Title: MSFS Welcomes New Global Politics and Security Concentration Chair, Prof. Jodi Vittori

Professor Vittori is an expert on the linkages of corruption, state fragility, illicit finance, and U.S. national security.

This fall Prof. Vittori will be teaching an updated version of the course she has taught for the Georgetown Government department since 2016, MSFS 506: Corruption Verses Good Governance. In light of the recent announcement priortizing the fight against corruption as a core American national security interest, the course will train MSFS students to understand the obstacles to good governance and the role that corruption plays. Corruption is roundly recognized as a major impediment to democracy, sustainable economic development, international peace, human rights, and the rule of law making this an essential topic for preparing the next generation of political, security, and economic leaders.

“It is a great pleasure to welcome Dr. Jodi Vittori to the MSFS program! She brings a wealth of experience and expertise that will enliven our classrooms and help us to understand and confront critical challenges to democracy and good governance around the world,” MSFS Director Prof. George Shambaugh said in his welcome.

Before joining the Georgetown University faculty, Prof. Vittori was the U.S. Research and Policy Manager for Transparency International’s Defense and Security Program and a senior policy advisor for Global Witness. She also served in the U.S. Air Force, advancing to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. She will be able to mentor MSFS students who focus on various regions of the world as her overseas service included time in Iraq, South Korea, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain. She was previously assigned to NATO’s only counter-corruption task force, Task Force Shafafiyat, in Afghanistan. In addition to her role at Georgetown, she will continue her work as a non-resident fellow with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and as a co-moderator of the Anti-Corruption Advocacy Network (ACAN), an informal network of over 800 anti-corruption advocates and organizations.

“I am honored and humbled to be selected to join the School of Foreign Service faculty. Issues like governance, corruption, organized crime, and money laundering are now considered core security issues, and I’m excited to bring my academic, military, and civil society experience in these fields to this venerable academic institution.”

Professor Vittori brings her experience teaching and mentoring students from her time as an Assistant Professor and military faculty at the US Air Force Academy and the National Defense University. She is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy and received her Ph.D. in International Studies from the University of Denver.

We look forward to welcoming Prof. Vittori to the MSFS community as she engages in essential work as a concentration chair to mentor our GPS students!