Courtney Wong-McGuire, MSOD

In the face of complex diplomatic challenges and the demands of international service, RESILIENCE equips foreign affairs professionals with the mental and emotional fortitude needed to sustain their well-being and continue contributing effectively to diplomatic missions. I support resilience in the Foreign Affairs community by... Leveraging design thinking and the latest science backed research to develop bespoke human-centered and activity-based resilience courses and workshops. Delivering in-person and virtual resilience courses to hundreds of Foreign Affairs personnel and family members on topics related to individual and team resilience, managing and preventing burnout, and maintaining psychological safety.

Palantir Technologies helps the world's most important institutions use their data to solve their most urgent problems. Their software lets customers integrate and analyze all of their data so they can answer questions that they couldn't before. - Leveraged adult learning theory and instructional design methodologies to develop the company’s first post-onboarding micro-training resource designed to share valuable resources and insights through the first year of an employee’s tenure. - Facilitated and coached employees, managers, and leaders across a variety of professional circumstances and topics for an organization of 3,500+ employees using tailored LMS program and training paths. - Acted as an internal training expert to successfully pitch, design, and implement an internal escape room that doubled as a check-for-learning and team building activity for more than 700 technical new hires as part of their onboarding capstone project.

The Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) believes in creating a hemisphere of opportunity, for all. They work across Latin America and the Caribbean to make the region stronger—healthy, safe, just, inclusive, resilient, productive, and sustainable for current and future generations. - Partnered with external vendors to develop training content and learning paths for PADF’s first Leadership Development Program, benefiting more than 20 participants across Latin America and the Caribbean. - Leveraged Salesforce to strengthen engagement with the Board of Trustees by standardizing the flow of communications and facilitating collaborative learning events that used storytelling to bring PADF’s 19 Trustees and 23 Advisory Committee members together with the organization’s thought leaders for learning workshops. - Drove the development of multiple learning projects by defining and communicating the learning strategy, developing content, driving execution, and demonstrating business impact.

Provided customer service and guidance to U.S. Embassy Jerusalem Branch Office personnel and facilitated the development of comprehensive policy and procedural guidance. Reported to the RSO Office Management Specialist and directly supported the Senior Regional Security Officer. - Designed and facilitated a virtual After-Action Review to identify best practices and lessons learned in response to the COVID-19 pandemic with 20 program managers representing over 100 staff. - Developed the strategic planning framework for the office’s 2020 strategic plan to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of all security programs and resolve problem areas. - Utilized understanding of employee policies and procedure to develop a comprehensive Pass & ID guide and fact sheets detailing all procedural aspects of badge issuance for access to Embassy Jerusalem classified and unclassified facilities.

Provided training and facilitation services to public and private sector organizations in the areas of staff development, orientation to the Foreign Service setting and embassy operations overseas, and business development. - Bid, won, and executed a U.S. government contract to facilitate the Young Diplomats Overseas Preparation course at FSI for more than 50 students using knowledge, experience, and understanding of diplomacy and overseas security policies, as well as knowledge of the Foreign Service setting and embassy operations overseas. - Designed and delivered strategic consulting services to the U.S. Consulate General Guadalajara for the implementation of the organization’s first professional development program (PDP), benefitting 150 U.S. and Mexican staff members. - Improved RTI's ability to meet global client needs and attract multimillion-dollar priority donors by uniting subject matter experts (SMEs) from across the public health business unit to enhance strategic planning capacity and maximize SMEs’ collective knowledge and effectiveness.

Served as the junior business partner to the International Development Group, addressing challenges related to program management, learning development and deployment, and cultural awareness. Reported directly to the Senior Director of the Office of Organization, Development, and Learning (ODL). Key Accomplishments: - Leveraged technical skills to streamline the incorporation of people metrics and data from GEMS to the organization’s learning management system (LMS), Cornerstone, in order to improve the application and assessment process of program candidates. - Managed the organization’s LMS and was responsible for monitoring and analyzing feedback results for five programs reaching over 1,000 staff members. - Promoted a learning culture through the design and delivery of two international and three domestic trainings for more than 75 staff in the areas of team building and strategic planning. - Successfully on-boarded, supervised, and mentored all Global Rotation Program participants during the program’s inaugural year.

Facilitated internal focus groups, trainings, and workshops for RTI’s Office of Organization Development and Learning (ODL). Key Accomplishments: - Assisted with the creation of the International Development Group’s Career Pathways guidance – an in-house tool for professional development – and trained all 150 D.C.-based staff. - Designed and facilitated dynamic sessions for RTI’s 2015 Global Development Forum with the executive leadership team, 30 chiefs of party, and other senior staff.

Provided administrative and advisory support to the EVP for the International Development Group (IDG), including preparing correspondence, briefing materials, and talking points. Managed travel logistics and maintained expense reports - Established and maintained strong relationships with high-level external and internal partners, including RTI’s executive leadership team, and senior government officials from the White House, the U.S. Department of State, and USAID. - Developed travel plans and briefing material for over 30 domestic trips, and two international trips.

Served as the Office of Global Operation’s liaison to senior leadership, agency offices, and overseas posts. Recruited to provide technical and administrative support to the office charged with the oversight of global programming and field operations in more than 60 countries. Key Accomplishments: - Advised the Associate Director for Global Operations on agency policy and strategy. - Collaborated with agency leadership to review and analyze Peace Corps’ global policies and led the development of the agency’s first procedural toolkit for special overseas emergencies. - Served on the 2012 Global Country Director Conference planning team, coordinating the travel, lodging, and venue logistic for 67 Country Directors and agency senior staff.

Mentored, trained, and supervised 58 Peace Corps volunteers and trainees in the Community Economic Development (CED) program and provided programmatic support to more than 250 volunteers. Served as the Asunción-based liaison between volunteers and staff, helping both parties manage two national projects. - Developed the framework for the CED program’s project plan, defining the scope, goals, objectives, and indicators used to measure the program’s effectiveness. Drafted technical reports for Peace Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C. - Created the CED Comprehensive Plan – a two-year planning tool used by 23 volunteers in 21 communities to assess local needs, create a project plan, evaluate success, and share feedback with communities in the field.

Organized and led 30 strategic planning meetings, wrote three project charters, and launched the creation of a municipality’s first arts and cultural center, which was recognized by the Paraguayan Ministry of Arts and Culture, and now serves more than 11,000 beneficiaries. - Served as director for the Paraguayan national photography project, Ahecha Paraguay, benefiting more than 300 youth. - Procured $1,000 grant from the U.S. Embassy and reestablished a strategic donor partnership with Kodak of Paraguay. - Managed all program administration and financing, including $5,000 Peace Corps Partnership grant to obtain new cameras.

The ODKM program is designed to meet the needs of contemporary society and of organizations undergoing rapid changes and shifting from hierarchical structures to more group-based learning environments. While focusing on the human and social aspects of organizing, the program also emphasizes the use of collaborative groupware technologies to support interactive learning, knowledge sharing, and knowledge creation.

The Bachelor of Arts in Public and Urban Affairs degree provides the planning and policy skills and insights in order to understand and affect the economic, environmental, social, and governmental consequences of urban growth and change. Graduates work in government agencies, nonprofits, and the private sector addressing complex problems in realms such as urban planning, environmental justice, economic development, food systems, and international development.