Alicia Allison, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, has been an American diplomat since 2000. Before joining the National War College, she served as Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights. In 2019-20, Alicia was Counselor for Political and Economic Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. Domestically, Alicia has served as an Assessor on the State Department’s Board of Examiners, Director of the Office of Caucasus Affairs and Regional Conflicts, Director of the Foreign Service Institute's Political Training Division, and Staff Officer in the Executive Secretariat. Her overseas tours include Political External Affairs Unit Chief in Russia and Political Section Chief and Acting Deputy Chief of Mission in Cyprus. She was also a consular and political officer in Mexico and a political officer in Turkey. Alicia holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Masters in Public Affairs from Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs. She speaks French and Spanish. She hails from Timonium, Maryland.