Alumni 20 years later: catching up with Nat Turner ’84 By Anne Torrey McCuean ’08, Advancement Associate and Alumni Relations Over the summer, I had the privilege to spend some time with Trinity alum Nathaniel “Nat” S. Turner ’84. We last caught up with Nat 20 years ago when he was featured in the summer 2003 edition of Inside Trinity, the predecessor to Flourish magazine. At that time, he had just started his first assignment for the State Department, serving as a consular officer for the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong. Nat and his family currently live in Cairo, Egypt, where he serves as a deputy political counselor for the United States Embassy and works on issues such as human rights and security cooperation. As we walked through the hallways and around Trinity’s new campus enhancements, Nat shared with me his journey to becoming a United States diplomat. After Trinity, Nat graduated from The Westminster Schools, then matriculated to Duke University, where he received a degree in economics with a certificate in markets and management. Nat began his career working in marketing, product development, and sales for the technology, banking, and consumer product industries. He worked at such institutions as Hallmark Cards and CommunityAmerica Credit Union. In the early 2000s, he received an email from a college friend regarding a career opportunity from the State Department. Nat disregarded the message as he never saw himself working for the United States government; he never thought of diplomacy as a potential career. Six months later, that same friend reached out again to share 58
that the State Department was hiring and that he should seriously consider applying. Nat took the entry exams and began his career in diplomacy. Over a 20-year period, Nat’s work has taken him to a wide array of places across the globe, including Brazil, Malaysia, Washington D.C., and now his second tour in Egypt. Even from Washington, he traveled on delegations and has now been to every continent except Antarctica. He is proficient in Arabic, Cantonese, Portuguese, and Spanish. In addition, his career has provided his family with the opportunity to experience different cultures and meet people they might never have crossed paths with otherwise. When asked what he is most proud of, Nat said, “The work that we do for Americans that isn’t always known. It sometimes never makes the breaking news headlines because quiet diplomacy is required in delicate situations. Some of my assignments have involved work on nonproliferation to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). We cannot do press releases on everything we do, but diplomats play a big role in keeping America safe.” I asked Nat about the most memorable experiences he has had in his time as a diplomat. He gave me examples of his work in several countries promoting American companies and supporting American jobs by helping them secure several billion dollars’ worth of contracts.