Spring 2019

Classnotes

Stay in touch with your classmates and peers

1964 / 1967 / 1969 / 1974 / 1976 / 1977 / 1978 / 1979 / 1980 / 1981 / 1982 / 1983 / 1984 / 1985 / 1986 / 1987 / 1988 / 1989 / 1990 / 1991 / 1992 / 1993 / 1994 / 1995 / 1996 / 1997 / 1998 / 1999 / 2000 / 2001 / 2003 / 2004 / 2005 / 2006 / 2007 / 2008 / 2009 / 2010 / 2011 / 2012 / 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2016 / 2017 / 2018

 

1964 | 55th Reunion
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Richard Nuttall MPA retired this year after a fulfilling 44 years practicing medicine. “My time is fully taken with my extended family, including grandchildren, plus helping a small local NGO with a primary care clinic in Tanzania.”

 

1967
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Harry Harris MC/MPA reports completing three careers in government, academia, and the private sector with the recent sale of HealthCare California, which he founded in 2004. Enjoying his home in central California as well as the state’s great weather and leisure lifestyle, Harry continues his frequent global travels with new adventures along with renewing old acquaintances and making new friends.

 

1969 | 50th Reunion
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Anthony Robbins MC/MPA writes, “After 15 years serving as co-editor (with my wife, Phyllis Freeman) of the Journal of Public Health Policy, we have told Palgrave Springer, our publisher, that this will be our last year. Nick Philipson, at Springer, will conduct the search for a new editorial team at the 40-year-old progressive quarterly.”

 

1974 | 45th Reunion
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Sandford Borins MPP is continuing to teach public management at the University of Toronto. “I recently published a book (coauthored with my wife, Beth Herst) titled Negotiating Business Narratives: Fables of the Information Technology, Automobile Manufacturing, and Financial Trading Industries with Palgrave Macmillan.”

Barbara Goldsmith MCP reports that Barbara J. Goldsmith & Company LLC, with offices in Washington and Brussels, started its 33rd year on January 1. “I currently go between Washington and Rhode Island; am the proud mother of 27-year-old Caitlin, who holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics; remain busy with my work for now (but please let me know if you are interested in buying my company); might get serious about finding a permanent significant other (am open to introductions); would love to see all my classmates at the 45th reunion who I have lost touch with!”

 

1976
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Josh Gotbaum MPP staged a micro-reunion in August with Scott Parr MPP 1982, Jim Harlan MPP 1977, PhD 1981, and Linda Seale MPP 1977 at Scott’s home in Brewster, Massachusetts.

 

1977
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Greg Conderacci MPP is “still teaching marketing at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and, for fun, riding my bicycle in ultra-long-distance races. Set a new personal best this year: 356 miles in 24 hours. I share my energy and endurance secrets in my new book, Getting UP! Supercharging Your Energy.”

Gregory Kostelac MC/MPA returned to Hubei University of Economics in Wuhan, China, as a visiting scholar to present lectures on the 2018 U.S. midterm election results and the American legal system.

 

1978
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Richard Broinowski MC/MPA writes, “Since Harvard, I’ve been Australian ambassador to Vietnam, then to the Republic of Korea, and finally to Mexico, Central American Republics, and Cuba (based in Mexico City). Since retirement in 1998, I’ve been an adjunct professor in media studies at University of Sydney and president of the New South Wales branch of the Australian Institute of International Affairs. I’ve written four books—on my grandfather who was clerk of the senate, on Australia’s nuclear diplomacy, an autobiography, and a book called Fallout from Fukushima. I’m writing a fifth, an official biography of a famous Melbourne Victorian-age bookseller. I comment about foreign affairs on Al Jazeera and Australian TV and radio. Married to Alison, two kids, two grands. One cat, Genji.”

Jeffrey Soule MCRP writes, “Supported by a grant from the State Department, I undertook a speaking and outreach tour of three Russian cities: Perm, Yekaterinburg, and Chelyabinsk. Audiences included students and faculty at local universities, design professionals, and civic organizations. The focus of the program was incorporating natural and cultural conservation for sustainable cities. The audiences were interested in learning about the American urban experience, mistakes, lessons, and trends. The discussions were lively and included questions of implementation, public engagement, and balancing cultural heritage with development.”

 

1979 | 40th Reunion
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Karen de Bartolomé (Strawser) MPA, after gigs as a White House fellow (U.S. trade representative) and director of international business for the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey, moved to Colorado to start a family. “Two sons and 2.5 decades later, we are happily settled on a tiny ranch in Boulder County. Next year I will retire from the nonprofit I founded seven years ago—WorldDenver—which brings international education, expert speakers, and visiting delegations from all over the world to Colorado. International travel, gardening, writing, canoeing, ranching, and caring for my elderly mother are in the plans, as well as reconnecting with old friends after a busy career. HKS remains an important source of inspiration for me!!”

Tim McNeill MPA writes, “After the 1988 Dukakis presidential campaign, where I served as associate director of issues, tanked, I became publisher/CEO of nonprofit Wisdom Publications, Inc., a quasi-academic publisher of Buddhist philosophy. The association reached back to my 1970s years in the Peace Corps in Afghanistan. Recently retired after 30 years. Staying involved as board chair.”

 

1980
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Patricia White MPP was elected to the board of the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. It is the only major museum in the world solely dedicated to championing women through the arts.

Kenneth Young MC/MPA writes, “After HKS, I worked at the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Returned to Maine in 1983 to become deputy commissioner at Marine Resources and commissioner of Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Later jobs included consulting assignments and a final 12-year stint at a regional planning and development agency. Presently, I work with others trying to keep the Hubbard Free Library afloat. It is in some ways the most challenging assignment yet. So much irony. We worked hard to grow jobs. Now we have a big labor shortage, face a demographic winter along with climate change, and an assault on our democracy. HKS was one of those rare but welcome transformative moments for me, a life and career changer.”

 

1981
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Ed Edelson MC/MPA writes, “Proud that my efforts to bring the story of Southbury, Connecticut, to the attention of U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (Washington, D.C.) has resulted in a prominent position in the new exhibit “Americans and the Holocaust,” depicting that Southbury was the first government to vote and to succeed in stopping American Nazi movement. The town of Southbury prevented efforts to build a new (and slated to be largest) training camp in 1937. Video documentary produced when I was chief elected officer of the town has brought this story of standing up to purveyors of ‘hate and fear’ to the attention of thousands.”

Joe Leitmann MPP was nominated to chair the International Recovery Platform, a consortium of organizations committed to good practice for post-disaster reconstruction, which is based in Kobe, Japan. He was also named to the board of directors for Bikes for the World (a development nonprofit) and the U.S. chapter of the International Emergency Management Society. Joe continues to head the Resilient Recovery and Urban Resilience programs at the World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery in Washington, D.C.

Rob Reiner MCRP was elected to the board of the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. It is the only major museum in the world solely dedicated to championing women through the arts.

 

1982
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Frank DeRosa MPP writes, “I just returned from Algeria talking about the low cost of solar energy to the sixth largest oil/gas exporter. Another milestone in clean energy: the all-in cost of solar is less than the fuel-only cost of fossil-fuel-powered electricity generation. Sunny Algeria could export renewable electricity to Europe instead of oil and gas to power electric vehicles and heating!”

Eric Elbot MC/MPA writes, “Part of developing UnWar III Labs to create a Sino/U.S. grass-tops leader media platform with collaboration-reinforcing algorithms to act as an independent strategic compass in preventing Graham Allison’s ‘Destined for War’ outcome. Machine-learning decoding of war-trigger patterns, false flag events, information disorder campaigns, etc. counteracted by enhanced performance-team-trained players in UnWar Game Theory scenarios (Schelling plus) and eventually: real-time/long game, skillfully fair, networked de-escalating UnWar interventions. Chinglish: ‘Add Oil Group.’”

Robert Griffiths MPP writes, “Retired from a 34-year career with the U.S. State Department, but capitalizing on the experience in Asia that career brought me, I am now teaching the politics of China and the politics of Southeast Asia at Brigham Young University. And we finished building our “dream home,” complete with a tubular slide, secret passageways to attic lofts, trap doors between floors, and a zip line in the backyard, hoping that by building it, the grandkids (10 and counting) will come!”

Richard Shieldhouse MCRP has a new book out titled William Morgan—Evolution of an Architect, which offers a personal look at the life and work of William Morgan. A visionary architect, early supporter of green design principles, and recipient of Harvard University Graduate School of Design’s Wheelwright Prize, Morgan is known for his signature style, which brought together modernism, earth architecture, and aspects of ancient North American building. More information about the book is available from the University Press of Florida’s website.

Peter Woodrow MC/MPA is coauthor (with Diana Chigas) of Adding Up to Peace: The Cumulative Impacts of Peace Programming. The book is based on case studies regarding how multiple peace efforts in the same conflict zone have cumulative impacts, and how they “add up or don’t add up” to producing significant progress toward larger societal-level peace. The book is available for download at www.cdacollaborative.org or from Amazon books-on-demand.

 

1983
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Dileep Nair MPA writes, “I’m working now at “a different pace”—I never use the word “retired”! After 25 years in the Singapore Administrative Service, five years as inspector general of the United Nations in New York, and 15 years as a diplomat representing Singapore in Dubai, Laos, and Ghana, I now sit on the boards of three listed companies and two government agencies. I also do a bit of teaching at the University and Civil Service College. I look forward to making it to Cambridge for a homecoming in the near future.”

