Tar Heel diplomat connects alumni globally
Morgan O’Brien ’01 has hosted and helped Carolina alumni while on assignment in Malaysia and Belgium.
Morgan O’Brien ’01 brings his fellow Tar Heels together, no matter where in the world he finds them.
O’Brien studied Russian language and literature at Carolina, joined the wrestling team and served as a resident adviser. A graduate of the U.S. Air Force ROTC program, he completed three tours as a public affairs officer, with deployments in Mississippi, Iraq and Rwanda.
During those tours, O’Brien became interested in pursuing a career in foreign affairs after leaving the Air Force. He became a civil servant at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York, later passing the foreign service officer test.
Since then, O’Brien has worked as a diplomat in residence for the NBA; an international affairs fellow for the Council on Foreign Relations; an industry liaison at the Bureau of Consular Affairs; a press attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Malaysia; and an assistant to Richard Holbrooke when he was U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
O’Brien’s love for Tar Heel basketball hasn’t dwindled since his time at UNC-Chapel Hill. In 2017, he organized a youth basketball clinic with former Tar Heel basketball star and NBA forward Marvin Williams ’08. (Submitted photo)
Life in Brussels
Today, O’Brien serves as a public diplomacy officer for the U.S. Department of State at the U.S. Mission to NATO in Brussels. O’Brien shapes communication strategies, manages public engagement and organizes outreach programs to promote U.S. policies and values among NATO member states.
“I don’t feel like it’s work,” he said. “I’m passionate about it, and that almost makes it easy.”
Throughout his career, O’Brien has worked with numerous Carolina alumni. In Malaysia, he connected with journalist Zhai Yun “Nat” Tan ’14, organized a youth basketball clinic with Marvin Williams ’08 and supported several recent graduates serving as English teaching assistants through the Fulbright U.S. student program.
Since arriving in Brussels, O’Brien has hosted Chuck Robbins ’87, CEO of Cisco, and Dan Driscoll ’07, U.S. Secretary of the Army. In June, the mission hosted Transatlantic Master’s students during their summer program in Europe.
O’Brien continues to give back to his alma mater by participating in UNC Global Affairs’ events. In 2024, he served as an alumni judge for the Policy Brief Competition. (Submitted photo)
Giving back to Carolina
At the State Department, O’Brien met someone with a similar passion for connecting Tar Heels, Jennifer Davis ’94, ’97 (JD). Now retired from the State Department, Davis is Carolina’s Diplomacy Initiative Faculty Fellow and the Knott Distinguished Professor of Practice in the curriculum in peace, war and defense.
“Morgan is everything I associate with Tar Heels,” Davis said. “He loves Carolina in his bones. He is an indefatigable advocate for the University, and he represents what he and I agree makes UNC-Chapel Hill special. Tar Heels demonstrate excellence without flashiness. They are earnest and hard-working. They are open-minded and innovative, and they can connect with people from all walks of life.”
These alumni connections are special to O’Brien, who sees them as a way to give back to his alma mater. “It’s only fair to pay it forward,” he said.
In early 2023, he and Davis welcomed Carolina students in Washington, D.C., during the Diplomacy Initiative’s first Washington Week program. That April, they teamed up to be alumni judges in the first Policy Brief Competition at UNC-Chapel Hill, helping younger Tar Heels prepare to follow their paths into global affairs and public service.
“I don’t know if it’s because I see the world through a Carolina Blue lens, but I just feel there is a bond that comes from being an alumnus of Carolina,” O’Brien said. “When meeting another Tar Heel, anywhere in the world, there is an instant connection.”
O’Brien said he owes much of his career to the University. Any opportunity to meet, learn from or support another Tar Heel is worth it.
“Every person in the U.S. Department of State knows that Morgan attended UNC-Chapel Hill,” Davis said. “He makes us so proud every day.”
