Professors of practice

Our professors of practice are respected leaders in foreign affairs with decades of experience in diplomacy. They spearhead the Weiser Diplomacy Center’s mission to provide practical training in foreign affairs and to engage with the international policy community. They teach courses, mentor students, and chair policy workshops and symposia to help equip the next generation of foreign affairs leaders. They also contribute to ongoing conversations about diplomacy and international affairs, sharing expert analysis in the media, consulting with policymakers, and participating in study missions, dialogues, and boards. They are full members of the Ford School faculty, participating in the school’s governance and helping to shape our curriculum and programs to meet the needs of rising policy professionals.

Associate Professor of Practice

Javed Ali

Javed Ali is an associate professor of practice at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, he joined the Weiser Diplomacy Center in fall 2021. Ali brings more than 20 years of professional experience in national security and intelligence issues in Washington, DC. He held positions in the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Department of Homeland Security before joining the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

View profile

Professor of Practice in International Diplomacy

Ambassador Kamissa Camara

Ambassador Camara is a seasoned diplomat with over 15 years of experience in foreign policy and multilateral diplomacy. She will join the Ford School faculty and the Weiser Diplomacy Center in fall 2023. She served as Mali's Foreign Minister and Chief of Staff to the President until August 2020, and has held senior positions at organizations such as PartnersGlobal, the National Endowment for Democracy, and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems. Camara also serves as the Africa instructor for the State Department’s Foreign Service Institute and is currently pursuing her PhD in Political Science at the University of Oxford.

View profile

Director of Weiser Diplomacy Center, Professor of Practice in International Diplomacy

Ambassador Susan D. Page

Ambassador Susan D. Page ([email protected]), a former diplomat, joined the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and the Weiser Diplomacy Center in 2020 as a Professor of Practice in International Diplomacy. She also serves as a Professor from Practice at the U-M's Law School. Ambassador Page has served the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the United Nations, and non-governmental organizations in senior roles for decades, across East, Central, and Southern Africa, and in Haiti and Nepal. She was the first U.S. ambassador to the Republic of South Sudan and served as deputy assistant secretary of State for African Affairs.

View profile