The nature of our work requires that our analytical and planning processes must encompass a careful evaluation of how governmentlocal, state, federal or internationalcan, should and will impact our desired objectives. State Department staffer got job with embellished resume, fake Time magazine cover. "One of the great mysteries of life for me has always been the question of why bad things happen to great people? Surely, Im never one to question the work of God, still when I see the obstacles he puts in the path of someone like, Mina Chang, I become even more convinced that each such challenge is a window into a bigger opportunity. She has spoken about her work at various events, including D Magazines D CEOs 2017 Womens Leadership Symposium. 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A 24-year-old former Trump campaign volunteer, Taylor Weyeneth, rose to a senior job in the White House drug policy office without any relevant professional experience. To be clear, we have operated in 43 countries, built schools, medical clinics, and countless other activities serving thousands upon thousands of those most in need. We pilot new technologies, testing their practicalities, and seek to identify the 'unintended consequences' that are rife in our industry," Dailey told NBC News. That same year she told another group, "We've responded to major disasters, the typhoon in the Philippines, earthquake in Nepal, Ebola in West Africa, we did all these things", But according to the IRS, Chang's charity only submitted one tax filing and that was in 2015. Again, anyone who reviewed her recent past, with work in Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Somalia, would know that this decision makes absolute sense. Harvard Business School spokesperson Mark Cautela said the school grants "alumni status" to anyone who attends certain executive education programs, even without having earned a degree there. An old profile, published on the parenting website DFWChild,states that she has a degree in international development from the University of Hawaii. Mina did not create or commission the Time Magazine cover. In April 2019, she assumed office as the Deputy Assistant Secretary in the State Departments Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations. Dailey, Changs former colleague at the nonprofit, said the group did operate in 40 countries over two decades, including when the organization was registered in South Korea. Henley. "I'm someone who gives someone the benefit of the doubt but everyone around me was questioning it," Posnick said. The Dallas residents LinkedIn mentions that she studied Development/Aid Practices at the University of the Nations, Executive Nonprofit Leadership at Southern Methodist University, Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School, and National and International Security at the Harvard Kennedy School. Law School Regulation; Access to Justice. At the time, Chang had multiple websites promoting her work. Mina Chang circa 2009 when she was pursuing a career as a recording artist. Applying Adaptive Leadership to Thrive and Lead Change in Uncertain Times. Needless to say, all of this is raising a lot of questions about how exactly the Trump administration goes about vetting job candidates. Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics. At least one trip that yielded pictures of Chang in war-torn Kurdish areas was coordinated by the U.S.-Kurdistan Business Council, according to AMS company documents. Mina Chang, US State Department deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, has extensive experience in conflict areas such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia. official Mina Chang claimed to be a Harvard Business School "alumna" who ran a nonprofit that worked in 40 countries. In a Feb. 8, 2018 letter to the White House, McCaul gave Chang "the strongest recommendation" to serve in a senior leadership position at the State Department, either in the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations or in the Bureau of Counterterrorism. Before she resigned last week and took it down, her Facebook account had 77,000 followers. NBC News also found that her claims that she addressed both the Republican and Democratic conventions in 2016 are false. Similarly, the program at the . Moreover, she has also been accused of inflating her work with the organization. Tell me about this cover and how it came to be?" She attended a seven-week course there in 2016, according to the university. Emailus. Pfiffner said. One House staffer who met her in Washington found the Time cover when Googling Chang's name and assumed it was real, "That made me think she was legit," the former staffer said. It . Update 11/14: I can imagine an independent person reading this and wondering who is telling the truth, how can these media organizations get it so wrong? Chang cultivated an active social media profile, presenting herself as a globe-trotting humanitarian, and appeared at well-heeled charity dinners in Dallas, including a "Women That Soar" dinner and a Dallas Opera event. ", In the Trump administration, rapid turnover and uneven vetting instead creates opportunities for people who might not otherwise be considered, said Pfiffner. 3 credit (s) M, T 10:15am - 11:45am. I give out a name to the press, and they vet for me. The event will featured leaders from government, military, journalism, academia, and the private sector exploring questions of international security and defense, bringing together interdisciplinary experts working to develop new paradigms for understanding and addressing the changing nature of armed conflict and systematic violence.====================================New America is dedicated to the renewal of American politics, prosperity, and purpose in the digital age through big ideas, technological innovation, next generation politics, and creative engagement with broad audiences. She would have been responsible for a budget of more than $1 billion. Nationality: American Religion: Christianity Famous for: Deputy Assitant Secretary, Singer, Activist and Former Chief Execuitve Officer. Chang, who resigned after NBC News revealed holes in her rsum, had ties to two State Department officials and a staffer for Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas. But it was discovered that Chang doesnt have an actual degree from Harvard, though she claims to be an alumna. Heres a glimpse of her approach to solving the worlds most pressing issues." Locally, she "became very visible, very quickly," said Susan Posnick, who knew her at the time and hired her for six months to be the face of Posnick's makeup company. Documents and videos prove she had spoken at separate eventsin Philadelphia and Cleveland during the same time as the conventions. I was only made aware of a potential issue with our tax filings by the IRS on October 16, 2019 and that was only because of a proactive outreach that I made. Facebook banner picture for defense contractor Automotive Management Services(AMS) featuring Mina Chang. Her sisters names are Abigail and Sony Chang. A potential political appointee to a State Department post is vetted by the department, including an elaborate questionnaire, before the White House ever screens the candidate. Chang does not cite any undergraduate degree in her biography, but her LinkedIn account mentions the University of the Nations, an unaccredited Christian school with volunteer teachers that says it has 600 locations "on all continents.". She has correctly stated that she is an alumnus of the school, and that is an absolute right conferred from the