United States

Julita (Jul) Thanapalasingam is GMF’s government relations program coordinator. She previously interned at the American Maritime Congress and US Department of Homeland Security, where she focused on congressional relations and government engagement. She also worked for the New Jersey state legislature. 

Her policy and research interests include transatlantic security and cooperation, NATO, defense capabilities and development, the prosecution of war crimes, and international humanitarian law.

Thanapalasingam graduated summa cum laude from American University (AU), earning a bachelor’s degree in justice and law with a concentration in counterterrorism and security studies. She was a member of the School of Public Affairs honors program. She also studied in Belgium under AU’s EU In Action program and interned during that time for Edelman Global Advisory.

Ty Melnick is a Washington, DC-based program coordinator at GMF. She supports the Marshall Memorial Fellowship, GMF's flagship leadership program, and assists in implementing other leadership program initiatives. 

Melnick holds a bachelor's degree in international studies with specializations in international political economy and global development from American University.