Dr. Amanda Jihyun Won is currently a selectee for direct commission in the US Army as a military government specialist with the rank of Captain. She holds a doctoral degree in Statecraft and National Security from The Institute of World Politics (IWP) in Washington DC, where she served as Director of the China/Asia Program and taught master's and doctoral students on Asia. As part of the Program, she launched a study abroad course in Taiwan in 2024. At IWP, she also founded the Asia Initiative Lecture Series and managed the China Lecture Series through which IWP students and stakeholders engaged with scholar-practitioners from the U.S. intelligence community. She holds an M.P.S. in Arts and Cultural Management from the Pratt Institute in New York and an MA in Government (with a specialization in Security Studies) from Johns Hopkins University. She completed her bachelor's degree in Fine Arts at The School of the Museum of Fine Arts and Tufts University, supported by a merit scholarship. Her professional experience includes having worked in both the NGO and government sectors, serving as a legislative assistant at the New York City Council and as a Diplomatic & Consular Affairs and Partnership intern at the New York City Mayor’s Office for International Affairs. She has also worked in the U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) where she was a contributor to that organization’s publication: The Parallel Gulag: North Korea’s “An-Jeon-Bu” Prison Camps.