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SIPA Defense and Security Student Organization (DSSO)
The mission of the SIPA DSSO is to explore the various disciplines of International Affairs through the lens of defense and security issues, as well as to educate our members and widen their viewpoints on these subjects by delving into areas that are not traditionally considered security issues. The DSSO will do so by bringing in guest experts on a wide variety of subjects to give talks ranging from broad issues like terrorism, energy, and finance, to narrower regional interests such as peacekeeping missions and post-conflict development. The DSSO shall also provide networking opportunities to students interested in pursuing careers in the field.
Please contact Alan Cunningham for more information.
Tara Badri [President]
Tara Badri, DSSO President, is a first-year master of international affairs candidate with a focus on water and energy security. Prior to her studies at Columbia University, Ms. Badri worked for Deloitte Consulting as a Strategy & Operations Consultant in the Emerging Markets Practice. While working at Deloitte, she spent close to two years in Saudi Arabia at the Office of Program Management-Ministry of Interior (OPM-MOI) in U.S. Embassy Riyadh to implement a bilateral agreement between U.S. and Saudi governments on critical infrastructure protection. She also spent two years at the Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute coordinating and then executing the training for U.S. government personnel deploying to Iraq Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs). Ms. Badri is a graduate of Miami University and holds a B.S. in Business Administration and Environmental Science.
Robert Fitchette [Vice President]
DSSO Vice President Robert (Bob) Fitchette is a first-year MPA candidate focusing on international security policy and advanced policy and economic analysis. Before entering Columbia University, Bob served as a floor aide in the United States Senate, assisting in the execution of the chamber’s daily legislative and procedural activity. Bob also worked as a management consultant in the financial office of the United States Agency for International Development. He recently completed a coauthored book chapter on the Afghan resistance against the Soviets during the 1980s, set to be published in 2012. In December 2011, Bob began an internship with Flashpoint Global Partners, a terrorism research and analysis firm.
Alan Cunningham [Director of External Affairs]
Alan Cunningham, Director of External Affairs for DSSO, is a current first-year MIA candidate concentrating in International Security Policy. Prior to arriving at SIPA, he was the Development and Special Projects Manager for the Pacific Council on International Policy (PCIP), where he worked on national security, climate change, and healthcare systems security research and project development. He is currently pursuing studies in nuclear security, non-proliferation, and arms control while at SIPA.
Kenneth Hau [Director of Operations]
Kenneth Hau is the Director of Operations for DSSO and currently a first-year MPA candidate studying International Security Policy and East Asia. Before attending SIPA, he worked at a non-profit organization, Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), as a grass-roots activist and political coordinator raising awareness on the North Korean human rights crisis. He is currently focusing his studies on intelligence as well as the relationship between American policy and East Asian security.
Keenan Mahoney [Director of Communications]
Keenan Mahoney, Director of Communications for DSSO, is a first-year MIA candidate studying International Security Policy and International Conflict Resolution. Keenan is a native of Windham, NH by way of Jacksonville, FL, and before arriving at SIPA he spent two years in Washington, DC working for Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL). Keenan earned a BA in Political Science and International Affairs at Florida State University, and completed a three month intensive language program at École France Langue in Paris, France immediately prior to his arrival in New York.
Eric Smyth [Treasurer]
Eric Smyth, the Treasurer for DSSO, is a first-year master of international affairs candidate studying international security policy and international conflict resolution. Additionally, he is currently working as an intern for Flashpoint Global Partners, a terrorism research and analysis firm. Prior to Columbia, Mr. Smyth was a program manager at Microsoft where he made contributions to the .Net software development framework and Windows operating system. He is also a commissioned officer in the United States Army having served since 2004 in various roles, including two years in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. Mr. Smyth is a graduate of the University of Washington and holds a B.S. in Computing and Software Systems.