Meet Our Staff & Interns
Jayne Herring
President & CEO
jayne@worldaffairscouncil.org
Jayne Herring completed her degree in International Studies (Asia focus) and Human Rights (Public Policy Focus) at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, in addition to pursuing condensed coursework in London and in Nishinomiya, Japan, at Kwansei Gakuin University. During her studies, she was an active member of the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Ft.Worth. Herring has served in various leadership positions, including supporting the executive office and international board of trustees at the ICSC headquarters in New York and internationally, managing events, delegations, and communications in Africa, Middle East, Asia, Europe, and North America.
In California, she served as the organizing director for a state-level political campaign, managed the Taste of Laguna Food & Music Festival, and most recently held the position of Director of Special Events at Pacific Symphony, where she was proud to make a “Star Wars”-themed gala elegant and successful. Her commitment to the arts and advocacy for humanitarian causes has led her to serve as a volunteer assisting resettlement caseworkers at the International Rescue Committee in Dallas, trustee of the Tony Award-winning Dallas Theater Center, and as Board Secretary and Human Rights Ambassador for the United Nations Association of Orange County, among many other volunteer roles. Committed to keeping Southern California engaged with foreign affairs, she is also a member of Pacific Council on International Policy. She currently also serves on the board of the Roosters Foundation, raising funds for underserved children in Orange County through food and wine events.Â
A native Pennsylvanian, lifelong New Yorker, occasional Dallasite, and now permanent resident of Laguna Beach and all its art festivals, she enjoys time with her daughters and 3-legged Australian Cattle Dog, Kevin. When not keeping up on foreign policy, you can usually find her cooking, although the two activities are not mutually exclusive.Â
Suzanne Parks 
Programs & Protocol Manager
sparks@worldaffairscouncil.orgÂ
Languages: conversational Spanish, French
Suzanne Parks is the Programs and Protocol Manager at the World Affairs Council of Orange County. A Marine Corps Veteran and trained Protocol Officer with over a decade of experience in diplomacy and international engagement, she has managed high-level events and official visits for senior military and government leaders worldwide.
Before joining the Council, Ms. Parks served as Protocol Officer to the Commander, Naval Surface Forces. She spent most of her career at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, supporting the U.S. Ambassador to NATO and later the U.S. Military Representative to the NATO Military Committee. During her tenure, she coordinated official visits involving the President of the United States, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, and senior congressional delegations.
Ms. Parks is a graduate of the Protocol School of Washington and the NATO School in Oberammergau, Germany, and is a member of the Protocol Officers Association – Protocol & Diplomacy International. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Politics and Global Studies from The New School.
2026 Interns & Fellows
Mia Ben-Zvi is a senior at Corona del Mar High School in Newport Beach, California, with academic interests in international relations, global culture, and conflict resolution. She has explored these areas through research on topics such as feng shui and consumer psychology, Holocaust resistance, and the Israel-Hamas conflict, the latter of which was published by the UCI Center for Ethics and Morality.
She has volunteered in Israel supporting refugee communities and serves as a speaker for Student to Student, educating peers about Judaism and antisemitism. Mia is active in Model UN, Speech and Debate, and Mock Trial. As a member of the business team for Serving Advantage, she helps write grants and manage funds to expand access to tennis programs for neurodivergent youth. She is excited to support global education and outreach as an intern with the World Affairs Council of Orange County.
Aadya Mishra is an undergraduate at the University of California, Irvine, pursuing a B.A. in International Studies and Political Science with a focus on migration, gender, and law. She recently served as a Research Fellow at UCI’s Citizenship Lab, where she examined transnational repression and displacement in the South Asian diaspora. Aadya is the founding Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Anteater Undergraduate Law Review and works as an Administrative Assistant at UCI’s Student Health Center. Her academic and professional interests center on refugee rights, women’s advocacy, and international policy. She plans to attend law school and pursue a career in legal and policy spaces that advance equity for marginalized communities worldwide
