IRIS NRC welcomes Foreign Service Officer Lachlyn Soper as International Visiting Practitioner in Residence, March 20-24

Lachlyn Soper
Lachlyn Soper

UW-Madison’s Institute for Regional and International Studies National Resource Center is delighted to welcome Foreign Service Officer Lachlyn Soper to campus as its Spring 2023 International Visiting Practitioner in Residence.

Lachlyn Soper is a diplomat with the U.S. Department of State, with nearly 20 years of experience in public service. She most recently served at U.S. Consulate Leipzig, and also worked as the chief of staff for the Department of State’s European and Eurasian Affairs Bureau in Washington. From 2016 to 2019 she served on a detail to the U.S. military to Stuttgart as a senior advisor for U.S. Africa Command. Prior to joining the State Department, Lachlyn worked as a researcher and team lead for the U.S. Department of Defense in Baghdad, where she earned a Meritorious Civilian Service Award.  She has also worked for the United Nations in the West Bank and Syria.

Lachlyn speaks Arabic, French, and German. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin and a master’s in international relations from the Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs.

During her residency Lachlyn Soper will lead an international career event and run a writing for policymaking workshop for UW students and make class visits.

Career Bootcamp with FSO Lachlyn Soper: Careers in Foreign Policy and International Affairs
When: Wednesday, March 22, 1 p.m.
Where: 336 Ingraham Hall.

Writing Workshop with FSO Lachlyn Soper: Writing for Foreign Policy.
When: Friday, March 24, 1 p.m.
Where: 206 Ingraham Hall.

Lachlyn will also hold office hours at SuccessWorks offering individualized career advising for students and will meet with UW faculty and staff. During her residency she will also visit two high schools (Madison East and DeForest) to speak with students about her work in diplomacy and policy making and discuss international careers and opportunities.