Meet the 2019-2020 Team
Steven M. Schneebaum
Steven M. Schneebaum is Practitioner-in-Residence and Interim Director of the International Law and Organizations Program at SAIS, having been a member of the faculty since 1990. He has also taught international legal subjects at Catholic, American, Cornell, George Washington, and Oxford Universities.
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After partnerships in three national law firms, Professor Schneebaum established his own firm in 2014. His professional focus has been on litigation and international law, with a special emphasis on human rights. He has been counsel to parties and amici curiae in many significant cases, and has published and lectured extensively on the role of international human rights norms in domestic law and policy.
Prof. Schneebaum currently serves on the Boards of Directors of the American Branch of the International Law Association, the International Law Students Association (of which he was founding Chairman), the Council for Court Excellence, and Child Justice, Inc., as well as advisory boards to the British-American Project and the Center for Justice and Accountability. He is a Counsellor to the American Society of International Law, a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and a past Chair of the Board of Visitors of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation and the Steering Committee of the American Bar Association’s Death Penalty Representation Project.
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He was educated at Yale University (B.A., magna cum laude), Oberlin College (M.A. in philosophy), Oxford University (B.A. and M.A. in jurisprudence, the former with First Class Honors), and George Washington University Law School (M.C.L.). His honors include the Msgr. Geno Baroni Caritas Award from Catholic Community Services (2005), the United States Army Commander’s Award for Public Service (2009), and the Pamela Young Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Law Students Association (2018). He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Brittin Alfred
Brittin Alfred graduated from Colorado College in 2010 with a degree in Religious Studies and Philosophy. She went on to work with the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust, a cultural preservation NGO in Nepal that works to protect the threatened architectural heritage of the Kathmandu Valley. After spending four years in Nepal, Brittin then transitioned to work with the Open Society Foundations (OSF) in a variety of roles. From 2014-2016 she worked with the Nepal-Bhutan Initiative and with the Alliance for Social Dialogue, the OSF National Foundation in Nepal. From 2016-2018 she worked as a Program Specialist with the South Asia Program, focusing primarily on Sri Lanka. Recently, she has held consultancies with National Democratic Institute (NDI) and has worked a short-term assignment as Covering Program Officer with OSF’s South Asia Program, focusing on the protection of human rights defenders in the sub-region. Brittin is now pursuing her Master’s in International Public Policy at John Hopkins’ SAIS, concentrating on International Law and Organizations.
Sebastian Bernal
Sebastian Bernal is a second-year graduate student concentrating in International Economics and Latin American Studies, with a minor in International Law. Before graduate school, Sebastian worked at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), where he provided research and support for the Colombia and Cuba Program. He additionally worked at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), where he provided assistance to the Latin America and Africa teams in NED’s quarterly grant-making cycle.
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Sebastian graduated from American University with a B.A. in International Studies, where he focused on U.S. foreign policy towards Latin America.
Elena Botts
Elena Botts graduated Bard College with a BA in Global and International Studies, and is attending Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies to study International Law and Organizations (MA). She has worked for nonprofits (including a South African refugee rights organization) and political campaigns as well as for small presses and arts organizations. She interned for USUN and members of Congress as well as freelanced for various nonprofits, including those in the UN system. She is interested in human rights work, with a focus on transitioning societies, displaced people, and international interventions. She is also a multimedia artist, musician, and poet.
Dafne Carletti
Dafne Carletti is a second-year MA student at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of Johns Hopkins, where she concentrates in International Economics and International Law. She was born and raised in Bologna, Italy, where she has always been an active citizen involved in advocacy and volunteering, especially with regard to women’s and migrants’ issues. She graduated from the University of Bologna in 2018, where she majored in International Studies and Diplomacy. She speaks Italian, English, Spanish, French and is currently learning Arabic. Following her first year at SAIS, Dafne interned in a grassroot NGO in Northern Egypt, working on projects of women empowerment and women’s rights. Her interests include women and gender studies, international environmental law, and transnational advocacy.
