Alumni Class Notes - Archive
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Class of 2009 - Summer Internships (May 2008)
Jenelle Akerstrom: Learning Point Associates
Monica Almonacid: Innovations for Poverty Action
Jake Ament: City of Chicago
Rachel Anderson: Ounce of Prevention Fund
Winnie Bahrmasel: Stevenson Center on Democracy
Jennifer Barbour: Learning Point Associates
Erin Barringer: City of Chicago
James Blatchford: Edward Teach
Michael Bradow: Shorecap Exchange
Elise Braun: Deloitte
Katie Bui: LMI
Elise Chor: Learning Point Associates
Robert Collinson: City of Chicago
Meg Currie: New Orleans Redevelopment Authority
Ted Dabrowski: Chicago Transit Authority
Michael Deuser: Chicago Transit Authority
Anthony Earley: Bain & Company
Leslie Eldridge: U.S. Department of State
Angela Erickson: Economic Development Agency
Lynn Espedido: U.S. Government Accountability Office
Alexis Gagne: Chicago Transit Authority
Aaron Galeener: State of Illinois
Shabaka Gibson: Exxon Mobil
Dalmar Hussein: African Development Bank
Bhavna Jaisingh: Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
Cemere James: Illinois Action for Children
Whitney Johnson: Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants
Jamie Johnston: Center for Migrant Advocacy - Philippines
Jennifer Jordan: Navigant Consulting
Alison Junkin: City of Chicago Mayor's Office
Andrew Kim: The Wilds
Tabitha Knerr: Learning Point Associates
Christine Kolb: Chicago Community Trust
Don Laackman: Chicago Public Schools Education Fund
Erika Larsen: Shaw Environmental
Alicia Loucks: U.S. Department of State
Alexander Louie: LMI
Michael Lynch: Defense Intelligence Agency
Alan Mascarenhas: City of Chicago
Julie Mierwa: Food and Water Watch
Roopa Modur: State of Illinois Treasurer's Office
Alicia Moy: University of Chicago Medical Center
Adriana Obregon Andria Vazquez: Innovations for Poverty Action & Grameen Trust
James Pappachen: O-H Community Partners
Michelle Park: Department of Health and Human Services
Antonio Plascencia, Jr.: Education Pioneers
Snapper Poche: National Park Service
Zi-Xiang Shen: Navigant Consulting
Susan Silver: New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Melissa Slaughter: Shorebank
David Small: University of Chicago Medical Center
Meredith Sparks: Deloitte
Victoria Strokova: The Heritage Foundation
Didi Swartz: Chicago Public Schools/Chicago Public Education Fund
CJ Szafir: Chicago Metropolis 2020
Martin Torres: Ounce of Prevention
Laura Williams: Below the Line
Shannon Williams: Scott Balice Strategies
Aaron Winn: U.S. Government Accountability Office
Di Zhang: U.S. Department of Health and Human Servicese
Class of 2007
Dana Agmon lives in New York City and works as an associate in institutional equities for Brown Brothers Harriman.
Paulo Alcaraz is living in Mexico City.
Melissa Amir-Arjomand lives in Chicago and works as a program manager for the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative.
Sarah Anzia lives in California and is continuing her education at Stanford University.
Andres Arias is a financial administrator at the University of Chicago's Biological Sciences Division.
Samina Asghar lives in Chicago and works for the Federal Reserve Bank.
Julie Bannester lives in Seattle and is a Presidential Management Fellow in the Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Drew Louis Beres lives in Chicago and works for Deloitte Consulting.
Sishir Bhattarai lives in England and works for the government.
Ross Biank lives in Elmhurst, Illinois.
Margaret Bogenrief lives in Chicago and works as the director of marketing and client relations at Last Atlantis Capital Management.
Christina Braganza lives in New York City and works in Newark, New Jersey for Rise Academy, a KIPP School.
Brian Burnheter lives in Chicago and works as an associate at Booz Allen Hamilton.
Francisca Penna Bustos lives in Santiago, Chile.
Joe Costa lives in Israel and is studying for a master's in Middle Eastern history at Tel Aviv University.
Celia Cui is continuing her education at ChicagoGSB.
Rachel Currans-Sheehan lives in Madison, Wisconsin, and works as a budget and policy analyst in the Division of Health Care Financing at Wisconsin's Department of Health and Family Services.
