Adrian McIntyre

Updated July 2012

Social Scientist. Global Adventurer. Speaker/Trainer on Communication, Leadership and Human Performance.

In the course of his widely varied career, Dr. Adrian McIntyre has lived and worked in over 30 countries. A two-time college dropout and self-proclaimed "global hobo," he went on to become a Fulbright scholar and National Science Foundation fellow while earning a PhD in sociocultural anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley.

Adrian has studied and collaborated with leading thinkers in philosophy, linguistics, social science, and international affairs. He has published dozens of articles and co-edited September 11: Contexts and Consequences (with Misha Klein, 2001), a 600-page anthology of essential readings on Islam, terrorism and global politics. His hundreds of media appearances have reached millions of people around the world via major news outlets such as the BBC, CNN, National Public Radio, and the New York Times, as well as regional newspapers and radio stations throughout Europe and the United States.

Adrian reported for Newsweek during the run-up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. He then traveled to Baghdad as a member of the crisis response teams for Mercy Corps and Oxfam GB, one of the largest non-profit aid agencies in the world. When extreme violence forced international aid agencies to withdraw their staff from Iraq in 2004, Adrian moved to Sudan to work as a media officer and policy adviser for Oxfam GB. For 14 months, he was Oxfam’s primary, field-based spokesperson on the crisis in Darfur.

Adrian is an eloquent and effective public speaker and a sought-after university lecturer. His expertise in leadership, cross-cultural communication, humanitarian advocacy, experiential learning and the fundamentals of human performance have made him an in-demand trainer, coach and organizational consultant to non-profits, private companies, United Nations agencies, and the United States Agency for International Development. Adrian’s innovative products, programs and presentations inspire ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things. Meet him at http://about.me/adrianmcintyre

Timeline

Lecturer

UC Berkeley
Jan 1, 2011 - Current
I teach classes at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies and the Blum Center for Developing Economies. * MES 20: Perspectives on the Middle East, Spring 2011 * IAS 196: Global Poverty & Practice: Capstone Course, Spring 2011

Founder

Vagabond University
Jan 1, 2010 - Current
Vagabond University provides a unique, cutting-edge curriculum that trains young people to become “freelance global diplomats” while designing and living extraordinary lives full of travel, adventure, and service to the world community.

International Consultant, Middle East Expert and Public Speaker

(freelance)
Jan 1, 2005 - Current
* Delivered five guest lectures and two practical, skills-building workshops to students at the Berkeley Summer Institute for the Global Generation (2008 and 2009). Topics included field research methods, policy analysis, NGO advocacy, environmental causes of poverty and conflict in Sudan, UN sanctions and "the politics of starvation" in Iraq, history of international development projects in the Middle East. * Served as Visiting Scholar for the Honors Program at Collin College (Plano, TX); taught honors seminars in communications, international politics and creative writing; gave keynote address titled "The Accidental Anthropologist" about the ethical dilemmas of conducting anthropological research on human rights violations in war zones * Provided commentary on NGOs & private security companies for workshops at NYU School of Law * Advised Warner Brothers team on 4 episodes of TV drama "ER" set in Darfur * Delivered lectures to elementary, high-school & university students, professors, business executives, non-profit staff & general public. Topics include Darfur, Iraq, humanitarian aid, "War on Terror," Middle East politics & culture * Trained Berkeley students to role-play diplomats from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq & Saudi Arabia at national and regional Model Arab League simulations. Students won Overall Outstanding Delegation awards in 2007 & 2008 plus 18 individual awards * Delivered workshops on leadership & communication; facilitated week-long intensive training course in social science research methods and ethics * Served as consulting editor for development & academic publications including UN Common Country Assessments, USAID reports, research journals & newsletters

Instructor

UC Berkeley
Aug 1, 1999 - May 1, 2010
(as Primary Instructor) * MES 150: State & Non-State Actors in the Middle East, Spring 2010 * MES 109: Model Arab League, Spring 2007; Spring 2008 * MES 20: Perspectives on the Middle East, Spring 2002 (as Graduate Student Instructor) * IAS 105: Ethics and Methods of Global Practice, Fall 2009 * ANTH 114: History of Anthropological Thought, Fall 2006 * ANTH 1: Biological Anthropology, Fall 2001; Fall 1999 (as Reader) * HIST 109A: The Rise of Islamic Civilizations, Spring 2006 * ANTH 181: Anthropology of Israel and Palestine, Fall 2000 * ANTH 189: Psychological Anthropology, Spring 2000

Media, Communications & Policy Officer

Oxfam GB
Jan 1, 2003 - Jan 1, 2005
* Served for 14 months as primary field-based spokesperson for Darfur crisis giving live interviews & briefings to print, broadcast & online media * Influenced diplomats in US, UK, EU & Canadian governments, United Nations & donor agencies during lobbying trips to Brussels, London, New York, Ottawa & Washington DC * Wrote two speeches on Darfur for senior Oxfam staff to present at Arria Formula briefings for UN Security Council in New York. Assisted members of Sudanese civil society organizations to prepare their speeches for a historic Security Council meeting in Nairobi. * Produced policy papers, press releases, lobby briefs/letters, op-eds & provided high-quality photographs & video to support advocacy, fundraising & external communications * Led 13-person, inter-agency team on 3-day assessment mission into rebel-controlled areas of Darfur. Negotiated with government officials, tribal leaders & armed factions. Interviewed war-affected people in Arabic to gather local information and personal testimonies * Spearheaded efforts to raise Oxfam’s profile in Arab media. Interviewed dozens of influential media figures in Cairo, Dubai and Amman to inform development of regional media strategy * Researched the impact of Euro-Med subsidies and coordinated field visits to poor farming communities in the Jordan Valley for Oxfam’s Make Trade Fair campaign in 2004. Supported the development of media and campaigning strategies on Responsibility to Protect for the UN World Summit in 2005.

Assessment Officer

Mercy Corps
Jan 1, 2003 - Jan 1, 2003
* Worked in Amman and Baghdad for the Joint NGO Emergency Preparedness Initiative (JNEPI) * Facilitated interactions in a politically sensitive environment to generate dialogue and increase trust between NGOs, military personnel, Coalition Provisional Authority, UN agencies and major donors (DFID, ECHO and USAID). * Participated in the first JNEPI security assessment to Baghdad in May 2003. * Researched and wrote the Iraq Country Handbook, an overview of the political and legal context for humanitarian aid in Iraq, plus practical information about living and working in Baghdad. * Compiled detailed updates about political developments, security trends, humanitarian needs and NGO responses for a 25-page weekly situation report distributed to 300 agencies and relief organizations.