Growing up in the industrial Midwest, Toby Wolf saw towns and cities that prospered from international business as well as those that were left behind.  These experiences led to a focus on commercial diplomacy when he joined the Foreign Service as an economic officer.  Through the Cox Fellowship, Toby is leading an initiative to explore the impact of commercial diplomacy on U.S. companies, workers, and communities.  During the fellowship year, Toby will engage with business, government, and local stakeholders across the United States to study and highlight partnership models that have delivered benefits to American communities.  The initiative aims to energize cooperation across government and industry and to connect with people whose work and lives have been impacted by our commercial diplomacy.  In Foreign Service assignments in France, Russia, Japan, and Switzerland, Toby has assisted U.S. companies and facilitated foreign investment into the United States, creating jobs and global connections for communities around the United States.  Most recently, Toby helped lead commercial training at the Foreign Service Institute, where he expanded course offerings for the diplomatic workforce and deepened collaboration across U.S. government agencies and the private sector.

For Victoria Nibarger, Kansas represents family, community, and her roots. Her childhood in Kansas instilled a pride for the country that prompted her service as a U.S. diplomat. Over the past fifteen years, the Foreign Service has taken her to Jamaica, Serbia, Ukraine, and Washington, D.C. In her most recent assignment, Victoria helped bolster U.S. leadership within the Community of Democracies, a global coalition co-founded by former Secretary Madeliene Albright. After working to advance U.S. democracy and human rights priorities overseas, Victoria will return to Kansas via the Fellowship to promote democracy at home. She will connect students and young leaders in the heart of America with counterparts throughout the world via the Community of Democracies’ new global Youth Democracy Network, and she aims to encourage respectful bipartisan dialogue. Victoria will work to reach students — including those from historically marginalized communities — throughout the Midwest, a region underrepresented in our diplomatic corps. She hopes her story might inspire others to pursue a path of public service. Victoria is married to fellow Kansan Daniel Nibarger, also a Foreign Service Officer. They look forward to better acquainting their three children with the region they call home.