While advocacy efforts include making our opinion known in regards to proposed policies, laws, and regulations, we also promote very specific policies. Chang's appointment is the latest administration hire to come under scrutiny since President Donald Trump entered office. official government biography were refuted. Michelle Muscatello Leaving WPRI: Where Is the Rhode Island Meteorologist Going? Moreover, she has also been accused of inflating her work with the organization. Laura Strickler is a senior investigative producer and reporter for NBC News. That issue related to receipt of our 2016 and 2017 returns. Chang and her spokesman declined to comment on the role played by the McCaul staffer. Chang's biography says she was part of a panel on drones in humanitarian relief efforts convened by the U.N. It turns out that Chang does not hold a degree from Harvard and only attended a seven-week course at the institution in 2016. She claimed to be an alumna of Harvard Business School, which the school verified as correct, through the completion of a non-degree certificate course. Chang also paid to be a member of Ellevate, a women's networking group, which helped Chang place articles promoting herself and her charity in Forbes and the Huffington Post, according to its marketing coordinator, Nazli Tamer. Mina Khalil Visiting Fellow. The Panel in question was the Expert Panel for Humanitarian UAVs convened on November 14, 2014 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. at 12:23 pm, Mina Chang attends 2017 Women's Entrepreneurship Day at The United Nations on November 17, 2017 in New York City. But before her humanitarian and government career, she was a singer. Chang showed up with stuff to give out at a bunch of locations around . WASHINGTON Mina Chang figured out how to work the levers in Dallas and in the nation's capital, making connections with key figures and cultivating an online image, until her overblown credentials and claims crumbled under scrutiny. Chang was previously married. It's not clear if Chang has such a clearance. You wonder why the media isnt trusted? "They want to see talented people with integrity appointed to senior positions. One House staffer who met her in Washington found the Time cover when Googling Chang's name and assumed it was real, "That made me think she was legit," the former staffer said. In 2015, her charity received tax exempt status from the IRS, according to public records. Upon notification, donations were not able to be submitted through any of our channels. I give out a name to the press, and they vet for me. However, why would a low expenditure be a negative? Another Carrollton Fentanyl Arrest and an On-Campus Overdose at R.L. A potential political appointee to a State Department post is vetted by the department, including an elaborate questionnaire, before the White House ever screens the candidate. NBC News was unable to find any record of her or her organization ever testifying before Congress. Screenshot of Mina Changs Linked In Profile. Several policies we are currently focused on promoting are the following: - Winning the hearts and minds of those around the world most at risk to becoming victims of violent extremism. The fake Time cover is attributed to her job as the CEO of the nonprofit Linking the World, which seems to be relevant to her job in the State Department. In her State Department post, Chang, 35, from Dallas, helps oversee efforts to prevent conflicts from erupting in politically unstable countries. Heres a glimpse of her approach to solving the worlds most pressing issues." We take real scenarios based on concrete data to address the root drivers of instability and to effectuate action. MC . Mina Chang, a 35-year-old State . Visiting Professors. Briefings on the Hill are not verifiable. The report accused Chang of lying about graduating from Harvard, lying about a position she held at the. We create broad awareness of Americas unique role in the world. She would have been responsible for a budget of more than $1 billion. "They could be partnering with another organization, but then they should say that and not claim those accomplishments as their own.". Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. Update 11/14: I can imagine an independent person reading this and wondering who is telling the truth, how can these media organizations get it so wrong? She also established contacts with the U.S. military. Law School Regulation; Access to Justice. "It's just insane she got as far as she did. Tell me about this cover and how it came to be?" Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. 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D.C.both by publications and peersthe public law and policy practice draws on the considerable governmental and bipartisan political experience of their lawyers and advocacy professionals, including former Members of Congress, congressional staff and other lawyers with considerable . Susan Posnick and other people who came into contact with Chang over the years said they had lingering suspicions about how she promoted and presented herself, and wondered when things would catch up with her. