About the Executive Committee (EXCOM)
GUWS EXCOM
The members of the GUWS Executive Committee are committed to facilitating an open and friendly environment for Georgetown students and young professionals to learn more about the profession of wargaming.
GUWS is currently advised by SSP Adjunct Professor Sebastian Bae.
To get in touch with our Executive Committee or get involved as a future GUWS officer, drop us a line at guws@georgetown.edu!
Faculty Advisor - Sebastian J. Bae
Sebastian J. Bae, a research analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA), works in wargaming, emerging technologies, the future of warfare, and strategy and doctrine for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. He also serves as an adjunct assistant professor at the Center for Security Studies at Georgetown University, where he teaches a graduate course on designing educational wargames. He taught similar courses at the U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College and U.S. Naval Academy. He is also the faculty advisor to the Georgetown University Wargaming Society, the Co-Chair of the Military Operations Research Society Wargaming Community of Practice, a Fellow at the Brute Krulak Center for Innovation and Creativity, and serves on the Executive Committee for the Educational Wargaming Cooperative. Previously, he served six years in the Marine Corps infantry, leaving as a sergeant. He deployed to Iraq in 2009.
Co-President - Sam Buan, SFS ‘26
Sam Buan is a sophomore at Georgetown University from around Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is studying Science, Technology, and International Affairs with a concentration in Energy and Environment, as well as Chinese and Physics. He is interested in how climate change and other crises affect international relations and security. This summer, he is working at Leder Games as a Game Development intern.
Co-President - Sophia Chang
Sophia is a current junior at Georgetown studying Science, Tech, and International Affairs. In her free time, she can be found at the observatory, doing logistics work for the Astronomical Society, or trying to find more space war games to bring to GUWS. She’s interested in space policy, wargaming, and trade compliance.
Vice President - Owen Chbani, SFS ‘25
Owen Chbani is a junior at Georgetown University majoring in Science, Technology, and International Affairs from Miami, Florida. Last summer, he was a Government Affairs and Marketing intern at Voyager Space, and he is now interning for the Net Assessments Office at the ODNI. He is interested in the intersection of space policy and national security. In addition to being Vice-President of the Georgetown University Wargaming Society, he is also the Co-President of the Georgetown Space Initiative and Vice-President of the Astronomical Society.
Game Director - Walter Kunkle, SSP ‘24
Walter Kunkle is currently a MA candidate in Georgetown's Security Studies Program. His studies focus on wargaming and simulation, U.S.-Russia relations, and nuclear escalation. He works part-time designing wargames for the U.S. Naval Academy. While he loves games of all sorts, he is an avid miniature gamer and painter at heart. Statistically, he is planning a Twilight Imperium game as you are reading this.
Alumni Mentor - Ed Campbell, SSP ‘22
Ed Campbell graduated with a M.A. at Georgetown’s Security Studies Program in 2022, and concentrated in military operations. His research interest consist of military operational concepts, and strategy. He currently serves as an active duty Army officer. Ed is married with two children, and in his free time he is playing board games.
Student Ambassador (SAIS) & USAFA Wargaming Fellow - Moshe Klein, SSP ‘24
Moshe Klein is a joint M.A. and J.D. candidate at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service's Security Studies Program and the Georgetown University Law Center where he concentrates on terrorism and sub-state violence and national security law. His favorite games include Root, Twilight Struggle, and Diplomacy. In his free time, Moshe can be found complaining about awful dice rolls, trying to convince people to play Twilight Imperium with him, and managing the Georgetown Security Studies Review podcast - Precision Guidance.
Alumni Mentor - Nick Wernert, MAAS '21
Nick is a 2021 M.A. graduate of the Georgetown Arab Studies Program and currently works as a wargame specialist at Marine Corps University. He is a fan of all types of games, sports, and simulations, but has a particular love for SPI hex-and-counter games and riichi mahjong.
Alumni Mentor - Caitlyn Leong, SSP ‘21
Caitlyn Leong is a Cyber Exercise Planner with the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and a 2021 M.A. graduate of the Georgetown Security Studies Program. She previously served as the President of GUWS from 2020-2021 and Director of Simulations for The George Washington University’s Strategic Crisis Simulations from 2016-2019. She has over six years of experience in wargaming and has been published in PAXsims, CIMSEC, and the Australian Defence College’s The Forge.