 

1984 | 35th Reunion
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Salvano Briceno MC/MPA writes, “Since I retired from the United Nations in 2011, I have been involved in academic work around the world in the field of disaster risk reduction, advising the International Science Council Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk program (ISC/UNISDR), the International Consortium on Landslides (ICL, based at Kyoto University), and the Digital Belt and Road (DBAR/DRR) programme of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, among others. I have also published a number of articles on this crucial topic of modern times. Still living in France next to Geneva; planning to move to Malaga in a couple of years.”

Joe Cislowski MPP was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to the California Commission on Aging. He writes, “I look forward to this opportunity to advocate for older adults to ensure they can lead healthy, purposeful, and dignified lives.”

Kevin Howley MPP writes, “After living in various parts of the U.S. since leaving the Kennedy School, I returned to the Detroit area 10 years ago. About 15 years ago I left the corporate world and started my own turnaround management practice, serving both the nonprofit and private sectors. I’m in the midst of a hiatus, serving as an adjunct professor in the business and economics department at my alma mater, Kalamazoo College. My son, Langston, is now a sophomore at Kalamazoo, and my daughter, Lily, is in seventh grade. Partner Jason is in IT sourcing at Trinity Health. I still enjoy playing lots of competitive volleyball and working on genealogical projects.”

Joseph Olchefske MCRP writes, “My wife Judy Bunnell MPP and I are looking forward to seeing all of our classmates at our 35th reunion next May. We are hoping to organize a fun social event for our class on the Saturday of reunion weekend (May 18). Invitation and event details to follow.”

Steve Weissman MC/MPA reports that after directing the energy program at Berkeley Law for 10 years, he has moved across campus and now teaches energy policy at UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy. He enjoys sharing the building with some familiar faculty faces from HKS days, including Robert Reich and Michael O’Hare. “Goldman is a much smaller school than HKS—you probably could fit the entire original building into the HKS Forum. But the atmosphere is warm and the scholarship is high. Come visit if you make it out to the Bay Area.”

 

1985
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Jack Gardner MPP reports that in his role as chairperson of the YMCA of the Central Bay Area, he recently helped lead the merger of two adjoining YMCA associations into the new YMCA of the East Bay (YEB), one of the 25 largest YMCAs in the nation. Leveraging the membership and operational efficiencies created by the merger, YEB is expanding its Head Start program to serve more low-income families and making significant capital investments in its after-school programs and fitness facilities. In his “spare time,” Jack is still running the largest affordable housing management company in California and climbing tall mountains with Rick Counihan MPP.

Ejeviome Otobo MC/MPA published in late 2017 a book titled Africa in Transition: A New Way of Looking at Progress in the Region. The book notes that African countries have made considerable progress in the past decade and a half. However, conventional analyses of progress or lack thereof in Africa have focused on either political or economic trends separately. Seldom are the two brought together, and even much rarer is the case when the political stability, organizational capacity, and scientific and technological dimensions are combined to offer a comprehensive rather than a fractal view of the prospects of individual African countries. By integrating the stability, organizational, and scientific and technological perspectives, it is possible to gain considerable insight into the factors that will shape the futures of African countries and, more importantly, present a composite picture of the progress of each country.

James Pearson MPP writes, “My wife Laurie and I celebrate the Harvard Kennedy School in our community by sponsoring a scholarship at the District of Columbia Theatre Lab. It supports a student with financial need who also won an essay contest. The essay topic: Explain how the student will use the education at the Theatre Lab to achieve their goals. Why this topic? The Kennedy School is a treasure chest of options for an education, one requiring the students to determine how they will use the school and its resources to pursue their career and life goals. The essays are amazing.” Fellow alumni should reach out if interested in participating in the scholarship.

James Shultz MC/MPA writes, “After two decades living in Cochabamba, Bolivia, my family and I returned last year to the U.S., to the odd landing place of Lockport, New York, a small town that sits astride the Erie Canal. Such are the powers of a first grandchild, Isabella Rose. I continue to lead the social and environmental justice organization I founded in 1992, the Democracy Center. I also lead advocacy development projects for UNICEF on five continents. In 2019 I’ll have a new book coming out: My Other Country, 19 Years a Gringo in Bolivia. Be in touch.”

 

1986
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Jeff Bleich MPP has been elected chair of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, a 12-member congressionally chartered board composed of presidential appointees. Jeff was also recently honored with the Peter Haas Medal for Public Service from UC Berkeley. The award recognizes an alumnus/a of UC Berkeley who has made significant voluntary contributions to the betterment of society within the United States through creative social change.

 

1987
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Nadine Hack MC/MPA, CEO of beCause Global Consulting (www.because.net), was featured on November 6 on The Voice of BOLD Business Radio talking about corporate social responsibility, stakeholder engagement, diversity and inclusion, and self-awareness for leadership development. Listen at http://voiceofboldbusiness.com. She is a regular contributor to the Library of Professional Coaching, where you can read her September 26 post on communications. This fall, Nadine was also a participant/contributor at the Salzburg Global Seminar program on New Horizons in Social Investment: Global Exchange for Action and Impact of Philanthropy & Social Investment.

Shigetaka Seki MPP has been engaged with the recycling of plastic products. He received an environmental science PhD from Tohoku University focused on a study of designing recycling systems for vinyl products.

Jack Werner MC/MPA is a senior fellow of the Climate Institute, working on renewable energy and climate change programs. He is an assessor for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). He has been serving as a consultant for the past four years to IRENA, as the executive director of the Institute for Sustainable Power, and is finalizing a renewable energy standards and PV Practitioner Certification program for the 15 West African countries that are members of ECOWAS. He has been serving on contract to the U.S. Department of Energy as a coach for communities across the country who are participating in the Solar in Your Community Challenge program.

 

1988
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Bob Ebersole MC/MPA recently started as chief financial officer for Outer Cape Health Services on Cape Cod and is moving there with his husband, Troy, and their dog, Apollo. Bob completed five years at Lowell Community Health Center overseeing the construction of a $26 million expansion including dental and vision services. He ended his second three-year term on the Lunenburg Board of Selectmen, having served as vice chair.

Tom Young HKSEE reports that the South Carolina State Senate passed a resolution in 2018 to honor and commend him for the extraordinary venture of completing a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail at the age of 75. Tom, a retired U.S. Army colonel, lives in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He spent five months in the wilderness, starting at Springer Mountain, Georgia, and ending at Mount Katahdin, Maine. Senator Gregg Hembree, who presented Tom with the resolution, stated that the colonel has always lived by the motto “Be All You Can Be,” which exemplified his courage and fortitude on the trail.

 

1989 | 30th Reunion
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James Brett MC/MPA, former president of the Massachusetts Association of Mental Health, was recently honored by the organization as the recipient of the Michael and Kitty Dukakis Lifetime Achievement Award.

Doreen Denny MPP reports that after a career break to raise two children, she has reentered familiar halls of Congress and the executive branch as senior director of government relations for the nonprofit public policy women’s organization Concerned Women for America.

Natalie Jaresko MPP writes, “For about one and a half years I have served as executive director of the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico. I arrived here with a mandate to restructure the island’s $74 billion of debt, achieve fiscal balance, and enable a return to market access after a decade of economic decline and two devastating hurricanes in 2017. My experience as minister of finance of Ukraine in restructuring the sovereign and public company debt, along with reducing fiscal deficits while decentralizing the fiscal system, was critical to the tasks here. Dealing with every possible question in public policy...”

George Mazza MC/MPA reports that after serving as a senior civil rights attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice for more than 20 years, he has returned to studying theology, focusing on Christian-Jewish relations in his doctoral program in religion and culture at the School of Theology and Religious Studies at Catholic University.

Marcel van Opstal MC/MPA writes, “Amazing how fast 30 years went since graduation. Remember I came to HKS to acquire tools for policy analysis, decision making in issues related to international development with a view of a career shift. It happens. Got involved in the introduction of the environmental protection dimension in the European Union development policy in the framework of Agenda 21, advocated for biodiversity protection in Belize, became ambassador of the European Union in Haiti and Republic of Congo. Retired now since 2014, keep busy teaching international cooperation and peace building in Colombia, whilst advocating for community-based development.”

 

1990
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Dan Chenok MPP recently became an adjunct associate professor with the University of Texas’s LBJ School of Public Affairs, teaching on federal government budget, policy, and management issues at LBJ’s Washington, D.C., campus. Dan also coauthored a book about government reforms in the past 20 years and what they can teach leaders in the U.S. and around the world in the next 20 years: Government for the Future: Reflection and Vision for Tomorrow’s Leaders. Dan is now six years into running the IBM Center for the Business of Government, a public-sector-focused think tank, and serves on multiple advisory boards and associations focused on public sector issues.

Edson Kondo MPP writes, “This year I had the greatest honor of being elected to the HKS Alumni Board of Directors. Thank you so much for those of you who sent me messages of support and good wishes. Please let me know if there is anything you want me to pass on to the Kennedy School or have any ideas on how the alumni board could serve you better. Three years ago, I had the privilege of being invited by the Getulio Vargas Foundation of Brazil to help create a new School of Public Policy and Government. In 2019, we will be receiving our first group of MPPG students.”