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. ", In a statement, Chang colleague Dailey said: "Throughout this process I have provided honest answers that have only partially been utilized, or ignored entirely. A deputy assistant secretary usually has a top secret security clearance. In a 2017 video posted on her nonprofit's website, Chang can be heard describing her work while a Time magazine cover with her face on it scrolls past. The now infamous Time magazine cover. "[7] However, she did attend a university in Hawaii called the University of the Nations, an unaccredited Christian educational institution that specializes in International Development or cross-cultural missions. Needless to say, all of this is raising a lot of questions about how exactly the Trump administration goes about vetting job candidates. The next installment in the series will feature Cherie Blair, the former First Lady of the United Kingdom. The Womens Leadership Steering Committee is chaired by Dr Anne Chaoand Paula W Hinton. Mina Chang (born October 29, 1984)[1] is an American singer, activist, and former government official. While not a paid position, the fellowship provided her a credible platform and a title that could be listed on her rsum and open more doors. Chang, who assumed her post in April, also invented a role on a U.N. panel, claimed she had addressed both the Democratic and Republican national conventions, and implied she had testified before Congress. ISLN: 1000251692. However, I am not so constrained, and when I communicated with the reporter, I raised this issue with him, and asked him to expand the questions being directed towards me. In 2015, Chang partnered with the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to host cadets for internships at her nonprofit in Dallas. It claimed that she was an "alumna of the Harvard Business School" and held undergraduate degrees from Southern Methodist University and the University of the Nations, an unaccredited Christian school with volunteer teachers. Her information from the State Department mentions she is an "alumna" of Harvard Business School. When Chang was mentioned as a possible candidate for ambassador to the Philippines in local media in Manila, newspapers wrote incorrectly that she was a "Harvard graduate." [2][11][12], On April 29, 2019, Chang was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary in the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations,[13] and stepped down from her president and CEO positions at Linking the World. . However, her LinkedIn profile provides details of her inflated career history. By: Caroline John - Published: November 13, 2019 at 5:43 am | Last Updated: Mina Chang at Ground Zero event on Sept. 11, 2017. At a 2018 awards dinner of defense contractors in Washington, Chang made a point of introducing herself to an official who she eventually would succeed at the State Department as a deputy assistant secretary, said a source who attended the event said. But there's no record backing up her claim and a source with knowledge of the matter said she was not part of the "panel," which was a single public roundtable. While I share her beliefs and passions, Im far more willing to confront those with naive and ill-informed positions. Linking the World has never usedeither pieceandthey werenever part ofanymedia packageusedfor Mina. Shame on you every outlet that picked up this story without doing your own research and merely surmised the erroneous positions of the original. The Trump administration has faced criticism for its lax vetting, inadequate screening, and lack of thorough security clearance investigation of top officials. Chang has denied having any role in creating the magazine cover and her spokesperson said an "enthusiastic fan" created the picture and circulated it online. Chang represented the cover as genuine and replied: "We started using drone technology in disaster response, and so that was when the whole talk of how is technology being used to save lives in disaster response scenarios and I suppose I brought some attention to that". that she made up a [U.N.] panel, wasnt entitled to call herself an alumna of HBS, or actively brought a picture to an interview, then, perhaps, Ill consider participating in a fair process.". #FakeNews pic.twitter.com/LpEbwxH0xA, Rob Richardson (@RobforOHIO) November 12, 2019, She presents an image of a globetrotting humanitarian with extensive experience in international security and foreign aid. By 2014, she had set up Linking the World under the umbrella of a local foundation in Dallas, according to the foundation. Also, though she claims to be a graduate of the Army War College, its representatives say she only attended a four-day seminar there. Posted by Sony Chang onSunday, June 16, 2019. The State Department and its Diplomatic Security Service, which helps vet appointees, did not respond to requests for comment. According to the university, Chang attended a seven-week course in 2016, and does not hold a degree from the institution. local news and culture, Stephen Young But according to the university, Chang attended a seven-week course in 2016, and does not hold a. [5], In January 2017, Chang spoke at the Asia Society Texas Center's Women's Leadership Series as a featured guest. Chang had no apparent ties to President Donald Trump's political campaign, but Brian Bulatao, a former West Point classmate and business partner of Secretary of State Pompeo, was invited to fundraising events for her charity, according to Ian Dailey, the former chief of staff of her nonprofit. Her website conveyed dynamic activity and on-the-ground aid operations, even though the reality often had Chang traveling to a location on trips paid for by defense contractors, former colleagues said. 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For those of you who are not familiar with me, I am not Mina. Her sisters names are Abigail and Sony Chang. After this, an enthusiastic fan online took one step further and used an app to make a fake magazine cover with Minas actual image superimposed on the cover andit wassubsequentlycirculatedonline. [21][22] In response to the interviewer's question: "Here you are on Time magazine, congratulations! If you choose to retract allegations that are patently false, e.g. There, Chang only listed the University of the Nations, an unaccredited Christian school born out of their Youth With a Mission movement that, according to its website, was founded to train students in ministering the love of Christ and teaching others according to the command of Christ to make disciples of all nations..