Melissa Verlaque

Experience

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  University of Delaware

  Sept 2013 - Dec 2013

  Teaching Assistant, American Political Systems

  Undergraduate teaching assistant for American Political Systems, typically seniors but chosen as a junior, based on high levels of experience and knowledge in the subject area. Attended all lectures, assisted Professor with building relationships with students, leading study sessions, proctoring exams and grading exams.

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  U.S. Department of State

  Jun 2014 - Jun 2015

  Liaison to faculty and student organizations at the University of Delaware to provide information and opportunities to interact with the State Department on foreign policy issues. Supported the international programs team by conducting evaluations of closed programs, synthesizing and analyzing program data, organizing an anti-trafficking roundtable discussion for over 300 individuals, preparing team members for international travel, coordinating and organizing the International Programs library, and other duties as assigned.

  • Foreign Affairs Campus Coordinator

    Aug 2014 - Jun 2015

  • Intern, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons

    Jun 2014 - Aug 2014
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  U.S. Department of State

  Feb 2016 - Sept 2018

  Program Assistant, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons

  Coordinated the open competition program cycles including organizing the application process, coordinating the substantive review of proposals, serving as the main point of contact for applicants, and facilitating the decision memoranda for foreign assistance and congressional notification approvals. Provided program management support in East Asia and the Pacific and North Africa and the Middle East by conducting site visits in Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Morocco, Thailand, and Vietnam; monitored anti-trafficking projects in Burma, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, and Vietnam; and attended international conferences including the Bali Process and the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime. Show less

• 

  University of Nottingham

  Jan 2019 - Mar 2019

  Research Associate, The Right Lab

  One of 37 multinational researchers, including 13 researchers from the University of Nottingham's Rights Lab, assessing the actions of governments to respond to modern slavery in the 2019 Measurement, Action, Freedom Report.

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  Anti-Slavery International

  Mar 2019 - Jun 2020

  Grant Compliance Specialist Consultant

  Provides promising grant management practices and institutional donor grant compliance analysis and oversight regarding anti-trafficking projects funded by U.S. government donor agencies to ensure compliance with U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (2 CFR 200) guidance and grant specific requirements. Serves as a resource for Anti-Slavery International headquarters and local partners based in West Africa.

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  The Freedom Fund

  Oct 2019 - Jan 2020

  Grant Compliance Consultant

  Provides promising grant management practices and institutional donor grant compliance analysis and oversight regarding anti-trafficking projects funded by U.S. government donor agencies to ensure compliance with U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (2 CFR 200) guidance and grant specific requirements.

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  U.S. Department of State

  Feb 2022 - now

  Manages more than $13M in foreign assistance funds to implement programs to counter organized crime including illegal synthetics and precursor chemicals, money laundering, and other complex financial crimes, advance sustainable reforms in law enforcement and criminal justice systems, and build relationships and interoperability between U.S. and partner nation law enforcement in the Southern Cone (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay). Managed more than $300 million in foreign assistance to support the Haitian National Police by rapidly equipping and training the HNP to reduce the gang threat and improve the security situation with the long-term priority of establishing the HNP as a modern, accountable, and professional law enforcement body that can uphold the law and order by maintaining citizen security, including support to the Multinational Security Support Mission. Managed more than $7M in foreign assistance funds to implement anti-trafficking programs in Southern and Central Africa to prevent human trafficking, protect survivors, prosecute perpetrators, and harness partnerships to address the issue, including the Partnership to Protect (P2P) Trafficking in Persons in Zambia. Served as the Human Rights Officer on a four month detail managing engagement on a wide-range of priority areas including combating human trafficking, addressing gender-based violence, advocating for LGBTQI+, countering corruption and supporting whistleblower protections.

  • Foreign Affairs Officer, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement

    Oct 2024 - now

  • Foreign Affairs Officer, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement

    Aug 2023 - Oct 2024

  • Foreign Affairs Officer, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons

    Jun 2020 - Aug 2023

  • Foreign Affairs Officer, Embassy Pretoria

    Feb 2022 - Jun 2022