Advanced Management Program she attended, that is categorically proven by the Harvard Business School here: (https://www.exed.hbs.edu/advanced-management-program/). Her prior experience includes roles in university admissions, event coordination, office management, staffing, and non-profit . Attending SMU, we will be following up with that institution, as we have pictures of Mina receiving her certificate of completion from the Center of Non Profit Management. Reset all filters. "[7][3], Mina Chang is married to Jake Harriman. So, shame on you Mr. De Luce. IE 11 is not supported. Mina Chang, 35, was appointed the deputy assistant secretary in the State Department's Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations in April. State Department staffer got job with embellished resume, fake Time magazine cover, Democratic and Republican national conventions, who once worked in the government's Office of Personnel Management, an unaccredited Christian school with volunteer teachers, 'These people couldnt even get an internship on Capitol Hill. Her information from the State Department mentions she is an "alumna" of Harvard Business School. The McCaul staffer "was one of many social connections she had in D.C., and she was well on the way to obtaining a position when the letter was sent," Minton said. She also showed up at a 9/11 commemoration that McCaul attended and had coffee with members of the lawmaker's staff, the sources said. Rest assured, we will not stop our work, whether that be at the State Department, Linking the World, or as individuals. Im proud that we have achieved so much, with so little except the love and time of our volunteers and supporters around the world. I can also confirm that no donations were received / accepted over the notification period. Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, was also in attendance. In its 2015 tax filing, Linking the World reported that it had no staff overseas and no expenditures abroad of more than $10,000, which one expert said was puzzling given the group's descriptions of its international work. Dan De Luceis a reporter for the NBC News Investigative Unit. Our unique research efforts provide the accurate and tested knowledge necessary to then engage local, state, federal, and international stakeholders to promote our mission and to advocate for policies that will not only make our country safer, but will help lift up vulnerable communities abroad. That bio is still posted on the State Departments website at the time of this publication. She eventually got a foothold in Washington as a fellow with the New America think tank. Faculty Type. "If you take a look at it, the vetting process for the White House is very good," the president told reporters. The "host" for her charity's dinner on May 2, 2016 in Dallas was AlliedBarton Security Services, a large government security contractor that pledged $10,000 to the organization, according to a press release. Naval Academy and served in the Marine Corps. Chang seems to have followed in the footsteps of President Trump and fabricated a Time magazine cover of herself, which she showed off as a testimony to her work. asks the interviewer, who hosts a YouTube show. Those included a former intern and a former senior development adviser for Linking the World, Michael Baker. "We have operated schools, we have built schools in places like Afghanistan, Myanmar, Haiti, Kenya.". State Dept. Dallas' independent source of Mina Chang, the State Department's deputy assistant secretary to the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, has made misleading claims about her education at Harvard Business. Simply, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has been rather busy with other activities and all nominees were subject to extensive delays. Brought some attention to it, indeed. But wait, theres more: Chang was originally being considered for an even more senior government post in which she would have overseen the U.S. Agency for International Developments work in Asia. To suggest that we didnt file is incorrect. Laura Strickler is a senior investigative producer and reporter for NBC News. We do not just provide rhetoric and philosophical thought; in fact, we go light on the philosophy. Her Instagram account, which has 44,000 followers, was filled with pictures of her with big names in national security and politics like former CIA director and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, retired Gen. David Petraeus and former President George W. Bush's adviser Karl Rove. Pierre-Yves Daygot, an artist whose work depicts paintings of individuals superimposed on popular magazine covers, created a piece with her on a Time Magazine cover and sent it to her, and was commissioned, unknowingly, by a friend Olivier Chavy. Unlike the path that other humanitarians typically follow, Chang pursued connections with military contractors. [9] NBC News accused her of falsely claiming to be a former chief of staff of a nonprofit (INGO), to have had a role on a UN panel, and to have appeared on the front cover of Time magazine. "But you're part of the vetting process, you know? Apart from her Capitol Hill connection, Chang received support from Marocco at the State Department. Mina Chang Global Business Strategy, Senior Manager at CJ corporation South Korea CJ corporation, +5 more Yonsei University, +2 more Mina Chang Assistant United States Attorney at United States. Her resume was a shining list of stellar credentials, even including a Harvard diploma. Legal Guides; Lawyer Referral Service; Problem with a Lawyer; Attorney Profile. Chang was previously married. The State Department vetting is supposed to examine tax returns, any unexplained wealth, social media accounts, the status of domestic staff, any inappropriate or worrisome track record in the workplace and any potential questions about integrity, said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, former director general of the foreign service and director of personnel at the State Department. Charlotte Greco grew up in the Boston area and joined the Harvard Law School community in 2022 as the Program Manager for the Program on Biblical Law and Christian Legal Studies. The interviewer in the video told NBC News that Chang brought the fake cover to the interview to illustrate the significance of her work. A deputy assistant secretary usually has a top secret security clearance. In that document the organization was asked, "Did the organization maintain an office, employees or agents outside the United States?" A lot of people are guilty of embellishing a detail or two on their rsum, but a top Trump administration official reportedly took it to a whole other level. Chang says in her official biography that she is as an "alumna" of Harvard Business School. In August, Trump withdrew a nominee for director of national intelligence, Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, less than a week after lawmakers raised questions about his qualifications and the accuracy of his rsum. We are stronger, we are more determined, and we are forever dedicated to serve others and to make this world safer, from all threats, foreign and domestic. He said, "I realized this is 100 percent bulls---. However, no official record of this exists. "With the way Trump has fired high-level people by tweet, it's not an encouraging thing to work for the government. University Attended: Harvard Law School. The charity responded, "No.". Chang and her spokesman declined to comment on the role played by the McCaul staffer. Mina Chang and former CIA director David Petraeus in a 2017 Instagram photo.