Tom Palaia's term ended on October 10, 2021.
Tom Palaia joined the School of Leadership and Management following a two-year exchange teaching leadership, communication, diplomacy, negotiations and conflict resolution at George Washington University. Prior to teaching, Palaia was the U.S. Consul General for Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, supporting security, trade, travel, academic and cultural engagement while overseeing the work of over 110 permanent staff and some 22 U.S. government agencies active in the region.
Palaia is a career diplomat whose prior assignments include postings in U.S. Embassies in Havana, Warsaw, Guatemala, London and Panama. He also served in Washington, DC, directing an office in the Bureau of South and Central Asian. Prior to joining the State Department, he worked as an economic consultant in Boston.
Palaia received a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard and a Bachelor of Arts from Bucknell University.