Jean M. Geran
Contact: jgeran@slbrownfoundation.org
Areas of Expertise: foreign policy, social justice, human rights, human trafficking, child protection, women’s wellbeing and land rights, international religious freedom
Bio
Dr. Jean Geran serves as a senior advisor for policy and applied research for The Lumen Center. Concurrently, she has several roles at the University of Wisconsin-Madison including the Director of Engagement for an anti-human trafficking project called 4W-STREETS, a member of the leadership circle of the 4W (Women & Wellbeing in Wisconsin & the World) initiative, a member of the Scientific Committee for the UNESCO Chair on Gender, Wellbeing and a Culture of Peace, and an affiliated scholar with the Center for Southeast Asian Studies.
Dr. Geran has extensive experience translating research into practice through her work in the academy, international organizations, think tanks and public service. She has held positions at the US Department of State and the National Security Council (White House) where she worked on an array of social justice issues including human rights, child protection, trafficking in persons, refugee policy, migration, governance, and women’s wellbeing. She was a Diplomacy Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) from 2001-2003 and has served as a representative of the United States to several bodies of the United Nations and other international organizations. She has appeared on BBC World News and was a regular contributor to Foreign Policy Magazine from 2009 to 2016.
Dr. Geran has experience speaking and teaching on human rights and related issues as an Adjunct Professor at George Washington University and as a Distinguished Visiting Lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Currently, she teaches a track on Christian service and leadership for the student Fellows Program at Upper House.
Dr. Geran has a Ph.D. in Development Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an M.S. in Resource Development from Michigan State University, and a B.S.B.A. from Georgetown University.
Experience
Senior Advisor, The Lumen Center and Upper House, 2023-present
Director of Engagement, 4W-STREETS, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2014-Present
Senior Fellow, Sagamore Institute, 2013-2017
Member, Policy Planning Staff, US Department of State, 2006-2008
Adjunct Professor, George Washington University, 2007
Director for Democracy and Human Rights, National Security Council, 2004-2005
Foreign Affairs Officer, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, US Department of State, 2001-2004
Researcher, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1995
Research Consultant, The World Bank, 1994
Education
Ph.D., Development Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison
M.S., Resource Development, Michigan State University
B.S.B.A., Georgetown University
Selected Honors/Awards
Superior Honor Award for Secretarial Initiatives, US Department of State, 2007
Distinguished Young Alumni Award, University of Wisconsin Alumni Association, 2006
Superior Honor Award for Service in Iraq, US Department of State, November 2003
Superior Honor Award for Human Rights Documentation in Burma, US Department of State, December 2003
Diplomacy Fellowship, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2001-2003
Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship – Thai, 1997-2001