About Us

Richard Murgo retired as Dean of the College of Social Sciences at Tallahassee State College in 2021. Dr. Murgo joined the faculty of TSC in 1994 as an assistant professor, later becoming professor of political science. He subsequently became the college’s Director of Academic Enrichment, latterly promoted to Associate Dean of Social Sciences. He was selected as Dean of Social Sciences one year later. He holds master’s degrees in political science from Florida State University and in Applied Economics from the University of Central Florida. He received his Ph.D. from Florida State University. Dr. Murgo served as faculty Senate President 2005-2006, has served as the dual enrollment education coordinator of the statewide Florida Boys State and Girls State programs, and was advisor and co-founder for the TSC Model United Nations program at Tallahassee State College. He founded and developed a faculty exchange program with Tianjin Foreign Studies University, as well as developed partnerships with other colleges for students’ study abroad programs in China and the Czech Republic. Dr. Murgo has also served on the United Nations Association of American Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Community Colleges Committee. Dr. Murgo has served as vice president, treasurer, and currently president of the National Model United Nations Board of Directors.  He is a current member of the Executive Board of Directors of the Florida Political Science Association, a former board member for the Florida College System Activities Association, a former   elected chairman of the Holocaust Education Resource Council board of directors, as well as a member of the Board of Directors for Tallahassee Southern Model United Nations Association. He has been the political contributor for WXTL, ABC News affiliate for Tallahassee and Southern Georgia. Dr. Murgo has presented numerous papers including, “United Nations Human Rights Treaties: Obligations and Compliance” and most recently, “EU-China Relations: Balancing Economic Opportunities with Political Challenges”. Richard Murgo is the recipient of the 2012 NICSOD Excellence in Teaching award, as well as the 2011 recipient of the Tallahassee State College Club Advisor of the Year award.

Tina is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Stockton University in New Jersey where she teaches undergraduate courses in international relations, international political economy, global governance, quantitative research methods, and an interdisciplinary first-year course on global challenges. Tina holds an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and an M.A.in Economics and PhD in Political Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is the founding advisor of Stockton’s Model UN program, campus liaison for the State Department’s Diplomacy Lab program, and co-facilitator for the Stockton Critical Thinking Institute (SCTI). Her research on international financial institutions and scholarship on teaching and learning has appeared in World Development, International Studies Perspectives, and Routledge’s RIPE Series in Global Political Economy. She is the lead author of " Global Challenges: Promise & Peril in the 21st Century", a digital textbook/course published in Smart Sparrow’s adaptive learning platform (blendedcourses.org). Tina is the recipient of Stockton’s 2016 Faculty of the Year Award.

Patrick is currently the counsel and director of government affairs for The American Waterways Operators, a maritime trade association headquartered in the Washington, D.C. metro area. He earned bachelors degrees in International Relations and Animal & Nutritional Sciences from West Virginia University and his juris doctor from American University's Washington College of Law.

Patrick's involvement with NMUN has spanned a decade of involvement in every type of NMUN conference as a delegate and member of the volunteer staff at conferences in New York, Washington DC, Quito, Rome, and Xi'an. During his time on staff, Patrick served in several roles from Assistant Director to Secretary-General of NMUN•DC in 2015 and NMUN•NY in 2017, and Deputy Secretary-General of NMUN • China in 2018. 

Rebecca is Senior Lecturer of Political Science and Director of Engaged Learning Curriculum in the Office of Engaged Learning at Baylor University. She received her Ph.D. and M.A. in Political Science at the University of Notre Dame and her B.A. at Wheeling Jesuit University. She has served as the advisor of the Model United Nations team since her arrival at Baylor in Fall 2010, and in addition to Model United Nations, she teaches courses in constitutional law, politics and religion, and political philosophy. Her research interests in politics and religion span normative, theoretical, and empirical approaches. As Director of Engaged Learning Curriculum in the College of Arts & Sciences she works with fellow faculty to develop courses that help students develop skills to orient and apply classroom learning toward broader public goods.

Marc Scarcelli is a Professor of Political Science at Cal Poly Pomona, where he serves as advisor to the NMUN team. He previously served as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Ohio University and Bowdoin College. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis and his B.A. from Purdue University. His area within Political Science is International Relations; he teaches courses on a range of topics centered on security and political violence. His primary research focus is on ethnic conflict and modern civil wars. He also maintains a strong personal interest in matters of extreme poverty, stemming from his background of involvement, years ago, with humanitarian development work in Haiti.

Michael has served as full-time Executive Director of NMUN since 2004 and has helped expand its annual programming to include more than 5,000 college participants. Prior to his current position, he was the Director of Enrollment Services and Marketing for the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs (www.hecua.org), an educational nonprofit offering social justice-based off-campus study programs.