Eva Ostrum MPP writes, “After more than two decades in K–16 education, I now support students, parents, and schools with college admissions (evaostrum.wordpress.com). I love working directly with teens and parents around the country. I also help urban schools build effective college admissions systems/structures, to mitigate “zip code” impact on educational outcomes. All this takes place as I seek my doctorate in educational psychology and raise my two daughters, who, while in foster care, chose me to be their mom. Thanks to HKS and One Church, One Child for focusing my attention on adopting through foster care to begin with!”

 

1991
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Aixa Beauchamp MC/MPA, president of Beauchamp & Associates, was featured in Boston Magazine’s “The 100 Most Influential People in Boston.” “A longtime philanthropy consultant, Beauchamp helped create the Latino Legacy Fund five years ago to advance the socioeconomic status of Boston’s Hispanic residents. Since then, both Governor Charlie Baker and Mayor Marty Walsh have recruited her for advisory roles, and her influence continues to grow.”

Fabiana Feld MPA has been busy crafting “creating markets” engagements for International Finance Corporation. As chief investment officer, she works closely with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and local emerging-market governments to remove obstacles to economic and business growth by creating private-sector-led initiatives that reduce poverty and unfair income distribution.

Peter Nicholson MC/MPA writes, “Greetings from Chicago. I’ve worn many hats since graduation, including deputy director of administration and director of planning and development for Cook County, Illinois. Developed 57 units of affordable housing for my church. Currently working on a project to build a housing component manufacturing plant to assist in the production of affordable/workforce housing. Illinois has an approximately 300,000-plus unit shortage. It’s a worthwhile, socially responsible project that will require a lot of money. Will train and employ unemployed veterans, disadvantaged minority youth, and adults returning from incarceration. Any assistance is appreciated.”

Terrence Smith MC/MPA recently received level 1 instructor certification from the United States Curling Association. Terrence lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he does some part-time consulting and in the winter is employed as a part-time curling instructor.

David Witzel MPP writes, “Claudia Williams and I moved to Oakland, California! She’s CEO at Manifest MedX, a nonprofit health network serving California. I’m helping facilitate RASA, the Regenerative Agriculture Sector Accelerator. Stop by when you’re in the neighborhood.”

 

1992
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Herbert Adams MC/MPA still enjoys the practice of law and the occasional foray into politics. He writes, “Check out the Adams Law Group and our website YouDidntDoIt.com. I also continue to serve on the faculty at Clayton State University. And I am into my third decade as a trustee of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, which I have attended since Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was a pastor. Please feel free to contact me if you are ever in the Atlanta area.”

David Greig MC/MPA writes, “The MPA provided a valuable refresh of core economics, plus new skills. I then returned to the New Zealand Treasury, and later worked in the Victorian (Melbourne) Treasury, the Australian economic consulting firm ACIL Allen, and as strategy director in the NZ Ministry of Transport, Wellington. Main fields of work: economics, policy, strategy. Main sectors: transport, health, international trade, agriculture.”

Richard Hyde MC/MPA is currently pastor of the First Congregational Church of Gray, a town just north of Portland, Maine. “I also get down to Washington, D.C. several times per year to lead tours for Harvard alumni and students in the University of Notre Dame Washington Program. Harvard fingerprints are all over the nation’s capital. Two of the McMillan Plan commissioners, McKim and Olmstead, along with Secretary Moore, studied at Harvard and were influenced by Professor Charles Eliot Norton, who, if he did not first say, “Solving problems beautifully is the fundamental craft of architecture,” could have. The National Mall is very much their creation.”

Charlotte Pierce MC/MPA writes, “Amid training and racing in my first Head of the Charles and a few other rowing regattas this year, I expanded the PiercePress.com book list with the publication of the expanded edition of our Daniel McFly children’s picture book, which was endorsed by the Jane Goodall Institute/Nepal. We’ve begun acquisitions for v. 4 of the Peeragogy Handbook, and we are beta testing an app for our DayTripper family activities series. Looking forward to rowing camp in January and a trip to Nepal in February, as well as our annual HKS ‘92 reunion gatherings!”

 

1993
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Jeffrey Cimbalo MPA is now managing director at FTI Consulting, Inc., focusing on disputes consulting, domestic and cross-border compliance, and investigations. He lives in Atlanta with his wife, Susan, and their daughter, Amelia.

Mia MacDonald MPP writes, “Really enjoyed catching up with classmates at our reunion, and am pleased that a current MPP student is doing a PAE with the policy organization I run in New York City, Brighter Green (www.brightergreen.org). She’ll develop a strategy for garnering greater attention to and action on food systems and animal agriculture within the UN Climate Change Convention and other global policy spaces. In June, I visited the new Equal Justice Initiative museum and memorial in Montgomery, Alabama. They are searing, infuriating, galvanizing, and essential. Bryan Stevenson MPP/JD 1985 and his colleagues have done another enormous service to the U.S. and the world.”

 

1994 | 25th Reunion
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Susan Hackley MC/MPA writes, “Since graduating from HKS, I have stayed close to Harvard. Except for a brief foray into the dot-com world, I have been at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School (17 years as managing director). I am so grateful to be working in the peacebuilding field, and in recent years I’ve had the fun of traveling around the world with our PON Global program, which I helped create. I’m also finishing up my documentary film, Veteran Children, about the impact of war on America’s children and families. I got married to Paul Henry while I was at HKS, so we are celebrating our 25th anniversary. Looking forward to seeing classmates at our reunion!”

Lisa Popik Coll MPP writes, “Never left the Boston area! Married Arieh a week after graduation—three kids later—Coby, 22; Gabriel, 20; and Rachel, 17. Took some time off from professional life to raise them. Work part-time doing consulting to nonprofits, but spend an inordinate amount of time doing lay leadership for several nonprofits.”

Steve Powell MPA recently met with Bulgarian Minister of Economy Emil Karanikolov in Sofia. Steve reports that the minister (at right in photo; Powell on left) and his government are supporting companies founded by Powell that operate in Bulgaria and other countries along the legendary Silk Road, as part of China’s Belt & Road Initiative. Powell was the founder of HBO Sports and the first programming chief at ESPN before becoming an investment banker. Currently, he is managing director of SinoPowell Capital and also of Silk Road Logistics, which both work with international governments and financing groups to develop projects in infrastructure, logistics, trade, and renewable energy throughout the world. Powell was president of the Student Government while earning his MPA degree at HKS. In 2015–16, he was president of the HKS Washington, D.C., Alumni Council. Powell Fellowships will provide financial aid to up to two international students enrolled at HKS during each of the next two academic years.

Gary Stahl MC/MPA is living in Geneva with his nine-year-old twins. He is still with UNICEF, now as director of private sector fundraising and partnerships. “In touch with a few classmates living here and elsewhere.”

Andrew Yarrow MC/MPA writes, “My new book, Man Out: Men on the Sidelines of American Life, was published by the Brookings Institution Press in fall 2018. Drawing on hundreds of interviews throughout the U.S. and considerable data-mining and analysis, my book explores the lives of tens of millions of American men who are disconnected from work, family, fatherhood, and civic life, often in poor physical and mental health, struggling with competing ideas about masculinity, and angry toward women, employers, and government. These men are struggling and hurting children, women, themselves, and our society and economy.”

 

1995
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Elias Freig MC/MPA is celebrating almost three decades as a social, business, and environmental entrepreneur. He writes, “Enjoying every day my cause and mission working for a more sustainable, equitable, fair, competitive, just, transparent, and prosperous Mexico and now serving as consultant and strategist, president of Green Growth Group, and also general director of Build Your Dreams (BYD) México, the “global sustainability giant” in my country. Happy 2019 to all the dear Crimson Community.”

 

1996
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Pat Corrigan MPP writes, “Continue running my own business—interesting work in the areas of adaptive management, leadership, behavioral sciences, and anti–human trafficking. Excited to be joining others to launch a niche company to run adaptive management programs.”

Stephanie Mickle MPP, CEO of Mickle Public Affairs, recently published a new book, Follow the Leader: Believe in Yourself. Craft Your Future. Her book, which is part memoir, part practical advice, draws on her 20-plus years of experience and is written to encourage and equip women everywhere with the tools and confidence to get involved in the political process. Stephanie is one of D.C.’s most sought-after advisors and political strategists, and was recognized by Impact DC as one of the 40 Under 40 Most Influential on Capitol Hill. Follow the Leader: Believe in Yourself. Craft Your Future is available for purchase on Amazon and Audible.

 

1997
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Del Wright MPP accepted the position of director of UMKC Law China Program at Peking University and is currently researching and writing on blockchain and cryptoassets at UMKC Law.

 

1998
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Stephanie Geosits MPP writes, “On the eve of Willie O’Ree’s induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2018, Willie, Bryant McBride MPA 1990, and I met up to mark this historic occasion in Toronto. Willie, who broke the NHL’s color barrier 60 years ago, figured prominently in the PAE I wrote for the NHL and Bryant in 1998. I had the amazing opportunity to be part of the NHL’s Diversity Task Force and work with Bryant and Willie after graduation. Bryant is also producing the biopic Willie: How the Descendant of Escaped Slaves Changed Hockey Forever, due to be released in the spring.”

