Summer 2021

Classnotes

Stay in touch with your classmates and peers

1965 / 1968 / 1970 / 1971 / 1972 / 1974 / 1975 / 1976 / 1977 / 1978 / 1980 / 1981 / 1982 / 1983 / 1984 / 1985 / 1986 / 1987 / 1988 / 1989 / 1990 / 1991 / 1992 / 1993 / 1994 / 1995 / 1996 / 1997 / 1998 / 1999 / 2000 / 2001 / 2002 / 2003 / 2004 / 2005 / 2006 / 2007 / 2008 / 2009 / 2010 / 2011 / 2012 / 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2016 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019 / 2020

Note: Years bolded indicate reunion years.

1965
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Tom Pepper MPA, of NYC and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, passed away peacefully on Feb. 6, 2021. He was 81 years old. Born in NYC and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, he served as a U.S. Army first lieutenant in Okinawa, Japan. Tom had a successful journalism career, first as a Tokyo correspondent and later as a Washington correspondent covering Watergate for the Baltimore Sun. From 1977 to 1981, Tom ran the Asia-Pacific office of the Hudson Institute in Tokyo, later serving as a member of the institute’s senior staff in the United States. In 1984, he founded Wave Hill Associates, Inc., an advisory firm specializing in business development in Asia. Patient, witty, worldly, and warm, Tom is survived by his wife, Lois, two stepdaughters, and a grandson.

1968
—

Frank Popper MPA retired in 2020 from Rutgers’ Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, where he taught since 1983. He continues to teach with his wife, Deborah Popper, at Princeton’s High Meadows Environmental Institute, formerly the Princeton Environmental Institute, where they have taught since 2001. In 2020 Frank and Deborah moved to Manhattan. Frank is enjoying semiretirement and thinking of writing an intellectual but mostly nonacademic memoir.

1970
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Geoffrey Dutton MCRP writes, “The past strange year gave me space to finish (?) revising a novel, post to blogs, walk in the woods, and experiment with cooking new foods. Made the acquaintance of another alum writing novels. Kept up a monthly newsletter on literary matters and current events that folks can sample and subscribe to at perfidy.press/newsletter. As for proactive involvement in governance, I’m way behind most of you folks on policy studies. Basically I supported causes and candidates and voted. And now that I’m fully vaccinated I don’t have a good use for my immunity, so let’s do lunch.”

1971
—

Douglas Kinney MPA writes, “I look forward to ‘seeing’ my ’71 classmates of all programs who formed a brilliant constellation around my 69–71 HKS years. We again have so much to learn from each other ... experiences, specialized knowledge, reliable data, perspectives, insights ... but now we need to share disappointments and even tragedies before we get to our ‘wins’—however we see them. Try to remember that small victories can be cumulative ... if not for you to cap off then for others to build on. Even sand castles that are washed away are remembered by someone—even be it the elder, ‘wiser’ you. Mostly I look forward to sharing stories and leveraged techniques for giving back as most have done constantly.”

1972 | 50th Reunion
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Rollie Cole MPP has been working with HKS classmates throughout the years to establish and operate an HKS Special Interest Group on State and Local Government. The group has put together several programs and monthly coffee chats. If interested, send an email to hks.stateandlocal@gmail.com.

1974
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Sandford Borins MPP writes, “The University of Toronto is raising funds for the Sandford Borins Digital Communication Fund, to support student training in digital communication skills. I published an op-ed in The Globe and Mail arguing that the bilingual version of ‘O Canada’ should be updated to remove religious references. And I continue to post blogs at sandfordborins.com—both reflections on my own experiences and reviews of recent books and films.”

Donna Goltry (Hull) MCRP writes, “I am retiring from serving as a full elder in the Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church on July 1, 2021, and will be transitioning to retired elder. The past seven years I’ve been the pastor at Trinity United Methodist Church in Madison, Nebraska, and Westridge United Methodist Church in Norfolk, Nebraska. My husband, Scott, and I will be moving to Wichita, Kansas.”

Leadership During the Pandemic
November 16, 2020

1975
—

Barbara Eiser (Andrews) MC/MPA is an executive coach in the Philadelphia area, working with global leaders and teams in Fortune 500 and mid-sized companies, health care systems, and professional services firms. She is also an adjunct coach at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Saul Kilstein MPA writes, “I am grateful to the Kennedy School for providing me with the confidence, skills, and credentials to begin a rich and diverse career in government, philanthropy, and business. This experience, which lasted over four decades, included work under Democrats and Republicans; policy analysis and legislative craftsmanship at the federal and state level; leadership of a state Medicaid agency; government affairs, business strategy, contract negotiation, and account management in the pharmaceutical industry; and national program development and oversight at a major foundation. I am now retired on the Florida Gulf Coast and working on my bucket list.”

1976
—

Mary Des Roches MPA writes, “At 82 I am enjoying retirement and all of the new activities it brings. I am a docent at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, where I specialize in contemporary art. I enjoyed my career as a finance officer and my years of service on nonprofit boards. I recall my time at the Kennedy School with fondness. It taught me so much more than what I learned in the classes.”

Tim Sullivan MPP retired recently from a 37-year career in California government. Tim worked on California’s telecommunications policy, water policy, renewable energy, and carbon reduction, eventually serving as executive director of the California Public Utilities Commission under Governor Jerry Brown. He is riding out the COVID-19 pandemic with his family in Berkeley, California, by creating a native plant habitat.

Climate Change Policy
March 2, 2021

1977 | 45th Reunion
—

1978
—

Eric Hirschhorn HKSEE coauthored the fourth edition of U.S. Export Controls and Economic Sanctions, published by Oxford University Press.

Edgard Moncayo MPA writes, “I’ve held various leadership appointments within the Colombian government, along with positions at international bodies such as U.N. CEPAL and the Andean Community, specializing in economic policy and development. My research and teaching positions in a variety of universities and strategic consulting experience have allowed me to lecture and work in the United States, Europe, and Latin America. I’ve held visiting lectureships at several European universities, including Oxford and the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) in Spain. I most recently served as a senior visiting fellow at Florida International University in Miami, examining issues of regional economics and innovation.”

1980
—

Penny Eickemeyer (Laskin) MCRP recently had the opportunity to coauthor a paper titled “Slowing the Spread of COVID-19: Review of ‘Social Distancing’ Interventions Deployed by Public Transit in the United States and Canada,” published in Transport Policy. Penny previously worked at the University Transportation Research Center at the City University of New York for 13 years. Prior positions included grants administration at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, planning positions at MTA Metro-North Railroad in capital planning and market research, and valued time as a stay-at-home mom.

Morrey Ewing MPP writes, “On attending October’s virtual 40th HBS reunion, I asked classmates: ‘Would you be willing to be interviewed on Future-Readiness and your experience with 2020?’ At Guided Futures, we define Future-Readiness as ‘building capacity for whatever unfolds.’ Recently, we shared our findings from 25 interviews—a rich portfolio of capabilities the interviewees had drawn upon to weather the storm, or found they lacked. We suggested ways to build those capabilities in any organization. Now we want to widen our conversations—what other compelling examples could we learn from?”

Charlie Kireker MPP was hired to be the full-time executive director of the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government (chaired by former governor and HKS lecturer Michael Dukakis) by the Kennedy School in the fall of his second year as an MPP student. This was with the understanding that he would complete his studies “on the side” and graduate with the Class of 1981. Charlies writes, “So I guess that makes me a ‘nomad’ or a ‘hybrid’ grad of ’80/’81! Having studied intensely in the first-year curriculum with the students who would graduate in 1980, I feel closer to many of those students; however, I also got to know some ’81 grads, and did in fact graduate with them in the Class of ’81. And during that third year of my MPP studies I met my future wife, who was enrolled in the mid-career MPA Class of 1981, so that increases my allegiance to ’81, I would have to say!”

John MacIlroy MC/MPA writes, “Another book on the way, a collection of short stories titled Whatever Happens, Probably Will. Two stories in the collection have gotten a nice early nod, to my great surprise and likely yours: ‘The Man Inside’ was just named a finalist for the 2021 Corker Fiction Prize by the Carolina Academy of Authors, and ‘Duke’s’ was named a “Best of 2019 Short Story” by Y’all Literary Magazine. Should be in your favorite bookstore (and Amazon) by late August. Writing way more fun than working, and please support your local indie bookstores. It’s been a rough ride for them in the Zombie Apocalypse.”

Ken Young MC/MPA writes, “Adjusting to this long year of waiting and coming to terms with the many and continuing failures of government and society and the drift toward authoritarianism. Other than that, retired, busy with volunteering, gardening, hiking, and family; living the dream. I chair the Board of Trustees of the Hubbard Free Library. Built in 1880, it is the oldest building in continuous use as a library in Maine. It is a charming neo-Gothic gem. Now fully vaccinated, we dined out on March 18; the first time in a year. It was like a magic elixir for our psyche. Waiting for Germany to get back on track so we can visit our daughter who lives in Berlin. Best wishes to all, keep safe and involved.”

1981
—

Terri Bergman MPP writes, “I am currently ‘living the good life’ quarantining in Arlington, Virginia. The president promises that I will be vaccinated by May 31, so I expect ‘the good life’ to be upgraded sometime (soon?)—maybe in time for our virtual reunion! I’m retired and living with my husband, Tom Lindsley, whom I married late in life in 2007. In better days we enjoyed bicycling trips in Europe, but now our rides are short and local. I’m eyeing a longer bike trip from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland, post-COVID. We look for 60-plus-degree days to visit outdoor dining spots, and fortunately there are more and more of these. I just hope indoor dining will be good before the arrival of hot and humid days.”

Lori Forman MPP writes, “Armed with my MPP from the Kennedy School, my PhD from Keio University in Japan, and 35-plus years working in the field of international development, I am currently an employee of the U.S. Department of Defense. I serve as a member of the leadership team of the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies where I am also a professor, primarily lecturing on the linkage between economics and security, and on the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy. From my base here in Honolulu, Hawaii, I also serve on several nonprofit boards and international advisory committees.”

Donald O’Brien MC/MPA, after a 40-year career as a broadcast journalist (as Ted O’Brien), retired with his wife to a small New Hampshire town. Donald used his HKS education as a member of the town’s planning board for six years. He ran for the select board and lost, but then won as a write-in candidate. Donald’s single term dramatically raised his respect for the professional politicians he had covered with a certain amount of cynicism. After three years of balancing competing interests in a tiny town, he has retired permanently!

Jerry Rappaport Jr. MCRP is the owner and developer of Olmsted Green in Mattapan, an ambitious mixed-income housing redevelopment of the 40-acre site of Boston State Hospital. This 500-unit rental and home ownership community also includes two charter schools, a community development corporation social service, and after-school education programming space. As president of New Boston Fund, Inc., from 1993 to 2010, Jerry raised $1.2 billion in private equity, participated in the development of 2,000 housing units, and purchased and sold more than $3 billion worth of commercial property. Jerry is also a former president of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board and co-chair of the Commonwealth Housing Task Force.

Eliot Rich MPP writes, “I’m celebrating the 20th year in the professoriate at the University at Albany, State University of New York. I teach in the schools of business, public administration, and homeland security, and as department chair, I herd cats. I do miss Elsie’s, walking home through the Yard, and the company of such wonderful people.”

