From the dais of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery, surrounded by alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends, Maxwell Advisory Board Chair Ronald O’Hanley ’80 B.A. (PSc) reflected on the Maxwell School’s impact.

“Maxwell trains one to question and analyze with the objective of making things better than you found them,” said O’Hanley at the Centennial Celebration, held on May 31 to launch the school’s 100th anniversary festivities and honor several accomplished alumni. “Years after graduating, I continue to benefit from this mindset in all that I do, and in all that I still wish to accomplish.”

Added O’Hanley, “Four decades later, I realize that my time at Maxwell shaped my views and aspirations, inspired me to look outside a single discipline, to better understand that citizenship is broader than just public affairs—that no matter who you work for, what field you work in, or where you live—you have the potential to make things better than you found them to create a positive public impact.”

O’Hanley was joined in providing welcome remarks by Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud and Dean David M. Van Slyke, who was met with resounding applause when he read aloud a letter from University alumnus President Joe Biden, congratulating the Maxwell School on its milestone anniversary.

Soon after, Van Slyke commended the nine alumni honorees for their shared dedication to improving the public good. “This commitment is at the core of the Athenian Oath, inscribed on the wall outside the Maxwell Auditorium, and has been at the core of our DNA and a primary goal of the school since its beginning.”

Awards of Excellence

B. Ben Baldanza ’84 B.A. (Econ/PSt) was honored with the inaugural Bridge Award. He was unable to attend in person due to complications related to his battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. His son, Enzo, joined the event virtually and read aloud a poignant message of gratitude from his father. Baldanza passed away on Nov. 5. He was an airline industry innovator and business leader, he pioneered the ultralow-cost carrier sector in the Americas as chief executive officer and president of Spirit Airlines. He was a board member of JetBlue Airways and chairman of Six Flags Entertainment. He generously gave his time as a Maxwell Advisory Board member and, with his spouse, Marcia ’86 (special education), supported the school’s mission to inspire and educate public service-minded leaders.

Carlisha Williams Bradley ’09 M.P.A. received the Charles V. Willie Advocate Award, named for a revered alumnus to recognize those whose contributions advance diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. She is the founder and executive director of Women Empowering Nations, an international nonprofit that provides support for girls of color to accelerate their path to social impact executive leadership. Since 2020, Bradley has also provided comprehensive leadership and career coaching for women of color through her consultancy, Amplify for Women.

Mary Margaret Graham ’78 M.A. (SSc) received the Spirit of Public Service Award. She has more than 30 years of experience as a senior intelligence official, including as the first U.S. deputy director of national intelligence for collection. In this role, which was created by Congress to improve coordination among intelligence and law enforcement in the wake of 9/11, she conceptualized and managed an enterprise approach to collection across 16 intelligence community agencies. In her 29 years with the CIA, she held numerous leadership positions, including associate deputy director for operations for counterintelligence.

Lia Miller ’03 M.P.A./M.A. (IR) received the 1924 Award, named for the Maxwell School’s founding year and created to honor graduates for their distinguished and sustained professional or civic leadership and achievement. A career foreign service officer with the U.S. Department of State, she serves as senior advisor for Women, Peace and Security at the U.S. Naval War College. She has worked extensively across the Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America, focused on communications, humanitarian relief, democratic reform, diversity and other foreign policy priorities.

Jessica Sun ’09 M.P.A. received the Compass Award for her exceptional accomplishments as an early-career alumna. Since 2021 she has served as a professional staff member with the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee and is the lead for the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s annual budget. She has shaped policies to promote climate resilience, managed nearly $70 billion in supplemental funding for Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery, and led the development of a bill to permanently authorize the program.

Centennial Awards

Wally Bobkiewicz ’89 M.P.A. received the Centennial Champion Award for his dedicated volunteer engagement and philanthropy in support of the school. Since 2019, he has served as city administrator of Issaquah, Washington. Previously, he was city manager of Evanston, Illinois, and Santa Paula, California, and worked in local government for Novato, California, and Long Beach, California. He is former president of the Syracuse University Alumni Association and served on its board of directors from 2001-10. He channels his passion for public service to uplift communities as well as the careers of countless Maxwell students and alumni. He is de facto host and connector at annual local and city management conferences and networking events.

Cathy Daicoff ’79 M.P.A. was honored with the Centennial Steward Award. She has served as a member of the Maxwell Advisory Board for more than 25 years. Her gifts include a $1.2 million endowment to establish the Marguerite Fisher Faculty Research Fund and a major gift for the creation of the Daicoff Faculty Scholars award to attract and retain world class faculty. She retired in 2016 as a managing director at Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services after 38 years with the company. She was the company’s first senior policy officer and director of policy training for Ratings Services, and she served for more than 20 years on the firm’s Analytics Policy Board.

Anuradha Gupta ’07 CAS (PA) received the Centennial Luminary Award for Global Health Equity. She is president of global immunization at Sabin Vaccine Institute in Washington, D.C., an organization dedicated to strengthening immunization in communities most affected by infectious diseases, especially in low- and middle-income countries. She previously served as deputy CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance in Geneva, where she oversaw programs across 73 countries and partnerships with WHO, UNICEF and The World Bank. She introduced the pivotal concept of zero dose children, bringing inequities into global focus. She also served in the Indian Administrative Service for 30 years.

Ken Pontarelli ’92 B.S. (Econ), who earned a dual degree in economics from Maxwell and finance from the Whitman School of Management, received the Centennial Luminary Award for Sustainability. As a Syracuse University trustee, he lends his expertise in financial markets and sustainability investing to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration resulting in environmental policy research that is grounded in a realistic understanding of markets and financial mechanisms. He and spouse Tracey established the Pontarelli Professorship of Environmental Sustainability and Finance at the Maxwell School. Pontarelli serves as partner and managing director at Goldman Sachs and leads its sustainable investing group. 

By Jessica Youngman

SHOWN, IN TOP PHOTO: Dean David M. Van Slyke (left) and Maxwell Advisory Board Chairman Ronald O’Hanley ’80 B.A. (PSc) (far right) joined Awards of Excellence and Centennial Awards winners on stage. Shown, from left after Van Slyke are: Wally Bobkiewicz ’89 M.P.A., Anuradha Gupta ’07 CAS (PA), Carlisha Williams Bradley ’09 M.P.A., Lia Miller ’03 M.P.A./M.A. (IR), Jessica Sun ’09 M.P.A., Ken Pontarelli ’92 B.S. (Econ), Mary Margaret Graham ’78 M.A. (SSc) and Cathy Daicoff ’79 M.P.A. Honoree B. Ben Baldanza ’84 B.A. (Econ/PSt) was unable to attend in person due to complications with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; he passed away on Nov. 5.