and Compliance
André Vincent is the Program Coordinator for Recruitment and Compliance for the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program. He comes to Howard after serving as the Program Assistant for the US Foreign Policy and National Security (USFP) and Global Governance, Politics and Security (GGPS) programs at American University's School of International Service (SIS). Prior to working at SIS, he worked as the Assistant to the Dean at the Catholic University of America and as an Administrative Assistant at the University of Maryland, College Park. Having grown up in and around the Caribbean, André has a passion for working in higher education and for helping students aspiring to work in international relations reach their goals.