Professional Staff

Shelton Williams, President

Email:  swilliams@osgoodcenter.org

Shelton Williams

Dr. Williams is a leader in the field of experiential education and an expert on the issue of nuclear nonproliferation policy. In his over 35 years as a professor at Austin College in Sherman, Texas he created and supervised the college’s Model United Nations team, winning numerous awards at national competitions and transforming a generation of young people into caring, capable, and globally conscious professionals. He has contributed greatly to the field of experiential education through numerous articles and years of faculty training seminars. In addition, he has garnered several major teaching awards for his classes in International Relations, American Foreign Policy, and Comparative Politics.

Dr. Williams has also worked in government, including a tour of duty in the Department of State under Secretary of State Madeline Albright in which he worked extensively on the permanent extension of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. He also served the Office of International Programs, Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Additionally, Dr. Williams is an accomplished writer. His first non-fiction, Washed in the Blood has received wide critical acclaim and he has several others in progress.

Dr. Williams enjoys spending time with his family, specifically his grandchildren, and seeing several movies each weekend if possible.

See the Latest by Shelly Williams!

Considering Nuclear Earth Penetrators
The US and the UN: A Realist’s Perspective (2002)
Where Globalization Meets Localization
Addressing Limitations in the Wake of Catastrophe
My Role in the Gulf War

Rosanna Vargas, Senior Consultant

Email: rosanna119@gmail.com

Rosanna VargasRosanna graduated from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS) in 2016 where she earned a Master in International Education Management. Prior to that academic experience in California, as a Fulbright scholar, he earned a Master in Curriculum Design and Instruction with a concentration in Social Studies at Teachers College, Columbia University in 2013, and a Bachelor in Law at Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) in 2011. She has relevant experience in educational leadership, academic program design and, international curriculum planning. She has had multiple professional and academic experiences internationally. She has conducted specialized workshops for and, has collaborated on National Model United Nations (MUN DC), Texas Model United Nations (TEX MUN 2017), Model Security Council Osgood Center 2017, the Conferencia International de las Américas (CILA, MUN DR) as an academic advisor and coordinator. Recently, she chaired a committee focused on migration, vulnerable populations and international security at UFHEC Model United Nations in Santo Domingo.

Xuan Zhu, Associate Director

Email:  xuanzhu@osgoodcenter.org

Xuan Zhu

Xuan graduated from University of Pittsburgh in 2014 as a master of Public Administration with two majors: Policy Research and Analysis as well as Energy and Environment. Before that he graduated from China Foreign Affairs University in 2011 with a bachelor degree of laws, majoring in Diplomacy and International Affairs. His current interest lies in Asian Development as well as energy and environment issues.

Prior to the graduate school, Xuan has quite a few interesting working experiences. His background includes working as an intern editor for Xinhua News Agency, internship in private companies such as Siemens China, part-time translator, and a public servant working on experts and international cooperation in China. He was also a volunteer in the 2008 Olympics and Paralympics.

Xuan has been helping with the Osgood Center since the summer of 2013 and became an assistant director in early 2015.

Grayson Hunter-Williams, Assistant Director

Email: gray@osgoodcenter.org

Grayson Hunter-Williams

Grayson is an honors student majoring in Global Studies at Elon University. At Elon, he has participated in Model UN, the Change Makers Scholarship Program, and experiential learning. He is scheduled to attend the Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong as a Research Assistant for Sheldon Ray, the International Portfolio Manager for Raymond James, in January 2024. For the Osgood Center as a Program Associate, he has: undertaken the Professional Development Program, helped stage the World Scout Model UN at the 2019 Jamboree, managed the online Zoom component of the 2020 Summer Symposium on Foreign Policy, and directed the Washington Immersion introduction program for Summer 2021 Program Associates. In 2022, he interned with the Georgetown Preservation Society in which he assisted in the restoration and historical detailing of the Mt Zion Black Cemetery (and stop on the Underground Railroad). Like many Osgood participants, he has his sights on graduate school in International Affairs in the near future.