Lulu Bonning

Executive Director

Lulu’s passion for the diplomatic abilities of community empowerment lends itself to her role at the San Diego Diplomacy Council. Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, she first arrived in San Diego to complete a study abroad semester in political science at San Diego State University. Lulu loves overseeing the San Diego Diplomacy Council’s strategy, community, and partnerships, drawing on her passion for peacebuilding, public diplomacy, and community engagement. She earned a degree in International Studies from RMIT University where she focused her thesis on collaborative efforts to overcome challenges of sustainable urbanization. She completed an Honors thesis with RMIT University in 2021, exploring the effects of smart city strategies on community empowerment. With an aptitude for strategic development and a passion for storytelling, Lulu is a strong believer in the power of effective communication, connecting people on a global scale to solve common issues and address conflicts of interest. She has been with the San Diego Diplomacy Council since 2019, supporting the implementation of over 200 programs for approximately 3,000 global leaders.

Adrianna Borja

Program Manager

Adrianna holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Global Studies from California State University Channel Islands where she was the president of the Triathlon Team and studied European Politics and Studio Art in Florence, Italy for a year. Adrianna holds a Master’s degree focusing in International Relations and Cultural Diplomacy which she earned in Berlin, Germany. Adrianna recently completed her thesis, exploring new domestic policies to tackle human rights abuses by multinational corporations with case studies on water privatization and chemical spills; and how this can improve the quality of life for people in the Global South.

Carmelina Herrera

Program Officer

Carmelina Herrera holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Business with an Emphasis in China and Asia from San Diego State University. She has cultivated exceptional leadership skills through completing intensive skills and community relationship building programs such as the San Diego Leadership Alliance and the Young Professionals Council at the San Diego LGBT Center. She currently serves on the board of the San Diego Leadership Alliance, an organization that empowers progressive community leaders through a local leadership and professional development academy. Throughout her career, Carmelina has successfully guided over 200 international leaders through managing U.S. Department of State-funded professional exchange programs and played a pivotal role in supporting the 2024 Romania Sports Diplomacy Project.

 

Isaac Finestone

Policy Fellow

Isaac brings a rich cross-cultural background in international relations and politics to the programs team at SDDC. Originally from San Francisco, he majored in political science and East Asian studies at Oberlin College before pursuing a master’s degree in Asia-Pacific studies and international relations at Taiwan’s National Chengchi University. Isaac previously worked in the diplomatic and think tank circles of New York, bringing practitioner experience to his academic background in the intersection of foreign policy and domestic politics. Now back in California, Isaac is excited to work with San Diego’s diverse community to foster local engagement in international affairs and help global leaders better understand what this area has to offer the world. 

Drake Hills

Sports Diplomacy Fellow

Drake Hills is a journalism lecturer at San Diego State University. Before returning to his hometown, Drake deployed his reporter talents in local newsrooms across the USA TODAY Network, covering American soccer, the NFL, MLB, college men’s basketball and high school sports, sending Drake to Chicago, Phoenix, Nashville, Ghana, England, Spain and Mexico to tell stories that live at the intersection of sports, race and culture. Naturally, Drake’s interests led him to discovering sports diplomacy and international relations through sport. One of his favorite stories he’s written was how Major League Soccer’s $25 million loan with a Black-owned bank syndicate in 2022 paid more than lip service — it drove change, starting with a loan from a Black bank to local housing redevelopers in Birmingham, Alabama, rehabilitating dilapidated units in predominantly-Black neighborhoods.