Jordan Cutler lives in Chicago and works as a policy advisor to the governor.
Neil Danberg lives in Washington, D.C., and works as a program examiner with the Office of Management and Budget.
Aimee Dawson is a newlywed living in Chicago and is a consultant in the Public Sector Strategy Group at Deloitte Consulting.
Nicole Donnelly lives in Chicago and works at MAXIMUS.
Sheleda (Ruff) Doss was married on July 7, 2007. She lives in Springfield, Illinois, and works as a project manager for the development of a senior independent living facility.
Annie Dude (PhD) is pursuing her medical degree at Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago.
Sarah (McLaughlin) and Gene Emmans are living in the D.C. area and are working, respectively, as an independent researcher for the Brookings Institution and a budget preparation specialist at the Office of Management and Budget.
Cynthia English lives in Omaha, Nebraska, and works as a consulting specialist for the World Poll at SRI Gallup, Inc.
Ricardo Estrada lives in Mexico City and works as a research associate at the think tank CIDAC.
Rebecca Fitzgerald lives in Las Vegas, Nevada and works as a learning strategist at Odyssey Charter High School.
Erica (Ernst) Fleischer is a newlywed living in Chicago and is a Presidential Management Fellow working as an emergency preparedness specialist at the Administration for Children and Families (HHS) in Chicago.
Erich Fritz lives in Austin, Texas, and works as a senior financial analyst at Dell Inc.
Cristobal Gacitua lives in Chicago and works as a research analyst at the University's Chapin Hall Center for Children.
Ian Galloway lives in San Francisco and works as an investments associate at the Federal Reserve Bank.
Nate Gannon lives in Washington, D.C., and is a 2007-08 Public Policy Fellow at LMI Government Consulting.
Cesar Ghorayeb lives in Chicago and works as a consultant in higher education financial management and strategy at Huron Consulting Group.
Kammie Gibbs lives in New York City and works as an associate in capital management at Swiss Re.
César Gomez lives in Venezuela and works as an assistant treasurer for General Motors.
Patricia Grey lives in Mexico City and works for Nacional Financiera.
Melissa Hafner lives in Boston and works as a program analyst in the Office of Evaluation and Inspections for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Thomas Han lives in Chicago and works as a policy analysis at the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Ann Hanson lives in Chicago and works as a program associate in the National Policy Group at the Ounce of Prevention Fund.
Yuya Hasegawa lives in Tokyo and works as the deputy director of the Trade Policy Bureau in the APEC Office for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
Jarrod Hazelton writes he is "definitely missing campus life...and [the Harris School] is a life-changing and eye-opening two years." He is working as an investment strategist with a hedge fund in Westport, Connecticut.
Olivia Herman lives in New York City and works as a program analyst at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Cate Hight lives in Paris and works in Mission Climat (Center for Analysis and Research on the Carbon Economy) for Caisse des Depots.
Julie Hootkin lives in New York City and works as a vice president for the Global Strategy Group.
Anne Hurst lives in San Francisco and works as a test form coordinator at WestEd.
Min Joo Kang lives in Washington, D.C., and works at the World Bank.
Katie Kelly lives in Chicago and works as a budget analyst for the Chicago Transit Authority.
Delal Khairy is temporarily living in Columbus, Ohio, until she relocates for work.
Duncan Kisia lives in Brooklyn and works as a senior economist at Louis Berger Group in New York City.
Daniel Kreisman lives in Chicago and is working towards his PhD at the Harris School.
Lindsey Leininger (PhD) is a newlywed living in Chicago and is a postdoctoral fellow at Harris School's Center for Human Potential and Public Policy.
Yu Li lives in Chicago and works as a financial analyst at Polsky & Associates.
Ana Leon Lince lives in Chicago and is working towards her PhD at the Harris School.
Christina Loukas lives in Minneapolis and works as an associate at Faegre & Benson.
John Maloney lives in Chicago and works in finance and administration for the state's Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.
Tonya Mann lives in Chicago and works at the Federal Reserve Bank.
Dennis Marshall lives in Evanston, Illinois.
My'Ron McGee lives in Chicago and works at Resolute Consulting.
Peter McMahan lives in Chicago and works as an independent researcher for John Padgett, a professor in political science at the University.
