Alumni News

Prior to joining the faculty at Virginia Tech, Stephanie Smith '09 Ph.D. (PA) was an associate professor at the University of New Mexico. She has also worked in the nonprofit sector in San Francisco and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Vladivostok, Russia, prior to her return to academia.

Jode Millman ’76 B.A. (Soc) has released a thriller novel titled "The Midnight Call." Millman currently co-hosts and co-produces the Backstage with the Bardavon podcast, a series that invites listeners backstage for conversations with musicians and other performers. When not writing, Millman has worked as a lawyer specializing in copyright, trademark, matrimonial and real estate law.

In his new position as public engagement manager for the City of Menlo Park, California, Clay Curtin '06 M.P.A. will be responsible for implementing a pilot program to increase community engagement. This role, which was newly created for Curtin, is meant to help unite members of the community and community groups directly with city commissions. 

In her new role, Honora Spillane '09 J.D./M.P.A. will work on CenterState CEO’s business development portfolio. CenterState CEO is a nonprofit based in Syracuse that focuses on connecting businesses across Central and Northern New York.

A unique arrangement between Syracuse University, the Syracuse Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and SoldierStrong has resulted in the donation of a groundbreaking virtual reality system to treat veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress. SoldierStrong co-founder Chris Meek '92 B.A. (Econ/PSc)/'18 E.M.P.A. says "it is both clinically effective and it reduces the stigma that many service members feel about seeking treatment for their post-traumatic stress," of the effectiveness of virtual reality treatment. 

Lei Duan ‘13 M.A. (Hist)/’17 Ph.D. (Hist) has accepted a position as a lecturer in the School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies at Arizona State University.

In his new role, Kurian Thomas ’11 E.M.P.A. is responsible for overseeing more than 60 spirituality projects covering topics including education, health and well-being, and democracy.

Justin Wein ‘04 B.A. (PSc) will oversee Price’s congressional office; hire, train and supervise the congressman’s staff; and advise the congressman on political matters.

Michael Singer ‘86 M.A. (IR) has been named executive chairman of the board at BrainScope, a company developing assessment devices for brain-related injuries that can be used remotely. Singer was previously the CEO of BrainScope, a position he has held since the company was founded more than a decade ago.

Lou Luba ‘93 J.D./M.P.A. was presented with the Oliver Ellsworth Prosecutor of the Year Award by the Connecticut Criminal Justice Educational and Charitable Association. The award is conferred annually to a Connecticut prosecutor who has “made exceptional contributions in the pursuit of justice.”

Ghanaian physician Laud Boateng will use his MPA/IR to improve health policy worldwide.

A new program helps veterans convert their sense of community investment to civic engagement and political office.

The way Roza Vasileva sees it, the future is data: in particular, data gathered by governments—local, regional, national, international—and shared with citizens to make their communities, and their countries, better. Roza’s desire to make the world a better place drove her to study in the United States as a Fulbright Scholar and to launch a career spearheading open data in more than a dozen countries. What made that happen, more than anything, were her experiences at the No. 1 ranked Maxwell School of Syracuse University.

As undergraduate programs have become more visible, Maxwell donors—many of them alumni of the undergraduate majors themselves—have grown more eager to support those programs.

As the new chief privacy officer, Charles Cutshall ‘07 B.A. (IR)/’09 M.P.A. provides policy and program oversight for privacy compliance and is responsible for managing risks associated with personally identifiable information.

Scott Mitnick ‘89 M.P.A. now manages a staff of more than 240 employees as well as the city’s approximately $115-million budget.

Laura Hand '71 B.A. (PSc) has been a beloved member of the CNYCentral team for more than 40 years and is well-known throughout Central New York for her contributions.

The nonprofit A Tiny Home for Good, founded by Andrew Lunetta ’14 M.P.A., has constructed roughly a dozen tiny homes in Syracuse for occupants at risk of homelessness. Onondaga County recently granted $235,000 to Lunetta’s organization to fund seven new tiny homes.

At AARP, policy chief Debra Whitman serves the needs of a 50-plus cohort while studying how everyone ages.