Tulsa native discusses U.S. State Department career opportunities for college graduates

James Kuykendall will speak at Tulsa Community College about his career with the U.S. State Department and opportunities for others to serve the U.S. abroad by becoming a Foreign Service Officer, Foreign Service Specialist or Civil Service employee for the U.S. Department of State. Kuykendall, formerly of Tulsa, has lived in Mexico, Belgium, Canada and Washington, D.C. for his work with the U.S. Department of State. He will discuss his experiences and encourage area students and college graduates to consider careers with the U.S. State Department. The public is invited to attend.

The Tulsa native and 2004 graduate of Wright Christian Academy is currently the reporting officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. He covers a range of political and economic issues throughout the consular district in Northeastern Mexico, including the cities of Nuevo Laredo, Piedras Negras, and Ciudad Acuna. He also worked in the Civil Service as the Deputy Advisor for Congressional Relations in the European Affairs Bureau at the State Department. Kuykendall also led the women’s issues portfolio in the European Bureau and attended international human rights conferences in Poland and Greece as a part of the U.S. delegations.

His visit is part of the U.S. Department of State’s Hometown Diplomats Program. The mission of the program is to put a hometown face on foreign policy and to explain what the Department of State does and why it matters.

A reception will welcome Kuykendall to TCC’s Metro campus at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 4 at the Center for Creativity, 909 S. Boston Ave. His presentation will follow from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. and include time for questions and answers. Monday’s event is open to students, faculty and staff and members of the community.

Kuykendall will be on TCC’s Southeast campus Tuesday for two sessions beginning at 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. in the Studio Theater in Building 6 at 10300 East 81st Street. These two sessions are designed specifically for student interaction and will be conducted in a town hall format with brief comments from Mr. Kuykendall and time for questions from students.