Dear Delegates, 

Welcome to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Committee! My name is Mena Tausner, and I am honored to be your chair for UPMUNC 56. I’m originally from Leonia, NJ (right outside New York City) and am currently a senior at the University of Pennsylvania’s College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in Health and Societies with a concentration in Public Health. I’ve also explored my interests in public policy and reforming the American healthcare system through studies in Psychology and Neuroscience and Health Services Management. Topics that fall at the intersection between health policy and international affairs have always excited me, leading to my involvement with Model UN throughout high school and now in college. 

At Penn, I am in the Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) branch of the International Affairs Association, where we host an annual international relations conference and plan regular visits to different Philadelphia high schools to discuss academic advice and overview the college application process. I also work at the Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics, where I help Penn faculty and fellows with their health services and policy research projects. Outside of school, I love to bake and cook fun recipes, take long walks through cities, go on hikes, and make bucket lists of things to do in different places I hope to travel. 

We are so excited to welcome you to the OPEC committee for debates that I think will be extremely relevant and engaging! We hope you all can make the most of your experience - researching a new topic, making friends from schools across the country, and setting aside time to explore Philadelphia. I can’t wait to meet you all soon, both to watch you discuss the subject matter at hand as well as give you my best Philly food recommendations. Thank you for being part of my second chairing experience at UPMUNC! 

Best, 

Mena Tausner 

Chair, OPEC Committee