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School of Diplomacy and International Relations

Board of Advisors: C. Eduardo Vargas Toro

Policy Adviser, U.S. Department of State

Mr. C. Eduardo Vargas Toro, M.A.’07 is the Policy Adviser for Human Rights in the Andean Region at the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor in the U.S. Department of State. Before joining the Department of State, Vargas served in the Administration of President Barack Obama. During his tenure at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), he served as Deputy Director of the Center for Faith Based & Community Initiatives (CFBCI) and as Senior Communications Officer at the USAID Mission in Guatemala City.

In addition to his U.S. government service, Vargas has served as Senior Adviser on Latin America to the President of the International Center for Religion & Diplomacy (ICRD) and Director to the United Nations DPI/NGO Executive Committee in New York. Prior to that, he directed a variety of global refugee programs, development and humanitarian assistance projects, and advocacy campaigns for Caritas Internationalis, Intersections International, and Aya Worldwide.

Vargas is an author and speaker on a variety of globalization and public policy issues. His articles have appeared in American Diplomacy, Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue, and the Düsseldorf Institute for Foreign & Security Policy. He is a recognized expert on humanitarian and global issues and has been featured on news outlets such as Al Jazeera, CNN, FOX News, and Telemundo, among others.

A National Endowment for Democracy—Penn Kemble Fellow, Vargas has been publicly recognized for his work in diplomacy, and honors include Huffington Post’s 40 Under 40 in Foreign Policy, New America Foundation’s National Security & Foreign Policy Next Generation Leader, Meritorious Honor Awards from USAID and the Department of State, and the Many Are One Alumni Servant Award from his alma mater Seton Hall University.

Education:

  • Certificate in Western Hemispheric Policy Studies, Inter-American Defense College
  • M.A. Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University
  • B.S. Public Health, California State University, Long Beach

Academic Distinctions and Scholarship:

  • Many Are One Alumni Service Award, Seton Hall University
  • 40 Under 40: Latinos in Foreign Policy, Huffington Post