Anthony Medeiros

Anthony Medeiros, originally from Fall River, Massachusetts, is a 2014 Payne Fellow. Anthony received a BA in Politics and International and Global Studies from Brandeis University in 2011, with minors in Legal Studies and Peace, Conflict, and Coexistence Studies. Before the Payne Fellowship, Anthony worked for the International Dissertation Research Fellowship at the Social Science Research Council, a program that supports global research for U.S. doctoral candidates in the social sciences and humanities. As an Executive Recruiter with Objective Solutions International, Anthony recruited for projects ranging from expanding retail banking in China and Brazil’s emerging markets, to Dodd-Frank regulatory compliance. He is a certified mediator, and has also worked with the Community Dispute Settlement Center in Cambridge, MA, the American Friends Service Committee’s program on Peace and Economic Security, and political action committee ActBlue.

While studying in Jaipur, India, Anthony’s longstanding interest in international development evolved into a career choice. Anthony conducted field research in the northeast Indian state of Sikkim, where he examined the impacts of the Teesta hydroelectric dam project on the community it displaced. “The experience in Sikkim showed me that poverty not only causes suffering in the present, but also makes communities more vulnerable to losing what little property they already have. Poverty and the distribution of land and natural resources drive conflict, and land tenure interventions can go a long way in preventing it. USAID’s Foreign Service is a unique opportunity to dedicate my career to serving vulnerable communities as they face problems like these.”

Anthony is deeply grateful to be a part of the Donald M. Payne Fellowship Program. He looks forward to preparing for the Foreign Service at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he will pursue a Master’s in City Planning and International Development.