On December 5, in the Schmidt Conference Room, Model UN Team hosted guest speaker Russ Singer. Mr. Singer, a Foreign Service Officer from the U.S. Department of State, is currently serving a detail assignment as an International Affairs Instructor at the United States Military Academy.

Russell Singer speaking with SKS Model UN students

Mr. Singer provided the Model UN Team with valuable insight into the role of the United Nations in the world, and its relevant processes. He also gave the students a brief overview of what it is to be a Foreign Service Officer and what you need to do to become one. He was well received by team members, who will certainly be putting this new-found information to good use during MUN competitions.

Mr. Singer with nine members from the SKS Model UN Team, their teachers Maddie Schade and Michael Hauser, and one interloping baby sister

Mr. Singer has been with the State Department since 2004 and has previously served in Honduras, Russia, Germany, the U.S. Treasury Department, and, most recently, at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.

Russell Singer emphasizing a point to our future leaders

In Germany, he was responsible for reporting on German economic issues including the Eurozone debt crisis.  At the United Nations, he was responsible for negotiating General Assembly resolutions on issues related to finance, economic development, and the environment.

The head mentor for our Model UN Team, History and Social Sciences Chair, Michael Hauser.

Prior to Mr. Singer’s career with the State Department, he served as a day trader on Wall Street, an IT Consultant, and a Peace Corps volunteer in Fiji. He graduated from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs in 2003 with a Master of International Affairs degree. He also attended Stanford University where he received a Masters in Science, Applied Physics in the spring of 1995.