Mark Thompson MCRP was appointed executive vice president of Capalino. “Over the past 17 years, I’ve helped expand Capalino into New York’s leading urban strategy and government/community relations firm. It’s been a joy working with the city’s best and brightest, helping businesses, not-for-profits, and cultural organizations fulfill their goals.” With more than three decades of experience in New York and overseas, Mark will continue to oversee the firm’s lobbying group, playing a major role in the areas of land use, business development, and client services, and will focus on helping clients recover and thrive in a post-COVID world.

Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging
February 12, 2021

1982 | 40th Reunion
—

Erik Ferguson MCRP has published three short stories, four poems, and one play at various independent online magazines and journals, plus a collection of short stories and 301 bent haiku self-published through KDP/Amazon. “The fundamental equation of life so-called is prepared for takeoff and ready to launch. More information is available at keechballard.com.”

Anthony Fisher MPP writes, “Retired from a 35-year career in municipal investment banking and family wealth management in late 2016. Happily remarried in 2017 to another Reedie. Living in a repurposed church built in 1890 in Lake Oswego, Oregon, and now readying a new 28' cruiser for Columbia and Puget Sound cruises. My two kids are a credit and a blessing. I’ve been trying to help Reedies with their careers for the past 15 years, which has been very rewarding. Loving the freedom of retirement. Reading a lot of American and European history, which I never made time for while working. Taken up the guitar again, after nearly 50 years. OK—and streaming far too many British and Australian detective series during COVID.”

Judith Hamill MC/MPA serves as the director of JMLS Government Relations at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s John Marshall Law School (UIC’s 16th college). Judith was recently reappointed to the position of board member at the Cook County Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). In 2016, she was appointed to the ZBA as its first female member. Judith also serves on the alumni board at UIC’s College of Urban Planning and Public Administration (CUPPA).

Alexandria Panehal MC/MPA lives on Kelleys Island, an island in Lake Erie that is part of the state of Ohio. Alexandria completed her first book, The Island in Winter, in 2020. It is being published by the University of Toledo Press and should be out in early summer 2021. The book chronicles how the residents of Kelleys Island cope with island isolation in the winter (the car ferry stops running for about two months) and the activities and events that keep them occupied in all the seasons. Alexandria is now working on her second book, a comparative analysis of the leadership skills of four U.S. generals who became president. In 2020 she also worked on the elections, fundraising and volunteering with NGO watchdog groups as an election monitor.

1983
—

Rita Bartczak MPP writes, “In February 1986, over dinner at my house, a few families, doctors, and nurses from Children’s Hospital and Dr. John Mulliken founded the Foundation for Faces of Children with one goal: to help children with facial differences get the best medical help so they can live normal lives. The foundation is alive and well, supporting the social, psychological/emotional, and educational needs of children and families affected by craniofacial differences. As a founding member it is gratifying to see how teams of dedicated volunteers have continued this important mission.”

Isabel Liu MPP is a longtime investor of equity in infrastructure globally. She has helped develop from start-up five infrastructure investment businesses, including three billion-dollar funds. As a non-executive board director, Isabel has been looking out for the interests of investors and users of infrastructure at consumer champion Transport Focus, the Heathrow Consumer Challenge Board, and Pensions Infrastructure Platform. Isabel has been living in London with her husband for 20 years, following years in Hong Kong and the United States. She has an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BA from Ohio State University. She speaks Mandarin Chinese.

Dileep Nair MPA writes, “After some 20 years in the Singapore Administrative Service, I moved to head the Post Office Savings Bank, which was shortly merged into Singapore’s biggest bank, DBS Bank. Did a five-year stint and then left and joined the UN as undersecretary-general for internal oversight. On completing the five-year contact with the UN, I returned and joined the Singapore Foreign Service, serving first as consul-general in Dubai and then as ambassador in Laos, and finally as high commissioner to Ghana. I’m done with full-time employment and now serve on three company boards. It’s life at a slower pace!”

Nam Pham MPA joined Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s administration in 2015, first serving as assistant secretary of housing and economic development. In that role, Nam oversaw the offices of business development, international trade, travel and tourism, film, and sports marketing. In 2020, he began a new position in the administration as director of the Office of Real Estate and Asset Development. Nam recently helped make a movie on the Vietnam War from the perspective of the South Vietnamese: Through Our Eyes is scheduled to be released in 2021. Nam has also cowritten a documentary series titled The Bell and Road to Dystopia, available on YouTube.

Roy Watson MPA says hello to his classmates and shares that he is still working! Roy, who was an immigration attorney for 40 years and a USCIS officer, is now on his third career: real estate investor. Roy’s company, eXp Realty, is buying and selling locally and worldwide, with offices opening around the world (most recently in Brazil, India, Portugal, and France). Roy appreciates referrals to real estate brokers in his classmates’ countries. “As the years pass, we get fewer. Let’s catch up!!”

1984
—

Lane Krahl MPP writes, “This is the first time I have posted in 37 years, so there is a lot to cover. After graduation I spent five years in D.C. with EPA and The Conservation Foundation; then we moved to New Mexico. I ended up doing international environmental consulting out of New Mexico on development projects, mostly USAID. This eventually led to long-term positions in Egypt and Uganda. Then we began to follow my wife’s career in international school administration, which took us to Peru, then Morocco, and now Monterrey, Mexico. We left the United States in 1999 on an 18-month assignment, and have lived overseas since. I am largely retired, only doing the occasional consulting job. We have two daughters and four grandchildren.”

Frank Ostroff MPP just started a new role as advisor to Bain & Company’s public and social sector practice.

Drue Pearce MC/MPA has rejoined Holland & Hart LLP, with offices in Anchorage, Alaska, and D.C. She is the government affairs director in the environmental, energy, and natural resources practice group. Having served at the U.S. Department of Transportation as the deputy administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) from August 2017 until January 2021, Drue is excited to return to the Last Frontier to continue her arctic policy advocacy.

Dana Rowan MPP has been serving as a capital-raising and marketing advisor to BLDUP.com, a fast-growing B2B commercial real estate development marketing platform for new real estate projects nationally. The company has been in business for five years and is currently in the process of raising seed.

1985
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Kalyan Chakravarty MC/MPA writes, “I am building an interface of biodiversity and cultural diversity in the forests and hills of Chhattisgarh with the help of the government and tribal communities of Chhattisgarh. I am also organizing the conservation of natural and human resource management strategies of such communities in India as a member of the governing board of BRLF Delhi. I am also a distinguished professor at CUTM University at Bhubaneshwar. I am preparing volumes on public policy for Routledge with HKS Mason Fellows and Indian Civil Services; advising the Kolkata Center for Creativity of the Emami Group on building bridges between arts and sustainable development goals; and collaborating on a People’s University Project internationally.”

Maria Nuria De Cesaris MC/MPA writes, “Big change at my 65s! I moved with my mother, who is 92, to Spain in December 2020. We are living in Eslida, a little town in the province of Castellón, in the middle of a natural park. My professional life is at rest while I am dedicated to taking care of my mother, who as a Spanish citizen has free health care including medicines. Meanwhile, I am enjoying cooking with local products and walking around the steep and narrow streets of the town.”

Frances Fabian (Hauge) MPP recently published “Globalization, Economic Development, and Corruption: A Cross-Lagged Contingency Perspective” in the Journal of International Business Policy. The publication is available open access.

Charles Huettner MPA writes, “I am delighted to have the opportunity to have my article “Reversing the Moral Decay” included in our class book Public Policy 35 Years Later. Professionally, I have been selected to represent the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). AUVSI represents the manufacturers and operators of unpiloted aircraft. ICAO establishes international aviation regulations and provides guidance and information on best practices to all nations’ aviation authorities.”

Jerry Salama MPP writes, “As a community-based developer, I’ve had the good fortune to develop affordable housing in Harlem, Upper Manhattan, and the Bronx for the past 23 years. And now, with my partners at J.P. Morgan, I am completing construction on a transformational office/life science building in West Harlem called the Taystee Building. At the intersection of arts/culture of Harlem and education/research of Columbia University/CUNY, Taystee is an economic development magnet for this neighborhood. I am grateful for the support of my wonderful local community board and elected officials in developing this 350,000-square-foot new construction LEED-certified building. This project only took ten years! Have patience.”

Carlos Sosa MPA writes, “Back in Venezuela, I got involved in several real estate projects, consulting for the World Bank and the Venezuelan government. Tried politics for a short time, no way, too Cartesian for the job. Beginning in 1998, with a worsening political situation, I started to plan emigration to the USA; finally arrived here permanently in 2006. Became a real estate agent and two years later started in Miami with my son our own development projects company, until my retirement in 2020. Since 2010 I have been writing as a hobby. Today, I have published on Amazon two novels and a book of essays.”

1986
—

David Boghossian MPA writes, “We got lucky. Our family has emerged into 2021 relatively unscathed. Elizabeth and I keep busy on board work, impact investing, starting projects, and Marie Kondo–ing our work and colleagues for their potential to spark joy. Elizabeth is focusing on the Boston Bird Festival in 2023, and I increasingly think of my writing on Medium and elsewhere as my work. Attempting to build a presence and audience around progress, the future, applied humanity, and, of course, birds. Stay tuned.”

Laura Channell (Ibarra) MPA is the successor trustee for fellow Kennedy School alumna Patricia Anne Taaffe MPA 1981. Patricia (Tia), an only child, passed on March 24, 2016, in Beverly Hills, California. Tia was godmother to Laura’s youngest daughter.

Casey Corr MC/MPA writes, “I started my retirement with a long trip with my wife, Sally, to Vietnam and Cambodia, cut short in February 2020 by the start of the COVID pandemic. In Asia, everyone wore masks and answered questions from health officials seeking to contain the outbreak. At the Seattle airport, no one wore masks or took temperatures. Soon our home in Yakima County had more cases than all of Vietnam, and it remained like that. I’m so glad the pandemic is ending. I never got to swim in Halong Bay, but that day will come.”

Jim Doane MC/MPA retired from the Department of State in March of 2000. He worked there as a contractor for 10 years, including six years teaching junior officer training, with foreign service posts in Bogotá, Baghdad, and Asmara, Eritrea. “We moved from McLean, Virginia, to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, in 2012 and now winter in Fort Myers, Florida. I’m an active reader, cook, golfer, and grandfather. I am enjoying my retirement very much.”

Katarina Engberg MPA shares that European affairs and Europe’s place in the world remain the focus of her attention since her retirement from the Swedish government in 2017. Katarina transitioned from the EU-Secretariat in the prime minister’s office to the Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies, working for that same office. Vaccination policies and the EU’s relationship with the United States and China are among the issues that keep her office busy. HKS’s policy orientation has served Katarina well throughout her career as a civil servant. Harvard also left her with a superb international network of great benefit to her work. Katarina enjoys singing and exercise in her now ample leisure time.

Neil Gardner MC/MPA writes, “My wife, Carol, and I both retired in 2016 after rewarding careers in the public and NGO sectors, and our three kids (who were with us during my MC/MPA year) now have families of their own too. I’ve continued to volunteer in “retirement” by co-leading projects with international colleagues—most recently a published ISO standard on health IT safety. In an interesting turn of events, I’m now drawing again upon insights from my time at HKS and my subsequent career in a new way. I’ve developed a graduate course for our University of Regina’s Master of Health Administration program that I’ll teach annually beginning this spring, complete with the case study method we all remember so well!”

