Alumni News

The Maxwell School alumnus became the first Black president of the Student Government Association and helped form the Black Student Union.

“Being a Phanstiel Scholar means you’re being recognized for already demonstrating leadership in community service. It’s been a great honor, and it’s changed my life for the better,” says Maxwell senior David Bruen. The scholarship program was created by alumnus Howard Phanstiel '70 B.A. (PSc) /’71 M.P.A./’22 Hon. and his wife, Louise Phanstiel.

The program, which ran Jan. 23-27, was titled “U.S. Government and Politics: Policy and Decision Making” and offered participants an overview of U.S. political institutions, elections and federal systems; and touched on some of the most fractious issues facing U.S. policymakers today, including guns, immigration and the role of media.

After graduating with a degree in history from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the College of Arts and Sciences, Goekjian remained an engaged alumnus, a trusted advisor to leadership, and an active board trustee and philanthropist—all in service to his alma mater. Goekjian passed away on Dec. 9, 2022, at the age of 95.

O’Keefe, a Maxwell School alumnus and Syracuse University Professor, was at the helm 20 years ago when Columbia broke apart while returning from a space research mission. 

The legendary athlete will reflect on his past experiences, current challenges and work to uplift Black youth.

Public service isn’t about something you do today and then you’re done. It’s about improving our society, improving the world…for the people that live in it.” Words attributed to Walter Broadnax G’75 that defined the way he approached life, education, work and volunteer service. The esteemed Syracuse University alumnus, professor, trustee and benefactor passed away on Dec. 2, 2022, at the age of 78.

Molly Corbett Broad ’62 B.A. (Econ), H’09, a Syracuse University alumna who became a nationally renowned higher education leader and advocate, died Jan. 2. She was 81. Broad was a longtime member of the Maxwell Advisory Board.

Distrust in the media, fueled by disinformation and partisan outlets, is among the reasons Syracuse University is opening the Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship in D.C.

Fabiola Lara ’13 B.A. (IR) and Sabith Khan ’11 M.P.A./ M.A. (IR) launched a business, Tlali Pani, that offers handmade goods from the community they visited in Oaxaca, Mexico. Both say their education and experiences at the Maxwell School have been foundational in the business endeavor.

Joanna Geraghty ’97 J.D./M.A. (IR) was presented with Syracuse University’s highest alumni honor, the George Arents Award, during the 2022 Alumni Awards Celebration held during Orange Central on Sept. 30.  

Josh Aviv '15 B.A. (Econ), founder and CEO of SparkCharge, was invited to introduce Biden before the president signed off on the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act.

Amy McKeever '06 B.A. (Hist), senior writer and editor for National Geographic in Washington, D.C., says research she conducted for her capstone thesis was her "first real exposure to an intense research project and helped her understand how to dig for historical documents and other primary sources."

Teena Curry '07 M.P.A. is now a private enterprise office for USAID and says her Maxwell courses and humanitarian work with the Peace Corps prepared her for the public service role.

Andy Paladino ’18 B.A. (Geog) pairs geolocation information with vision data and other software to provide analytics for commercial and government clients.

"This is the first time since Tiananmen that there have been national protests—they’re not really nation-wide, they’re in about 16 different provinces—about one issue," says Robert Daly, adjunct professor in the Maxwell-in-Washington program.