Peter McKeown MC/MPA is professor of surgery at the University of Tennessee Medical Center and president and CEO of QMEDALLC HealthCare Consulting. He previously served as head of the School of Rural Medicine at the University of New England in Armidale, Australia, and deputy dean of the Joint Medical Program with University of Newcastle; chief of surgery at Asheville VA Medical Center; and consulting professor of surgery at Duke University.

Todd Rassiger MPP was recently named acting president of Gradifi, a Boston-based company, which pioneered a technology platform that enables U.S. employers to make payment contributions toward their employees’ student loan debt and 529 plans for their dependents. “We innovated a private-sector solution to a material public policy issue of escalating student loan debt (currently at $1.4 trillion and growing by $200 million a day) and college affordability.” Since launching in 2016, Gradifi has worked with more than 350 companies that range from small businesses to nonprofits to large enterprises.

 

1999 | 20th Reunion
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Takao Aiba MPP reports that 2018 was a special year for him—he celebrated his 50th birthday. He brought his private voice to the UN biodiversity COP and climate change COP. In addition to his fruitful business achievements, Takao climbed Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 meters), Mount Fuji (3,778 meters), and Mount Kinabalu (4,095 meters). He also finished a 100-kilometer ultra marathon and four full marathons.

Erik Jorgensen MC/MPA was reelected in November to a fourth term in the Maine House of Representatives, representing Portland. Lourdes Martin Salgado MPA writes, “Speechwriter and consultant. Currently working at the regional Ministry of Education in Madrid. Proud and busy mum of three little girls. Would love to be back to the classroom!!”

Leonardo Trasande MPP/MD is Jim G. Hendrick, MD Professor and vice chair for research in pediatrics at NYU School of Medicine and holds faculty appointments at NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service and College of Global Public Health. His new book, Sicker, Fatter, Poorer: The Urgent Threat of Hormone-Disrupting Chemicals to Our Health and Future . . . and What We Can Do About It (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) was featured on CBS This Morning and is a national best seller.

Shuji Yuge MPA reports that it has been 19 years since he graduated from HKS. Shuji worked at the Japanese Embassy in Australia from 2012 to 2016 in the political section as a counselor in charge of defense cooperation with Australia. He is now working as the director of the International Policy Division of the Defense Policy Bureau at the Japan Ministry of Defense. Shuji is very grateful for all the professional training and wonderful experiences he received at Harvard. It is his hope that all nations become more united for the betterment of mankind.

 

2000
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Timothy Anderson MC/MPA writes, “I continue to love being CEO of World Computer Exchange. We have shipped low-cost refurbished computers loaded with educational content to nearly five million youth in 49 developing countries. I am grateful to classmates who served on our board: Ken Choi MC/MPA, Oby Ezekwesili MC/MPA, David Lozano MC/MPA, and Diana Topcic-Rosenberg MC/MPA, and to classmates on our International Advisory Council: Janice Cooper MC/MPA, Thais Corral MC/MPA, and Pedro Guevara MC/MPA. Some classmates regularly help with contacts, money, and ideas, like Marilyn Averill MC/MPA, Dan Carpenter MC/MPA, Karen Kalish MC/MPA, and Bill Schmidt MC/MPA. We seek help in Puerto Rico and with our Inspire Girls project.”

Karen Kalish MC/MPA visited Cambridge and Boston in October and had dinner with Marty Walz MC/MPA, Sara Hamlen MC/MPA, Marilyn Averill MC/MPA, Betsy Myers MC/MPA, Cara Hesse MC/MPA, and Tim Anderson MC/MPA at Henrietta’s Table. “Marty Walz is consulting and an interim executive director at the Old South Meeting House; Sara Hamlen is healing from losing her parents; Marilyn is working hard on climate change; Betsy is giving speeches all over the world; Cara is in culinary school; Tim is still putting computers all over the world; and Karen is raising academic achievement by doing teacher home visits in public schools all over Missouri with great success.”

Lisa Screeton MPA writes, “Greetings from Montana and the Bluegrass State of Kentucky! I have been teaching world history, American government, and public policy for Browning Public School on the Blackfeet Reservation near Glacier National Park in Montana for the past two years, and recently relocated to Kentucky to work with Burmese and Congolese refugees. I leave for Rome to sing at a papal mass for New Year’s and will return shortly after the new year. October was my 12-year breast cancer survivor anniversary, as well as a one-year survivorship of colon cancer. I love to keep in touch with my classmates and friends from 1998–2000 and hope to hear from you soon!”

 

2001
—

Lothar Ehring MPA writes, “Greetings to all from Brussels, where I now live since 2003 when I left Geneva, my first stop after HKS.”

Albert George MPP writes, “The documentary that was produced in conjunction with the launch of the Resilience Initiative for Coastal Education (R.I.C.E.), called Sea Change was the recipient of the 2018 Telly Award. This award was the result of a three-year collaboration between the Medical University of South Carolina Public Information and Community Outreach Office, South Carolina Education Television, Allen University, and the South Carolina Aquarium. Sea Change was produced while conducting over eight Climate Change Community Leaders Institutes engaging traditionally under-served communities on the topics of climate change and sea level rise. Now airing on PBS.”

Rick Minor MC/MPA was elected to the Leon County Commission in Tallahassee, Florida, and assumed office in November 2018. That same month, he and his wife, Jessica, were blessed with the birth of their second child, Charlotte Rose Minor. In addition, Rick continues to serve as the CEO of Second Harvest of the Big Bend, the regional food bank, which has had a record-breaking year distributing 12 million pounds of food to North Florida families and individuals struggling with hunger.

 

2003
—

Kyle Cottrell MC/MPA writes, “It’s hard to be a Marine but harder to be the mom of a Marine. My painting Semper Fi Sisters: A Legacy of Leadership was inspired by the women I served with (1986–2006) and the women I met through my daughters’ service (2013–today). It was unveiled at the Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery on September 1, 2018, to great acclaim, and honors 100 years of service of women in the United States Marine Corps. It is currently on display in the office of the assistant commandant in the Pentagon. The video augment can be viewed on YouTube.”

Andrew Kline MC/MPA reports that MPP and MPA classmates from the Class of 2003 collaborated to raise more than $150,000 to successfully elect five progressive women to Congress. This giving club also encouraged people to volunteer on campaigns and to recruit friends and family to donate and volunteer. HKS classmates report that it was the Kennedy School’s mission that inspired them to help flip the House. www.TheFutureIsFemale.Club.

Lucy Nesbeda MC/MPA is currently writing a book about right-wingers and fundamentalists, A Field Guide to Wingnuts. “Stay tuned; expected completion of manuscript is mid-2019. Would appreciate any and all assistance toward publication. Also researching and teaching about shamanism for leadership. Will likely be teaching small groups in Cambridge. Archetypal shamanic practices are proving to be enormously useful for those seeking to improve their capacity to make a difference. If interested, please contact me through the alumni portal.”

Roberta Sachs MC/MPA writes, “I started this summer as communications director for the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy. We advocate social and economic justice issues for disenfranchised and low-income Virginians focusing on immigrant rights, wage theft, Medicaid expansion, and criminal justice reform. I am thrilled to be working for a nonprofit and putting my Kennedy School degree to work.”

Anthony Stem HKSEE is a PhD candidate at the Health Services Management Centre at the University of Birmingham, England. He writes, “HSMC is one of the United Kingdom’s foremost centers for research, teaching, and professional development for health and social care organizations, and a “critical friend” of the U.K. health services community. A rich and energetic learning environment! I find it reassuring that HKS principles, values, and insights fit with and well serve the vision and mission of the National Health Service(s) of the U.K. Thanks, HKS!”

 

2004 | 15th Reunion
—

Greg Bernstein MC/MPA and his wife, Sara, wrote a movie, Official Secrets, which will be in theaters in 2019. The film, which stars Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Matt Smith, Matthew Goode, and Rhys Ifans, tells the true story of a British spy who, at great personal risk, single-handedly tried to stop the Iraq war from happening. Greg also continues to teach screenwriting at Arizona State University.

Gerald Culliton HKSEE, adjunct associate professor, received the 2018 American College of Healthcare Executives Uniformed Services Veterans Affairs National Regent’s Award for leading an organization recognized for its clinical quality, research, and teaching. The singular national award is presented to only one person each year, and was presented to Gerald at the American College of Healthcare Executives Annual National Congress, held in Chicago on March 26–29. Gerald serves as CEO/director of the VA Connecticut Healthcare System.

Baha Hariri MPP writes, “Living in the San Francisco Bay Area with my wife and two daughters, still have a foot in local politics and remain a consultant for my larger business clients but my main focus is residential and commercial real estate, namely building multifamily buildings in San Francisco and investing in commercial properties throughout the Bay Area.”

Anton von Rudkowski MC/MPA writes, “After returning to Munich, Germany, I haven’t continued with my professional career as a cardiovascular surgeon. Instead, in 2006 I decided to follow my passion for classical architecture in Florence, Italy, where I spent the next two years reconstructing an apartment in an old palazzo of the 15th century. In 2009 I purchased an old, ruined hacienda of the 16th century, near Quito, Ecuador, and committed myself to its total reconstruction and modernization. The serious construction and restoration work took three years. Since 2014 it has been my beautiful country residence in Ecuador. 2018, I am still here: www.haciendagranobles.com.”