Rob Muller MPP writes, “Yikes, time flies. Sally (Sachar) and I moved to Chicago in 2015, where I am coming up on six years as dean of the College of Education at National Louis University ... we miss the policy/government shenanigans and folks with whom we shared so many years in D.C. but love Chicago! Ben (28) is in music publishing in D.C., Elena (26) is with a telehealth startup in NYC, and Marion (23) works in health care tech in Chicago. Spending lots of quarantine time at our lake house in Michigan. Open for post-pandemic socially distanced visitors anytime and looking for ideas for my next gig. Be well all.”

Elliot Schrage MPP stepped down from Facebook last year, his latest role working at the intersection of business and human rights as an advocate, academic, and business leader. Working as a lawyer and human rights investigator following HKS, Elliot helped create the first business school course exploring the human rights responsibilities of global business, which launched a practice advising governments, NGOs, and companies on ethical sourcing practices. Over the past 15 years, Elliot has focused on the challenges confronting emerging digital platforms, helping both Google and Facebook build standards and practices to protect privacy, expression, security, and safety in their global operations.

Tim Strege MC/MPA reports that in 1994 he became executive director for the William Factory Small Business Incubator in Tacoma, Washington. He is still there! The team has been recognized by the White House, featured in an annual report for U.S. Bank, cited by Businessweek, and noted for best practices in an industry book. Furthermore, the incubator was named Incubator of the Year, telecasted as a community revitalization model, and profiled by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. The incubator has also hosted the International Conference on Business Incubation. The incubator is building an inclusive collaborative entrepreneurial ecosystem with support from global innovation thinkers and groups. Tim also recently completed an Executive MSc in Cities at the London School of Economics.

1987 | 35th Reunion
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Nadine Hack MC/MPA is writing a book titled The Power of Connectedness with a foreword by Nobel Peace Laureate Desmond Tutu. Nadine is a Forbes Councils contributor, has been featured in 10 expert panels, and recently published three articles: bit.ly/35rRBOT. She has given keynotes at IMD Business School Switzerland and Stockholm Philanthropy Symposium and taught a graduate course on corporate social responsibility. Her work has recently been featured in articles, interviews, and podcasts by outlets including Collaborative Innovation Journal, Experiential Communications, IBM.TV, and Straight Talk Radio.

Joyce Murphy MC/MPA writes, “After 30 years in health care leadership positions following my 1987 HKS degree, I recently had the great privilege of returning to Cambridge as a 2019 Advanced Leadership Initiative (ALI) fellow for another full year at Harvard. My fellowship year ended just a couple of months before the pandemic struck so we were on campus for the entire year. It was once again an amazing opportunity, which I would encourage others to consider.”

Richard Opper MC/MPA writes, “Retirement from my career as an environmental lawyer in San Diego led me to take a deep dive into the world of nonprofits in my hometown, right before COVID. The year 2020 was as much work as any trial. But so many organizations are learning and adapting. It’s a remarkable time.”

Keith Rowley MPP is completing his 20th year teaching contracts, commercial law, and economics analysis of law at UNLV’s William S. Boyd School of Law, where he was made William S. Boyd Professor of Law in 2008. An elected member of the American Law Institute and a member of Nevada’s delegation to the Uniform Law Commission, Keith is actively engaged in numerous law reform efforts. Keith and his wife, Katherine, celebrated their 25th anniversary in 2019, and their son, James, recently graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in electrical and computer engineering.

1988
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Laura Bailey MPP writes, “I left the World Bank at the end of 2019, having worked mostly in country offices and ending as the global lead for stability, peace, and security. January 2020 found me happily hanging out in my sleepy coastal Oregon village, juggling two book projects and enjoying a life where the sun (or rain!) wakes me rather than an alarm clock (!) ... Turned out to be a good place to hunker down, and my family is thankfully all safe and well. Since the pandemic struck, I’ve focused almost entirely on writing and advising on the connections between the pandemic, inequality, and exclusion, and have enjoyed co-authoring a forthcoming paper on digital equity with a notable Kenyan expert and activist.”

Carol Freeman MC/MPA writes, “In Minnesota, in 2020 and 2021, we are trying to show the whole world that there must be change—deep, transformational change—for people of color. My activism among retired union members continues during the pandemic in order to keep ourselves informed (by listening) and our retirees informed and responsive by electing and persuading our elected officials—local, state, and federal—to support policies that will advance the common good.”

Charles Jones MC/MPA shares that in retirement he returned to a long-deferred love of creative writing. His first novel, The Illusion of Simple, will be published by the University of Iowa Press in 2022.

Constanze Stelzenmüller MPA writes, “The Brookings Institution, where I’ve been working since 2014, this year created a Fritz Stern Chair on Germany and Transatlantic Relations. It is funded with a grant by the German Bundestag, matched by private U.S. and German funding. I’m very honored to be its inaugural holder.”

Criminal Legal System, Police Reform, and Racial Inequities in the U.S.
June 9, 2021

1989
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Cheryl Edwards MPA is finally enjoying retirement in Oakland, New Jersey.

Steven Grundman MPP writes, “Please don’t hate me, but I’ve taken up the reins of the Syracuse/Maxwell School’s National Security Studies program. It’s a terrific opportunity to plan and deliver executive education courses for rising Pentagon leaders. I also retain a fellowship at the Atlantic Council, where this year I produced a short film adapted from the stage play War Words, which we hope to propagate across the country every November 11th. Gig worker that I am, business consulting to the aerospace industry continues as ever, now primarily as executive-in-residence at the firm Renaissance Strategic Advisors. Still living in Washington, D.C., and looking forward to 2021.”

Russell Hawkins MC/MPA has relocated to the United States after 25 years in South Africa, which was an adventure of a lifetime to say the least. Russell worked for KOTRA, USAID, Africare, SALGA, and his own business, among others. During his career he got to know southern Africa pretty well. “Not sure what is next but I still believe there is no greater honor in life than to be of service to our fellow human beings. K School reinforced this guiding principle in my life. Hope to do some consulting and teaching. Both are passions. Currently based in Alameda, California. Would welcome interaction with alumni. My continued focus is on purposeful existence. Our best days are just ahead. Of that I am convinced.”

1990
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Robert Dodge MPA reports that BookAuthority ranked his recent book Grand Mal: A Life With Late Onset Epilepsy as the top book on the subject of epilepsy released in the world this year. It was also included in the top 50 books of all time on the topic.

Mark Francis MPP reports that after a dozen years with Intel and Amazon Web Services, he has rejoined the startup and aging services worlds as an executive with Electronic Caregiver (ECG), a digital health company. The most rewarding project took place over the past year when ECG partnered with public health and hospital system stakeholders in rural New Mexico on a COVID-to-Home program that opened up 80% of ER and hospital bed capacity while delivering care at 1/50th of the cost of inpatient care. “On a personal note, this fall Caroline will be an M1 (first year) at Yale Medical School, while Claire is graduating from the University of Oregon. Lauren’s company, Mulberry Talent Partners, has become the leading staffing agency in Portland, Oregon. Come visit!”

1991
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Julie Ames (Coyne) MC/MPA reports that in her role as vice president of Biocom California, HKS case studies and training continue to serve. Biocom’s nonprofit trade association for the life sciences has 1,400-plus members, and COVID-19 has meant long days and months supporting the biopharma industry. The company has offices in D.C. and Tokyo, as well as across the state of California. “Hope to see you when travels resume. Finding joy in my new roles: board of directors of the San Diego Master Chorale, DEI State Task Force, and the College of STEM Advisory Board at California State University, San Marcos. Son off to law school in the fall, daughter at USC. Chris retired from Navy—now at General Atomics as VP. Reach out if you are in San Diego!”

Deanna Bennett MC/MPA has published a book titled The Year of Firsts: A Memoir (Amazon, 2020). The Year of Firsts chronicles the first year after Deanna’s husband, Tom, died. The book recounts her emotional, philosophical, and everyday challenges during that year, and shares warm memories of their life together.

Jacqueline Calnan MPA writes, “In 2015 I retired as president of Americans for Medical Progress and moved to St. Petersburg, Florida—a lively, progressive, and rapidly growing city. Best move ever! I’m a member of the Academy of Senior Professionals at Eckerd College (ASPEC) and currently its vice president. With over 300 retired professionals, ASPEC is a challenging and heady mix of lifelong learning, mentoring Eckerd’s students, and volunteering in the community. As COVID restrictions lift, I look forward to resuming travel and catching up with HKS classmates.”

Stephen Facey MC/MPA has retired from his position as executive vice president of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. He is now active as a board member and volunteer for Movement Research, Inc., an international dance and movement-based laboratory; The Chocolate Factory Theater; New York Preservation Archive Project; and the Trustees Council, Preservation League of New York State.

Marianne Lee MPA writes, “We have been lucky to ride out the COVID distancing with springtime weather all year in Antigua, Guatemala, and Castine, Maine. Though I am retired, nonpaying work seems to find me wherever I go. Republishing a book about the history of Antigua in English and Spanish, chairing a capital campaign in Maine, playing lots of tennis and golf, and taking time to enjoy longtime friends one-on-one keeps me busy.”

Joel Rehnstrom MC/MPA is working as director of evaluation at UNAIDS in Geneva, Switzerland, and will be winding down a 30-year career with the United Nations in the next couple of years.

Lisa Siemsen (Liang) MPP writes, “Greetings from the Little Red Dot (Singapore). After a fruitful career in municipal finance working with schools and hospitals and on transportation and urban development projects, and a stint with a private equity firm, I am looking to start my next chapter promoting financial literacy with the intent to help women and young adults, as well as foreign domestic workers working in Singapore. I’d love to connect with like-minded alumni globally. On a personal note, I continue to bake sourdough bread, explore foods from around the world in my own kitchen, and have taken up cycling around Singapore.”

Barry Sloane MC/MPA writes, “I’m happy to report our eldest, Marshall, is graduating from Harvard in June and will move to NYC to join a private equity firm. Our second son, Jack, is a committed premed at Brown, and our youngest, Charles, was just accepted to MIT. Candace is busy with Brown Med and her trusteeship at Newton Wellesley Hospital. I’m planning my retirement from Century Bank at year-end. Transitions.”

David Witzel MPP writes, “My question is: How can we accelerate a regenerative future? Currently helping convene a makerspace for regeneration change-makers called the Global Regeneration CoLab. Living in Oakland with Claudia Williams. Stop by!”

1992 | 30th Reunion
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Sarah Cordero MC/MPA, after living and working in her home country of Costa Rica for a number of years, went back to school in 2015. Sarah graduated with a PhD in economic development planning from MIT in 2018. She then moved to Rome, Italy, and was elected socio-economic secretary of the Italian-Latin American International Organization in October 2019. She is now working in international cooperation and enjoying the beauty of Rome.

David Greig MPA writes, “I’m semiretired since my last message, but now that I’m no longer constrained by working for the government, I find that consulting work is coming in, and I’m enjoying writing occasional media pieces. Life in New Zealand is now back to normal with few COVID outbreaks, freedom to associate in theatres, pubs, etc., no face masks—but there are strict border controls that make overseas travel impractical, e.g., two weeks’ quarantine on return. Perhaps next year?”

Hilary Norton MPP was recently reelected as the chair of the California Transportation Commission. Hilary was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom in September of 2019 and elected chair in August 2020 and January 2021. She is also the executive director of FASTLinkDTLA, the Transportation Management Organization for downtown Los Angeles, and principal and managing partner of Effect Strategies. Hilary loved the small virtual HKS 1992 reunion with classmates and looks forward to the 30th reunion next year!

