Brendon Hahns Thomas

B.A. International Relations and Economics, Michigan State University
M.A. Global Human Development, Georgetown University

Whether staring transfixed at county’s flags on his placemat or memorizing capital cities while flipping through an atlas in the family van on long trips, Brendon has always been curious about foreign countries. This inquisitiveness resulted in Brendon spending two years in Northwest China as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer. As a Peace Corps volunteer in China, Brendon’s primary responsibility was to teach English at a University located on the edge of the Gobi Desert. In his free time and with little else to do in a windswept town, Brendon trained for marathons, taking fifth place overall at the 2012 Great Wall Marathon. In addition, Brendon toured much of Western China’s countryside on his mountain bike. Post Peace Corps, Brendon completed a Masters degree in the U.S. that took him into the environment and development nexus, with a brief stint of summer work in Cambodia and Myanmar. Since graduate school Brendon has spent time working at a law firm in Cambodia, an NGO in northern Thailand, and with an energy association that supports governments with their sustainable energy goals in South and Southeast Asia. Most recently, Brendon spent the summer of 2022 training and then competing in an ultra marathon around Mont Blanc.