{"656478":{"#nid":"656478","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Alumni Spotlight: Diane Alleva C\u00e1ceres","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDiane Alleva C\u0026aacute;ceres graduated with a Ph.D. in International Affairs, Science, and Technology in 2015. After graduation, Alleva C\u0026aacute;ceres continued her career in international trade, but she also managed to stay close to Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERead more about her life and career since receiving her Ph.D.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003EWhat are you up to post-graduation? What led you there?\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor the past seven years since graduating, I have been building my international trade, investment and enterprise growth consulting practice, teaching part-time at Georgia Tech in both the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and the Scheller College of Business. At Tech, I have been fine-tuning research for publication and participating in expert panel discussions and interviews in my area of expertise. I worked for 20 years in the field of international trade, investment, and global development before pursuing my Ph.D.; I was a non-traditional student pursuing another degree mid-career. Since graduating, I\u0026rsquo;ve been applying my new knowledge \u0026mdash; both conceptual and theoretical \u0026mdash; to client projects from global value chain analyses to innovation strategy and corporate global growth strategy development.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMy work and new degree have elevated my connections and contributions to foreign policy and international organizations, such as the Council on Foreign Relations, where I have been an elected life member for 15 years, the International Women\u0026rsquo;s Forum, and the Bretton Woods Committee.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003EWhat\u0026rsquo;s your favorite part of your current role?\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EI have always enjoyed working at the nexus of business, government, and academia. This approach, while very difficult, is highly rewarding and helps me uncover surprises, as well as new ways of thinking and approaching today\u0026rsquo;s global challenges. It\u0026rsquo;s that creative process at the edge of these domains that really gets me excited.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EI also enjoy the freedom to design strategies for my own firm and for government and private sector clients pursuing interesting, impactful work in international trade, foreign direct investment, and innovation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003EHow do you think your Georgia Tech international affairs education prepared you to succeed?\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt helped me reach that next level as an expert, combining theoretical and conceptual knowledge, research skills, and my experience as a practitioner. Georgia Tech and the Nunn School are especially strong in producing well-trained graduates equipped to address global challenges.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EI am now asked to speak on high-level panels related to topics such as the global politics of technology, industrial policy, technological innovation, economic development, trade, and foreign direct investment. The press reaches out to me for insights into current events, including the war in Ukraine and its economic impact on U.S.-Europe trade. I have also spoken on investment relations to the 2008 global finance crisis, how firms have adjusted their global growth goals, and how governments are adjusting or creating new industrial policies for the 21\u003Csup\u003Est\u003C\/sup\u003E century. This positioning has helped me secure research fellowships, including the Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship in Canada in 2019. The Ph.D. program combined with my previous work experience with the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Australian Trade Commission, and others has broadened and deepened my knowledge and skills to help me design and implement new projects at higher levels.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003EWhat\u0026rsquo;s something that surprised you about post-graduation life?\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWell, I was a non-traditional student. I had already had a 20-year career in international trade and investment consulting before pursuing a Ph.D. I decided to pursue a Ph.D. closely related to my applied work, so transitioning to a higher level within my existing career focus was a natural process. I was also raising my daughter with my husband here in Atlanta. She was four when I started the Ph.D. and 11 when I finished!\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA surprise related to post-graduation life was the feeling I had to take a break from research. Basically, I had to give my mind a break from such an intense experience, so I focused on producing in the non-academic world. This led me to become president of the World Trade Center in Atlanta while pursuing consulting.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003EWhat work of yours has made you particularly proud?\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECompleting a Ph.D. mid-career is incredibly difficult given family obligations, opportunity costs, and just the sheer nature and rigor of the process. It\u0026rsquo;s a mindset change as well. I\u0026rsquo;m very proud of just successfully completing the degree.