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Ask Joe Reiser MPP 1971 about the history of
the Alumni Executive Council (AEC), and the response is enthusiastic.
A charter member of the AEC and its third chair, he helped
make the history. With its foundation in the activities of
Washington, DC, alumni, the 12 members of the first council
were elected at a meeting of the DC alumni association. Under
Reiser’s leadership, the bylaws were changed to enlarge
the group to 20, all alumni were invited to apply, and each
could vote. The first meeting of the expanded council coincided
with the dedication of the new Littauer building. An Annual
Day event, a jobs network, and solicitation for unrestricted
funds were all introduced by the AEC. But AEC members don’t
give back only to the Kennedy School; these service-minded
individuals also take leadership positions in the world at
large. A small sampling of past chairs proves the point. Reiser
served as general counsel for the Democratic party; Janet
Brown MPA 1978 is executive director of the Commission on
Presidential Debates; Sheila Burke MPA 1982 is undersecretary
for American Museums and National Programs at the Smithsonian;
Ship Bright MPA 1992 is executive director of the Maine Lakes
Conservancy Institute; John Katopodis MPA 1973 is executive
director of the Alabama Council for Cooperating Governments
in Birmingham; Fred Mitchell MPA 1980 is minister of foreign
affairs and a member of the Bahamian Parliament; and the most
recent chair, Joel Whitehead NSF 1997, is chief of Congressional
and Governmental Affairs for the U.S. Coast Guard. For more
information about your current representatives on the AEC,
visit the “Connections” tab of KSGalum.org.
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