 

2005
—

Jordana Barton MC/MPA, with the Federal Reserve, received the 2018 digital equity award, Community Broadband Hero of the Year, from the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA). 2018 publications include “Preparing Workers for the Expanding Internet Economy,” “Telehealth Along the Texas–Mexico Border,” and “Telehealth Initiatives Highlight the Need to Close the Digital Divide.” Previous publications include “Closing the Digital Divide: A Framework for Meeting CRA Obligations.” She is on the steering committee for the Digital Opportunity for the Rio Grande Valley and the Digital Inclusion Alliance San Antonio.

Ruth Blackman MC/MPA writes, “On November 28, 2018, I officially retired from the Public Service of Barbados after serving for 49 years and 2 months. I was fortunate to serve at the highest level and represent my country in many fora. It was a long but rewarding journey and I enjoyed every moment of it. I say thank you to Harvard Kennedy School and my classmates who have contributed to my success as a public officer. These contributions went beyond the academic and I am the richer for it. I start a new chapter in my journey and it is my desire to continue to serve my country as the opportunities allow and write about my experiences.”

Vince Buzek HKSEE was elected on November 6, 2018, to the Regional Transportation District–Denver Board of Directors for District J in Denver, Colorado. RTD-Denver, metro-Denver’s transit agency, is governed by a 15-member board of directors serving a population of 3.1 million individuals with a service area of more than 2,400 square miles. Vince will represent approximately 180,000 citizens in his district. He looks forward to the challenges of operating and growing a fiscally constrained transit district with unfinished transit corridors needed to service a growing commercial and residential population.

Lucas Caltrider MPP writes, “In September 2018, I joined the U.S. Department of State as an economic affairs officer in the Foreign Service. My first post will be Shanghai, China, in 2019. Since graduating, I worked in international investments for six years and in economic development on USG and other donor projects in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Turkey, and East Africa for seven years. My wife and two children are very excited to begin this new chapter in our lives and all the opportunities to learn that we will encounter.”

Blake Foote MPP writes, “Life is good in Brooklyn! I serve on the boards of CUNY’s School of Professional Studies and the Brooklyn Public Library. I do some consulting to nonprofits and local government in NYC on workforce development issues. I’m also involved in supporting the Brooklyn Community Foundation. Otherwise, I keep busy with my two boys, John (10) and Luke (8). My husband, Andrew, and I enjoy escaping NYC and exploring nature with our boys up in Maine. We often visit Doug Schlemmer MPP in Portland, where he and his wife moved a couple years ago.”

Margot Hoerrner MC/MPA reports that for seven years she has been independently organizing an annual dinner in cities around the world to gather her Mid-Career ’05 classmates around good food and great conversation. These dinners, held in Washington, D.C., Dubai, Vienna, and Mumbai, among other cities, regularly attract between 20 to 60 classmates from near and far, and have grown to include expanded programming throughout the weekend, such as political panels, cultural events, walking tours, and hot toddy tours. Contact Margot to learn more about the 2019 MC/MPA ’05 annual dinner!

Ashley Stewart MPP joined Baltimore City Public Schools in February 2018 as the new executive director of talent and organizational development. In this capacity, Ashley leads system-wide organizational effectiveness and capacity-building strategies that are fundamental to large-scale culture change and increased academic achievement. He oversees professional and leadership development, change management, and executive coaching to ensure that all 11,000 staff (school- and district-office-based personnel) are equipped with the skills, mental models, and competences necessary to dramatically bolster equitable outcomes for 80,000 scholars.

 

2006
—

Tahrat Shahid MPA/ID earned a DPhil in politics from the University of Oxford in 2016. Tahrat has been appointed as the challenge leader for the food systems portfolio of the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), a £1.5 billion U.K. government fund supporting cutting-edge international development research and administered by United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI). She is also leading the promotion of gender and intersectionality research that cuts across all six GCRF portfolios of resilience: security protracted conflict; refugee crises and forced displacement; cities and sustainable infrastructure; food systems; global health; and education.

 

2007
—

Ed Bachrach MC/MPA has cowritten The New Chicago Way: Lessons from Other Big cities. The book is the most comprehensive comparative analysis of Chicago government written.

Tim Coates MPP writes, “Had a wonderful wedding to Johannah Chase on April 21, surrounded by many HKS friends. Immediately after we went on a two-week honeymoon to South Africa, starting with a walking safari and finishing with wine to celebrate not being eaten by lions.”

Adam Hunter MPP married Ryan Wesley Hunter (Nibblins) on September 1, 2018, at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C., surrounded by family and many friends, including several former HKS classmates. The couple’s ceremony was personal, and toasts were touching.

Rauf Mammadov MC/MPA writes, “I feel excited to share the news about my decision to pursue the DBA degree with IE Business School, which I plan to complete in 2022. My research question focuses on the impact of major sporting events on local entrepreneurship. On a professional front, I would like to inform everyone about the establishment of IBM Innovation Hub in Doha, Qatar, a project which I managed during the last 12 months. The hub will initially promote FinTech and SportsTech innovations through making such cutting-edge capabilities as AI, IoT, and DLT available to the entrepreneurs in Qatar and the region. Feel free to get in touch if interested in any of the above.”

Pablo Quintanilla MPP writes, “I have transitioned to the World Economic Forum’s Centre for the 4th Industrial Revolution in San Francisco. I am Salesforce’s (my current employer) first secondee to the center. The center partners with governments, leading companies, civil society, and experts from around the world to codesign and pilot innovative new approaches to policy and governance in the future. Over the next 12 months I will be developing “ethics frameworks” to help center partners evaluate the use and deployment of their technology. My wife, Silvana, son, Matias, and I live in San Mateo, California.”

Tim Sommella MC/MPA moved Coast Guard cutter Dauntless from Galveston, Texas, to Pensacola, Florida, this past summer. Tim was also selected for the Naval War College by the U.S. Coast Guard and will commence studies in July 2019.

 

2008
—

Emmanuel Arnaud MPP writes, “I’m happy to share that the company I’ve started has become the world leader in home exchange. If you are more into opening doors than building walls, join us! www.homeexchange.com.”

Silvia Bastante de Unverhau MC/MPA writes, “After graduation from HKS I went back to consulting with the Monitor Group. From 2013 to 2017 I was global head of philanthropy advisory at UBS, helping wealthy individuals have impact with their resources. Since earlier this year, I am managing director at Co-Impact, www.co-impact.io, focusing on systems-change philanthropy in education, health, and economic opportunities in developing countries. It’s a new model of collaborative philanthropy, where philanthropists share risks and are able to make big bets. I have fulfilled my desire to focus on philanthropy since leaving HKS, and live in Zurich with my husband and two children.”

David Bibo MPP reports that after nearly four years as head of policy, analytics, and strategic and resource planning for FEMA, he was named deputy associate administrator for response and recovery. David will serve as the top career official leading the FEMA headquarters office, responsible for disaster response, logistics, recovery, and field operations.

David Disi MPA recently completed his doctorate in education at the University of Pennsylvania. His dissertation, titled “Education for Sustainable Development: Business School Preparation of Student Social Entrepreneurs,” examined the state of social entrepreneurship curricula—programs that combine education for sustainable development and traditional business entrepreneurship instruction, at leading MBA programs in the United States.

Donna Hockey MPP writes, “Hi, everyone! I wanted to give a quick update on Surreal Brewing Company (est. June 2018). At SBC, we are revolutionizing nonalcoholic beer by brewing flavorful, full-bodied beer without alcohol. We now have two NA craft beer styles: Chandelier Red IPA and 17 Mile Porter. Our Red IPA won the 2018 World Beer Award for the U.S. Both brews are carried nationwide in Total Wine and More stores, online at www.SurrealBrewing.com, and on Amazon. With the rising trend of mindful drinking, we aim to give people more options by offering an anytime, anywhere beer.”

Emilian Papadopoulos MPP writes, “I am thrilled to be chairing your HKS Alumni Board for the 2018–2019 year, with 10 newly elected members, nine other returning members, and two HAA liaisons. The board supports alumni engagement with the entire HKS community and promotes the incredible work alumni are doing around the world, every day. Learn more about your board members, our work for you, and how you can get involved here: www.hks.harvard.edu/more/alumni/alumni-leadership.”

Joe Pfeifer MC/MPA, recently retired as the chief of counterterrorism and emergency preparedness from the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), taught The Art of Crisis Leadership with HKS Professor Arn Howitt as part of the Schwarzman Scholars Program at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Christopher Robert MPP, PhD 2012 continues to grow Dobility, a social enterprise dedicated to technology that improves data, research, and analysis. Dobility’s flagship product, SurveyCTO, is now helping to improve data collection for thousands of projects in some 150 countries.

Massi Santini MPA/ID joined the European University Institute in September 2018 as a policy leaders fellow, after being deeply troubled by the perils facing the international liberal order. Happy to put aside the technical certainties of his work at the World Bank, he is trying to figure out why populist parties have been so successful, on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and how liberal-democratic and progressive parties can develop an equally successful political narrative to inspire people’s hearts and minds.

Tai Sunnanon MPP writes, “Want tangible resources, tools, and ideas that help make the world a better place? Then you don’t want to miss the inaugural Global Social Enterprise Summit in Los Angeles, March 22–24, 2019. We’ve got 15 speakers, three keynotes, and five dynamic, participatory sessions that will help to elevate our respective work in the field. And if you want to speak, let me or Karina Weinstein MPP know! www.gses2019.org.”