Leo Quigley MPP, after consulting with ICF, recently joined HUD headquarters in D.C. as a community planning and development specialist in CDBG-Disaster Recovery. Before ICF, Leo worked for the New York Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery (Superstorm Sandy recovery), Social Finance (social impact bonds), and The Community Builders (large-scale affordable housing development, federal policy, and fundraising). Leo will be relocating from Brooklyn, New York, to D.C. when offices reopen, so he’s looking at condos and rentals in Mount Pleasant, Columbia Heights, DuPont, and H St.

Joel Starr MC/MPA served as deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs from 2019 to 2021. Joel led the bureau’s participation in the Abraham Peace Accords with Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, and also the bureau’s implementation of the Advanced Target Development Initiative, which directs commercial sales of precision-guided munitions to partner nations in order to reduce civilian casualties.

COVID-19 in the Global South
December 17, 2020

1993
—

Kallaikuruchi Jairaj (Nil) MPA retired from working for the government in 2012 and is now based in Bangalore, India. Kallaikuruchi is involved in several professional and not-for-profit activities, including past work as board chair of the Colleges of Engineering, Architecture, and Law, and a current position as advisor to a private university in accreditation and quality. Other roles include president of a fully equipped hospital that provides quality health care to lower-income groups, and board chairman of an opportunity school that teaches the intellectually challenged. “I feel engaged in contributing to society and utilizing my experience and skills. All that I learnt at the Kennedy School has mattered.”

Prakash Puram MC/MPA writes, “After a great education I received at HKS, I immediately left for Ukraine under the auspices of professor Bill Hogan. Worked in Kiev but traveled to Moscow, Kyrgyzstan, etc., and returned for Christmas with the family. That January I joined Honeywell as director of the WW Fire & Security businesses until 1998. Then, in 1999, I started my own company that valiantly fought with Google but was outcapitalized. In 2000 I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and had brain surgery in 2010 and had to let go of iXmatch, the startup, and transferred control to a Texas company. Since 2019 Kamala and I, after spending 41 years in Edina, have been in St. Louis, Missouri, to be closer to my son and granddaughters.”

Gwen Young MPP is the COO of the Women Business Collaborative, an alliance focused on ensuring equity in leadership across the globe. In addition, she is a visiting scholar at the Elliot School of International Affairs, George Washington University, where she manages the Global Women’s Leadership Index. Gwen lives in Washington, D.C., and looks to continue working on policy issues that focus on equality of opportunity for all.

1994
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Jennifer Allyn (Wilcha) MPP writes, “In January 2020, I took the leap to leave my diversity role at PwC to focus on climate action. Needless to say, it was an exciting time to make a career transition! I’m now leading campaigns for ClimateVoice. We’re urging all companies—and particularly Big Tech—to use their enormous influence to advocate for bold climate policy. Would love to reconnect with classmates focused on climate issues.”

Clifford Garstang MC/MPA has a new novel coming out called Oliver’s Travels, which will be published in May 2021 by Regal House Publishing. Set in six countries, the book tracks a young man’s quest to solve a family mystery. Clifford’s most recent story collection, House of the Ancients and Other Stories, came out in May 2020, following his first novel, The Shaman of Turtle Valley, which was published in 2019. When he’s not writing, Clifford serves on the boards of trustees of two arts organizations in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

Jesse Gordon MPP writes, “The evening of our graduation in 1994, at dinner with my parents, my father asked, “So what are you going to do with a Harvard politics degree?” I “came out” to them that evening, and admitted for the first time, “I’m going to run for elective office.” After getting over the shock, Dad said, “Well, you’ll be the first in our family.” Last month I finally got there—I was sworn in as the District 2 Town Councilor in Randolph, Massachusetts. I wrote my first legislation last week, and I think I’m making a difference—it took 27 years to get here, but that was my goal in 1994.”

Rob Richardson MPP reports that his company will be completing the development of a 71-unit, nine-story affordable housing community in a walkable, opportunity-rich neighborhood near the convention center in Washington, D.C., this summer. He has also just been awarded funding for a 202-unit affordable housing renovation project in partnership with the residents that will break ground in January. He has been developing affordable housing nationwide for the past 20 years.

Laura Rojas MC/MPA is an international consultant and principal at Nodum International. “My job is to promote understanding of the challenges and opportunities of technological change and support organizations in their digital transformation journey through strategy, automation, cultural change, and customer experience management. I have experience in enablers of digital transformation, financial inclusion, and innovation, such as policy and regulatory frameworks and innovation hubs.”

1995
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Joshua Mendes MC/MPA writes, “At a challenging time for the world, I am pleased to share a project that hopefully connects us all in a positive way: coffee and chocolate! Just published guidebooks on these two topics (grahamesguides.com), showing how people all over the globe, in so many disparate countries, can mutually share in the joy of not only consuming but also making these two much-beloved products. Hope this brings a little light and cheer to one and all :)”

Meinolf Meyer MPA writes, “My passion, the NGO Starke Demokratie, which seeks to build strength and resilience amongst local politicians (who are increasingly targets of hate and intimidations), enters the second year. With a proven ‘product’ (interactive three-hour workshops, either in person or online), a motivated team of volunteer professionals, and an expanding network in German politics, the organization is solid. Given the ever more heated political debate, its work is very much needed to keep more capable people in public office.”

1996
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Hans Arnum MPP is living in Copenhagen, Denmark, and doing three main things professionally: full-time work at Tryg, a leading Scandinavian insurer; a variety of nonprofit and board work; and involvement in three startups (AI, remote dental care, influencer marketing). Hans previously worked in banking at Nordea, and in consulting for McKinsey & Company. “Enjoy kickboxing and tennis, all-year sea dipping, friends, and family. Two kids, now 16 and 20. All good here in Denmark ;-) Won’t make much of the reunion, but say hi on LinkedIn!”

Kate Callahan MC/MPA has been a partner at The Huntington Consulting Group for the past 19 years. The firm specializes on strategic planning, sales, and marketing in the health care arena with a focus in hospice and palliative care. Kate specializes in medical ethics, with a focus on end-of-life care. She is nationally known for her work with the Five Wishes document that assists families and individuals with advanced health care planning. She lives in Miami, Florida, with her husband and their cat. They have one son and daughter-in-law who live in New York.

Timothy Franks MPP is a partner at KKR, a private equity firm, based in London. He has worked in private equity, in both London and New York, since graduating. He currently leads KKR’s activities in the UK and Ireland, and also the consumer industry in EMEA. Timothy serves on KKR’s European Private Equity and Global Impact Fund committees. He also looks after the longer-term core strategy of the firm in Europe. Timothy is a trustee and committee member of a number of impact investment funds in Europe and the United States, and is a supporter of arts and LGBTQ organizations. He is married to Andrew, and they have twin boys aged five. They live in London and Gloucestershire.

Prasad Gopalan MPP has moved back to D.C. with the World Bank Group after 18 years in Hong Kong and Singapore as the global sector manager for agribusiness and forestry at the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

Todd Harper MPP, since 2019, has served on the board of the National Credit Union Administration, the agency that protects the deposits of more than 120 million Americans. In January 2021, President Biden designated Todd as board chairman, and in April, Todd became chair of the Financial Institutions Examination Council, which works to maintain uniform standards across federal and state banking regulators. “Thank you HKS for giving me the policy and leadership skills I needed to succeed!”

John Heimlich MPP writes, “It’s been extremely rewarding working on our 2021 reunion, reconnecting with so many wonderful MPP 1996 colleagues. I encourage all of you to join us, albeit virtually! And we are so thrilled to have our dear classmate Leopoldo Lopez MPP as a guest speaker. When I’m not working on the reunion, I’ve been doing everything I can to facilitate the recovery of air travel and cargo, connecting with friends, and enjoying my son’s journey through fourth grade.”

Katsuya Hihara MPP writes, “How are you, everyone. This is Katsuya. I am now at Tokyo Metropolitan University/University of Tokyo. The days at HKS with you guys are among the happiest and most peaceful times with good challenges when I look back after 25 years. Thank you all for the shared experience, and let’s stay safe during these difficult days. Hard work of the organization committee members is also much appreciated!”

Amy Kaufman MPP writes, “After seven years of consulting and 17 years in the public sector (public transit), I’ve started my own LLC for strategic planning/policy and infrastructure asset management advisory services. Both my wife and I are working remotely in Truckee, California, a lovely mountain town near Lake Tahoe. And we’re expecting a baby in September!”

Jose Vicente Troya Rodriguez MPA was appointed the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) resident representative (RR) in Costa Rica in 2019 and UNDP Champion on Gender and Environment for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2020. Jose also leads the UN’s socioeconomic recovery from COVID-19 efforts and the UN Gender Team in Costa Rica. Jose believes that a global economy rebirth requires that climate justice and social cohesion be put at its center and that economic models should be built using a feminist lens. Other activities include helping to decarbonize the Costa Rican economy, working on issues such as gender equality and green fiscality, and continuing to fight for the ecologist agenda since 1986 in Ecuador and now in Costa Rica as UNDP RR.

U.S. National Security
April 15, 2021

1997 | 25th Reunion
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Jennifer Frank (Heller) MPP reports that her debut picture book, The Worm Family Has Its Picture Taken, was released on May 11, 2021, with Anne Schwartz Books/Random House.

Migara Jayawardena MPP writes, “Following a two-decade career at the World Bank as a lead specialist on energy and infrastructure, I established AMALA Clean Energy Advisors to help clients navigate the clean energy transition to more-sustainable development. AMALA is a collective of professionals with multi-disciplinary expertise facilitating clean energy investments in 50 emerging-market countries throughout the world. The advisory is designed to help clients seize emerging opportunities by overcoming various barriers to investments in a dynamically and rapidly evolving market. Check us out at amalaenergy.com.”

Seth Kugel MPP took a pandemic-inspired break from journalism to cofound LiveCampusTours, which offers high school students live, confidential, one-on-one campus tours with current undergraduates. The service is aimed at students who live too far away to visit (or who cannot afford to—steep discounts are available to low-income students) or want to go beyond the slick marketing materials the admissions office puts out. He does still host his Portuguese-language YouTube channel, Amigo Gringo, and teaches reporting in NYU’s journalism department.

Wade Thompson MC/MPA has joined the board of directors of Democrats for Life of America, the preeminent national organization for whole-life Democrats, promoting whole-life issues that protect human life at all its stages. The group looks to elect candidates who do not support the culture of abortion on demand but who do support whole-life Democratic issues. To learn more, please go to democratsforlife.org or contact Wade directly.

1998
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Jared Genser MPP writes, “Exciting time! I am now co-executive producer of a dramatic TV series based on my work freeing political prisoners. The series is being developed with actor Orlando Bloom by Amazon Studios for Prime Video, which has 150 million viewers worldwide. I was recently appointed by Secretary General Luis Almagro as special advisor on the Responsibility to Protect to the Organization of American States. In this pro bono diplomatic role, I’ll be working to develop a regional system to prevent and respond to mass atrocity crimes. And I was one of three winners of the 2020 Tällberg Eliasson Global Leadership Prize, selected from 2,165 nominees across 135 countries.”