Samuel Davidoff-Gore
Samuel Davidoff-Gore is a second-year SAIS student concentrating in International Law and Organizations. He graduated from Brown University in 2015 with honors, concentrating in International Relations. Over the summer, he interned at the German Marshall Fund of the United States’ office in Berlin, working on the migration team. Prior to attending SAIS, Sam worked for two years at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), an international non-governmental organization that provides technical electoral assistance around the world. At IFES, he worked on the Jordan and Libya teams, helping manage several multimillion dollar USG funded projects aimed at building the capacity of local electoral management bodies and promoting inclusive elections. Before working at IFES, Sam interned at a progressive national security think tank and worked on a Senate campaign in Maryland. Academically, he is interested in refugees, migration, and human rights. He hopes to pursue a career in refugee and migration policy.
Anna-Marie Kroos
Anna-Marie Kroos is a second year Master of Arts student at Johns Hopkins SAIS concentrating in International Law and Economics. Originally from Lincoln, Nebraska, Anna-Marie graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University with a degree in History, International Studies, and Spanish. Following graduation, Anna-Marie joined the Peace Corps and worked as a community economic development volunteer in Timor-Leste for two years. Living in a post-conflict context, Anna-Marie became interested in human rights and transitional justice which informed her participation in the human rights clinic. This past summer Anna-Marie interned with the Human Rights team at the US Mission to the UN in Geneva, Switzerland.
Zhi Li
Zhi Li is a second-year SAIS student concentrating in International Law and Organizations. Before SAIS, she graduated from Nanjing University of China with honors, majoring in Chinese Law. From 2018-2019, she studied at the Johns Hopkins University – Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies, learning about Comparative and International Law in depth. Her academic interests include the environment law and policy, international investment studies, and humanitarian issues.
Olivia Magnanini
Olivia Magnanini is a second year Master of Arts candidate at Johns Hopkins SAIS concentrating in International Economics and Latin American Studies and minoring in International Law. She spent this past summer working at the UNHCR in Bogotá, Colombia on the Venezuelan refugee crisis. Olivia has worked in the private sector as a pre-sales consultant and international project manager for CrossKnowledge, a digital learning company, focused on the US and Latin American markets. Additionally, she interned with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) as a Civil Liberties research intern. Olivia graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2014 with a BA in History and Spanish Literature, and concentrations in European Studies and Global Cultures. As a part of her degree, she completed a semester abroad in Madrid, Spain at the Universidad de Complutense-Madrid.
Helia Peng
Helia Peng is a first-year student concentrating on International Law and Organization, especially interested in human rights. Before coming to SAIS, she studied philosophy at Nanjing University and interned at UNDP China.
Gabriela Saenz
Gabriela Saenz is a second-year graduate student at Johns Hopkins SAIS, concentrating in International Economics and International Law. She completed her undergrad at the University of Central Florida, graduating in International and Global Studies with a minor in French. This past summer she completed an internship at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Bogota, Colombia. During her time there, she was part of the Community Based Protection Team where she worked on recognizing the specific needs of Venezuelan refugees and internally displaced persons, focusing on women, children, youth, elderly, and disabled persons. Her interests encompass refugees, women, children, education and rule of law.
Zi Xue
Zi Xue is a second-year M.A. Candidate at Johns Hopkins SAIS with a concentration in International Law and Organizations. Originally from China, she received her B.A. in Political Science with distinction and double minors in Gender Women Sexuality Studies and Studies in Cinema and Media Culture from the University of Minnesota. Zi is also interning at Women in International Security (WIIS) as a Gender and Global Security Program Assistant. Her research interests are in the role that international organizations play in international security; the relationship between gender equality and global security; and Foreign policies. Before WIIS, She conducted research on the relationship between government policy and cooperate social responsibility in China; healthy food access in the Latino community in Minneapolis; and assisted political campaign for Minnesota State Senate.