Jeff Strew is based in New York and has experience across technology, diplomacy, and international public policy. He has worked at Microsoft and served as a diplomat and senior advisor at the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), the UK’s foreign ministry and equivalent to the US State Department. His UN career included roles at the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, the UN Development Program, and a posting at the Philippine government’s UN embassy. Before joining the UN, Jeff worked for the NYU Center on International Cooperation, a public policy think tank based at New York University.

Jeff earned an MPA from Columbia, an MA in International Relations from NYU, and a BA in Latin American Studies from the University of Washington (UW). Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, he’s a proud graduate of Yakima County public schools, where he served as a member of the National Honor Society and captain of the tennis team at Eisenhower High School in Washington State.

During his college years in Seattle, Jeff and fellow UW alums Eric Freistadt and Dan Miele co-founded Trasher—a successful DJ collective and monthly event series that quickly became a cornerstone of UW nightlife. Jeff and Eric also formed Jules & Jim, a Seattle- and New York-based DJ duo known for their genre-spanning sets that included house, techno, and trance.

Jeff comes from a family of immigrants and military veterans who taught him the values of hard work and public service. His mother, a Filipina immigrant, fled the Marcos dictatorship, while his American father of Swedish descent enlisted in the US Army during the Cold War.

An active member of the local community, Jeff volunteers with the Fort Greene Tennis Association, a New York City nonprofit that uses sport to foster community engagement. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis, going to raves, and schvitzing in saunas. Jeff currently lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Rachel.

EXPERIENCE
Program Manager, Microsoft (2025)
Senior Program Manager, UK Government - FCDO (2021 - 2024)
Program Manager, United Nations (2018 - 2021)
Program Lead, NYU Center on International Cooperation (2014 - 2017)
Associate Program Manager, United Nations (2013 - 2014)
Program Coordinator, Seattle Chamber of Commerce (2011)
Co-Founder, Trasher (2008 - 2011)
Intern, World Affairs Council (2010)

EDUCATION
Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs – MPA, Public Administration (2021 - 2024)
New York University – MA, International Relations (2012 - 2014)
University of Washington – BA, Latin American Studies (2005 - 2009)