Julianna Aynes-Neville first joined the Department of State in 1998. She has been with the U.S. Permanent Mission to the Organization of American States as Alternate Representative since November 2015 and is currently the Deputy Development Counselor for the U.S. Mission, handling human development issues. Prior to her current assignment, Julianna served as Consular Section Chief in the Office of Cuban Affairs at the State Department where she handled migration policy issues, as well as the reestablishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba. She has worked on consular issues in Brazil, South Africa and Cuba, and served at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City where she was assigned to the Narcotics Affairs Section. At the Department, Julianna has had the opportunity to work on the U.S. bilateral relationship with Brazil, Haiti and Cuba. She has also worked on Western Hemisphere regional political and economic issues, and on the Summit of the Americas process. Before joining the State Department, Julianna earned a Master of Arts degree in Latin American Studies and Political Science from UCLA, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Spanish and Portuguese. She studied abroad in Spain and Brazil. Julianna served as a State Department Intern at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, and completed an internship at the Department of State where she worked on Brazil and Southern Cone issues. She was born in Mexico and raised in Washington, D.C. and California.