Letha Tawney MC/MPA writes, “I was honored to be confirmed to serve on the Oregon Public Utilities Commission in May 2018. It’s been pure joy to innovate with the most forward-looking people and companies in the electricity sector and concretely reduce emissions through my prior work at World Resources Institute. I’m thrilled to be asked to serve Oregon as a regulator and play a new role in the transition to affordable clean energy.”

Curtis Valentine MPP is the new deputy director of the Reinventing America’s Schools Project at the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI). Curtis also serves as an at-large board member of Prince George’s County (Maryland) Public School System.

Julie Wormser MC/MPA joined the Mystic River Watershed Association in summer 2018 as its deputy director. She launched and co-facilitates the Resilient Mystic Collaborative, a shared effort among 10 municipalities to decrease the risk of harm from climate change–related flooding, drought, and heat. She lives in North Cambridge with her husband and their daughter and welcomes visits from classmates.

 

2009
—

Paul Adrian MC/MPA cofounded latakoo with Jade Kurian. Network news and sports organizations, entire television station groups, cable broadcasters, production companies, activists, political campaigns, and government agencies use latakoo.com to transfer high-quality video from anywhere to anywhere regardless of connectivity or file size. Aid organizations use latakoo to quickly share high-quality content from parts of the world where people need help and bandwidth is sparse to raise money for relief. News organizations use latakoo to get video on the air more quickly. Campaigns, agencies, and activists use latakoo to share video with the media and communities.

Gonzalo Fanjul MC/MPA writes, “I am very proud to announce that in November 2018 I was invited to join Ashoka’s social innovation network as a fellow. This recognition will be an important push for our research and journalism project porCausa (porcausa.org), which is trying to fight lies and myths in the migration debate. I invite anyone interested to look at our project and contact me with any questions, suggestions, or funding tips! Many thanks and all best.”

Kimberlyn Leary MPA writes, “Continue to enjoy life in Cambridge. This fall I became the executive director of the Center of Excellence in Women’s Mental Health at McLean Hospital and continue to be the director of the Enabling Change Program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.”

David Martinez MPP reports that after nearly nine years in the U.S. Foreign Service, he resigned his diplomatic commission in November. He worked most recently for the U.S. Special Envoy to the Colombian Peace Process to help end the Western Hemisphere’s longest running war, and subsequently with Professor Brian Mandell and Toby Berkman MPP 2010 to redesign the State Department’s negotiation training programs. David has joined a great team at Facebook—with Andy O’Connell MPP and Caitlin Baker (Costello) MPP—as a public policy manager for strategic response, helping respond to crises and build better policies for preventing real-world harm on the platform.

Roberto Reynoso MPP writes, “Kyle Goss MPP and I got together this year to run the Los Angeles Marathon, which we did without dying. We had a great time taking the kids (Theo and Mariano) to California Adventure. It is great to keep in touch with HKS friends.”

Andrew Sullivan MPP and Erica Matthews MPP married in 2015 and are happily living in Sausalito, California. Erica works in corporate affairs for the Chinese technology company Alibaba Group. Andrew is a partner in a public affairs and political consulting firm, Hudson Pacific. “Drop us a line the next time you’re in the Bay Area!”

Hassan Tetteh MC/MPA was promoted to the rank of captain in the United States Navy and currently serves as the chief medical informatics officer (CMIO) for Navy Medicine. Savoy magazine recognized his clinical leadership and named Hassan a Hero of Medicine for his Specialized Thoracic Adapted Recovery (STAR) Team, based in Washington, D.C., and his research in thoracic transplantation that aims to expand heart and lung organ recovery nationwide and save lives.

 

2010
—

Ramaswami Balasubramaniam MC/MPA writes, “I am now a visiting professor at the ILR School of Cornell University. Spend the first half of the fall semester each year teaching two courses—one on adaptive leadership and the other on sustainable development. Also released my sixth book, titled Voices from the Grassroots, recently.”

Angela Boyd MPP and David Ludwig were married in April 2018 with many HKS alumni in attendance. Angela is now splitting her time between their home in D.C. and Madison, where she is teaching creative writing at the University of Wisconsin and getting an MFA in fiction.

Swarnankur Chatterjee HKSEE was promoted to full professor at the University of Georgia’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Jasmina Chauvin MPA/ID completed her doctoral degree at Harvard Business School this year and now works as an assistant professor of strategy, economics, ethics, and public policy at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, focusing her research on firm growth in emerging markets. Together with husband JP (MPA/ID) and kids Sofia and Adrian, Jasmina moved from much beloved Cambridge to Washington, D.C., where JP also accepted a new position as an economist in the research department of the Inter-American Development Bank, after graduating this year with a PhD in public policy from HKS.

Amy Davies MC/MPA writes, “I’m so excited to move back into the Degree Programs and Student Affairs department at HKS. It’s been an honor and privilege to get to know so many HKS alumni over the past two years. I like to think that part of my new job as assistant dean for student services and programs will be to launch the next generation of HKS alumni. Definitely let me know when you’re in Cambridge and stop by to visit our amazing new campus.”

Allison Shapira MC/MPA reports that her first book, Speak with Impact: How to Command the Room and Influence Others, was published by HarperCollins Leadership on October 16. It’s a practical guide for the busy professional moving up in their career who wants to speak with confidence and authenticity—at work or in their community. “I’m excited to share this knowledge with the HKS community!”

 

2011
—

Brandon Barford MPA shares that the second half of 2018 brought great joy, as his gorgeous English rose, Susie Robinson, moved across the pond from London to start life together as husband and wife in beautiful Georgetown. An intimate civil ceremony was held in a D.C.-area rose garden this past June, and a larger celebration will follow in London in the spring of 2019.

Casey Osterkamp MPP and her husband, Beau, welcomed a baby boy (Thomas Jesse Underwood) into their family on September 10, 2018.

Hassina Sherjan MC/MPA is bringing policy change to girls’ education in Afghanistan through Aid Afghanistan for Education (AAE), the organization she founded. AAE received the 2018 UNESCO King Sejong Award and is working with the Ministry of Education to extend AAE programs to all marginalized female students who don’t have access to formal education owing to age, marital status, lack of documentation, or internal displacement. 

 

2012
—

Alejandro Alves MPP recently became deputy director for the Overdose Prevention Program at Vital Strategies. In this role he is helping to lead the work of a newly announced initiative by Bloomberg Philanthropies to support the creation of state-level policies and approaches to reduce overdose deaths. The program at Vital Strategies is part of a partnership that also includes Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Erica Harrison Arnold MPP reports that after more than five years practicing law in Atlanta as a government contracts and construction attorney for a leading international firm, she has transitioned back to the education field. She is the new director of performance analytics and research for Henry County Schools, the eighth largest school district in Georgia. Her charge is to tell the story of how the school district has performed “historically and comparatively,” examining a combination of student scores, system priorities, and both equitable and inequitable outcomes. Erica has also been selected as part of The Broad Residency in Urban Education’s 2018–2020 cohort.

Marianne Caballero MPP writes, “Left the World Bank economist position to move to Liberia as an advisor to the minister of finance, through the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. It has been very challenging but at the same time exciting and rewarding. I have been working on strengthening the delivery mechanisms to achieve President George Weah’s priorities and getting to use my expertise in public financial management on the ground. HKS-related highlights include getting to introduce Professor Hausmann to Minister Tweah during the spring meetings! I also got myself an adorable dog called Pepper Soup, and get to spend the weekend at beautiful beaches—barring rain.”

Talmage Cooley MC/MPA writes, “Democracy.com, founded by members of the MC/MPA class of 2012, recently launched the second generation of its groundbreaking online marketplace for civic and political engagement. Our first generation site saw rapid user growth and won major industry awards for innovation. The company expects to quickly scale the new platform and will be actively filling both full-time and intern positions as it expands the team. Please contact us!”

Carla Laroche MPP writes, “In July 2018, I began a new position as a visiting clinical professor at Florida State University College of Law. I am developing a law clinic, Gender and Family Justice Clinic, where law students will teach family law workshops in prisons and jails. Clinic students will also represent people who are incarcerated or recently released with family law and domestic violence matters. I communicate regularly with Alice Abrokwa MPP, Ashley Orynich MPA, Naima Green MPP 2010, and Kelsey Larsen MPP 2010; they continue to lead in their respective fields.”

Katie Naeve MPP writes, “Following graduation, I joined Oxfam America to lead policy and advocacy for an agricultural finance program in Africa. I then joined Mathematica Policy Research, where I conducted applied policy research focused on international development programs around the world. I now work for Root Capital, a nonprofit impact investor working in agricultural development in rural communities in Latin America, Africa, and Indonesia, where I manage impact evaluation globally and lead our Women in Agriculture program. On a personal level, I still live in the Boston area with my husband, Mario, and our two children: Felipe,3.5 years, and Lucia, five months.”

William Nelson MC/MPA received the 2018 Air Force Hero of Military Medicine Award from the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine. The Heroes of Military Medicine awards honor outstanding contributions by individuals who have distinguished themselves through excellence and selfless dedication to advancing military medicine and enhancing the lives and health of wounded, ill, and injured service members, veterans, and civilians. The award was presented by the U.S. Air Force surgeon general on May 3 in Washington, D.C., at the 2018 Heroes Dinner: www.hjfcp3.org/heroes-dinner.

