TransAtlantic Masters Spring 2024 Panel

Jonathan Buechner ’19 works as a Donor Stewardship Manager at the Brookings Institution. He had previously served as the Development Coordinator for Metro at Brookings. Before that he was the Philanthropy Manager at Arts+ where he was responsible for all grant writing and reporting as well as annual appeals. He graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2017 with a BA in Contemporary European Studies and a minor in French and then graduated from TAM in 2019 as part of the EURO-TAM program. As part of TAM, he was enrolled in the double degree program at Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona.

Lily Emamian’16 is a Cyber Policy Advisor at the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy at the Department of Defense. She is responsible for U.S. cybersecurity and capacity building cooperation with European Allies and partners.

Lily has worked for the Department of Defense since 2017, where she has served in several other roles advising U.S. government leadership, including as Country Director for France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg (2021-2023), Pakistan Country Director (2019-2021), and NATO Policy Advisor (2017-2019).

As Country Director for France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, Lily supported the Secretary of Defense’s first visit to France to commemorate the 79th Anniversary of D-Day, prepared senior leadership for President Biden’s first State Visit hosting French President Macron, and facilitated communications between senior U.S. and French leaders throughout numerous global crises. As Pakistan Country Director, Lily’s work focused on security cooperation, Pakistan’s relations with major regional actors including China, Russia, and Iran, and global counterterrorism efforts. As a NATO Policy Advisor, Lily worked on NATO-China efforts, NATO-EU cooperation, U.S.-EU relations, and Military Mobility in Europe. Lily also led preparations for multiple Secretary of Defense visits to Brussels to participate in NATO Defense Ministerial and NATO Summit meetings.

Outside of the office, Lily serves as a Co-Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council at the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy, where she advocates for more inclusive policies to benefit the workforce.

Lily graduated from American University with a B.A. in International Studies in 2013 and lived in Jordan 2013-2014 to complete Boren and FLAS scholarships for Arabic language study. Lily completed the TAM Program in 2016. She applies her lessons learned during her TAM experience to her work every day at the Pentagon.

Brett Harris ’23 supports all CES grant activities, with particular attention to communications, publicity, event organization, and evaluation. Prior to his current position with the Center, Harris supported grant communications strategies for multiple grant initiatives, including the 2018-2023 Jean Monnet Center of Excellence, multiple Campus Weeks grants from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, and a Getting to Know Europe Grant from the EU Delegation in Washington D.C. Harris has experience in communications strategy and implementation and evaluation through work with Berlin-based SEEK Global Development and Strategic Consultants.

Harris has MAs from UNC Chapel Hill and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin in Political Science, and a BA with highest honors in Contemporary European Studies and Comparative Literature. During his graduate studies, Harris received a DAAD Masters Research award and an Erasmus+ Mobility Grant, in addition to Academic Year and Summer Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships from the US Department of Education.

Dr. Sarah Straub ’09 is an educator and scholar, currently serving as an Associate Professor in the Department of Education Studies at Stephen F. Austin State University. With a diverse academic background and extensive experience in both academia and K-12 education, Dr. Straub brings a unique perspective to her work in curriculum development, instruction, and teacher training.

Dr. Straub earned her Doctorate in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Houston, complementing her educational foundation with an MBA from Stephen F. Austin State University. She also holds a Master of Arts from UNC Chapel Hill’s TransAtlantic Masters Program, along with Bachelor of Arts degrees in History, Spanish, and Political Science from the College of Charleston.

During her academic journey with the TransAtlantic Masters program, Straub seized opportunities for international engagement, spending transformative terms in Prague, Czech Republic, and Madrid, Spain. In these locales, she volunteered her time and expertise with organizations such as Civic Concepts International and Amnesty International, further enriching her understanding of global perspectives on education and social justice.

Currently serving as the James I. Perkins College of Education’s Teaching Excellence professor and the Montgomery Professor for Humane Education, Dr. Straub continues to champion innovative approaches to teaching and learning, with a focus on fostering empathy, critical thinking, and social responsibility among students and educators alike. Through her research, teaching, and community engagement efforts, she remains dedicated to shaping the future of education and empowering the next generation of leaders.