Alum to discuss state department work related to nonproliferation

Eliot Kang ‘84, the principal deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN), will talk about his work and career path April 18 as the 2019 Arts & Sciences Career Development Center’s Munschauer Speaker.

The event will take place in Lewis Auditorium in Goldwin Smith Hall at 5:30 p.m. His talk will be called “My Path to the State Department.”  Students are encouraged to register in advance via Handshake: https://cornell.joinhandshake.com/events/300733/share_preview. 

Kang joined the State Department in 2003 and served in the political-military affairs and arms control bureaus. He was deputy assistant secretary for nuclear affairs from 2011-2016 and also acted as deputy assistant secretary for threat reduction, export controls and negotiations and as the bureau’s special adviser for North Korean Denuclearization.

“We are delighted that PDAS Kang will be speaking to students as the Munschauer Lecturer. His versatile and diverse career path demonstrates the power of an Arts & Sciences education,” said Jen Maclaughlin, director of Arts & Sciences Career Development.

A former tenured professor, Kang taught international security at the University of Pennsylvania and Northern Illinois University and has held fellowships at the Council on Foreign Relations and the Brookings Institution. His writings have appeared in such publications as International Organization, World Affairs and Comparative Strategy.

Kang received his Ph.D. from Yale University and also studied at Princeton University. He worked as an investment banker specializing in corporate finance and mergers & acquisitions for Dillon, Read & Co., Inc. before joining the State Department and was elected to life membership in the Council on Foreign Relations in 2002.

The Munschauer Career Series from the Arts & Sciences Career Development Center was endowed by the former director of the Cornell University Career Center, John Munschauer, to provide funds for graduates of the College of Arts & Sciences to return to campus to benefit current A&S students career education. This annual program allows students to learn from alumni of note about a specific occupational field, individual career paths and the choices one makes over the course of a career.