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAlso, I am CEO of my company, Market Access International, Inc. We are celebrating our 25\u003Csup\u003Eth\u003C\/sup\u003E anniversary this year. Running a successful consulting practice for so long is something I am very proud of. We\u0026rsquo;ve been through many changes, yet through each experience, we\u0026rsquo;ve adapted and learned to be creative. It\u0026rsquo;s those creative moments and fascinating new projects that are very rewarding. We are a private-sector partner with both corporate and public-sector clients leading long-term international trade and investment projects like the Europartenariat (a European Commission and EU member international trade and investment initiative), the Southeastern US\/Canadian Province Alliance (SEUSCP), and others. Producing impactful work with repeat clients and partners over a long period is another example of some work that I\u0026rsquo;m proud of.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003EWhat\u0026rsquo;s something you miss about Georgia Tech?\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGiven that I teach at Georgia Tech part-time, I\u0026rsquo;m not sure there\u0026rsquo;s anything I miss at the moment. However, my daughter, who is now a senior in high school, practices with her swim team every evening and some mornings at the CRC. I\u0026rsquo;ll miss watching her swim at that pool since she\u0026rsquo;ll be off to Swarthmore College next year!\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003EWhat\u0026rsquo;s one piece of advice that you have for students who are graduating soon?\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPlease try not to stress over your job search. Data shows that your generation will not only have about four different \u003Cem\u003Ecareers\u003C\/em\u003E over your lifetime, but the way in which you work has changed with an increase in virtual and hybrid approaches. And it could continue to change. So, my advice initially would be, if you can, find a way to take some time off to do something you may not have a chance to once you begin to settle into your first career and personal growth path. If you can, travel the world, as more countries have opened up since Covid, volunteer on a project, coach a team, put thought into what your true strengths and interests are, not what you are pressured to develop and pursue. Your parents, coaches, teachers, and friends all want to support you. Sometimes, though, we feel pressured to pursue, say, that finance career when we really want to start our own firm, or become a writer or a musician.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EI also let provide, for what it\u0026rsquo;s worth, some additional advice to my students:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EUse your imagination.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ESay \u0026ldquo;yes\u0026rdquo; more than you say \u0026ldquo;no,\u0026rdquo; even if it\u0026rsquo;s uncomfortable.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EYes \u0026mdash; build skills, but also build deep, broad knowledge and networks over time.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EWith the three \u0026ldquo;Ls,\u0026rdquo; life-long learning, you\u0026rsquo;ll become a strong version of yourself!\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003ECan students interested in pursuing a similar field reach out to you?\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESure. Students can email me at \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:diane@marketaccessintl.com\u0022\u003Ediane@marketaccessintl.com\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:diane.caceres@inta.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ediane.caceres@inta.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E or connect with me on \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/dianeallevacaceres\/\u0022\u003ELinkedIn\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Ph.D. graduate is CEO of a company and teaches part-time at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The Ph.D. graduate is CEO of a company and teaches part-time at Georgia Tech."}],"uid":"34946","created_gmt":"2022-03-18 17:39:42","changed_gmt":"2022-03-18 17:50:25","author":"gwyner3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2022-03-18T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2022-03-18T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"656479":{"id":"656479","type":"image","title":"Alumni Spotlight: Diane Alleva C\u00e1ceras","body":null,"created":"1647625799","gmt_created":"2022-03-18 17:49:59","changed":"1647626384","gmt_changed":"2022-03-18 17:59:44","alt":"Text on the lefthand side reads \u0022Alumni Spotlight, Diane Alleva C\u00e1ceres, CEO, Market Access International, Inc.\u0022 The Nunn School logo is beneath, and a picture of Caceras is on the right. The background looks like gold spotlights cutting through navy blue.","file":{"fid":"248844","name":"Grace\u0027s Spotlight Headers (1).jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Grace%27s%20Spotlight%20Headers%20%281%29_1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Grace%27s%20Spotlight%20Headers%20%281%29_1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":202445,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Grace%27s%20Spotlight%20Headers%20%281%29_1.jpg?itok=guRTzBs9"}}},"media_ids":["656479"],"groups":[{"id":"1285","name":"Sam Nunn School of International Affairs"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"506","name":"alumni"},{"id":"11064","name":"international trade"},{"id":"190181","name":"international finance"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:gwyner3@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EGrace Wyner\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECommunications Officer\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESam Nunn School of International Affairs | School of Public Policy\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}