The Foreign Service Journal, December 2022

48 DECEMBER 2022 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Secretary could be to encourage the opposition and those protesting Lukashenko’s human rights abuses, she worked with the Deputy Secretary’s staff and the line to arrange a brief meeting between Tsikhanouskaya and the Secretary. Thanks to Ms. Stokes’ diplomatic savvy, contagious opti- mism, and force of will, the opposition—and Belarus’ fledgling democratic institutions—are stronger than they were two years ago. RaeJean Stokes currently serves as special assistant in the Office of the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Since joining the Foreign Service in 2012, she has also served in Mexico City, Kyiv, and Ankara. Prior to the Foreign Service, she facilitated State Depart- ment–funded exchange programs at American Councils for International Education in Washington, D.C., worked as a development assistance coordinator at U.S. Embassy Yerevan as an eligible family member (EFM), and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine. She also worked as a journalist for SmarterTravel.com and several local newspapers. Ms. Stokes holds a master’s degree in international devel- opment from the University of Denver and has a bachelor’s degree in English and history from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. A native of East Granby, Connecticut, she is married to fellow FSO Nick Stokes. During a visit to Vilnius in February 2021, RaeJean Stokes poses with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.