Ms. Shinagel is Chief of DSCU’s International Program Management Division. She oversees the
training and education programs and activities that support DSCA’s mission to build the
institutional capacity of partner countries’ defense institutions. These programs include
implementation of international military education and training programs and policies, the
Regional Defense Fellowship Program, and the five regional centers.
She joined DSCA from U.S. Mission to NATO where, as Deputy Director, Defense Policy and
Planning Division from May 2014 - October 2019, she promoted U.S. programs and approaches
to cooperative security and institutional capacity building at NATO.
Prior to joining the Department of Defense, she served fourteen years with Department of State
(DoS), both overseas and in Washington, D.C. From December 2012 - May 2014 she tracked
border security, counter terrorism, and Sinai issues at Pol-Mil Chief at U.S. Embassy Cairo.
From July 2009 - 2011, she served in Afghanistan – first as DoS Lead in Provincial
Reconstruction Team Kunar, and later as Brigade Senior Civilian Representative (SCR) to Task
Force Patriot (4 th IBCT-10 th Mountain Division) in Logar, Wardak, and Bamyan provinces and
Brigade SCR to Task Force Wolverine, (86 th IBCT, Vermont National Guard) in Bamyan,
Parwan, and Panjshir.
In Washington, she served as the Deputy Director, NATO Policy Section in the Bureau of
European and Eurasian Affairs (EUR/RPM) where she developed and implemented U.S. policy
on NATO enlargement, NATO’s partnerships (Partnership for Peace, Mediterranean Dialogue,
Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, and “global partners”), and coordinated State’s policy
involvement for the 2006 Riga and 2008 Bucharest NATO summits. She was the lead officer for
NATO’s 2001-2004 round of enlargement. During 2005, Ms. Shinagel served as the Director for
NATO and Western Europe in the European Directorate at the National Security Council.
Ms. Shinagel joined the State Department in September 2001 as a Presidential Management
Fellow (PMF). During her two-year fellowship, she served as a Foreign
Policy Fellow in the office of Senator Edward Kennedy and as a speechwriter to General Richard
Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Prior to her federal service, Ms. Shinagel managed
and developed non-profit organizations in Washington State and abroad in Cambodia and
Kosovo, and worked for state and local government in Washington State.
Ms. Shinagel holds a Master Degree in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of
Government, Harvard University. She is a distinguished graduate from National War College
and received her Bachelor Degree (cum laude) from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.
She is a native of New York City.