He began his undergraduate studies at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and attended NMUN as a student delegate. He ultimately received his B.A. in Economics, summa cum laude, from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN and his M.A. in Nonprofit Management and the scholar award from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN. Additional honors include being named a Truman Scholar. He completed the coursework for a doctorate in International Education at the University of Minnesota (ABD).

Michael has served as an adjunct faculty member at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota; a Trustee of the Center for UN Reform Education, a board member and past-President of the United Nations Association of Minnesota, as well as multiple terms on the National Council of UNA-USA. He resides in Minnesota.

Crissy is a Teaching Professor of Political Science at West Virginia University where she directs the Model United Nations program. She received her doctorate in Political Science with a focus in International Relations and International Political Economy. A West Virginia University (WVU) faculty member since 2006, she served as the assistant director of the Multidisciplinary Studies Program, currently serves as the director of the International Studies Program (an interdisciplinary major with approximately 200 students), and serves as the director of the Honors College upper-division Experiential and Community Engaged Learning Program. In addition to her Model United Nations course, she often teaches Introduction to International Relations, Global Political Issues, and Capstone courses. Her current research focuses on experiential education and innovative teaching techniques and their link to bridging social capital. Crissy is engaged in her community as a Rotarian and a Scout leader.

Pamela Falk is a UN Resident Correspondent & Foreign Affairs analyst for CBS News TV & Radio and writes columns for various publications. She is on the Board of Directors of the Dag Hammarskjöld Fund for Journalists and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She received her J.D. from Columbia University School of Law and her Ph.D. from New York University. She has taught at Columbia Law School and Columbia SIPA and was a staff director on Capitol Hill.

Linda Fasulo is a journalist and author specializing in the UN and US foreign policy. Based at the United Nations, she is a long-time independent correspondent for NPR News. Linda has worked as UN Correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC and as Special UN Correspondent for US News and World Report magazine. A frequent speaker on international issues, she has a Master’s in Public Administration and has also done graduate study in international affairs at Columbia University. Her popular book, An Insider's Guide to the UN, published by Yale University Press, is in its fourth edition. Besides English, various editions of the book have also been published in Chinese and Korean. Linda serves on the Executive Committee of the UN Correspondents Association (UNCA).

H. Stephen Halloway is Director, Center for Comparative Legislative Management at the International Law Institute and Course Advisor for Governance and Anti-Corruption. He also serves as a Senior Advisor to the World Bank. He was Head of Mission, United Nations Industrial Development Organization at United Nations Headquarters in New York. He was formerly Senior Advisor in the Inter-American Development Bank’s Office of External Relations where he had responsibility for Congressional Affairs and Private Sector Outreach related to the IDB Group. He served as Senior Advisor, North-South Trade and Investment, Ltd. Edmonton, Canada as well as Senior Advisor to the President, Andrade Gutierrez Environmental Group (Brazil). He also served as the Chief Regulatory Officer of the U.S. Department of Commerce and Chief Counsel of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison; MA in Political Science (Ford Fellow at the Eagleton Institute of Politics) from Rutgers University and a J. D. from the Boston University School of Law.

Source: https://international.wisc.edu/staff/halloway-h-stephen/#:~:text=Washington%2C%20DC%20USA-,H.,Advisor%20to%20the%20World%20Bank.

Amierah Ismail is a Humanitarian Affairs Officer at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), serving as a Partnerships Officer in the External Relations and Partnerships section with a focus on the Middle East and North Africa. She works to raise awareness and mobilize resources for humanitarian crises, leveraging her expertise in partnership development, resource mobilization, and advocacy on a global scale.

Amierah has extensive experience managing high-level resource mobilization events, developing partnership strategies, and fostering donor engagement. Prior to joining OCHA, she served as a Professional Officer at the Permanent Observer Mission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to the United Nations, where she was the liaison to a number of UN entities. In this role, she negotiated resolutions and built relationships with member states, intergovernmental organizations, and NGOs.

Before her diplomatic work, Amierah managed alumni events for the New York University School of Law and coordinated the Global Classrooms program at the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA).

Her National Model United Nations (NMUN) experience spans over two decades, including as Secretary-General in 2007, Member of the Board of Directors from 2015-2021, and Member of the NMUN Advisory Council since 2022.

Amierah holds a B.A. in Political Science from American University and an M.S. in Global Affairs from New York University.