Fatimah Gilliam MPP is happy, healthy, and still living in New York. She’s enjoyed staying connected with classmates, especially during our challenging times with the pandemic and rise of overt racism. Running her strategy consulting firm, The Azara Group, Fatimah has been advising companies on diversity, inclusion, and leadership development. Also, Fatimah’s very excited to share that she landed a book deal. She’s been working diligently on her upcoming book, tentatively titled Race Rules—How to Avoid Offending People & Acting Racist for the Woke, Unwoke & Woke-n Up. It’s an innovative guidebook and practical manual of the unwritten “rules” as they relate to race. The book will be published in 2022 by McGraw-Hill.

Elizabeth Kelly MPP has joined C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, where she will head up the Thriving Cities Initiative. This program works with cities to help them tackle greenhouse gas emissions from unsustainable consumption of goods and services. Elizabeth would love to hear from fellow alums working in behavior change on consumption and/or working on climate change in general with cities.

Stephanie Kostro (Sanok) MPP began a new role this March as the executive vice president for policy at the Professional Services Council, a Washington, D.C.–based industry association that advocates for federal government contractors. As the U.S. government continues to address a wide range of challenges—whether long-standing or emergent—she is thrilled to help achieve better policy outcomes that support both a reliable contractor workforce and an increasingly efficient, effective government.

Patrick Marx MC/MPA is currently facilitating “Dialogue and Deliberation” and “Adaptive Leadership Inquiry” at the University of Montana, both of which are founded in HKS learning.

1999
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Amr Abdallah MPA writes, “Year 2020 has been exceptional with COVID-19 changing our life as we know it. The only good side of this year is spending more time with my wife and my three girls, who like everyone else had to adapt to virtual learning. Thinking more and more about life and work, I see that 2020 will be remembered as the family year. I am grateful to all the blessings that I still have and for being able to help young people in Egypt and Saudi find their first job and join the labor market. I can’t wait to see life going back to normal and being able to enjoy simple joys of life.”

Erik Jorgensen MC/MPA reports that he completed his fourth term as a member of the Maine House of Representatives, and this December came in second place in a six-way election by the new legislature for the Democratic nomination for Maine secretary of state. “I survived four ranked-choice runoffs and finally perished in the last round, only losing by a few votes. Despite the result, this race was precisely what my HKS training set me up to do, and I am glad I put myself out there.”

Annie Mayol MPP, since graduating from the Kennedy School, has worked in all sectors: NGO, government, and private. “The first 15 years I worked in all levels of government, including the city of New York, U.S. House of Representatives, the governor of Puerto Rico, and the White House. I did work for women in the Middle East through the Center for Liberty in the Middle East and finally worked as COO of a large Medicaid and Medicare Advantage Health Plan. After the devastation of Hurricane Maria in my home of Puerto Rico, I decided to take all my experience and dedicate it to the recovery of the island. I am currently president of Foundation for PR, a local NGO working in large recovery federal programs.”

Terry Pierce MPA writes, “My historical novel of Gettysburg was published in June 2020 and was an Amazon #1 New Release in Civil War Campaigns. Without Warning: The Saga of Gettysburg, a Reluctant Union Hero, and the Men He Inspired is a historically accurate novel that weaves together the stories of Union General George Meade and his key subordinates and forever changes our vision of the Battle of Gettysburg. Grounded in the words of the men who persisted, prevailed, and perished in the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, as accurate as history, and as true as the hearts of those who fought there, Without Warning takes you back in time to the moment when the tide turned toward the redemption of the republic.”

Peter Redmond MC/MPA has been appointed the director of the Center of Excellence in Foreign Affairs Resilience at the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute (FSI). He joined the State Department after 17 years at the Peace Corps where he served in several senior management positions overseas and in the Washington, D.C., headquarters. At FSI, he oversees a team of senior foreign service officers, psychologists, social workers, and training instructors who provide resilience programs, trainings, and consultations for diplomats, overseas missions, and leadership teams across the foreign affairs community.

2000
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Laurie Allen MPA is indeed alive and kicking! “I have continued to work in the environmental science and policy arena. After leaving Cambridge, I moved from D.C. to Connecticut, then back to Virginia, and finally landed for good (hopefully) in Maryland. Had lots of exciting adventures, in Ireland, Italy, and Africa, and from East to West Coast of the United States, continuing to learn and try to make a difference. Since NOAA, I rejuvenated a failing therapeutic riding nonprofit, ran a national wildlife research program at USGS, finished a PhD in ecology, consulted as strategic planner/analyst, and am now providing research and policy services to NOAA. I live with my Labrador retriever, two cats, and two horses in Potomac.”

Anthony Chavez MPP manages strategic communications at the Social Security Administration for initiatives that help people, especially vulnerable populations during COVID, get critical services and income benefits. “Previously I was a congressional affairs specialist helping the agency respond to inquiries on COVID relief legislation and phone scams. Like many HKS parent alums, I spent more time this past year with my family organizing summer activities and helping kids with homework!”

Janice Cooper MC/MPA writes, “This year marks my 10th year working for the Carter Center in my native Liberia, where I am a senior program advisor on global mental health. Over the years I have been in contact, virtually or in-person, with many classmates. My son, Kaly, who was a baby when I was in the program, graduated from Fordham last summer. Best wishes to all, especially wishing you health and peace.”

Zahra Khan MPA published an article in Think Global Health last year, titled “Systemic Racism in Mammogram Guidelines.” The article gained U.S. and international attention on mammogram equity, being the first to spell out mammogram disparities using the terms “racially unjust” and “systemic racism.” Zahra coined the term “breast cancer dodger” to emphasize earliest detection opportunities through annual mammograms in the 40s for minorities like herself. She has been working to launch a health care startup, Medina Global Health. Zahra recently celebrated her 25th wedding Nikkah anniversary with Dr. Nazer Qureshi, together with their two daughters, Hanya and Summer.

Kendra Perkins Norwood MPP has been promoted to partner at Wiley Rein LLP. Wiley is a Washington, D.C., law firm with an elite collection of practices to help clients navigate the complex legal, policy, and regulatory environment of the nation’s capital. An attorney in Wiley’s Government Contracts Practice, Kendra counsels government contractors and grant recipients on a range of legal issues, including compliance with government procurement laws and regulations. She litigates protests, prime-sub disputes, and contract appeals, in addition to representing clients in government investigations. Kendra also maintains an active pro bono practice.

Steven Rahman MPP and his wife, Renee, had twins who will turn two years old in May. Like many, they fled San Francisco for the safety of the countryside during the pandemic. Steven now works at Snapchat, focusing on developers who create the mini apps that run across the platform. One of these minis was a voter registration tool that signed up 1.2 million new voters in 2020.

Bill Schmidt MC/MPA has been the chair of the Winthrop Board of Health for the past five years. “We have been very busy during the past year dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and the many issues affecting public health in the community that is adjacent to Boston. I am also on the advisory council of Bridge Over Troubled Waters, a nonprofit organization located in Boston that supports homeless, runaway, and at-risk youth ages 14 to 24 with accessible, age-appropriate programming, a safe place to stay, and a path home. Bridge serves 2,000 youth each year through street outreach, survival aid, healthcare, counseling, case management, education, job development, and housing services.”

AI, Employment, and the Opportunity Gap
April 27, 2021

2001
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Jean-Martin Bauer MPP has taken up a new position in New York City, as senior advisor on digital, data, and innovation for the United Nations’ World Food Programme. Jean-Martin will focus on ensuring that new technologies support the global fight against hunger. He will split his time between New York and Charles Town, West Virginia, where his spouse and children live.

Michael Boyle MPP recently took up a new position as an associate professor of political science at Rutgers Camden. He is also a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia. His most recent book is The Drone Age: How Drone Technology Will Change War and Peace (Oxford University Press, 2020). He now lives just outside Philadelphia with his wife, Emma, and his sons George (born 2017) and Henry (born 2020).

Josiah Brown MPP writes, “In 2019, I launched Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Southern Connecticut, which—as part of the Nick Kristof–endorsed national CASA network—recruits, trains, and supports caring, consistent volunteers for children who have experienced abuse/neglect. We are progressing, for example, in training our fifth cohort of volunteers and receiving additional court appointments to match those volunteers with children in need. We’re raising funds—building on a lean model of one staff for 30 volunteers, for some 75 children—to grow to serve more children. Reggie Solomon MPP 2000 is among our board members. More personally, my wife (Sahar) and I live in New Haven with our kids, now both teens.”

Samuele Butera MPP is thankful for all the participants in trials, health care professionals, government officials, team members, and all contributors to the global efforts in creating a COVID-19 vaccine.

Mark Fedor MC/MPA writes, “Greetings to all my classmates from the MC/MPA class of 2001! Amy and I are celebrating our 28th anniversary in June and our four kids are doing well; two in college and two in 7th grade. Having been very fortunate to be selected for rear admiral, I’m currently serving as the chief financial officer/resource director for the U.S. Coast Guard. Our shop builds and executes our budget while ensuring safeguards to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse. We’re also transitioning to a new financial management system merging three separate ledgers into one. I’m scheduled to complete another year in this role and then hopefully compete for one of our larger field commands. I hope everyone is safe!”

Jenna Hornstock MPP writes, “I cannot believe 20 years have passed! I have spent almost all of those 20 years in local government working on economic development, affordable housing, public/private real estate transactions, transit and land use planning. I also managed to raise my son (now 14), support some great nonprofit organizations as a board member and through fundraising, and enjoy the weather and beauty of Los Angeles. My KSG education has been invaluable throughout my career and I look forward to reconnecting!”

Matt Robison MPP is producing and hosting two podcasts now. “One is an interview show with top politics insiders called Beyond Politics. The other is a policy show with experts from across the political spectrum, called Great Ideas. Both are on broadcast radio on WKXL in New Hampshire and on all the podcast listening apps ... or can be found on our website BeyondPoliticsPodcast.com. I’d love to hear what everyone thinks of them!”

Ken Shulman MC/MPA has been working for the past 18 years as the executive director of the Lambert House LGBTQ Youth Center. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the center, which is headquartered in Seattle, has been serving youth online from 25 U.S. states and Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, England, and Australia. During Ken’s tenure the organization has tripled the number of youth served and expanded from 17 to 50 services in 10 locations. It also purchased its Seattle facility, making the center the fifth LGBTQ youth organization in the country to own its home. “This has been the work of my life; it fulfills my dreams to make a positive difference in the world and uses the best of my skills in fundraising, government relations, management, youth programming, and LGBTQ civil rights.”

Christina Wang MPP writes, “It’s been many years since I took the “Managing Self, Managing Others” course at HKS. Over the years, the principles I learned have helped me build teams and lead others. I’m excited to share that I am expanding that work into a new leadership coaching and training practice, in addition to my job as chief financial and people officer at Impekable, a digital product agency. Referrals and advice warmly welcomed!”

2002 | 20th Reunion
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Earl Adams Jr. MPA, in January 2020, was elected chairman of the board of directors of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which manages Reagan National and Dulles International Airports. Earl was reelected chairman in January 2021. He was also appointed managing partner of the Washington, D.C., office of Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr, a national law firm, in February 2020.

Padmesh Shukla MPA/ID reports that 2020 was a watershed year for the investment industry, where impact and sustainability got firmly entrenched as an important third dimension in decision making. Padmesh, who is the CIO of the $18 billion Transport for London Pension Fund and a development practitioner by training, finds that the possibilities and opportunities are endless—and sorely needed to recover from COVID-induced challenges.

