Dan Crocker Imagines Future of Dean Rusk Program

position became available, Crocker believed that it would be an opportunity to spend more time with her.

While Dan Crocker began his position as the Director of the Dean Rusk International Studies Program this past year, he has lasting connections to Davidson. He was born in the town of Davidson, and his father taught in the German department at the college. However, Crocker spent much of his career far from North Carolina — he has worked in Europe, Africa, and Latin America in addition to the United States. Crocker also has a diverse array of career experiences. Prior to starting his position at Davidson, he worked as an engineer, spent twenty years in the Foreign Service, and was the CEO of Veracity Worldwide, an international advisory consulting firm.

Crocker’s return to Davidson was partly rooted in professional factors. He enjoyed his most recent position at Veracity Worldwide, but had to work constantly and wanted to bring more balance to his life.

“While I loved the work, I didn’t love the idea of working 24/7,” Crocker said. “I was looking for something professional to transition into.”

While looking for new positions, Crocker was focused on “figuring out what works” and “what creates flow” in a job.

“It’s really important to identify the things that really resonate with you [in jobs],” he commented.

He went on to explain what he valued in a job and why he felt that directing the Dean Rusk program might be a good fit.

“The things that were in the flow for me were coaching, teaching, and mentoring,” Crocker said. “[Recognizing these priorities] led me to this kind of job. I’m teaching and mentoring a lot of students and trying to meet them where they are in terms of what they might do abroad.”

Returning to Davidson had personal significance, too. His mother lived in Davidson and was sick, and when the Dean Rusk

“The fact that the job opened up here at a time when I was segueing away from 24/7 consulting [...] made me think that there was some sort of bigger hand at work here,” he said.

Crocker’s diverse array of career experiences allows him to advise Davidson students with myriad backgrounds and interests.

“I’ve done a variety of things like private sector startup, public service, and consulting. I feel comfortable talking with students and trying to help them work through those things [as they navigate their potential career],” he said.

Crocker hopes that he can encourage students to explore opportunities outside of the classroom through the Dean Rusk program.

“[Davidson] is a serious academic place” where “students are really good at getting good grades and learning a lot,” he acknowledged.

“I would like to see more students really giving themselves permission to step away from the classroom, and at the same time, go abroad, build resilience, and pursue an intellectual passion.”

He hopes that students can spend their summers learning practical skills at an internship or job, immersing themselves in a new language, and expanding their perspectives.

Students have felt the impact of Crocker’s work. With Crocker’s support, Brody Bassett ‘25 secured a summer internship at the American Chamber of Commerce in Cairo, Egypt — a position that will help Bassett work towards his career aspirations.

“I want to work in foreign policy [...] and hopefully become a diplomat,” Bassett explained. “Mr. Crocker has been a great mentor and help in trying to help me achieve that goal.”

Crocker made several connections during his time in the foreign service and hoped that they could help Bassett find his internship. “I have friends at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, and

I reached out to them first to see if they could host [Bassett],” Crocker said. Unfortunately, Crocker and Bassett soon realized that it would be impossible to do a security clearance in time for an internship at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. After recognizing this hurdle, Crocker and Bassett pivoted and found the position at the American Chamber of Commerce. “Even through adversity, [Crocker] was really helpful and really willing to try to get me to where I wanted in my career,” Bassett reflected.

Crocker was also enthusiastic about preparing Bassett for life in Egypt. Bassett has taken Modern Standard Arabic throughout his time at Davidson, but Egyptian Arabic differs meaningfully. Crocker hoped to prepare Bassett for this new dialect by connecting him with Horse Education Group, a personalized language instruction program. Bassett is working with a native Egyptian teacher who currently lives in Charlotte and will be in Cairo at the same time as him.

According to Olivier Giraudo, the CEO of Horse Education Group, “[Bassett] is learning completely new vocabulary and expressions in Egyptian colloquial [Arabic] that will help him integrate, make friends, and succeed in his internship from the commencement of his time in Cairo.”

Crocker’s work prepares students for their futures, and his efforts are appreciated by those he works with. “I feel very blessed that [Crocker] was able to help through high tide and help me get an internship that matched my career interests,” Bassett remarked.