Shorts

Winging It in LA

After a few years writing scripts for lesser-known TV sitcoms, Mark Goffman MPP 1994 hit the big time in June when he landed a coveted spot as a writer for the Emmy-winning NBC series West Wing.

“It’s a dream job,” he says. He spent the summer brainstorming the season premier and exploring story lines for President Bartlett’s upcoming re-election campaign. His Kennedy School experience came in handy, he says. “In fact, sometimes the job reminds me of a Kennedy School class. We have a situation and must advise the president — albeit a fictitious president — but one who always wants to do the right thing in spite of personal, professional, and political pressures.” As the show goes into its fourth season giving a behind-the-scenes look into the Oval Office, Goffman says the writers are always looking for advice from alums who have insights into how the White House really works. Drop him an e-mail at markgoffman@yahoo.com.

Wanted: Opinionated Writers

It’s like the old Reese’s commercials: two great tastes that taste great together. Only it’s not chocolate and peanut butter that we’re trying to combine. It’s your opinions and our magazine. If you’re itching to write an op-ed, let us know. We’re always on the lookout for good writers with great ideas. Send an e-mail to Lory Hough at publish@ksg.harvard.edu.

Campaign Watcher

You knew when you were sitting next to them in class that they were destined for a life on the campaign trail. Ever wonder which classmates actually got there? No need to spend hours scouring the Web — the Alumni Programs Office is doing the work for you. Go to KSGalum.org and check out “campaign central” for an updated list of who’s been elected and who’s running for what.

Musical AEC Chairs

There’s a new face heading up the Alumni Executive Council. As of June, Captain Joel Whitehead NSF 1997 became the chair of the council, known as the AEC. His term will be for one year. Whitehead is chief of staff and second in command of the Eighth Coast Guard District, one of the largest U.S. districts. Rounding out the other top new posts are David Pendergast MPA 1997 as first vice chair, Madelyn Yucht MPA 1993 as second vice chair, Lisa-Joy Zgorski MPP 1993 as secretary-treasurer, and Sarah Smith MPP 1991 as member-at-large.

“We want to work closely with the Alumni Programs Office to help support its mission to keep our community connected and engaged,” said Whitehead on what he plans to do with the AEC. He says that surveying segments of the alumni body will be one way of gauging support.

Outgoing AEC chair Fred Mitchell MPA 1980, who served two terms as chair, is the new minister of foreign affairs in the Bahamas. He was also elected to Parliament in a landslide election. He will hold both positions concurrently.

“My experience at the KSG was life altering. It gave me a new way to think about government, the individual citizen, and how the two ought to interrelate,” said Mitchell.

For a list of the AEC, go to KSGalum.org.

Physicists Need Not Apply

“I have no Einsteins in my cabinet, but I have some pretty bright people,” said Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, a few months after she took office in January 2001, when beleaguered President Joseph Estrada stepped down. “It’s a cabinet that is going to take our country forward.” Included are five Kennedy School Mid-Career graduates — a quarter of the cabinet. Emil Boncodin MPA 1986, budget and management; Heherson Alvarez MPA 1982, environment and natural resources; Patricia Santo Tomas MPA 1986, labor and employment; Angelo Reyes MPA 1990, national defense; and Corazon “Dinky” Juliano-Soliman MPA 1998, social welfare and development. Juliano-Soliman says it’s helpful to work with others who speak the same language. “We reinforce each other’s idea because we share values and principles, for the most part,” she says. “We tease each other about interventions we make in the cabinet that sound like they’re straight out of a KSG policy wonk discussion.”

Below, the Philippine connection: Angelo Reyes, Corazon “Dinky” Juliano-Soliman, Heherson Alvarez, Emil Boncodin, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and Patricia Santo Tomas.

Got Job Leads?

Companies are slow to hire. Economists are predicting rising unemployment rates. Workers are pessimistic about getting jobs. Where does that leave the current crop of Kennedy School graduates? With your help, gainfully employed. If you have job openings in your organization or know of opportunities that would be perfect for Kennedy School graduates, send an e-mail to career_services@harvard.edu or call 617-495-1161. Reaching out to the next generation of alumni is more critical than ever.

The Innovators

One woman is helping young parents get off to the right start. Another is making sure that much-needed insurance is available for freelancers. A San Franciscan used basic, grassroots organizing to bring solar power to the public buildings in his city. They are the innovators — Kennedy School alumni who have been creative, determined, and sometimes controversial in making their mark after graduation. An online series featured on the Kennedy School’s Web site by the school’s News and Communications Office highlights some of them. To read the profiles written during the past year, go to KSGalum.org and click on “Innovator Profiles.”

Mark Bayer MPP 1998, “Coaches for College,” September 28, 2001
Douglas Bereuter MPA 1973, MCP 1966 “An Entrepreneur with a Worldview,” March 22, 2002

Bill Endicott MPA 1976, “Paddling and Politics,” September 7, 2001
Joseph Thomas Flies-Away MPA 1999, “Merging Indian Culture with the Courts,” December 21, 2001

Olivia Golden MPP 1981, PhD 1983, “Fulfilling Her Obligation,”
February 20, 2002

Josh Gotbaum MPP 1976, “Help for America’s Healing,” November 11, 2001

David Hochschild MPP 1999, “Here Comes the Sun,” May 31, 2002

Sarah Horowitz MPA 1995, “Benefits the Independent Workforce,” February 1, 2002

James Langevin MPA2 1994, “Man and His Role Model,” January 18, 2002

Brett Peiser MPP 1996, “A Hundred Little One Percent Solutions Add Up to Better Education,” April 5, 2002

Dritan Prifti MPA 2000, “For the Love of Albania,” January 4, 2002

Anne Reed MPA 1981, “Bringing E-Government to the Heartland,”
May 13, 2002

Sarita Rogers MPP 1997, “Getting Families Off to a Healthy Start,”
April 26, 2002

Danny Sebright MPA 2001, “Enduring Freedom: Serving to Lead,”
December 7, 2001

Mark Sakaley MPA 1988, “Reform Is Government’s Business,” August 3, 2001

David Struhs MPA2 1986, “More Protection, Less Process,” July 3, 2002

Polly Trottenberg MPP 1992, “On Being In and Out,” August 17, 2001

Tom Vallely MPA 1983, “Planting Seeds in Vietnam,” October 26, 2001

Winona Varnon MPA 2001, “Working on the Frontlines at the INS,” March 1, 2002