2003
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Jimmy Aguirre MPP and his family will be moving this summer from Stuttgart, Germany, to The Hague, Netherlands, which is good because they have hiked every trail in southern Germany at this point of the pandemic. Jimmy continues to serve through the Department of State, most recently as a foreign policy advisor to U.S. Africa Command and next as the deputy U.S. permanent representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Jimmy’s spouse, whom he met a few months after graduating from HKS, is working on access to high-quality tertiary education that leads to employment in Africa. “The kids (8, 10, and 13) are working on driving us a bit crazier each day. Miss you all.”

Judith Oleson MC/MPA is currently the director of the Tom Porter Program on Religion and Conflict Transformation at Boston University School of Theology. She teaches courses in conflict transformation, transitional justice, and reconciliation with both graduate and doctoral students.

She directs research initiatives, a clinic/internship program, and interdisciplinary learning events, and serves on the administrative team for the Journal of Interreligious Studies. In partnership with the European Center for the Study for War and Peace, she also teaches in Croatia and Bosnia.

Raquel Reyes MPA writes, “This is my first update. I can’t believe it’s been 18 years! After KSG (still KSG to me!) I spent five years at HMS, followed by four years at MGH training in internal medicine and pediatrics. I moved to Uganda in 2012, at 35, and was pleasantly surprised to meet my husband in the village where I was working. We were married in 2014, and now have three beautiful children who bring us joy daily. We live in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, but continue to dedicate a lot of time to our work in rural Uganda. I am a hospitalist, and our group provided most of the COVID care in our hospital. What a year, for so many reasons! So thankful for a new administration, vaccine rollout, and eager to return to hugs and fellowship.”

2004
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Stephen Frost MPP is the CEO of Included, a specialist inclusion and diversity consultancy and legacy organization of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The group has produced an impact report detailing their work in diversity and inclusion in organizations worldwide over the past decade. The organization is currently working on embedding inclusion in design thinking in organizations worldwide, especially in tech, FS, and future Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Guido Houben MPA writes, “Generating baseload carbon-neutral energy affordable for all, in the form of electricity, hydrogen, or district heat, as well as its efficient distribution, storage, and consumption have become the dominating issues of the world (maybe apart from the pandemic). Some are passionate about renewables, others about nuclear energy. As CFO of Transmutex, a CERN spin-off in Geneva where we’re exploring a third way (thorium-based accelerator-driven systems that can also eliminate existing nuclear waste), I feel on a daily basis how well HKS has prepared me to tackle this highly international mission at the intersection of science, corporate finance, and governmental regulations.”

Buck Song Koh MC/MPA has had time during the pandemic to write two new books, both published in 2021. Brand Singapore: Nation Branding in a World Disrupted by COVID-19 is the third edition of a study of Singapore’s country brand, and Around the World in 68 Days: Observations of Life From a Journey Across 13 Countries is a travel memoir.

Andrew Leigh PhD writes, “After a tumultuous year, our family has found ourselves appreciating our local community in Canberra, and enjoying time together. Gweneth is undertaking her PhD in public health, and our three boys—Sebastian (14), Theodore (11), and Zachary (8)—are growing faster than grass. I’ve just clocked up my 10th year in the Australian parliament. This year’s book is What’s the Worst That Could Happen? Existential Risk and Extreme Politics (MIT Press, November 2021). After all, what better time to think about how to avoid the end of the world? Warm wishes to all. Andrew.”

Anthony (Antonio) Martinez MC/MPA was appointed by the Governor’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) to serve as the second-ever executive director of the Colorado Broadband Office. Anthony will be responsible for driving the state’s broadband strategy, collaborating closely with the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade and the Department of Local Affairs, and continuing to grow strong public and private sector relationships in communities to support broadband expansion throughout Colorado. Anthony joins the state after serving 32-plus years in federal government.

Bridger McGaw MPP writes, “In a year of working remotely, I’ve been leading athenahealth’s crisis response to COVID-19, keeping the company’s 5,600 employees safe and continuing to deliver athena’s electronic medical record and other services. I have enjoyed keeping up with and celebrating classmates who are making efforts locally and globally to recover and strengthen their communities through their leadership, activism, and policy work. Keep it up HKS! I continue to work locally, improving our community as an elected town meeting member in Lexington, Massachusetts. Stay safe everyone.”

Gagik Yeghiazarian MC/MPA writes, “My main achievement is in the successful launch of the PUBLIQ peer-to-peer network and open protocol for distributed ecosystems: publiq.network. It is a working model for Web 3.0, or the new Internet of Owners, which offers full inclusion and shared ownership to all network participants, enables free enterprising with custom logic, free exchange of digital assets, e.g., content, and instant wealth distribution to all participants in the network based on merit. The network operates with the support of PUBLIQ’s native blockchain, distributed storage and channel nodes, AI, and other technology solutions that help automate all the processes and transactions using original smart contracts.”

2005
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Brendan Boyle MPP was reelected to Congress in November and began serving his fourth term in January. He was elected vice chairman of the House Budget Committee and has been busy working on COVID relief bills as well as the infrastructure bill. He’s very much looking forward to the end of the pandemic and hoping for no more insurrections at his workplace.

Maria Emilia (Millie) Dutto MPA writes, “What learning experience do you want your child to have? When my third son was born, I decided to apply my experience leading transformation programmes for the British Library and local libraries to reimagine the outdated library of my children’s school. Libraries’ evolution through design thinking has been my career passion after HKS. Fundraising £30K and recruiting 120 parents, we successfully created more than a library: a ubiquitous space that encourages self-learning, enables discovery, and feeds curiosity. And since the story continues: Last month I co-created the first online book festival in the school’s history. It’s been spellbinding and food for thought for my next career steps.”

Mike Hayes MPP writes, “My biggest news is that I joined classmate Ryan Raffaelli MPP as a guest in his HBS classroom for the third year in a row, and I’m pleased to report he is exceeding all expected MPP ’05 standards! :)  In all sincerity—a wonderful professor and we can all be very proud. In October, I joined the C-suite of VMware, a $65 billion global software company, running global operations and transformation. More important, I published my book Never Enough, in my effort to bring more meaning and impact to the world. I’m donating all my profits to a 501c3 I started that pays off mortgages for Gold Star families—paid off my fifth home recently. Living in Westport, Connecticut, with my wife and 20-year-old daughter. All great!”

2006
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Rahul Anand MC/MPA joined the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 2010. “Since then, I have worked on several IMF programs and surveillance cases in Africa and Asia. I have also been involved in the fund’s capacity-building work in central banks. At present I am working in the Asia-Pacific department of the IMF as chief of the South Asia division, which includes Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, and as mission chief to Bangladesh. I live with my family in Potomac, Maryland. I am looking forward to meeting you all!”

Trey Csar MPP in 2019 cofounded a statewide education nonprofit, Impact Florida, that brings together public school districts in the state to learn from one another and strengthen their instructional programs. He also serves on the founding board of 904WARD, an organization focused on ending racism in Jacksonville, and is the thankful husband to Sunny Gettinger MPP and father to Cort (nine) and Max (seven).

Sunny Gettinger MPP ran a competitive city council race in Jacksonville, Florida, in 2019, losing by just 248 votes of more than 10,000 cast in the Republican-leaning district. The campaign raised over $250K and knocked on more than 54,000 doors in its efforts. Outside politics, Sunny continues to lead Google Fiber’s communications efforts across the country and is a proud mom to two boys, Cort (nine) and Max (seven).

Angela Joo-Hyun Kang MC/MPA, founder and executive president of Global Competitiveness Empowerment Forum, was appointed as senior advisor of Arabesque S-Ray GmbH, a global ESG data provider, for South Korean business development in January 2021. Angela is currently an anti-bribery policy group member of Business at OECD (Business and Industry Advisory Committee), and an integrity and compliance taskforce member and special initiative of women empowerment member of 2021 Business 20 (B20) Italy. She is also a co-head of the South Korean delegation of 2021 Women 20 (W20) Italy, and a private sector advisory group member of the Fair Biz Project, housed in UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub.

James Ku MPP writes, “After spending a few years in industrial site selection and economic development, including time working for USAID and World Bank projects in Pakistan and Afghanistan, I went back to the private sector and spent time in private equity real estate before landing with Walmart. I was responsible for Walmart’s real estate in the United States and then China, before recently becoming chief operating officer for Walmart China. I am still passionate about economic development and poverty alleviation, and founded a company that provides solar household systems for rural villagers in Pakistan.”

Lubna Malik MC/MPA, after working with the central bank since 2001, was appointed to head the Financial Monitoring Unit of Pakistan in July 2020. As director general, Lubna supervises frameworks for developing financial intelligence and supports efforts to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. Despite the extensive challenges facing Pakistan, major improvements in these areas have been made in the past year. “My areas of interest are risk management, financial stability, and management of public enterprise. I am looking forward to the reunion and hope to reconnect with my classmates from HKS.”

Rodolfo Neirotti MPA is an honorary member of the Brazilian Academy of Cardiovascular Surgery.

Christopher Ward MPP writes, “It’s been a big year of change as I finished my time on city council and was elected last November to the California State Assembly to represent part of the San Diego region (AD-78). I now split my weeks between Sacramento and home, and focus on climate, homelessness, housing, and other key areas of legislative business. I was tapped to be the assistant majority whip, and am highly enjoying the activities, mindful of the seriousness of the needs facing the public. My kids are now seven and two, and continue to be the best part of life. When times get safer, for those traveling to Sacramento, please feel free to reach out!”

2007 | 15th Reunion
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Armando López-Cárdenas MC/MPA writes, “Together with my beloved wife, Monica, we have two wonderful children: Armando (eight), and Anuar (five). I am currently chief of staff in the National Institute of the Migration in the Department of State in Mexico. We live in México City.”

Charlene MacDonald MPP now heads FTI Consulting’s Healthcare & Life Sciences for the Americas sector. In this role, she leads a team of experts across the United States and Latin America advising clients navigating financial, regulatory, and reputational challenges.

2008
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Jason Blackstock MPA writes, “Amidst the turmoil and loss of the last year, sadly including losing close family, there have been sparks of light: In November 2020—between lockdowns—I got married to Alana Heath in London (with three people there!). In April 2021 I will leave University College London (after eight years!) because the education and community (digital) social enterprises I’ve been co-building and leading have grown exponentially in the past year. Among those, the HKS-inspired How to Change the World experiential and virtual education social enterprise is the main focus (htctw.org). Looking very forward to hearing what everyone else is up to in these surreal times. Love and safety to everyone and their families!”

Margaux McDonald MPA recently completed a diplomatic posting in Pakistan, in time to return to Ottawa and welcome her first child (a girl!) with husband, Patrick. She’s now enjoying a year of maternity leave (thank you, Canada—best policy ever) with daughter Portia. Despite the pandemic, Margaux is counting her blessings and has you all on her mind. She’s hoping everyone is healthy, and can’t wait to reconnect in person. Big hugs will be in order!

Thomas Park MPP is feeling grateful to still be in touch with so many classmates. “My wife, Jisu Yoon, and I are very happy to welcome our first child in April. I currently lead a new venture capital fund called the BDC Deep Tech Fund. Still based in Montréal where I co-led a group of classmates with Clara Peron MPP on one of the best class trips ever back in 2007. Hoping to see everyone at the next reunion!”

