Carleton Bulkin

Carleton Bulkin was born in Massachusetts and grew up in Cupertino, California. He has a BA in Russian Language and Literature from UC Davis and an MA in Slavic Languages and Literatures from Indiana University. As a Fascell Fellow and then a career Foreign Service Officer, he served in Prague, Havana, Moscow, Budapest, Kabul, Rabat, Jeddah, and Washington, D.C., working on a range of policy issues including human rights, religious freedom, counterterrorism, institutional development, elections, and U.S.-NATO relations as well as optimizing staffing at overseas U.S. missions. He was elected by his colleagues to represent them on the executive board of the American Foreign Service Association. He also received several State Department Meritorious and Superior Honor Awards as well as a Sinclaire Award for achievement in language study. He is the author of a Dari-English/English-Dari dictionary and has translated several Czech works into English. He is an avid reader, and his hobbies include classical guitar, bridge, and fitness.

On retiring in 2017, Carleton moved to Seattle to be near family and friends. He began to work with a service animal for visual impairment in 2018. He has Usher Syndrome type 2A and is focused on supporting cures for the next generation across the spectrum of retinal disorders. He would also like to foster new opportunities for peer counseling for those experiencing such disorders.