Originally from the Twin Cities, Minnesota, Althea Middleton-Detzner graduated from the Lola and Rudy Perpich Center for Arts Education with concentrations in Music and Creative Writing. She received her B.A. in International Affairs and Development Studies in 2005 from the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University and is currently a graduate student at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Ms. Middleton-Detzner’s interest in international affairs and nonviolent conflict stemmed originally from travels to Asia and Africa at a young age. Expanding on this interest, Ms. Middleton-Detzner spent a semester studying International Development at Centro Internacional para el Medio Ambiente y Salud (CIMAS), based in Quito, Ecuador. She also worked in the Resettlement Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), conducting and translating interviews with Colombian refugees fleeing persecution from armed groups within Colombia.

The following year, Ms. Middleton-Detzner spent a semester at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in South Africa, studying gender, politics and history in the developing world. In Cape Town, she was a member of the UCT women's soccer team and had an opportunity to participate as an election observer for South Africa's 2004 presidential elections.