Maliheh Paryavi MPA/ID reports that The Dr. Maliheh Paryavi Podcast continues to reach audiences worldwide, featuring powerful and authentic conversations with world-renowned leaders and pioneers such as authors Angela Duckworth and Dr. Susan David, Valerie Jarrett (senior advisor to former President Obama), CEOs Tina Tchen and Anousheh Ansari, and HKS faculty member Iris Bohnet. Listen, subscribe, and share: malihehparyavi.com/podcast.

Elias Rigas MC/MPA is a branch chief at the U.S. Army Research Lab developing a next-generation helicopter, UAS, and drone technologies for future soldiers. He is also the president of the board of directors at Odyssey Charter School in Wilmington, Delaware. Odyssey is an inner-city K-12 charter school and is the fourth largest school in Delaware. Its mission is to develop world citizenship and culture and establish critical thinking and problem-solving proficiency through the added learning of a Modern Greek language and mathematics focus. The school is also a leader in implementing environmentally sustainable practices and resources and was a recipient of the 2020 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School award.

Tai Sunnanon MPP was elected as delegate (Assembly District 50) to the California Democratic Party in February 2021, serving a two-year term.

2009
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David Holden MC/MPA was admitted to Harvard Divinity School’s Master of Divinity Program, Class of 2024.

Flavian Marwa MC/MPA writes, “After over 10 years of advisory/management consulting in the private and public sectors in the United States, Africa, and South America, I moved to Washington, D.C., where I am currently deputy commissioner for market operations at the Department of Insurance, Security and Banking (DISB), a financial services regulator. This position leverages my diverse background. Hoping to be able to see some of you in 2021 if you pass through D.C. Stay safe and well.”

Carrie Schuettpelz MPP has been named associate professor at the University of Iowa’s School of Planning and Public Affairs.

Hassan Tetteh MC/MPA was selected as an Emerging Leader in Health and Medicine Scholar by the National Academy of Medicine. He currently leads a Specialized Transplant Adapted Recovery (STAR) Team in Washington, D.C., to expand heart and lung recovery and save more lives. His latest books, The Art of Human Care for COVID-19 and The Art of Human Care With Artificial Intelligence will be released this spring and summer respectively.

2010
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Josh Archambault MPP has launched Presidents Lane Consulting. He is currently working with a few public policy groups and a number of health care companies that are determined to lower costs. Josh has been offering advice on how to best navigate the complex changing landscapes in states and D.C., helped a few enter new markets, and aided leaders to raise their public profile. His past work in 30 states and D.C. have come in very handy. He is eager to connect with any other independent consultants to compare notes, or others in the health care space.

Ramaswami Balasubramaniam MC/MPA has been appointed by the Indian prime minister to the position of member–human resources in the newly established Capacity Building Commission (CBC). The CBC is an initiative of Prime Minister Modi to prepare the nation’s public administration to take India into the 21st century. The CBC will oversee all the capacity development initiatives of the Indian bureaucracy, such as helping public servants become citizen-centric, responsive, and competent. The commission will also oversee all the 400-plus training institutions of the national government. This commission is seen as another effort of the prime minister to bring in citizen-centric governance.

Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook MPA writes, “I’m happy to announce that we will be joining many classmates in Berlin this summer, as we relocate for me to take up a new job as the director of the German Council on Foreign Relations. We’ll miss being everyone’s HKS outpost, but are looking forward to new challenges—a new job and another family member, due in September 2021.”

Zachary Gingo MC/MPA is still living in Medford, Massachusetts, and working for Harvard, now as the associate dean for physical resources and planning in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. “This past year has been particularly challenging as we have dealt with the ever-changing conditions presented by COVID, but Harvard remains a rewarding and inspiring place to work.”

Naima Green-Riley MPP has accepted an assistant professor position at Princeton University. She is jointly appointed to the political science department and policy school and will start teaching in 2022.

Ian Mills MPA writes, “I write this from sunny Barbados! Currently home to Courtney Mills MPP and myself and our two little treasures (Ariella and Eliud). Been a crazy year but little-island life has worked pretty well for us during a pandemic … I’ve been working as deputy director of development for the UK Foreign Office in the Caribbean, and Courtney has been starting a new agribusiness venture, which is extremely exciting. We expect to move next year, likely to Texas, but to be confirmed! We miss our old HKS friends and look forward to seeing y’all whenever and wherever we next can.”

Josh Stephens MPP published his first book, The Urban Mystique: Notes on California, Los Angeles, and Beyond, a collection of essays about urban planning. He edits the California Planning & Development Report.

Clarence Tong MPP, after 6.5 years on the political affairs team at the Environmental Defense Fund in Washington, D.C., has taken on a new role leading federal affairs and policy at a new electric-vehicle manufacturer called Arrival.

Next Generation of Climate Finance
March 23, 2021

2011
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Alex Buck MC/MPA writes, “My family and I just moved to Fort Collins, Colorado. We were in Hershey, Pennsylvania, for a few years after moving there from Massachusetts. Still working in the medical device industry; same company for the last five-plus years. I was working remote even before the pandemic. Also working on an app with my brother. The app gives the joyful thrill of discovery through experimentation. Looking forward to catching up at the upcoming reunion!”

September Hargrove MPP writes, “In December 2020, my husband, John, and I welcomed our first child, a son, John-August. We are currently living in Detroit, where I’ve been leading JPMorgan Chase’s $200 million philanthropic investment in the city’s economic recovery. We’ll be moving back to California in 2022. I can’t believe that it’s already been 10 years since graduating from HKS. It’s been a wonderful journey that has taken me from Harvard Square to New Orleans, the Obama White House, and a backpacking trip across Europe, Africa, and Asia. I hope that everyone is well and that our paths cross again.”

Danielle Piskadlo MPA is coming up on her two-year anniversary as the executive director at Budget Buddies, a nonprofit that builds the financial health and resilience of women living on low incomes. Danielle lives in Acton, Massachusetts, with her partner and their two sons. “I’m looking forward to connecting with classmates at our virtual reunion this year!”

Eliud Ramocan HKSEE is the project director for Jamaica’s Cyber Programme to the Ministry of National Security. In this role he is tasked with upgrading critical infrastructure through the use of cutting-edge cybersecurity technology and international cooperation that fosters a cyber-resilient economy. Prior to that, he worked at Jamaica’s central bank for more than a decade, developing economic intelligence and data management capabilities. Eliud is the author of Remittances to Jamaica: Findings From a National Survey of Remittance Recipients. He earned HKS executive education certificates in strategic management for regulatory and enforcement agencies in October 2011 and in cybersecurity in January 2021.

2012 | 10th Reunion
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Francisco Aguilar MPP writes, “Hey all! Gracie is 19 months, and the first-responder and defense robotics company we launched after graduation was just recognized in Forbes, so we’re doing well despite all the challenges of the past year. Look forward to reconnecting with you all soon and hope you are staying safe.”

Erica Harrison Arnold MPP, in these unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic, serves as the executive director of legal compliance in Henry County schools in Georgia. Erica helps families navigate policies, practices, and protocols while demystifying compliance actions for school and district leaders. In Fall 2020, Erica completed a Master of Education in education leadership through The Broad Center as a 2018–2020 resident.

Sophal Ear HKSEE writes, “In April 2021, the Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Fellowship Program named me as its third PPIA Changemaker. This initiative is part of PPIA’s 40th-anniversary celebration, naming 40 PPIA Alumni Changemakers. A 2011 YGL of the World Economic Forum and a 2009 TED Fellow, I did the 1994 Junior Summer Institute at Princeton. In 2016, I received PPIA’s Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney Achievement Award for Extraordinary Leadership in Public Service. I continue to teach at Occidental College, where I specialize in political economy, Asia, and am a global expert on Cambodia. In 2020, I co-edited a virtual issue on ‘Coronavirus: Politics, Economics, and Pandemics’ in the journal Politics and the Life Sciences.”

2013
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Netaly Ophir Flint MC/MPA recently launched her firm KONU’s new office in Israel, through which she continues to bring the adaptive leadership framework to organizations and change-makers. After spending the past three years living in Los Angeles, she recently moved back to Tel Aviv with her husband, Nir, and their three children.

Elisabeth Heid MPA writes, “I am based in Berlin and gave birth to my son, Ari, in June 2020—a pandemic baby! Otherwise, I am continuing to build my leadership development and change consultancy, KONU (konu.org). All of our workshops, coaching, and consulting are virtual now, so our client base is even more global. Many engagements (such as Fairtrade International, the World Bank, or FMO) arise through HKS connections—it’s great being able to work with fellow HKS alumni.”

Rahul Kalita MPA co-founded an education technology startup, Tutored by Teachers, in 2020. The company’s mission is to build a national tutoring program and help close the achievement gap. They successfully raised a $500K seed round, and their first hire is an HKS 2019 alum, Elizabeth Gibbons MC/MPA 2019, who is the head of partnerships and advocacy.

Litcy Kurisinkal MPP and fellow Harvard alum Neha Bansal have launched an initiative named Asianism Retold. The initiative aims to understand the nature of Asian leadership, which is a reflection of distinct Asian values, and to leverage the role of Asian leaders in the region’s development and global geopolitics. In March 2021 the initiative’s first expert consultation brought together Asian leaders, academics, and diverse stakeholders to explore the diverse dimensions of Asian identity and values. The Center of Asian Leadership Institute (CALI), which was founded by a Harvard alum, and NIICE Nepal are partners of the initiative. Anyone interested in knowing more about the initiative should feel free to reach out.

2014
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Michael Koehler MPA has continued to grow his firm KONU to support change-makers and organizations leading adaptive change. The past year added an emphasis on DEI and crisis challenges—as well as an expansion into virtual deep learning spaces. KONU was co-founded by HKS lecturer Tim O’Brien. It currently consists of 10 HKS alums—and is growing.

Ruthzee Louijeune MPP is running for Boston City Council at-large! Ruthzee started at HKS with the Class of 2013, but graduated in 2014 with a joint degree from Harvard Law School. She is a native Bostonian, a lawyer, and an advocate. She previously served as senior counsel to Senator Elizabeth Warren’s campaigns. Ruthzee is running to build a more affordable, equitable, and inclusive Boston, and has the passion and conviction to make it happen. Please visit RuthzeeForBoston.com to donate, sign up for emails, and find out how you can get involved!

Nate Mackinnon MC/MPA, after four years working and living in Nevada, has been appointed executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges. He and his wife, Kaitlyn, and daughter, Madelyn, are moving back to the Boston area in June.

Steven Sarao MC/MPA is currently assigned to the NYPD Intelligence Bureau. He continues to publish in the public policy space, recently in the Newark Star Ledger as a guest columnist: “‘So Precious Is a Grandmother’s Love.’ Saying Goodbye During the Time of COVID-19.” Steven is completing his first novel, The Dreams of Little Boys Create Men, which sits between historical nonfiction and memoir. It’s about fathers and sons, why boys become police officers, and how small-town economic struggles intersect with social justice, corruption, and murder. It offers a historical look at policing in America, providing a unique perspective towards understanding policing in the United States.

Ted Zagraniski MC/MPA and his family are wrapping up three and a half years based at Naval Station Norfolk. Since 2018, Ted has traveled extensively across Europe, the USA, and the Pacific, guiding and adding to national and multinational military planning efforts. Next stop this July: back to the Pentagon and the U.S. Army Staff, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations.

2015
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Sahar Albazar MC/MPA ran in the Egyptian Parliament elections last year and won. Sahar began her role as a Parliament member in January 2021.

