Ismaila Whittier was born in November 1994 in Hoboken, New Jersey, but grew up in Houston, Texas. He was born in Tokyo, Japan, to a Senegalese mother and an American father, and lived in Paris, France, before settling in Washington, D.C. He appreciates history and travel, and he supports Arsenal F.C. in sports.

Professional Experience
Whittier has held a number of unusual posts in his brief career.

Internships in Business

From June to December 2015, Mr Whittier worked as an investment data operations analyst intern at Putnam Investments. From June to August 2016, he worked as a summer account researcher at Brunswick Group for three months.

Underwriting Insurance

From June 2017 to May 2019, Ismaila Whittier worked as an associate underwriter at Zurich, a Swiss Commercial Insurance firm. In June 2019, he was promoted to the role of underwriter in the company's International Middle Markets Group, where he will remain until September 2020.

Zurich is a global leader in property, liability, and life insurance, employing over 50,000 people in 210 countries and territories. For almost 150 years, Zurich has serviced people, small enterprises, and international organizations.

Fellowship

Whittier was a Marcellus Policy Fellow with the John Quincy Adams Society from February to May 2021 while attending Harvard. The John Quincy Adams Society offers a very selective program called the Marcellus Policy Fellowship.

The program aims to give persons with potential in the subject of foreign policy the chance to do impactful, independent research under the supervision of professionals in the field. Fellows can learn about US foreign policy from leading experts and cutting-edge thinkers and polish their ideas into high-quality policy papers and accompanying materials.

Internship with the Government

Ismaila Whittier interned with the United States Senate majority staff for the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations from May to July 2021. In 1816, the United States formed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. It is one of the original ten standing committees of the Senate. The Committee is critical to the development of US foreign policy.

Current Position

Whittier now works for a top global management consulting organization as a business and management consultant. Business consultants collaborate closely with professionals such as researchers, data scientists, and software designers to address challenges for customers in the public, private, and social sectors. In this capacity, Mr Whittier collaborates with a team to gather and analyze data, develop and test theories, and provide recommendations to customers.

Academic Background

Whittier has a strong academic foundation that includes post-graduate studies and industrial certification.

Bachelor's Degree

Mr Whittier graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, MA, in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics and minors in business administration and French. He took part in an undergraduate abroad program with Sciences Po in Paris, France, for the Fall 2016 semester.

Every year, nearly 1500 students from Sciences Po's 470 partner universities from across the world participate in the exchange program. Exchange students attend one of the school's seven campuses and study English or French. Students will be exposed to Sciences Po's professionally relevant and globally oriented social science curriculum, dynamic student life, and innovative teaching techniques.

Graduate School

Ismaila Whittier graduated from Harvard Kennedy School in 2022 with a Master of Public Policy with a focus on international and global issues. The Harvard Kennedy School seeks to train public policy experts capable of fostering free, secure, fair, and affluent communities. To have an unrivaled influence on solving public problems, the school blends great teaching, cutting-edge research, and direct connection with practitioners.

Professional Recognition

Whittier earned the Zurich International Programs Underwriting Certification while working for Zurich, demonstrating his proficiency for international risk analysis and cross-border insurance program structure. The curriculum includes 15 hours of self-study, 15 hours of classroom teaching, and one-on-one evaluations with international experts and trainers.

Professional Qualifications and Experience

Ismaila Whittier is fluent in French on a professional level. He has also mastered a range of skills via his employment as a consultant and insurance professional:

Organizing and resolving unclear problems
Working well with various teams
Communicating with a variety of audiences
Developing Leadership Capabilities
Complex information interpretation

Developing client trust

John Quincy Adams Society: "Charting a Progressive China Policy for the Twenty-First Century" (Marcellus Policy Analysis).

Involvement in Philanthropy/Charitable Work

Whittier spent two years volunteering with the St. George's Society in New York in 2017 and 2018. He started helping with the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation in 2018 and is still doing so now.

Awards

Whittier was awarded the Zurich Bronze Award for his efforts that went above and beyond behaviors and achievements, as well as his capacity to handle challenging obstacles.

Hobbies and interests

International affairs, British period plays, history, travel, preppy fashion, and soccer are among Ismaila Whittier's hobbies.