Trina Y. Vargo is the founder and President of the US-Ireland Alliance, a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to educating Americans about Ireland and strengthening the relationship on the basis of education, culture and business.[1] Vargo created the organization in 1998.[2] In that capacity, she created the George J. Mitchell Scholarship program, recognized as one of the most prestigious scholarships for study abroad for young Americans.[3] She also created an annual event in Hollywood, the Oscar Wilde Awards, that celebrates the contributions of the Irish in film and entertainment.[4][5]

From 1987 through April 1998, Vargo served as a Foreign Policy Adviser to Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) in Washington D.C. During her years with Senator Kennedy, she worked directly with political leaders in Northern Ireland, the Clinton Administration, and the Irish Government, serving as a key behind-the-scenes player in the Northern Ireland peace process.[6][7] She was instrumental in negotiating a visa for Gerry Adams to visit the United States in 1994.[8] That visit led to the historic IRA cease-fire declaration in August 1994.[9][10]

In 1993, Vargo assisted Ambassador Madeleine Albright in preparation for her Senate confirmation hearings for the Cabinet post of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. She also helped prepare Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith, the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, for her June 1993 confirmation Senate hearing. She briefed several subsequent US Ambassadors to Ireland, Democrats and Republicans. In a personal capacity, from 1988, Vargo has advised U.S. presidential campaign teams on Irish issues, she served as the Obama campaign’s adviser on Irish issues.[11]

While working with Senator Kennedy, in addition to Irish issues, Vargo was involved in many foreign policy matters, including imposing sanctions in 1995 on Libya in the aftermath of the bombing of Pan Am flight 103;[12] efforts to bring free elections to Guyana in 1992, the first in decades; helping Refuseniks (Soviet Jews) from the former Soviet Union to emigrate in the late 1980s and early 1990s; and changing the way the Department of State analyzed and characterized the meaning of other countries’ votes in the United Nations.[13] Vargo remained involved in the Pan Am 103 bombing issue after leaving Kennedy’s employ, writing an op-ed opposing Scotland’s decision to release Abdel Basset al-Megrahi in the Irish Times in 2009,[14] and the Huffington Post in 2015.[15] Vargo is a regular contributor to the press.[16]

Vargo graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh with degrees in political science and history. As the recipient of a Rotary International Fellowship, she attended McGill University in Montreal, where she obtained an M.A. degree in political science.[17]

References

  1. ↑ "US-Ireland Alliance".
  2. ↑ Vargo, Trina Y. (19 July 1998). "For Irish Americans, Peace Means Change". Washington Post.
  3. ↑ Lee, J.J. & Marion R. Casey (2006). Making the Irish American: History and Heritage of the Irish in the United States. New York University Press. p. 49. ISBN 0-8147-5208-X.
  4. ↑ Heyman, Marshall (26–27 Feb 2011). "The Other Oscar". Wall Street Journal. pp. A21.
  5. ↑ Barnes, Mike (9 January 2012). "Screenwriter John Logan to be Honored by Irish in Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  6. ↑ Mallie, Eamonn and David McKittrick (1996). The Fight for Peace: The Secret Story Behind the Irish Peace Process. Heinemann. p. 284. ISBN 0-7493-2261-6.
  7. ↑ Gartner, John D. (2008). In Search of Bill Clinton A Psychological Biography. St. Martin’s Press. p. 229.
  8. ↑ O'Clery, Conor (1887). Daring Diplomacy. Roberts Rinehart. p. 115.
  9. ↑ Orth, Maureen (2004). The Importance of Being Famous. Henry Holt & Company. pp. 164.
  10. ↑ O'Clery, Conor (2007). The Billionaire Who Wasn't: How Chuck Feeney Secretly Made and Gave Away a Fortune Without Anyone Knowing. Public Affairs. pp. 190. ISBN 978-1-58648-391-3.
  11. ↑ Stanage, Niall (2008). Redemption Song An Irish Reporter Inside the Obama Campaign. Liberties Press. pp. 175–176.
  12. ↑ Cohen, Susan and Daniel (2001). Pan Am 103 The Bombing, the Betrayals, And A Bereaved Family's Search for Justice. Signet. p. 188.
  13. ↑ Lewis. Paul (25 August 2009). "U.N. Support for U.S. Hits New Low". The New York Times. pp. A10.
  14. ↑ Vargo, Trina (25 August 2009). "There is no justification for releasing Megrahi". The Irish Times.
  15. ↑ Vargo, Trina (29 November 2015). "A Fresh Look at the Bombing of Pan Am 103". Huffington Post.
  16. ↑ Vargo, Trina (3 July 2023). "Mitchell scholarship can make sure ties remain strong between Ireland and the US – but it must be funded". Irish Independent.
  17. ↑ "Trina Vargo - President". US-Ireland Alliance. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
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