SPP Welcomes Andrea Mihailescu as the First State Department Fellow in Residence

Dean Pete Peterson has announced that Andrea R. Mihailescu will serve as the first State Department Fellow in Residence at the Pepperdine School of Public Policy (SPP). 

Mihailescu is currently on sabbatical from the United States Department of State. She formerly served as a member of the Secretary’s Policy Planning Staff at the Department working on sanctions issues (North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, among others) as well as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States transactions. In that role, Mihailescu provided analytic policy recommendations and alternative courses of action to the secretary to advance a more effective US sanctions policy and national security priorities. Prior to that, she worked on a detail assignment to the Department of Defense to support Secretary Mattis on securing a multi-billion Special Measures Agreement with the Government of the Republic of Korea. Before joining the Pentagon, Mihailescu was the senior advisor on North Korea sanctions issues to Ambassador Dan Fried in the Office of the Coordination for Sanctions Policy where she helped lead the effort in designing the North Korea pressure campaign. Mihailescu was also an economic intelligence analyst in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research supporting senior State Department policymakers by identifying economic pressure points in the Iranian regime. In that role, Mihailescu's intelligence assessments were often included in the President’s Daily Brief and other senior level US intelligence products, and served as a backup briefer to the President’s Daily Brief. Before joining government, Mihailescu was a freelance journalist covering oil and gas issues.

Peterson described, “The connection to Mihailescu was made through one of our SPP alumni who works at the State Department, so it’s wonderful to build a virtuous cycle with America’s foreign service corps.” Peterson added, “It’s been a pleasure getting to know Andrea, and I know our students will learn much from her.”

Mihailescu will teach a seminar course in international relations focusing on sanctions and foreign policy. The course will survey how the United States along with its foreign allies and partners have used sanctions, focusing on the last two decades. Students will engage in a White House Situation Room mock simulation and recommend to the President a course of action that involves identifying a sanctions policy.

Mihailescu was a Pat Roberts Intelligence Scholar. She received a master of business administration degree from The George Washington University, a master of arts degree from American University, and a bachelor of arts degree University of Connecticut.