Anthony Nguyen HKSEE is an honor U.S. air force veteran and president of Harvard Alumni of U.S. Air Force. He is currently president of Air Force Law Center, Inc. He is also president of the Vietnamese American Justice Foundation, a 501(c)3 veterans’ law and education organization, and a member of the U.S. Air Force inspector general’s team. On July 4 of this past year, the White House and U.S. president bestowed the prestigious President’s Lifetime Achievement Award on Anthony for his service to the U.S. military and American community.

Daniel Young MPP and his wife, Carolina, have had a whirlwind of a 2018. Carolina received her doctorate from Columbia University in political science in May and began work as a policy advisor to Senator Mark Warner (D-Va) in July, with a focus on economic issues. Daniel moved to the Alexandria division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia in April to begin working in the appellate section, while continuing to prosecute cases involving fraud and economic crime. And most important, Daniel and Carolina welcomed the newest member of their family, Rafael Daniel Ferrerosa Young, in September!

 

2013
—

Michelle Barmazel MC/MPA writes, “Life has been interesting! As planned, I’m working in gifted education, advocating for families struggling to meet the needs of their children in schools that don’t know how to accommodate them. I’m also active in MAGE (www.massgifted.org), working at the state capital to implement laws to get teachers trained in gifted and better assessments for advanced learners. I’m also having fun being an advisor to Ascent Leadership Networks (www.ascentleadership.com), husband Kevin’s new high-level executive training program that is launching its first cohort this fall at Techonomy in the San Francisco Bay Area.”

Nick Bayard MPA/ID and Sedia Bayard welcomed their third child, Keaton Orion Bayard, on March 22, 2018.

Patrick Boateng II MPP cofounded a skincare brand developed for men of color called Ceylon. The brand recently launched and was featured in Men’s Health magazine under the headline “How Ceylon Is Changing Skincare for Men of Color.”

Jeanne Dietsch MC/MPA was sworn in on December 5 as senator for New Hampshire District 9, of 24. “We’ll be working for an independent redistricting commission, statewide education funding, property tax relief, and a sunny day fund to invest in our next generation’s future.”

Cristina Garmendia MPP is wrapping up her yearlong appointment in the mayor’s office for the city of St. Louis, where she was brought on to develop racial equity indicators for institutions across the areas of education, built environment, and justice. She partnered with the Stanford Computational Policy Lab to develop dashboards and data tools for the city’s department of corrections, with the goal of safely reducing the city’s jail population, 95 percent of whom are defendants in pretrial detention. She was recently named to Forward Through Ferguson’s State of the Report Advisory Council.

Austin King MPA joined the Federal Trade Commission as attorney-advisor to Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter. King previously worked at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as counsel in the legal division’s Office of Law and Policy.

Mike McMahon MPP reports that after graduating from HKS, he worked in Chicago as a state/regional energy policy analyst. He is currently happily employed at the Institute for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern University (ISEN). He continues in his role as a mediocre mandolin player for the Chicago-based Rocky Top Bluegrass Band—the hardest-working bunch of misfits east of the Mississippi.

Jon Murad MC/MPA writes, “Hello to everyone who wants to #changetheworld! After retiring from the New York Police Department and spending two years in the private sector as a security consultant for CEOs, I’m thrilled beyond measure to be wearing a clip-on tie again as the deputy chief of operations for the Burlington Police Department. Returning to public service, working with cops again, and getting to do it all in the vibrant Vermont community where I grew up frequently seems too good to be true. If any of you find yourselves up in the Queen City, please let me know!”

Michael Tozer MPP writes, “I’ve started an amazing journey this year, culminating in $1.2 million funding and two royal visits! I founded Xceptional.io, a tech company that embraces the unique strengths and talents of people with autism and places them in data and IT jobs. Recently, our autism recruitment app won the AU$1 Million Google.org Impact Challenge and we received visits from HRH Prince Andrew and HRH Princess Beatrice. Sixty-five percent of people with autism are underemployed. My sister, Sarah, has amazing gifts yet has struggled with employment for 20 years. I hope you’ll agree it’s time for that to change.”

 

2014 | 5th Reunion
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Jieun Baek MPP writes, “After graduation, I was a research fellow at the HKS Belfer Center, where I wrote my book, North Korea’s Hidden Revolution: How the Information Underground Is Transforming a Closed Society (Yale University Press, 2016). I am currently in my third year of my PhD in public policy at Oxford University (where there are quite a few other HKS-ers!) studying early-stage dissenters in authoritarian countries, with a focus on Burma/Myanmar. If you are ever in London/Oxford, let me know—you will always have a place to stay!”

Jonathan Chang MC/MPA writes, “Can’t believe that it’s been five years since graduation! I am now working at National University of Singapore, heading its Entrepreneurship Centre, Overseas College, Lean LaunchPad, and Social Venture Lab. It has been a treat to have a job that requires me to travel extensively around the world, giving me numerous occasions to catch up, connect, and collaborate with HKS friends. Moreover, as the HKS Alumni Ambassador to Singapore and a member of HKS Alumni Board of Directors, I get to continue interacting and giving back to the broader HKS community.”

Charon Darris MC/MPA writes, “July marked my one-year anniversary as the executive director of the Adams Street Foundation, a 10-year-old college access organization located in downtown Brooklyn. I am delighted to share that our 2018 cohort had a 99.0 percent completion rate, resulting in 103 graduates. Moreover, 96.1 percent of our graduates are enrolled in college for the fall and 100 percent of our college-enrolled students are matched with schools where they will borrow only $5,500 or less during their first year (69.7 percent are predicted to borrow $6,000 or less over the course of four years).”

Bryann DaSilva MPP writes, “Married my beautiful husband, Spencer Whalen, on June 30, 2018, in Washington, D.C. Many friends from HKS attended, including Philip Tizzani MPP, Ashley Baker MPP, Maggie Williams MPP, Deloris Wilson MPA 2016, Alexandra De Filippo MPP, Jiyoung Han MPP, Claudia Newman-Martin MPP, Kyle Herman MPP 2015, Robert Reynolds MPP 2015, and of course Rebekah Smith MPP, who served as maid of honor. I have been with BCG for a few years, and am now on a yearlong secondment in London with Save the Children, developing their global strategy.”

Halimatou Hima MPP writes, “I am getting ready to complete my PhD in development studies at the University of Cambridge. My research in education in Niger has given me the opportunity to gain deeper insights into what needs to be done to turn an unequal system around. I am also grateful to have organized the first Africa Science Week in Niger, which has brought together more than 3,000 students with the aim of inviting young people to discover, dream, and learn new skills. As part of the science week, several friends and colleagues from Cambridge joined in to give workshops at the University of Niamey. Overall, I am looking to the future with renewed optimism and hope!”

Michael Koehler MPA keeps growing his leadership firm KONU, where he collaborates with six other HKS alumni and faculty. He started teaching leadership at NYU Wagner and in HKS’s executive education and finished his coaching certification at Georgetown University. In the past 12 months, he delivered workshops on how to teach adaptive leadership, coached business leaders and top-notch scientists through transition and innovation, and facilitated leadership programs for peace builders, young leaders in the Mediterranean, charter school principals, government officials, and social entrepreneurs. He lives in D.C. with his husband, Allister Chang MPP 2015.

Marina LeGree MC/MPA founded Ascend: Leadership Through Athletics, a nonprofit working with young women in Afghanistan. Ascend helps young Afghan women become leaders through mountaineering and community service. In this, their fourth year, the team summited Afghanistan’s highest mountain, Mount Noshaq (24,580 feet). A documentary film about Ascend’s work won awards last fall at the Banff International Film Festival and the Kendal Mountain Film Festival.

Faton Limani MC/MPA previously worked as a head teaching assistant and instructor for adaptive leadership courses at HKS, where he supported more than 500 students in their learning and mentored more than 100 in their leadership challenges. In addition, he taught adaptive leadership in Asia, helped establish the Adaptive Leadership Alumni Network (2,000-plus members), and organized annual conferences for the network. Faton founded Leadership Advancement Associates, a leadership development company, and also started working for Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences in coordinating graduate studies. Faton recently became a father for the second time—Dua was born in May 2018.

Robin Lipp MPP is clerking for United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon in Pittsburgh. Following graduation, Robin served as a fellow at the Vera Institute of Justice in NYC and spent two years working to advance evidence-based initiatives at the Laura and John Arnold Foundation in D.C.

Mai Mislang MC/MPA writes, “I oversee a project called Lost Sheep Initiative that advocates for community-based drug rehabilitation (CBDR) in the midst of Duterte’s drug war. We work with multiple stakeholders, particularly the Catholic Church, whose 3,000 parishes we envision as sanctuaries from the police that are bent on neutralizing rather than rehabilitating drug users. Lost Sheep Initiative offers grants to local governments that have expressed a genuine commitment to establish their own CBDR. Since July 2016, drug users who have surrendered to authorities total about 1.3 million, a number that clearly the government’s own resources and facilities cannot serve.”

Tim Purinton MC/MPA writes, “Last year I moved to D.C., not because I was elected to political office, but to take a position at the Nature Conservancy, where I’m now the executive director of the Maryland and D.C. chapter. In addition to working toward a bright future where people and nature thrive, I’m an urban beekeeper and occasional fly fisherman on Chesapeake Bay.”

