A foreign service officer for the U.S. Department of State spoke to the Chaminade Social Studies Club Thursday. More than 260 students from all divisions packed Hearst Auditorium to learn from Mr. John Barbian about public service careers in the State Department.
Several eighth-grade students from St. Martin de Porres Marianist School in Uniondale were also on-hand for the presentation. All students had the opportunity to ask questions following Barbian's remarks.
Barbian has been with the State Department since 2005. Prior to that, he was an attorney in private corporate practice for 15 years in Chicago and Madison, Wis. Barbian's work is focused on economics and has worked at the U.S. Embassies in Kingston, Jamaica, Berlin, Kabul, Afghanistan, and Rome. This fall, he will begin work at the consulate in Johannesburg where he will serve as the economic section chief and regional labor officer. Under the latter role, Barbian will be responsible for labor diplomacy in Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Barbian is a University of Illinois graduate with a bachelor's degree in political science and philosophy and received his law degree from the University of Kansas. He is a fluent speaker of German and Italian.