Karla Mendoza lives in Mexico City and works as the deputy director of coordination with external organizations at the government agency CONEVAL.
Jacob Nelson lives in Chicago and works as the manager of Health Information Services for The Village of Oak Park.
Scott Nelson lives in Chicago.
Awo Osei-Anto is in the process of training for a half-marathon to raise money for research for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society (LLS). "I am not much of a runner, but felt compelled this year to get involved in a cause that I truly believe in. If alumni would like to sponsor me, my link is http://www.active.com/donate/tntnca04/Awo."
Justin Palfreyman lives in New York City and works for Goldman Sachs.
Nathan Paufve lives in Chicago and works as an associate at Quadel Consulting Corporation.
Mary Perushek lives in the Twin Cities (Minnesota) and works as a legislative assistant for the DFL Caucus in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Amanda Posner lives in Chicago and works as the internship coordinator for the City of Chicago's After School Matters.
Alvin Quiñones lives in Chicago and works as a senior consultant in the Revenue Services Division of MAXIMUS.
Ben Reeves lives in Chicago and works as an associate at McKinsey.
Lisa Reynolds is living in Chicago and working as an analyst at the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Arezoo Riahi lives in San Francisco and works as a senior program associate at the Institute of International Education.
Julia Richman lives in Boston and works at Deloitte Consulting.
Harmony Ridgley lives in England and is pursuing a master's in public health at the University of Cambridge.
Alex Ruder lives in Chicago and works for the State of Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity in workforce and economic development policy.
Melanie Shank lives in Chicago and works at ENVIRON.
Debra Stulberg, MD, lives in Chicago and works as an instructor of medicine in the Department of Family Medicine in the University's Biological Sciences Division.
Kate Tomford lives in Chicago and works as an environmental policy advisor to Illinois' Lieutenant Governor.
Megan Tulikangas lives in Madison, Wisconsin, and works as a program and policy analyst in the Department of Health Care Financing in the Bureau of Managed Health Care Programs for the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services.
Rafael Ugaz lives in the Washington, D.C., area and works as an associate at Bechtel Enterprises.
Preeti Upadhya lives in New York City and works at Deloitte Consulting.
Felicity Vabulas lives in Chicago and is working towards her PhD at the Harris School.
Kevin Van Dyke lives in Evanston, Illinois, and works as a research associate at the Health Research and Educational Trust of the American Hospital Association.
Stephanie Waldhoff (PhD) lives in the Washington, D.C., area and works as an economist in the Office of Air and Radiation in the Climate Change Division at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Mara Werner lives in Chicago and works as a policy analyst in the Office of the Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Tiffani White is a new homeowner living in Atlanta and works at Deloitte Consulting.
Lindsay Wilhelm lives in New York City and works as a senior project manager in research and analysis at the New York City Economic Development Corporation.
Chris Wood lives in Chicago and is a Presidential Management Fellow working at the Social Security Administration.
Wladimir Zanoni lives in Chicago and is working towards his PhD at the Harris School.
Class of 2006
Kandie Berridge, MPP'06 recently accepted a new position at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago as special assistant to the first vice president. She has worked at the Chicago Fed for over a year as a senior business strategist. Berridge writes, "I work on projects and issues related to operations and the financial services we provide to the banking industry. I've been able to exercise virtually all of my Harris-developed skills but as of late, my cost-benefit acumen has really come in handy!"
Alaina Harkness, AM/AM (SOC)'06 is living in Chicago and working as a Program Officer for The Partnership for New Communities, a donor-advised fund of the Chicago Community Foundation.
Jennifer Yeaw, MPP'06 "is the Senior Advisor to [New York City's] Family Services Coordinator and is located within the office of Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services. (07/2006)
As of graduation, the Class of 2006 has secured positions with: the Analysis Group, Inc.; Banc of America Securities; Boston Consulting Group; Booz Allen and Hamilton; CAIR; Chicago Public Schools; the City of Chicago; the Connecticut Hospital Association; Deloitte Consulting; the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; the U.S. Government Accountability Office; the Government of India; Griffin, Kubik, Stephens, and Thompson: Investment Bankers; the Heartland Institute; the Interamerican Development Bank; JPMorganChase; LMI; Maximus; MDRC; Mergermarket; National Economic Research Associates; Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget; the Office of the Mayor of New York City; Polsky and Associates; Raytheon Missile Systems; Schiff Hardin LLP; ShoreBank International; Trust for America's Health; and the University of Chicago. (06/2006)
Class of 2005
Nicole Lee-Kline, MPP'05 is working for United Airlines' Corporate Social Investment group primarily on the American Cancer Society Discovery Ball 2008. The Ball is chaired by Jackie and Glenn Tilton, United Chairman, President, and CEO. "I am also working with the department on strategic planning for the company's overall corporate social responsibility profile."
