To hear James King ’06 tell of how he came to be vice president at Madeleine Albright’s company, Albright Stonebridge Group, brings to mind that J.R.R. Tolkien line: “Not all those who wander are lost.”

Arguably, it’s King’s wandering that cinched his position at one of Washington, D.C.’s most respected consultancies. His course at URI chartered a B.A. in history with minors in economics, international development, and anthropology, plus trips to Costa Rica and Belize and audited language classes in Portuguese; later came an M.A. in international affairs from The George Washington University and two years backpacking across Latin America. The first intern to be hired by the firm, he now serves as an expert in Latin American political and economic issues, advising clients, NGOs, corporations, and nonprofit foundations on market entry, expansion, and government relations in Latin America.

In his wandering days as now, “no two days are the same. I like that,” King says. “It’s exciting, dynamic work.”