SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA—Wofford College’s Hipp Lecture Series on International Affairs and National Security will host Jessica Lewis, the U.S. State Department’s assistant secretary of the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, on Friday, April 21.
Lewis will visit a government class to discuss the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as well as tension between China and Taiwan. Later that morning, she will meet students from across campus to discuss her career path and offer insight on careers as diplomats and high-level government employees at the college’s Career Center in the Mungo Exchange.
“We are honored to have Assistant Secretary of State Jessica Lewis on campus this Friday,” says Van Hipp, founder of the college’s Hipp Center for National Security and Foreign Policy. “The Bureau of Political-Military Affairs plays a huge role in advancing national security partnerships with U.S. allies. Our students will benefit from this opportunity to engage with Secretary Lewis in both a classroom environment, as well as at our Career Center.”
Lewis has served in the State Department since September of 2021. Before joining the State Department, she served as Democratic staff director of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. From 2007 to 2014, she was U.S. Sen. Harry Reid’s national security advisor and foreign policy advisor and then his senior national security advisor.
The Hipp Lecture Series on International Affairs and National Security is part of the Hipp Center for National Security and Foreign Policy. It was founded in 2011 to create signature events at Wofford with the goal of capturing the attention of students and the public while drawing them into important conversations on applying American leadership and ideals to the challenges of international affairs past, present and future.
Wofford College, established in 1854, is a four-year, residential liberal arts college located in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It offers 27 major fields of study to a student body of 1,800 undergraduates. Nationally known for the strength of its academic program, outstanding faculty, study abroad participation and successful graduates, Wofford is recognized consistently as a “best value” and for its commitment to student success and accessibility for low- and middle-income students. The college community has 12 sororities and fraternities as well as 20 NCAA Division I athletics teams.