Olof Hugander HKSEE made partner at Brakeley Nordic, a consulting firm advising nonprofits on matters concerning philanthropic support, resource mobilization strategies, and stakeholder engagement. Having previously hosted career chats at HKS, Olof welcomes all HKS students to reach out if they want to know more about career opportunities in the field.

2016
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Axelle Bagot MC/MPA writes, “For the second year in a row I have been offered to teach a class in adaptive leadership at Brown University (MPA program). I’m enjoying this experience a lot. I am also now CEO of the Leadership Lab International, an organizational development consulting company I co-founded with two Harvard professors. Our missions include working with the Malala Fund in the UK and the Africa Business School in Morocco. I also work for Ace Up, which offers executive coaching packages to various organizations. I juggle between these different jobs and my different hats, combining with delight the tasks of teaching, learning, experimenting, and interacting with fascinating people who have inspiring purposes.”

Vilas Dhar MC/MPA was named inaugural president of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, a $1.5 billion global philanthropy advancing AI and data solutions to create a thriving, equitable, and sustainable future for humanity. In March 2021, Vilas architected a rare philanthropic merger with Cloudera Foundation, creating a novel approach to empower social change-makers and nonprofits with powerful technological capacity. He co-chairs the World Economic Forum’s Global AI Action Alliance with Arvind Krishna, the CEO of IBM, and serves as a global expert on issues of equity, sustainability, and human possibility in a data- and AI-powered society.

Zoltan Feher MC/MPA writes, “Since my HKS graduation, I have been pursuing my PhD in international relations at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. In my dissertation, I examine the U.S. strategy toward China from 1970 to 2020 to explain why the United States ended up facilitating China’s rise. In recent years, I have taught international relations at the Harvard Summer School, Ivy League Summer Institute (at Harvard Law School), and Tufts University’s political science department. Since 2017, I have worked as a research fellow at Fletcher’s Center for Strategic Studies. In August 2021, I am joining the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas at Austin as a predoctoral fellow.”

Maroof Mohsin MC/MPA writes, “Since my return from Harvard in 2017 I have been teaching political science at North South University Dhaka as an adjunct lecturer and enjoying it. I fell into this space by serendipity, having randomly met a dean of the engineering school at a friend’s birthday party who invited me to see the campus, which I totally loved! The rest is history. I embarked on my teaching journey at the Department of Political Science and Sociology in the fall of 2017. It is now spring of 2021 and I am eagerly planning for a PhD, which I never even dreamt of.”

Siqi Mou MPA writes, “Since graduating from HKS, I’ve been building HelloAva, a beauty technology company. Many twists and turns, but we are scaling and helping hundreds of thousands of users get more confident about their skin. We are very excited about this mission. I currently reside in NYC (Tribeca) with my husband, who works in finance, and we just welcomed our son in early 2020.”

Theodora Skeadas MPP writes, “I am running for Cambridge City Council this year! I’m running to champion a fair and sustainable economy, to empower our local businesses, and to fight for greater equity for our most vulnerable residents. It’s been a tough year for our city. Through my work managing Cambridge Local First, I’ve seen how much our local businesses are struggling. Unemployment in Cambridge tripled in the first half of 2020 alone. And as the housing crisis worsens, so does the racial and gender equity gap. As board chair of the YWCA Cambridge, the city’s largest residential housing provider for women, I have seen these inequities firsthand. Join me in fighting for a more just Cambridge, at votetheo.com!”

Alyce Su HKSEE, at the invitation of Dr. Lee George Lam, chairman of Cyberport, participated as an investor in Cyberport Venture Capital Forum 2020. Edventures GBA Summit/Expo and Silicon Dragon were the spotlight events. The forum featured Hong Kong as the Smart City, powered by artificial intelligence, big data, blockchain, and fintech. At the event, Alyce participated in nearly 100 one-on-one investor presentations arranged by Cyberport Investors Network (CIN). Over the past three years, CIN has invested HK$629 million in 37 projects. Cyberport Macro Fund also committed HK$32 million and attracted HK$394 million via co-investments 1:12.

2017 | 5th Reunion
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Mildred Voon MPP is currently the head of projects at the Leadership Institute of Sarawak Civil Service. “My organization develops training programmes and leadership development frameworks for the Sarawak state government, in my hometown of Kuching in Malaysia. I work closely with colleagues in the government to review and amend policies related to capacity building and performance management for the state civil service.”

Jiyuan (Dexter) Yu MPA/ID writes, “Hi everyone, it seems like it was only yesterday that we were sitting in the same classroom—time truly flies! I now serve as the vice president of the board and CEO of CHK Oil, a publicly listed company in Hong Kong. I also started my own business in China, working together with Real Madrid Foundation as their strategic partner and official exclusive partner of football training camps in China to provide high-quality football training to Chinese youth using the Real Madrid philosophy. I miss you all dearly and hope we can meet up face-to-face sometime soon, hopefully in Cambridge!”

2018
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Joshua Albert MPP is in Washington, D.C., working with KONU, a leadership and change consulting firm where he helps mission-driven organizations apply the adaptive leadership and adult development principles he learned at HKS to navigate complex challenges or change processes.

Yingjing Deng MC/MPA writes, “Since graduation, I settled down in the greater Boston area, got married, and had a baby boy. I am working at the Harvard Chinese Art Media Lab as a project manager leading teams to bring cutting-edge technology and design together with the humanistic inquiry. In 2020, I also initiated a nonprofit English buddy program to support Syrian refugee youth in Lebanon. Even more exciting, I joined the Harvard Kennedy School New England Alumni Association as a member of the board of directors, serving as co-chair of the Public Service Committee and vice-chair of the Marketing Committee, to continue to serve the HKS community.”

Matthew Fecteau MC/MPA was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal on August 11, 2020, while serving with the U.S. Army Intelligence & Security Command. According to army regulation, the Meritorious Service Medal is “awarded to any service member of the Armed Forces of the United States ... that has distinguished himself or herself by outstanding meritorious achievement or service.” In his remarks Matthew said, “I want to dedicate this award to my aunt, Christine ‘Teen’ Pappas. This has been a difficult year for her due to her medical condition. She is my best friend, hero, and my moral compass.” Matthew is an Iraq War veteran and former congressional candidate.

Jason Halligan MPP recently helped the city of Brandenburg, Kentucky, deliver its new wastewater treatment plant as the first local government public-private partnership under Kentucky’s P3 law. By following this innovative project delivery model, the city saved upwards of $3.5 million and a year in project completion time.

Mercy Atieno Odongo MC/MPA is first counsellor at the Kenya Consulate in Dubai. She was one of 200 leaders selected from over 10,000 applicants across 44 countries for the inaugural class of the Obama Foundation for Emerging Leaders in Africa program in 2018. Mercy is also the founder of Adaptive Leadership Foundation and has worked with HKS to coach more than 140 emerging leaders from Africa. She is also a member of Harvard Women Defense, Diplomacy and Development and has been involved in HKS alumni career shadowing.

Ivana Rachmawati MPA/ID writes, “Indonesia stands at the crossroads of a waste crisis with a 10 percent share of the global mismanaged waste (second only to China). The traditional way of the waste recycling process has some market failure, which hinders a scalable recycling effort. We leveraged advancements in technology to create a platform called Octopus (octopus.co.id) that simplifies the process, improves recyclable quality, and offers an e-market to address market failures. After two years of operation, we have recycled more than 20 million PET bottles and created more than 8,000 jobs. Partnership with FMCGs hopefully will scale our effort to significantly reduce recyclable waste in Indonesia.”

2019
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JP Caicedo MPA is currently leading one of the largest urban renewal transportation projects in Bogotá—his hometown in Colombia. “It is a 25-kilometer-long project in which the city will privilege clean and zero emission modes of transportation such as walking, biking, and public transit. It’s been a challenging experience as it involves strongly empowered constituencies (civic, political, CBOs, etc.) and political pressure and exposure. A great scenario to put together many HKS classes.”

Jennifer Gottesfeld MPP started a podcast called The Other Story, where each episode looks at the dominant narratives that have been constructed around a particular group or issue, for example Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, or mental health. The podcast explores how these dominant narratives came to be, what work is being done to deconstruct and change these narratives, and the role of Hollywood in reinforcing and challenging them. The podcast can be found anywhere podcasts are available; follow @otherstorypod on Twitter for updates and resources.

Bernie Hvozdovic MC/MPA has been appointed by the mayor and council of Princeton, New Jersey, to serve as their administrator. He was previously the township manager of South Brunswick, New Jersey. Bernie is also certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a civil trial attorney.

Patrick Lynch MC/MPA is now director of policy and planning at Ipswich River Watershed Association, a 1,500-member nonprofit north of Boston working to safeguard the drinking water source for 350,000 residents and businesses. In April, Patrick’s team released a video featuring remarks by John Kerry, U.S. special presidential envoy on climate, as part of a new campaign to advance local solutions on climate and water. Patrick continues to take people kayaking as he did at HKS, and invites alumni to become members and join him for a paddle. Patrick also joined the board of the HKS New England Alumni Association.

Alnoor Maherali MC/MPA recently launched Venn Mediation, a company specializing in conflict and dispute resolution. Venn, which was inspired by Professor Brian Mandel’s advanced negotiation class, just celebrated its one-year anniversary. Alnoor works with his clients to reach agreements and resolve disagreements in a more collaborative manner that aims to increase the size of the pie rather than simply dividing it. Venn Mediation helps with personal disputes such as divorces, prenups, and estates, and also commercial disputes. Disputes can be difficult, but dispute resolution doesn’t have to be. Visit Venn Mediation at vennmediation.com.

Korey Te Hira MPP, after serving as chief operating officer at the National Conference on Citizenship, started a new position as chief of staff at The Markup. “Also married someone I met through my Alpha MPP cohort!”

Megan Townsend MPP is entering her third and final year of family medicine medical residency at the University of Colorado and Denver Health. She serves as a Denver Health chief resident. Megan is enjoying getting to know Colorado and spends as much time as possible in the mountains!

2020
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Daniel Bicknell MPP writes, “In April 2020, a group of Harvard alumni founded Harvard Alumni for Climate and the Environment. We seek to connect Harvard alumni to combat the climate crisis and protect people and the planet. Become a member and learn more at harvardclimate.com.”

Courtney Duffy MPA has come aboard at Patreon, a fast-growing membership platform that makes it easier for artists and creators to get paid. As head of creator policy engagement, she informs and engages the creator community in public and content policy initiatives that promote the new creator economy. Based in New York, she looks forward to meeting and reconnecting with fellow alumni in the area.

Nick Elledge MPA/ID reports that DataFleets, his tech startup focused on private data analytics and collaboration, was acquired by LiveRamp (NYSE:RAMP).

Kasia Jakimowicz MC/MPA, since graduation, has managed to transition into international development and global tech, consulting with the UN and the World Bank and working with MIT Media Lab privacy-by-design digital solutions.

Adithya Wicaksono HKSEE writes, “Amid the pandemic, children spent countless hours indoors on gadgets and entertainment. A former colleague and I decided to start virtual trip-based education for young children. The platform of biviti_id was created in September. Technology has enabled us to engage more than 1,300 Indonesian kids across the nation in just three months, in four-hour sessions each. We took them on a virtual tour of the International Space Station and Indonesia’s national parks. We celebrated the milestone with encouragement from Indonesia’s first woman astronaut, Professor Pratiwi Sudarmono. For more information, visit @biviti_id on Instagram.”

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Photos by Martha Stewart

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