Christina LiCalsi, MPP/AM(SSA)'05 a research analyst at the Chapin Hall Center for Children, writes, "I am working on a study funded by the Children's Bureau at HHS looking at the use of comprehensive family assessments in order to improve outcomes for families coming into the child welfare system in Illinois."
Amanda Cage, MPP'05 and Emile Jorgensen are thrilled to announce the birth of their daughter, Novella Sophia Jorgensen Cage, a.k.a. Novie, on Tuesday, March 25 at 8:28 a.m. She weighed 8 lbs. 10 oz. and is 21 inches longa big girl for a little momma!
Megan Oates, MPP'05 writes "I cannot believe that it has been over a year since graduation! Time really flies... Last June, after graduation, I took a job with the Office of Policy at SSA, as part of the PMF program. I worked [there through] November. [Then,] I started a rotation at the State Department, where I worked in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor as a policy officer covering Latin America. I returned to SSA at the beginning of April after completing my rotation, [and] was offered a permanent PMF position as a program analyst at the State Department in the same bureau. I [now] work on democracy and human rights programs in Latin America and Europe. I started at the end of May and absolutely love it! (07/2006)
Mikhail Krapivin, MPP'05 writes, "I [am now the] Director for Social and Economic Policy at the Center for Strategic Research, the leading governmental think-tank in Russia, where I interned between [my] first and second year at Harris. Obviously, [my] Harris School training [is] the key reason I was offered this high-profile and challenging position. In other words, I would not have been enjoying all this, had [it] not been for the faculty and staff." (07/2006)
John Timar, MPP'05 writes he has "headed back east" and is Business Development Associate with the Eurasia Group (www.eurasiagroup.net). He is living in Old Town Alexandria. His new company "primarily advises hedge funds and private equity groups on the investment climate in developing countries and volatile regions." He continues, "I am joining the team to manage the company's relationship with the CIA, so it promises to be a fascinating endeavor. I am certain that my notes from the Harris School (hereafter referred to as the H-bomb) will come in handy as I work with the company to build out its risk modeling and measurement initiatives." (07/2006)
Class of 2004
Pushina Kunda Ng'andwe, MPP'04 has moved to D.C. from Lusaka, Zambia, and is a young professional in the South Asia Management Unit of the World Bank. In Zambia she was a research associate at Changa Management Services.
Ankur Sarin, PHD'04 has left Mathematica where he was a researcher to become an assistant professor at the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, India.
Michael Pih, MPP'04 has moved to the public sector in the Office of Management and Budget for the City of New York. Previously he was a research analyst at MDRC.
Pushina Kunda Ng'andwe, MPP'04 has moved to D.C. from Lusaka, Zambia, and is a young professional in the South Asia Management Unit of the World Bank. In Zambia she was a research associate at Changa Management Services.
Ankur Sarin, PHD'04 has left Mathematica where he was a researcher to become an assistant professor at the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, India.
Michael Pih, MPP'04 has moved to the public sector in the Office of Management and Budget for the City of New York. Previously he was a research analyst at MDRC.
Caryn Kuebler, MPP'04 is using her analytical background as Research Associate for the Committee on National Statistics in the Division on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education at the National Academies. (07/2006)
Gauri Pal, MPP'04 reports that her husband Ashutosh and she "recently relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina." She is pleased to announce that "We are expecting our first child in September and I have decided to [stay at home] until after things settle down with the new addition to our family." (07/2006)
Ricardo Rivera, MPP/MBA'04 writes, "It's been a long while since I reported any activity from this side of the border. I came back to Mexico right after I finished my degree. I started working for América Móvil which is the largest wireless carrier in Latin America and the third largest in the world outside of China. We provide a valuable service to a 100 million subscribers who, previously, had little to no access to phone communication.
