Saraya Sarhaddi Nelson [Bachelor of Journalism with Minor in Persian and Germanic Studies, University of Maryland, College Park]
Berlin bureau chief for prominent national news organization, Ms. Nelson's most notable work includes extensive and precarious coverage of conflicts in Iraq including Desert Storm and the Battle(s) of Tikrit, the War in Afghanistan, and the Arab Spring uprising. From 2002 to 2005, she served as Knight Ridder's Middle East Bureau Chief, immediately preceded by a stint covering Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for The Orange County Register.