Spotlight: Christina Tilghman
Updated: Jun 8, 2020
TLG is proud to spotlight Christina Tilghman. Christina joined the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer in 2010. Currently, she serves as the Senior Public Diplomacy Advisor for the Global Health Diplomacy Office under the Secretary’s Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator. Her previous overseas assignments included Canada and South Africa. Christina also served domestically in the Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues, Bureau of International Information Programs, National Security Council at the White House, and Bureau of African Affairs. She speaks French and Urdu.
“Preparation + Opportunity = Success” is a mantra instilled by Christina’s mother during her childhood and continues to serve as a motivating force. The life-changing experience of being selected as a Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellow in 2006 offered Christina an amazing career opportunity to make meaningful, constructive contributions to society. The ability to engage and empower our most marginalized, vulnerable communities around the world was the driving force for her interest in joining the Foreign Service. The State Department has supported Christina’s development as a global citizen, enabling her to celebrate commonalities among diverse groups and promote positive change in her assignments. She is most proud of her work on women’s empowerment issues, global health initiatives, and youth educational access promotion. As an Adjunct Professor, Christina seizes every chance to share her unique path into the Foreign Service with minority students and encourages them to pursue a career in international affairs.
Christina is a native of the Washington, D.C. area. She attended Hampton University for her bachelor’s degree. Christina earned a Master of Public Policy from the University of Maryland, College Park, focusing on international development and global public health. Christina is a 2006 Thomas R. Pickering Undergraduate Foreign Affairs Fellow, a 2018 International Career Advancement Program Fellow, membership chair of the Thursday Luncheon Group, the 2019 – 2020 Public Diplomacy Council Coordinator, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and a Council on Foreign Relations Term Member.