Fixed phone line usage is extremely low in Latin America: penetration (lines per inhabitant) is about 15%, while in the U.S. and other developed countries, it is about 70 to 80%.
It is incredible that in the 21st century, Latin Americans are just now discovering the valuable use of the phone. Wireless penetration has exploded everywhere. While 5 years ago there were the same amount of wireless and fixed lines, today, there are 3.5 wireless lines for each fixed line on average.
I've been promoted twice now in a span of a year and a half and I'm now the Head of Corporate Finance, managing the areas of Treasury, investor Relations, Financing and Risk management.
I know my area of development is far from working directly with a social or public framework in mind, but I firmly believe that the service the company I work for provides is of enormous use to further advance in developing the region and increasing the standard of living of Latin American people." (07/2006)
Leslie Sperber, MPP'04 has left Milwaukee to work as a Policy Analyst for the Independent Budget Office of the City of New York. (07/2006)
Kandace Thomas, MPP'04 has left the city's Office of Budget and Management to become a Program Officer at the Irving Harris Foundation. (07/2006)
Class of 2003
Sara Puro, MPP'03 and Amanda Helin write, "With great joy and with the sincerest hope that our child may be one more redeemer, we welcome Elijah Helin Rosner Puro. Eli was born on October 31 at 12:19 pm. He weighed 6lbs 6oz and measured 20 inches long. Everyone is home and doing well. Nascent blog can be found here: http://elijahhelinpuro.blogspot.com/."
Sara Puro, MPP'03 and Amanda Helin write, "With great joy and with the sincerest hope that our child may be one more redeemer, we welcome Elijah Helin Rosner Puro. Eli was born on October 31 at 12:19 pm. He weighed 6lbs 6oz and measured 20 inches long. Everyone is home and doing well. Nascent blog can be found here: http://elijahhelinpuro.blogspot.com/."
Jonathan Aikman, AM'03 is the Political Action Committee Coordinator and Research Analyst in Global Public Policy at Time Warner Inc. (07/2006)
Camilo Gomez, MPP'03 writes, "I will be leaving the World Bank at the end of July, as I graduate from the Junior Professional Program. Afterwards, I will be moving to the UK, to pursue a PhD in Economics at Oxford University, St Anthony's college." (07/2006)
Class of 2002
This fall Phil de Imus, MPP/MBA'02 and Yazmin E. Osaki, MPP'01 moved from New York City. Phil writes he and Yazmin "decided to relocate again. This time to Washington, D.C. I started today [October 3] at the International Monetary Fund in the Monetary and Capital Markets Division. Yazmin will still be at the New York Fed.
This fall Phil de Imus, MPP/MBA'02 and Yazmin E. Osaki, MPP'01 moved from New York City. Phil writes he and Yazmin "decided to relocate again. This time to Washington, D.C. I started today [October 3] at the International Monetary Fund in the Monetary and Capital Markets Division. Yazmin will still be at the New York Fed.
Alan Augustson, MPP'02 writes, "I've recently returned from Washington where, for the past several months, I've served on-contract with FEMA. Working as an analyst-advisor to their Recovery Branch during the Katrina-Rita-Wilma catastrophe, I've been working to provide best-available information from the front to department heads, and to advise and direct policy with respect to recovery efforts. Since my return home, I've signed on as an Associate Director, Policy Councils with the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. I provide policy analysis and support to the Chamber's Economic Development, Infrastructure, and Healthcare Councils. The latter has, predictably, consumed much of my time. Together with CEOs of major healthcare providers, insurers, large and small employers, and advocacy organizations; I've been working to develop a proposal to alleviate the problem of the uninsured in Illinois." (07/2006)
Class of 2001
Jill Corcoran, MPP/MBA'2001 is a Class of 2008 Fellow at Leadership Greater Chicago (LGC). Fellows participate in an intensive ten-month program to study key challenges facing the Chicago region. According to the LGC website, "The Fellowship year is leadership development at its best for high-potential people in greater Chicago's companies, nonprofit organizations, and government. It offers an unparalleled opportunity for in-depth learning about complex urban issues, and the partnerships and analytical skills needed to address them. Fellows make lifelong connections with diverse leaders that help them advance professionally and in civic affairs."
This fall Phil de Imus, MPP/MBA'02 and Yazmin E. Osaki, MPP'01 moved from New York City. Phil writes he and Yazmin "decided to relocate again. This time to Washington, D.C. I started today [October 3] at the International Monetary Fund in the Monetary and Capital Markets Division. Yazmin will still be at the New York Fed.
