A former U.S. foreign aid director was named the new executive director of Georgetown University’s Baratta Center for Global Business Education, the university announced April 7.
Caroline Nguyen, who previously served as managing director at the U.S. foreign aid agency Millennium Challenge Corporation, plans to expand programs within the Baratta Center, which is housed in the McDonough School of Business (MSB), and foster the next leaders in global business affairs. Nguyen will focus on developing global opportunities to engage students and faculty in business while strengthening the center’s global business fellows (GBF) program, which includes an interdisciplinary curriculum focused on international business affairs.
Nguyen said she was drawn to the center’s interdisciplinary approach to international business because of her background.
“I’ve had a non-linear career that really spanned law and policy and business and government climate across multiple verticals, and that’s really been core to my career, the very interdisciplinary nature of it,” Nguyen told The Hoya. “So when I came across the Baratta Center, I was immediately struck by the vision and the potential, the real focus on you really training the next generation of global leaders who could navigate our increasingly complex world.”
From 2023 to 2025, Nguyen led the Millenium Challenge Corporation’s $2 billion international investment portfolio across Europe, Asia and Latin America. She previously worked at the White House and served as engagement manager for McKinsey & Company.
Nguyen said she plans to prioritize the GBF program, a cohort-based initiative that includes public policy programming.
“I very much am looking forward to really getting to know the students and working with them and making sure that the programming that the center provides is as helpful to them as possible,” Nguyen said. “Also leveraging my own background and what I know leaders really need in the world, and infusing that into the best programming for them.”
Nguyen also said she will use her past experiences in geopolitics and economics to help mentor students.
“I know that as you rise to leadership levels, you need an interdisciplinary skill set, you need to know how government operates, you need to know global trend lines, you need to understand how business works,” Nguyen said. “A lot of these things really come together and at leadership levels, you need the big picture view to be able to problem solve and create the strategy for your organization.”
“I’ve lived that experience and so when I come into this role, trying to coach students and develop programming for them and help them not just get their job, but actually become leaders in the organizations,” Nguyen added.
One of the GBF program’s features are its experiential learning opportunities, such as global business labs (GBL) and short co-curricular internship projects.
Stephen Weymouth, GBF program director, said Nguyen will advance the center’s mission.
“I think she brings exactly the right kind of leadership that the Baratta Center needs at this stage,” Weymouth told The Hoya. “She has experience that’s strategic, that’s operational, that’s really mission-driven.”
Gracyn Lord (MSB ’26), a previous GBF and current student research fellow at the center, said the program is unique in its approach to business.
“I think it’s important for students to try to broaden their forward-looking perspectives as much as they can, and of course that’s important in your coursework, but then also meeting with practitioners and practitioner experts in different fields, I think is also really important to be a more informed academic,” Lord told The Hoya. “I do think it equips students going into various industries, like how to think about global business on the ground and not just from a textbook.”
Dennis Quinn, a Baratta Center faculty fellow and international business professor, said Nguyen’s international expertise will help the Baratta Center expand its programming globally.
“One of the things that we aspire to do is build out additional opportunities for global experiences for the students,” Quinn told The Hoya. “She spent a lot of time in Southeast Asia, she speaks Vietnamese, she has experience in Indonesia, Vietnam, very high growth areas, and so we’re hoping, among other things, to build out programming in those regions.”
Nguyen said she hopes students will engage with global business and embrace new opportunities.
“The center really is at an inflection point, and I think that’s very exciting,” Nguyen said. “I envision, and am really thrilled, to help lead the center and help it become the leading destination for students who want to lead in our interconnected world, at the intersection of business and the wider world.”
