Halley Kropa

• School of International Affairs

• B.S. INTA 2008

Halley Espy Kropa is currently working as an attorney in the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s Office of Chief Counsel. As a Foods and International Team counselor, Halley provides legal services to FDA and Department of Health & Human Services officials on matters involving international law and FDA-regulated food, dietary supplement, and cosmetic products. In this role, Halley may on any given day review draft or final regulations, agency guidance documents, cooperative agreements with foreign government entities, responses to citizen petitions, draft legislation, press materials, and congressional correspondence. In addition, she may advise FDA officials on their interaction with stakeholders, provide analysis of complex food safety and nutrition legal issues, as well as provide legal services to help FDA implement international-related policies. Ultimately, Halley loves coming to work each day and taking on new challenges and assignments to help the agency protect and promote the public health.

How did Tech and the Nunn School help you get where you are?

The Sam Nunn School is such a unique and special program at Georgia Tech that combines the breadth of a liberal arts experience with the rigor of a science and technology-focused education.  Benefiting from small classes with engaging professors, I was able to expand my world-view and hone my research and analytical skills, as well as develop a passion for international affairs, science, and technology.  The ability to think globally and strategically has been essential to my success in law school and in my current role with the federal government.       

What advice you would give current students at Tech as well as the Sam Nunn School specifically?

Perhaps I would offer three pieces of advice to current students.

1. Consider pursuing a post-graduate fellowship following graduation.  Georgia Tech’s Fellowship Office has tremendous resources to help students identify and apply for incredible fellowship opportunities, including the Fulbright, Marshall, Truman, Rhodes, and other nationally competitive scholarships.  I owe an incredible amount of where I am today to post-graduate fellowships, including a Fulbright research grant to Berlin, Germany and getting my foot in the door with the federal government through the Presidential Management Fellowship Program.  Tech students are excellent candidates for these types of programs, so consider applying to one of these opportunities.
2. Go international.  If you want to work in the international space, you really need to gain international experience.  Consider studying abroad, finding an international internship, pursing a post-graduate degree overseas, volunteering for a service project abroad, or simply traveling for fun.   
3. Have fun! You will never get this time back, so challenge yourself to try something new and make new friends – enjoy the start of being a part of a life-long network of incredible Yellow Jacket graduates doing great things in the world!     

What is something that you got from studying International Affairs at Tech?

I think one thing that all INTA students at Tech are able to walk away with is a unique perspective on the intersection between science, law, and policy.  Many of the most pressing global issues confronting governments today are deeply intertwined with multifaceted scientific and technological challenges, and Sam Nunn School graduates are well-positioned to be able to understand the science and translate new data and findings into policy options, providing that crucial link between scientists and decision-makers.