This fall, Christopher Davis will serve as Florida A&M University’s (FAMU) new Diplomat-In-Residence (DIR). He will represent the Department of State and the Foreign Service at FAMU conferences, career fairs and support programs sponsored by foreign affairs groups.
“The most exciting thing about coming to FAMU,” Davis said, “ is the opportunity to re-engage with the intellectual stimulation of academic life.”
Davis will primarily help expose students to the opportunities offered by the State Department for internships and employment. The State Department is a segment of the federal government responsible for setting and implementing American foreign policy.
Davis’ prior experience include acting as the public affairs counselor and embassy spokesman for the U.S. Embassy at the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the consul general and principal officer for the America Consulate General in Strasbourg, France, and the political and economic officer for the U.S. Consulate General in Vladivostok, Russia.
He also has a background in higher education. While teaching at the University of Pittsburg, he also served as an undergraduate academic advisor.
“I very much enjoy meeting students and giving them advice with their careers,” he said.
Davis’ first activity as DIR will be participating in FAMU’s Fall Career Expo on September 26.
Davis, a graduate of the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in history and the University of Pittsburgh with a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology, is anxious to continue the work of Hugh Williams, his predecessor.
“In the past, people who’ve held my position have been very accomplished,” he said. “I hope to bring to students and faculty some sense of how exciting and rewarding working in international affairs can be. If I can share that, then I would have succeeded.”
For now, Davis said, his biggest challenge will be re-adapting to life in America.
“This is our [Davis and his wife] first time in Tallahassee,” Davis said. “The transition to life here has been smooth, thanks to a very fortunate overlap with my predecessor, Mr. Hugh Williams, and the help of the staff from the Office of International Programs and Development.”
