Courtney Brantley is a Civil Service Officer at the U.S. Department of State, currently working in the Office of the Executive Secretariat Staff. Her previous roles at the Department include managing International Parental Child Abduction cases in the Bureau of Consular Affairs and serving the Assistant Secretary as a Staff Assistant in the Bureau of Energy Resources.  Prior to joining the Department, Courtney worked on food security issues at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Texcoco, Mexico and implemented good governance programs for the International Republican Institute based in Washington, D.C.  She received an M.A. in Latin American Studies, with a concentration in security, from Georgetown University and a B.A. from American University in the same field of study. Raised in Colorado, Courtney is also an avid hiker and camper.