For Shafer Busch, Director, Portfolio, Strategy and Operations, her role is about listening, taking notes, and rapidly adapting to changing needs. That’s how she brings people together while working under tight deadlines—across states and nations.

After earning her Masters in Ethics, Peace, and Global Affairs, Shafer spent seven years working on events in the U.S. and Middle East. As COO and director of events at an international nonprofit, she created events to entertain, inspire ideas, and empower voices. A specialist in working with policymakers, diplomats, and entertainers toward a common goal, Shafer’s accomplishments include bringing together an impressive list of who’s who. Her portfolio includes: an annual awards dinner for individuals and organizations that shape social and public policy, a dinner and conversation for U.S. government and intelligence leaders and creative minds from Showtime’s “Homeland” series, and a student discussion event about women in film with the Oscar-winning director of “The Hurt Locker” and “Zero Dark Thirty.”

How does she stay in-the-know? She’s constantly reading, listening to radio and podcasts, and watching TV and films.

Outside the office, she loves spending time with family and trying new fitness trends, but she’s also an international adventurer. Whether in the U.S. or visiting her favorite cities of Cairo and Paris, she is constantly building on her encyclopedic knowledge of recipes, coffee shops, and five-star to hole-in-the-wall eateries.