Ted Zagraniski MC/MPA is delighted to be the father of a two-year-old boy! After three years at the Pentagon, Ted is still in the U.S. Army. He is now based at Naval Station Norfolk, USA. For the past five years, his work has focused mainly on Europe and the future. Ted is extremely grateful to his beautiful wife for her outstanding parenting skills and incredible support.

 

2015
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Chak Ming Chan MC/MPA was elected as the vice president of the Law Society of Hong Kong in June 2018.

Cassie Collier MPP and her sister, Jacklyn, are cofounders of Bundle, a personalized board game company. In adaptive leadership language (a shout-out to Professor Heifetz and former classmates), the game builds the holding environment that allows you to connect with the people around you. If you’re curious to learn more, check out her website at www.thebundlegame.com, and let her know if you’re ever passing through NYC!

Juana Hernandez MPP was recently recognized as one of the 40 Under 40 rising civic leaders in Los Angeles County. Sponsored by the Empowerment Congress, the office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, and retired State Assemblymember Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, the annual awards ceremony honors Los Angeles leaders from the government, philanthropic, nonprofit, and private sectors. As senior manager of postsecondary initiatives at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, Juana leads regional cross-sector partnerships and helps mobilize the business community to advocate for policies that expand higher education opportunity.

John-Clark Levin MPP is currently studying for a PhD in politics and international studies at the University of Cambridge in the U.K., with research focusing on how governments can do a better job forecasting the impact of technological change and using those insights to make better policy decisions. His team at St. John’s College just won the 2017–2018 championship of University Challenge, Britain’s longest-running and best-loved quiz show.

MaryRose Mazzola MPP and Mark Blakeney were married on July 28, 2018, at the Popponesset Inn on Cape Cod. HKS alumni in attendance were Miranda Berry MPP, Tom Etheridge MPP, Jesse Hampton MPP, Jessica Huey MPP, Phil Huppe MPP, Nicholas Kang MPP, bridesmaid Laura Melle MPP, Amelia Mitchell MPP, Anne Stotler MPP, Dan Weaver MPP 2016, and State Senator Barry Finegold MC/MPA 2003. MaryRose served as Senator Finegold’s chief strategist and campaign manager for his successful campaign this past fall and is currently in her first year at Northeastern University School of Law.

Rodrigo Perez-Alonso MPA writes, “After graduating, I continued working on economic regulation and regulated industries. I am currently working in the National Air Transportation Chamber in Mexico, serving as its executive director. The chamber consists of more than 67 national and international airlines flying in and out of Mexico. A major project was the new international airport under construction. Unfortunately, the administration of Lopez Obrador canceled the project. I currently write weekly for Excelsior, a national newspaper, and participate weekly in radio and TV opinions. HKS was truly a career changer, as it gave me tools for leadership, finance, and negotiations.”

Ashley Zlatinov MPP and her husband welcomed their second daughter to the world at the end of January. Continuing to enjoy life in San Francisco, Ashley recently started work at Google, where she leads global health AI policy. She’s loved the opportunity to work across sectors and fields and apply many of her HKS course learnings (particularly negotiations!) to her day-to-day work. “Please reach out and visit if you are in the area!”

 

2016
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Katherine Blaisdell MPA writes, “In June, I launched a practice as a public speaking coach and communications consultant under the name Divine Communications (divinecomms.com). I’m building on the work I did as a teaching assistant with Tim McCarthy while at HKS as well as the nonprofit management, teaching, and curriculum development I did after graduation.”

Joshua Burgin MC/MPA writes, “2018 has been a year with an international focus. In May the Transatlantic-Russia Civic Workshop, in October the New Security Leaders Program of the Warsaw Security Forum. In early November we traveled as a family to Shanghai and Tokyo so the kids could practice their Mandarin, and in late November I joined an OSCE-ODIHR presidential election observation mission to the country of Georgia. Warmest wishes to all of you!”

David Campbell MPP reports that after spending two years working in politics, he has now moved to Deloitte, where he works in the Future of Canada Centre—Deloitte Canada’s thought leadership hub. For any passing through Toronto, David is always happy to see a friendly face!

Nikola Ilic MC/MPA writes, “Last year I joined a new organization, Volt Europa. Volt is a progressive pan-European political movement that is currently present in 34 countries and involves more than 20,000 people. Our mission is to reinvent politics through citizen empowerment and community organizing and unite Europe in the face of rising nationalistic movements. As a strategy team lead, I have introduced and anchored Marshall Ganz’s community-organizing framework into our work. If you want to learn more, feel free to contact me, or visit www.volteuropa.org.”

Alyce Su HKSEE reports that at the invitation of Dr. Lee George Lam, chairman of Cyberport, she participated in the Cyberport Venture Capital Forum (CVCF) 2018 last November. The forum featured Hong Kong as the Smart City, powered by artificial intelligence, big data, blockchain, and fintech. Investor presentations featuring companies led by Kristal.Ai, Asia’s first AI-driven virtual fund manager, seeded by IDG Ventures, together with Ice Node Interactive, ChillDD.com, CUPP RewardChain, Copernicus, Kalon Couture, Gritus, AureliaCare, Hashreader, and Qupital, were scheduled one-on-one for Alyce Su by CVCF 2018.

Natalie Unterstell MC/MPA is one of the 80 women selected from all over the world to join the largest female expedition to Antarctica. As part of a yearlong, global leadership program for women scientists and policymakers called Homeward Bound, the expedition aims to raise awareness of the need to promote and encourage women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

 

2017
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Win Chesson MPA writes, “Audie and I continue to enjoy our return to NYC living, especially our swim team. In August we joined more than 10,000 LGBT and allied athletes in Paris to compete in swimming at the Gay Games (formerly called the Gay Olympics—until the Olympics sued despite allowing Rat Olympics...). It was magical! We both medaled! Professionally, I’m still loving my work as a private wealth advisor in the Goldman Sachs Partners Family Office while I work hard to build my own book of business as well. My favorite part is working with families and foundations to align their investment portfolios with their values. Ask me about it and please visit us in NYC!”

Sun-Yin Ho MC/MPA has been pursuing a PhD in health policy while at the same time writing a column and launching an online venture.

Vikram Janardhan MC/MPA writes, “I am the CEO of a medical device company, Insera Therapeutics, focusing on solutions for stroke treatment. We recently won our 52nd patent award for the world’s first cyclic vacuum aspiration system that sucks blood clots out of intracranial vessels, and in the process saves the stroke victim’s life. We have regulatory approval in 32 countries in Europe and are working on approval with the U.S. FDA.”

Gal Lin MPP joined Yehuda Elram MC/MPA 2016, cofounder of eggXYt, an Israeli biotech company based in Tel Aviv, in unlocking the promise of genetics to promote more-sustainable agriculture and food industries. “Together we’re answering the call to find ways to feed the 10 billion people who will live on this planet by 2050, and securing food supply for the most vulnerable. What an adventure!”

Lauren Powell MC/MPA writes, “Since graduating from HKS, I’ve moved to Richmond, Virginia, to serve as the director of health equity for the Commonwealth of Virginia! In my role, I lead the state’s efforts to bring equity to the opportunity for all 8.4 million residents of Virginia to be healthy and well. Over the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to contribute to landmark achievements in health care, such as Medicaid expansion and the creation of the Henrietta Lacks Commission. It is an honor and a privilege to serve as the youngest in my position in state history, and to bring all that I’ve learned while at HKS to the people of Virginia.”

Kirsten Rulf MPP writes, “Starting in January, I will put to use what I have learned at HKS about digital government, innovation in government, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity: I will start a new job as the head of the strategy and policy unit for all things digital and innovation in the German federal government and in Angela Merkel’s cabinet.”

Borja Santos MPA/ID writes, “After 10 years working in different countries, I came back to my own country, Spain, and I have been working as an independent consultant. I am combining my expertise in international development doing impact evaluations with institutions like the World Bank and working as an associate professor of international development at IE University, and at the same time, supporting urban public policies that improve the economic development and innovation of Spanish cities.”

 

2018
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Natalia Cote-Munoz MPP moved to NYC with her long-term partner and started a research associate role at the Council on Foreign Relations focusing on Latin America, regionalization, and international trade.

Martin Genter HKSEE writes, “The experience I gained from HKS has equipped me with the tools to organize the first annual Mississippi Save the Children Summit to address child poverty in Mississippi. This is a massive statewide conference to implement strategies based on tactics learned from HKS and the U.N. Global Leadership Summit. The U.N. Human Rights Council, The U.N. Association, Ole Miss Law School, and the Ole Miss Graduate School have collaborated to set achievable goals and unify all disciplines and fields to combat this injustice. According to UNICEF, Mississippi’s kids face a poverty rate more than 10 percent higher than Romania, the highest rate in the developed world.”

Naresh Perinpanayagam MC/MPA returned to the office of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York, where he works for the senior official responsible for advising the secretary-general on worldwide political, peacekeeping, humanitarian, and human rights issues.

Dana Rassas MC/MPA writes, “I have joined a campaign called American Muslims for US All as co-chief of operations. A group of bipartisan American Muslims and non-Muslims joined forces and are working hard to shift perceptions, depoliticize Islam, and increase understanding of American Muslims. We are challenging misconceptions about American Muslims and pushing all Americans to question the stereotypes they have come to believe. We aim to ensure that it’s no longer effective for politicians to fan the flames of fear and bigotry. We will be launching soon, and our website is soon to be public. Please help support us and check out the campaign (amforusall.org).”