Andrei M. Cotton has been a United States diplomat since 2005. His overseas tours include Juba, South Sudan (political-economic counselor); Islamabad, Pakistan (counterterrorism unit chief): Lilongwe, Malawi (political section chief): Dhaka, Bangladesh (political-military officer); Nairobi, Kenya (regional counterterrorism coordinator): Islamabad, Pakistan (political officer); Sao Paulo, Brazil (consular officer); and Bogota, Colombia (consular officer). Domestically, he served as a project manager at the National HUMINT Requirements Tasking Center and deputy director of the Counterterrorism Bureau Office of Terrorist Screening and Interdiction.
Prior to joining the State Department, Cotton worked in the agribusiness industry as a sales and marketing specialist for Dow AgroSciences and Bayer Crop Science. He is a returned Peace Corps volunteer (Ecuador 1998-2000) and holds a master of science degree in agricultural economics from Tuskegee University and a bachelor of science degree in agricultural business and economics from Auburn University. Cotton is from Atlanta, Georgia, and speaks Spanish and Portuguese.
With the diplomat-in-residence program, the International Affairs Center provides the College with a direct link to the U.S. State Department as well as other government agencies with an international focus. The diplomat-in-residence also serves as a resource to faculty and students, makes classroom presentations, serves as speaker at international events, and counsels students who plan to take the Foreign Service Examination. The diplomat is also available to talk with students interested in careers with the U.S. Department of State.