Alynna J. Lyon is a Professor of Political Science at the University of New Hampshire, United States. Her research interests including the United Nations, United States foreign policy and world politics. She is author of US Politics and the United Nations (Lynne Rienner, 2016), co-author of The United Nations in the 21 Century (Routledge, 2022), co-author of The United Nations: 75 Years of Promoting Peace, Human Rights and Development (2020), and co-editor of two books, Pope Francis as a Global Actor: Where Politics and Theology Meet (Palgrave, 2018) and Religion and Politics in a Global Society (Lexington, 2013). She is the former chair of the International Organization section of the International Studies Association (2016-2018), former Editor-in-Chief of Global Governance (2018-2024) and has served as Faculty Advisor for UNH Model UN since 2003.

Chaldeans Mensah is an Associate Professor of Political Science at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

He received his doctorate in Political Science from the University of Alberta in 1990.  A faculty member with MacEwan since 1991, he served two terms on the University’s board of governors.  In 2023, Chaldeans was a Visiting Professor in Global Studies for four months at Fulda University of Applied Sciences in Fulda, Germany, and taught in the Summer Academic program for Dankook University (South Korea) in 2025.  He is a graduate of the Academy for Leadership Training and Development (Chair Academy, 2001) and Academy for Advanced Leadership (Chair Academy, 2010).

In 1996, Chaldeans was awarded the Canadian Immigration Award in recognition of his teaching excellence and promoter of lifelong learning. In the same year he was recognized at the University with a distinguished instructor award.  In 2005, Chaldeans received the MacEwan Medallion, the highest recognition awarded to a MacEwan University employee.  In the following year, he received the Alberta Centennial Medal in the category of education in recognition of his outstanding service to the people and province of Alberta.

In 2005, Chaldeans was elected to the board of the National Model United Nations (NMUN), serving as Treasurer from 2007 to 2018 and President from 2018 to 2020.  He completed his term as past-President on the board in 2023. In 2025, he received the Judy K. Eaton Service Award for his outstanding contribution to NMUN. 

Chaldeans is a keen observer of politics at all levels and is periodically called upon by the provincial and national media to offer reflections on political developments.

Rachel Bowen Pittman serves as Executive Director of UNA-USA, a grassroots movement of more than 20,000 Americans in over 200 chapters across the U.S. who are dedicated to supporting the work of the United Nations in communities, on campuses, and on Capitol Hill. Rachel works to maximize UNA-USA’s advocacy impact by guiding the strategic vision for the organization, overseeing membership expansion, and managing partnerships. Rachel works closely with UNA-USA’s National Council and Affinity Group leadership to spearhead new initiatives that support a strong U.S.-UN partnership.

Before she was appointed Executive Director in June 2019, Rachel served as UNA-USA’s Senior Director of Membership and Programs. In this role, she managed UNA-USA’s national programs and events, including the annual Global Engagement Summit at UN Headquarters, Global Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C., and UN Day events across the country. She also led a nationwide fundraising campaign to provide education to youth in refugee camps.

Prior to joining UNA-USA, Rachel served on multiple leadership teams for several professional associations that represented lawyers, surgeons, regulators and engineers. In her many accomplishments, Rachel strengthened membership programs, directed rebranding initiatives and secured agreements with national associations representing China, Korea, Argentina, India, Peru, Egypt and Mexico. While Rachel has worked with inspiring professionals across a diverse range of industries and cultures throughout her career, supporting UNA-USA staff and members in their efforts to make the future brighter is her greatest inspiration.

Rachel holds a B.S.B.A in International Business from American University and an MBA in Marketing from Johns Hopkins University.

Source: https://unausa.org/team/rachelpittman/

Richard Reitano, professor emeritus, led his first delegation of Dutchess Community College students to National Model United Nations (NMUN) in 1968 and stayed involved in the program for over 50 years. He began his service on the NMUN Board in the early 1990s. 

Chris Whatley joined HALO in June 2019. Prior to HALO, Chris served as Executive Director of the United Nations Association of the United States. Chris previously served as Deputy Executive Director of The Council of State Governments (CSG) and began his career as a field-based officer for the International Republican Institute (IRI), leading programs in Liberia, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

Source: https://www.halotrust.org/about-us/who-we-are/our-people/

Eileen grew up in Brewster, New York and now lives in Stamford, Connecticut. She graduated from SUNY Oneonta in 2014 with a BS in Political Science and a BA in International Studies. She now works in White Plains, New York as a cash flow analyst for Danone North America. In her spare time, Eileen loves to travel, read, crochet, and pick things up that her cat, Ivy, knocks down. She served as NY DSG in 2025, her 11th year volunteering with National Model United Nations.

Valerie Brunell is the assistant dean of the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College and director of the National Merit Scholars Program, the Collegium V Honors Program and the Liberal Arts Honors Programs at the University of Texas at Dallas. She has served as the UT Dallas Model UN advisor since 2012. She graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a master’s in chemistry.

