Leland Lazarus

Board Member

I serve as the Speechwriter to the four-star Combatant Commander of U.S. Southern Command, Admiral Craig Faller. I previously served as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer in China and the Caribbean. Before joining the U.S. government, I worked as an Associate Producer at China Central Television, and taught English Language as a Fulbright scholar in Panama. Fluent in both Mandarin and Spanish, I hold an M.A. in U.S.-China Relations at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and a B.A. in International Relations at Brown University.

It is not an understatement when I say that Fulbright changed my life. When I touched down in Panama as an English Teaching Assistant in 2013, I was eager to give back to the country of my heritage, improve my Spanish, and make a difference in the lives of my students. Little did I know that this experience would launch my career in International Relations.

For my first tour in the Foreign Service, I was assigned to work at the U.S. consulate in Northeast China. I traveled to cities large and small through northeastern China, giving speeches to hundreds of students at local schools and universities to encourage them to study abroad in the United States. And no matter where I went, I always highlighted my own international experience as a Fulbright scholar. The theme that runs through my professional journey is a deep passion to share and expand the opportunities that were available to me because there are many young people around the world who were just as curious and driven as I was. It is this same passion that urges me to serve on the Fulbright Association Board of Directors.

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