This fall Phil de Imus, MPP/MBA'02 and Yazmin E. Osaki, MPP'01 moved from New York City. Phil writes he and Yazmin "decided to relocate again. This time to Washington, D.C. I started today [October 3] at the International Monetary Fund in the Monetary and Capital Markets Division. Yazmin will still be at the New York Fed.
In May, Ian Doughty, MPP'01 was appointed by the Governor of Illinois as a commissioner with the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission, the "official comprehensive planning agency for six countiesCook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Willthat form the greater Chicago metropolitan area. (07/2006)
Chris Hannan, MPP/MBA 2001 is proud to announce that he and his wife, Leigh, "have a newborn son Conor Joseph born on January 31st." In addition, Chris is "now the owner of Bo Brooks Restaurant and Catering in Baltimore." (07/2006)
Erin Lemire, MPP'01 has moved to Washington, D.C. to become the Special Assistant to the Principal Deputy Inspector General in the Office of Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (07/2006)
Class of 2000
This summer Eric Diamant, MPP'00 left the GAO Washington, D.C., to become a bank examiner at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Mijo Vodopic, MPP'00 is a Senior Analyst for the United States Financial Markets and Community Investment at the U.S. Government Accountability Office in Chicago. (07/2006)
Class of 1999
Joel Brennan, MPP'99 writes he has started a "new adventure as the President/CEO of Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin, located on Milwaukee's lakefront. I have enjoyed all the opportunities I have had to work on great projects [in] the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee. Discovery World is a place of exploration, adventure, innovation and education, and I hope to help make it an even greater community asset and one that is accessible to the entire community as a resource and a destination."
Class of 1998
Surge Sen, MPP'98 moved from the Chicago Fed where he worked as a risk coordination team leader to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in D.C. as a consumer financial services supervisory analyst in the Fair Lending Enforcement Section, Division of Consumer and Community Affairs.
Jeff Marcella, MPP/MDIV'98 and Gail Patrick, MPP'96, MD'04, are happy to announce the arrival of their son, Caleb. (07/2006)
Hollie Quinn, MPP'98 is "juggling multiple endeavors." She writes, "I own and run a real estate investing company, oversee the financial operations of my husband's software company, and do some occasional consulting for research organizations and foundations." (07/2006)
Class of 1997
Beth Carey, MPP'97 writes that she "left the government about 6 years ago" where she worked as a public health analyst in the Office of Women's Health at HHS. "I'm now a full-time massage therapist, and do some health policy consulting on the side."
Kathy Im, MPP'97 has been promoted to Director of the General Program of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. She is responsible for a domestic and international portfolio that includes the Foundation's work in independent media, technology and its impact on users, and special initiatives. Kathy has been with the MacArthur Foundation for seven years.
Class of 1996
Beatriz E. Rendon, MPP'96 is the CEO of Education Support Services for the Tucson Unified School District, which serves over 58,000 students, 8,000 employees in over 108 schools. She is responsible for managing a $358 million M&O Budget along with all the business units that support the district's educational mission.
The Class of '96 had a blast at their 10th Reunion organized by Ellen Kackmann and Marie Lynch. Friday night's dinner provided an opportunity for the class to reminisce and Saturday's picnic offered a chance for them to meet each other's spouses and children as well as a tortoise, an armadillo, a ferret, and other exotic animals. Joining the celebrations were: Melissa Bacon, her husband Richard, and their son, Emmett; Benjamin Davidson; Mary-Lou Eisenhauer, AM'95; Greg Hanna and his wife, Nancy; Jerry and Lee Ann Huang, and their children, Elizabeth and Emily; Peter Kaplan, his wife, Jessica, and their child Daryn; Marie Lynch, her husband, John, and their children, Cate and Jack; Gail Patrick, her husband and fellow alumnus, Jeff Marcella, and their child, Caleb; Jane Miller and her fiancé, Lee Burch; Erika Poethig; Jennifer Tescher, her husband Jonathan Eig, and their children, Lillian Eig and Jeffery Schams; Amy Ferguson Storey, her husband Brian, and their children, Aiden and Alexander; Alejandro Urbina, his wife Alison and their child, Gabriel. Sorely missed was Ellen Kackmann who was not able fly in from New York City due to rain. (07/2006)
In 1997, Christina Bethell, PHD'96 founded a national initiative on children's health care. She writes, "The Data Resource Center website is www.childhealthdata.org. It's the first time such data has been so readily available to the public and policy leaders so they can use it to advance more evidence based program and policy development." (07/2006)
Christy Harris, MPP'96 has become the Assistant to the Board at the Chicago Board of Education. (07/2006)
Gail Patrick, MPP'96, MD'04 (See Jeff Marcella, MPP/MDIV'98)
Rachael (Brownell) Sibley, MPP'96 is the Executive Director of the Mother Baby Center in Bellingham, Washington.