Pam is the co-founder and Executive Editor of the Earth Negotiations Bulletin and Professor of Political Science at Manhattan University in New York. She has published numerous articles and book chapters on environmental negotiations, scientific uncertainty in negotiations, professional cultures in negotiations, land degradation and the UNCCD, and various environmental treaties and negotiating processes. Her books include: Global Environmental Politics, 9th edition (Routledge 2025); Transforming Multilateral Diplomacy: The Inside Story of the Sustainable Development Goals (Routledge 2018); and The Roads from Rio: Lessons Learned from Twenty Years of Multilateral Environmental Negotiations (Routledge, 2012). 

Eric is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Texas Christian University, where he also directs the Model United Nations program. He received his Ph.D. and M.A. at the University of Virginia, and his B.A. at Austin College where he participated in Model United Nations as a student. He teaches Introduction to International Politics, Game Theory in International Relations, United Nations Institutions and Processes, and International Organizations Research. His first book, Why Enduring Rivalries Do---or Don't---End, examines the factors that lead rival states to the negotiating table through a comparison of rivalry relationships in the Middle East and Latin America. His current research focuses on the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Danielle was born and raised in Ireland but currently lives and works in Gibraltar. She graduated from University College Dublin (UCD) in 2015 with a BA (International), completing her Erasmus year at Université Libre de Bruxelles. Following this, she obtained a Master in Common Law from UCD and went on to train as a Barrister. She was awarded her Barrister at Law degree in 2020 and was subsequently called to the Bar of Ireland. Upon qualifying, Danielle worked in human rights and immigration law. She has since cross-qualified and was called to the Bar of Gibraltar in 2023. Her legal practice encompasses Gibraltar, Irish, and EU law, with a focus on litigation and regulatory matters. In her spare time, Danielle is a board member of a large Irish not-for-profit, YAP Ireland. She also enjoys travelling the world, reading, and, spending time with friends and family. Danielle started her involvement in National Model United Nations in 2014 and served as NY SG in 2025.

Chris is a Foreign Affairs Officer with the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. He holds a bachelor's degree in Public Policy & Administration from St. Petersburg College and a Master of Arts in Global Environmental Policy from the School of International Service at American University. Chris served for seven years as a volunteer with NMUN•DC and served as SG his final year there.

Dr. Karazsia is an Associate Professor at Valdosta State University (VSU) in Georgia. He earned his Ph.D. at Florida International University. His research addresses why and how vulnerable populations undergo socio-political marginalization and violence. He uses a range of primary and secondary sources and social scientific literature to show how specific state-society conditions enable perpetrators to ostracize, dehumanize, and murder so-called “asocial” groups en masse. His primary regional interest is Sub-Saharan Africa, mainly Central and East Africa. Zack's areas of concentration include Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Comparative Politics, and International Relations. Zack was an Inaugural Fellow at MIT's 2024 Wargaming Lab Summer Institute, a Founding Chair of VSU's Working Group on Conflict and Security, and a Fellow at APSA Africa Workshop on Conflict and Political Violence in Nairobi, Kenya.

Chase Mitchell has volunteered for NMUN since 2015, serving in numerous roles across New York, D.C., and international conferences. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh, Chase is the Director of Cost & Pricing and Financial Analysis for Creative Associates International, a U.S. State Department-funded company that implements international development and domestic education projects.

Martin is a German-Filipino who currently works at a multilateral development bank in London, United Kingdom. Previously, he worked for the United Nations (UN) Committee on World Food Security, the ONE Campaign, and the UN Department of Global Communications. Martin graduated with an M.A. in Media Culture and Media Economy from the University of Bayreuth. In his spare time, he enjoys the art of making espresso and all things food. He served as NY DSG in 2025.

Tracy Hoffmann Slagter is Professor of Political Science and the Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning at the the University of Wisconsin—Oshkosh, where she has been co-advisor of the Model United Nations team since 2018. She earned her Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of Iowa in 2006. Her research primarily focuses on the relationship between supranational courts and national legislatures, and she is a strong advocate for research on teaching and learning. She regularly teaches courses in international law, European Union politics, genocide, and global environmental politics. She is passionate about expanding access to experiential learning opportunities like MUN to all college students.

Maike grew up in Deckenbach, Germany and currently lives in Berlin. She earned a Bachelor's degree in European Studies from the University of Magdeburg and a Master's degree in International Relations from the Dresden University of Technology. She currently is an attachée at the German Federal Foreign Office. In her spare time, she enjoys literature, needlework and outdoor adventures with her scout group. She served as NY SG in 2025, her tenth year on National Model United Nations volunteer staff.