Elías Hanno

Bio/Description

Elías Hanno (formerly Elías Sánchez-Eppler) '11 *15, of Amherst, Mass., is a Woodrow Wilson School, now known as the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, magna cum laude graduate with an economics focus and certificates in Latin American studies and Spanish who has lived in Costa Rica, Spain, Chile, Peru and Cuba. With SINSI's support, Sánchez-Eppler shepherded procurement and program design at the U.S. Agency for International Development; covered environmental protection, agriculture and poverty reduction in Peru for the Economics Section of the U.S. Embassy Lima; and currently staffs the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs. Sánchez-Eppler has served on the governing corporation of the American Friends Service Committee, directed development of emerging partnerships and opportunities for expansion with Generation Enterprise and studied international labor practices with Verite. His senior thesis on Argentine demographic trends was awarded the Lt. John A. Larkin Memorial Prize.

"Having started college focused on public policy, SINSI was a logical next step for me. What I could not have predicted when I joined the program was the depth of experience it would provide in a few short years. SINSI has ensured that each of my positions was not only a window into the work of the federal government, but a chance to actually live that work myself. Thanks to the program's track record and the relationship SINSI has developed with agencies, colleagues have trusted me, consulted me and offered me responsibilities as if I were a full-fledged officer. Thanks to the preparation the Woodrow Wilson School provides and the generous support that makes it possible to spend real time in government, I've been able to take this all on and have the same experience and impact as officers who have been in the service for years. SINSI hasn't just prepared me for government service, it has given me the chance to really do it."