Class of 1995
Elizabeth (Weiser) Caswell, MPP'95 and Trey Caswell of Saline, Michigan are pleased to announce the birth of their third son, Lucas Declan Caswell, on May 8, 2006. Big brothers Rollie (2001) and Lance (2004) are very proud! (07/2006)
Class of 1994
Jonathan R. Will, AM'94 has worked for the Canadian government since he graduated from the Harris School. In February he became the director of operations for the Economic and Regional Development Policy Secretariat at the Privy Council Office.
Debbie McCann, AM'94 writes, "I've resigned my position at the City of Chicago and I've started my own management/technology consulting company!.... I look forward to getting up and running and letting people know what my new business is all about! (07/2006)
Class of 1993
Rob McMonagle, MPP'93 is pleased to announce the publication of his new book, Caribou and Conoco: Rethinking Environmental Politics in Alaska's ANWR and Beyond (Lexington Books, 2008).
The summary of the book states, "Step by step, this book shatters the myth that important environmental energy debates in the United States have been driven by forces too complex for the average American to comprehend. Although made up of a number of contributions, Robert McMonagle's book makes sense of the underlying political and societal forces driving contemporary environmental energy debates including the critical case of whether to drill for energy sources at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska.
"This book aims to answer two questions by examining four case studies of the policy-making process: the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; drilling on public lands in the Western United States and in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico; along with a proposal to develop a commercial wind farm off the Massachusetts coast. First, what political and societal forces have shaped modern, contentious environmental energy debates in the US? Second, what do the findings reveal about the way in which environmental energy policies are made, about our institutions of government, and about the influences of the public versus elites in making policy? Dr. McMonagle finds that partisan voting in Congress is a critical factor in policy shifts, especially when symbols are used to define policy issues. Further, public opinion and the print media remain important factors in defining issues leading to legislative policy victories."
Read more about the book (Amazon, Barnes & Nobel)
Eileen McCarthy, MPP'93 has returned to Chicago from Kansas City and is working in the private sector for H&R Block.
Class of 1992
Bob Manogue, AM'92 is a career "diplomat currently working in the Economic Section of the United States Embassy in Bogotá. He is an expert in international trade issues, and his portfolio includes issues related to the free trade agreement between Colombia and the United States. Before coming to Colombia, [he] served in the U.S. Embassy in Lima, Peru, where he worked on macroeconomic and money laundering issues."
Wendy Weber, AM'90 has lived in Trinidad and Tobago since 1994. She is currently the managing director and a career counselor at Career Consult Limited.
Matthew Stagner AB'81, PHD'92 is returning to Chicago. As of September 1, he will take the helm as the new director of the Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago. (06/2006) more »
Class of 1990
Steve Karam, AM'90 writes "Good news I'm moving from the Middle East North Africa Region to the Urban Anchor at the [World] Bank leading the Local Economic Development/Urban Economics practice of the Bank."
Class of 1985
In October, Kenneth Gotsch, AM'85 received the Bill Wise Award from the Council of Great City Schools at their annual chief financial officers meeting in Miami, Florida. This annual award is given in recognition and honor to outstanding urban school business officials who have distinguished themselves through services to urban education.
Class of 1981
Deborah Stone AM'81 writes "I've just taken an exciting job at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. After seeing four state budgets to completion I am happy to have an opportunity to pursue new challenges and my environmental interests while staying at the State.
This is an exciting time at IDNR, which just saw a 14% increase in its budget including significantly increased funds for land acquisition. I will oversee the State Water Supply Plan recently announced by the Governor, as well as the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission, and other areas." (07/2006)
