Donyae Johnson (’22): Management Analyst for the U.S. Government

Dismantling biological and chemical weapons in Ethiopia. Reviewing refugee cases out of Afghanistan. Integrating AI into essential IT systems.

These are just a few of the things that Donyae Johnson (’22) has done since earning her M.A. in Statecraft and International Affairs at IWP. She has supported multiple government entities, including the State Department, USAID, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marine Corps, and the Defense Health Agency (DHA).

Below, she shares about her IWP education and ensuing adventures.

A Passion for International Affairs

Donyae fell in love with international affairs at the age of 16 during a two-month high school foreign language exchange – the German American Partnership (GAPP) Program.

“It was then that I realized I wanted a profession where I could learn different languages and nurture my interest in different cultures,” recalled Donyae.

While pursuing an international relations degree at George Mason University, Donyae’s friend Semaj invited her to an IWP open house. During her senior year, she completed a research internship at IWP, focusing on quantum computing and artificial intelligence.

She later enrolled in IWP’s M.A. program.

An Engaging Graduate Experience

Donyae enjoyed her time at IWP. “It was so immersive,” she said. “I liked the small classes, the fact that you really get to engage one-on-one with the professors, and how knowledgeable the professors are in their fields. Many of them are still active in their fields, which is invaluable.”

Donyae also appreciated that the professors encouraged her to focus on her areas of interest. She wrote papers on a variety of regions, including Syria, Sudan, and Zimbabwe.

“It was great to be able to do a deep dive on certain topics,” she said.

Supporting U.S. Government Programs

Since graduation, Donyae has been serving as a program analyst supporting a variety of government agencies. “I have learned a lot,” she said. “I feel blessed to have been able to do so much in such a short time.”

Donyae’s first role after graduating supported the Department of the Navy’s Office of Small Business Programs. She helped manage over 100 different acquisition projects for weapons systems, ensuring that they were allocated and funded properly and that they progressed according to the government client’s expectations.

“It was really exciting, because I got to work hands-on with small businesses, help them grow, and facilitate their relationship with the U.S. Navy,” said Donyae.

She worked hard, and within six months, Donyae was promoted to write proposals for the small business division.

Another role that Donyae enjoyed was with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where she worked in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) department. There, she worked on financial planning and was responsible for the budgeting for the entire MENA program.

Many of these programs were focused on teaching the English language and education, especially for youth and women. Donyae enjoyed speaking with the program managers who were on site managing these programs in the Middle East. She would examine the programs, see which ones were spending funds most effectively, and determine what could be allocated to other programs.

“My time there was brief but impactful,” said Donyae.

Later, at the U.S. Department of State, Donyae reviewed refugee cases from Afghanistan. She also supported the U.S. Marine Corps at Quantico, where she served as a program analyst working on one of their defense intelligence systems.

She worked at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), managing a portfolio for Ethiopia. Donyae was responsible for helping Ethiopia dismantle its biological and chemical weapons. She oversaw the program and budgeting for that process.

Bringing AI to the Defense Health Agency

Today, Donyae is helping incorporate data science and artificial intelligence into systems at the Defense Health Agency (DHA).

“We are working to streamline everyday tasks so they can be faster and better than they were yesterday,” said Donyae. “It has been a learning curve. It has been interesting to find ways to integrate data science and AI without compromising PII [Personally Identifiable Information] and PHI [Protected Health Information].”

DHA manages health care for the military, including active-duty service members and veterans across the globe. Thanks to Donyae’s work, their systems will be able to serve this community better.

Donyae’s next role will support the United States Navy.

“I love being able to learn in my professional work,” said Donyae. “Every time I transition into a new role, it has involved learning a whole bunch of different systems and supporting different groups. I have enjoyed all of it.”

Reflections on the IWP Experience

Donyae has found that her IWP education has helped her significantly with time management. “It has given me the ability to manage a large workload, orchestrate various projects, and speak to different groups of people,” she said. “It has also helped me communicate with senior leadership – I felt very prepared for that.”

IWP also gave Donyae the chance to spend time researching a variety of countries and ongoing political issues. “Some of my research really changed my perspective,” she said.

Donyae finds it rewarding to serve our country: “It is great to be able to use my knowledge and expertise to support these different agencies and armed services in their missions.”