The School of Communication welcomed back alumna Ms. Linley Wartenberg, for a lunch with students on Wednesday, September 17.  During her visit to Florida State University, she also met with students at the FSU Center for Global Engagement, and with students in a graduate course in International Relations.  Her visit was part of a Hometown Diplomat program in which State Department officials volunteer their time to meet with students during home leave.   “It was wonderful to be able to have the opportunity to meet with Ms. Linley and I sincerely enjoyed learning about her experiences abroad,” said student Shauna Gillooly.

Wartenberg is from Tallahassee, Florida, and is a graduate of the FSU Bachelor’s program in Communication (Advertising, 1990) and also completed a Master’s program in Sports Management at the U.S. Sports Academy.

Wartenberg is now serving as an office management specialist  at the U.S. Consulate General in Guangzhou China.  This is her first posting, but she travelled extensively before joining the State Department in September 2013.  She has visited all 50 states, and worked as sports reporter in Detroit for eleven years with the Associated Press.  She also worked for 15 months on an AmeriCorps project in flood recovery in Minot, North Dakota, just prior to joining the Foreign Service.  Add to that her 2007-2009 Peace Corps service in Morocco, and you can see her love for travel and public service coming through in her career choices.

CCI Associate Dean, Stephen McDowell, said, “It was really inspirational for the students, and for myself, to talk with Ms. Wartenberg.  Students were glad to talk with her about  shared interests in working and living in different parts of the world and in public service.  She came here from the airport after travelling from China, and this makes her visit extra special.”