Staff

Office: (650) 724-2996 (fax)
Phone: (650) 725-2705 (voice)
Email: sstedman@stanford.edu
Director, Program in International Relations; Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Professor, by courtesy, of Political Science; Director, Fisher Family Honors Program in Democracy, Development and Rule of Law

Professor Stedman is a Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) and the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL); director of the Fisher Family Honors Program in Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law; an affiliated faculty member at the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC); and professor of political science (by courtesy).

In 2011-12, Professor Stedman served as the Director for the Global Commission on Elections, Democracy, and Security, a body of eminent persons tasked with developing recommendations on promoting and protecting the integrity of elections and international electoral assistance. The Commission is a joint project of the Kofi Annan Foundation and International IDEA, an intergovernmental organization that works on international democracy and electoral assistance.

In 2005, he served as Assistant Secretary-General and Special Advisor to the Secretary- General of the United Nations, with responsibility for working with governments to adopt the Panel’s recommendations for strengthening collective security and for implementing changes within the United Nations Secretariat, including the creation of a Peacebuilding Support Office, a Counter Terrorism Task Force, and a Policy Committee to act as a cabinet to the Secretary-General.

In 2003-04 Professor Stedman was Research Director of the United Nations High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change and was a principal drafter of the Panel’s report, A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility.

Office: Encina Hall Central, Suite 30
Phone: (650) 725-0715
Email: pfesta@stanford.edu
Associate Director, Program in International Relations

Paul earned a doctorate in cultural anthropology from Cornell University and master's degrees in East Asian studies and public and private management from Yale University. His academic work has focused on East Asia, particularly Taiwan and China, where he has lived for more than a decade. He has taught at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University, and at Stanford in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures and the Program in Writing and Rhetoric. Prior to attending graduate school, Paul worked as a corporate auditor/CPA in Hartford, Manhattan, and Beijing. Paul is also a translator of Chinese fiction and literary nonfiction, a Chinese tea enthusiast, and a technical scuba diver.

Email: egould@stanford.edu
IR Lecturer and Honors Program Director
Erica Gould is the Honors Program Director and Core Lecturer in the Program International Relations and also a research fellow at the Center for Human Rights and International Justice at Stanford University. She has taught courses on honors thesis writing, international political economy and international organizations at Stanford for the past ten years. Previously, Dr. Gould was on the faculty at the University of Virginia, and has also taught courses on international relations at Johns Hopkins University and the Higher School of Economics in Moscow. Dr. Gould’s research has centered mainly around the question of how international organizations are controlled. She is currently working on a project concerning international organizational decision-making rules and also one on the accountability mechanisms associated with international organizations. Her publications include Money Talks: The International Monetary Fund, Conditionality and Supplementary Financiers (Stanford University Press, 2006), as well as numerous articles in academic journals and edited volumes. In addition to her research and teaching, Dr. Gould serves on the Board of Accountability Counsel, an international NGO based in San Francisco. She received her PhD in Political Science from Stanford University and her BA from Cornell University.
Office: Encina Hall Central, Suite 30
Email: atakeuch@stanford.edu
The Liu-Dang Lecturer in Undergraduate Teaching and IR Capstone Coordinator

Aiko Takeuchi (Demirci) is the Liu-Dang Lecturer in Undergraduate Teaching in the School of Humanities & Sciences. She is in charge of the IR Capstone requirement and also teaches in the COLLEGE (Civic, Liberal, and Global Education) Program. Previously, she was a faculty member and Co-Director of the Center for Asian Studies at Koç University (Istanbul). Her book, Contraceptive Diplomacy: Reproductive Politics and Imperial Ambitions in the United States and Japan (Stanford University Press, 2018), won the John Whitney Hall Book Prize from the Association for Asian Studies. She received her Ph.D./MA in American Studies from Brown University, and MA/BA from the University of Tokyo.

Office: Encina Hall Central, Suite 30
Phone: (650) 498-2931
Email: sebusse@stanford.edu
Student Services Officer, Program in International Relations

Stephen is a Student Services Officer at Stanford University for the Program in International Relations. Born and raised here in the Bay Area, Stephen earned his M.S. in Higher Education Counseling & Student Affairs at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. During his Masters program, Stephen worked in both Cal Poly’s Dean of Students Office of Student Support, Success, & Retention as well as for the College of Science and Mathematics Student Services.

When he is not working with students, Stephen enjoys playing his guitar and bass, attending concerts, going on runs, cheering on his favorite sports teams, watching movies and television, baking, and spending time with friends and family.

Schedule an Appointment

Office: Encina Hall Central, Suite 30
Email: oliviacw@stanford.edu
Program Associate, Program in International Relations

Olivia Williams is the program associate for the Program in International Relations. Born and raised in the Bay Area, she went to the University of San Diego and graduated with a B.A. in international relations and a minor in philosophy. During her time at college, she had the opportunity to study abroad in Rome and travel all over Europe, as well as help teach English and build a community center in the Dominican Republic. As an IR major, her major interest and focus was with issues related to human rights, international law, international security and ethnic studies. Outside of school and work, she enjoys being at the water, watching reality tv, and spending time with family and friends.