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After 22 years as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, (IAFS ’91) is now retired and back home in Colorado.

Jassem graduated from CU �Ǹ�Թ� in December 1991 with a degree in International Affairs and joined the as a Foreign Service Officer in 1997. His career took him from Greece and Singapore to China, South Korea, and a final assignment working alongside the U.S. Air Force.

For Jassem, that path began at CU �Ǹ�Թ�. “My IAFS background is what introduced me to the idea of becoming a diplomat,” he said. “I had never even heard of the Foreign Service prior to going to CU.”

A Career Around the World

Dan and his wife Kim in Washington, DC, 1997

Jassem’s first overseas posting was in Athens, Greece, where he served as Immigrant Visa Chief. During the conflict in Kosovo, the U.S. Embassy in Tirana, Albania, closed and Jassem spent nearly two years handling immigrant visa operations for both embassies. “It was a chaotic but exciting time, and for years I received Christmas cards from folks I help resettle out of the conflict zone and into the United States,” he said.

His next posting took him and his family to Singapore, where he served as an Economic Officer working on maritime trade issues, intellectual property rights and the Kyoto Protocol. Jassem was also serving as Embassy Duty Officer in Singapore on September 11, 2001. It was late in the evening in Singapore when he learned that a plane had struck the World Trade Center. He turned on the news and watched the second plane hit the South Tower live. He immediately alerted the rest of his team. “The next several days were surreal,” he recalled.

Jassem returned temporarily for one year in Washington, D.C., studying Mandarin, and then he spent five years in Beijing, China working on environmental issues including disaster relief, water resources management and endangered species conservation. He helped lead U.S. assistance efforts following natural disasters, including the , and helped U.S. zoos negotiate an agreement involving pandas for study, breeding and conservation.

He also led efforts to . The embassy publicly reported the results, bringing greater attention to air pollution and public health. “The publicizing of the U.S. Embassy data eventually led to a reckoning with the Government of China, and its own public,” he said.

Singapore, South Korea and the U.S. Air Force

Dan with fellow CU alumni at the Great Wall of China, 2007

Jassem later returned to Singapore as Political Unit Chief, where his work included efforts related to Afghanistan, trafficking in persons and piracy in the Gulf of Aden. “But it wasn't all serious, I also did a lot of traveling, scuba diving, and still played flag football with the Marines and other staff,” he said.

During his final year there, a medical examination revealed an unexpected health issue, and Jassem was evacuated to the United States for open-heart surgery at age 41. After recovering in Colorado, he moved on to his next assignment in South Korea. There, as Deputy Economic Counselor, he led a team focused primarily on implementing the newly signed U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement.

Jassem’s final Foreign Service assignment brought him back to the United States. For five years, he served at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois as Foreign Policy Advisor to the four-star general commanding Air Mobility Command. His work included disaster relief, embassy and civilian evacuations from conflict zones, and humanitarian relief operations. “I advised the command on the potential foreign policy implications of the Command's efforts, and worked to ensure the U.S. Air Force conducted operations that aligned with the United States' Foreign policy goals,” he said.

Ironically, returning to the United States also brought a new experience for his family. “As an aside, this posting [in Illinois] was where my kids experienced the biggest ‘culture shock’ of all our many moves.” This was his final assignment, in 2019 Jassem retired and came home to Colorado.

Coming Home to Colorado

Dan with his family in Dublin, 2024

Throughout his Foreign Service career, Jassem and his family made a point of returning to Colorado whenever possible. “My kids grew up in a fantastic environment, exposed to a multitude of truly unique experiences and cultures. Yet they always rooted here in Colorado.”

For Jassem, visits back to �Ǹ�Թ� reinforced his connection to CU. “Every time we came home, I would stroll with my family across the grounds of CU, by the Library, by Hellems, by Guggenheim Geography, by the Engineering Center.” Those visits also gave him a chance to share memories of his own CU experience with his family. “We strolled the grounds of Kittridge and I explained how gross the pond actually is. Like many others, I got thrown in on my birthday while attending CU.”

Eventually, those visits became permanent. Jassem and his wife now live in Broomfield with their two dogs, close to their daughters and just a short drive from CU �Ǹ�Թ�.�� “Being abroad and representing the United States was amazing; so is being back where we belong.”��

The connection to CU has continued into the next generation: all three of Jassem’s daughters attended CU �Ǹ�Թ�. His oldest graduated in 2015, his middle daughter, , graduated with a degree in International Affairs and Theater in 2024, and his youngest is a senior majoring in Chemical Engineering.

Looking back, he credits International Affairs with setting him on a career path he had never imagined before coming to CU. “It set me on a path that has been magical and fulfilling, with many tales of adventure and drama.”

ChatGPT was used to assist with drafting and editing this content, however final content was reviewed and published by CU �Ǹ�Թ� staff.