Maxwell Class Notes

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In print and now online: browse the latest news from your classmates and fellow Maxwell alumni. Don’t forget to submit your news and check back often as we’ll be updating class notes throughout the year.

Mahboob A. Khawaja ’81 M.A. (PSc)/ ’00 Ph.D. (SSc)

has published three books: "Wars on Humanity, Ukraine and Palestine and the Role of Global Leaders" (OVI Magazine, 2025); "We, The People in Search of Global Peace, Security and Conflict Resolution: Global Peace and Conflict Management" (2025) and "Global Humanity and Remaking of Peace, Security and Conflict Resolution for the 21st Century and Beyond: Peace, Security and Conflict Resolution" (Barnes & Noble Press, 2025).
October 15, 2025
Published in the Fall 2025 issue of the Maxwell Perspective

Michael L. Paller ’77 B.A. (AmSt)

co-edited John Guare’s book, "Plays" (The Library of America, 2025). Paller was the dramaturg and director of humanities at the American Conservatory Theater and is the author of "Gentlemen Callers: Tennessee Williams, Homosexuality and Mid-20th Century Drama" (Palgrave-Macmillan, 2005) and "Tennessee Williams: the Playwright in Context" (Smith & Kraus, 2010) as well as several essays on Williams’ work.
October 14, 2025
Published in the Fall 2025 issue of the Maxwell Perspective

Kathleen Small ’79 M.A. (Geog)

published her fifth book, "Letters from Shadow Oaks" (Carousel Acres Publishing, 2025). The novel follows three women from different generations who are affected by an act of vandalism and poison pen letters. Small is a judge for the Royal Palm Literary Awards.
October 14, 2025
Published in the Fall 2025 issue of the Maxwell Perspective

Martha (Freymann) Miser ’77 M.P.A.

served as the co-annalist for her 50th college reunion at Hamilton College, in Clinton, N.Y. In a letter she co-authored for the class of 1975 she shares the lasting impact of the college on its graduates and explains how in 1978 Hamilton absorbed nearby Kirkland College, from which she graduated. Freymann Miser is president emeritus of Aduro Consulting, LLC.
October 13, 2025
Published in the Fall 2025 issue of the Maxwell Perspective

Bruce Dearstyne ’74 Ph.D. (Hist)

has edited "Revolutionary New York: 250 Years of Social Change" (SUNY Press, 2025). Through 16 historical stories about conflict, change and turning points, the book explores New York’s 250- year struggle to realize the revolution’s ideals and bring increased freedom and opportunities to previously marginalized populations. Dearstyne is the author of several books, including "The Spirit of New York: Defining Events in the Empire State’s History"; "The Crucible of Public Policy: New York Courts in the Progressive Era"; and "Progressive New York: Change and Reform in the Empire State, 1900–1920: A Reader."
October 10, 2025
Published in the Fall 2025 issue of the Maxwell Perspective

Harvey Strum ’70 B.A. (IR)/ ’76 M.P.A./ ’78 Ph.D. (PSc)

professor of history and political science at Russell Sage College, published his article, "Jewish Women’s Organizations of the Capital District” in New York History Review in August 2023. He was also recently featured in a Q&A by Sage College as one of its most prolific conference presenters and journal authors. His research interests include Jewish history in New York’s Capital region; American responses to famine in Ireland; and foreign policy and politics related to the War of 1812.
October 8, 2025
Published in the Fall 2025 issue of the Maxwell Perspective

Luciano Iorizzo ’58 M.A. (Hist)/ ’66 Ph.D. (Hist)

was featured on the cover of a recent edition of Solis magazine, a publication of The Catholic Sun. The related
article shares his story of love, faith and gratitude. In addition, Iorizzo recently self-published the book,
"Thank You, God: A Meditative Journey of Gratitude" (2025). A veteran, he is retired from a 30-year career teaching at SUNY Oswego.
October 6, 2025
Published in the Fall 2025 issue of the Maxwell Perspective

Gabrielle Denby ’09 M.A. (PSc)

has been named a partner in the Boston-based Rubin and Rudman Family Law Group. Denby is a member of the Greater Boston Family Law American Inn of Court and serves on the Massachusetts Bar Association Family Law Section Council. She has been named a Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America for Family Law and Family Law: Arbitration and Mediation (2025) and a Super Lawyers’ Massachusetts Rising Star for Family Law (2016–24).
May 29, 2025
Published in the Spring 2025 issue of the Maxwell Perspective

Amy O. Majani ’16 M.P.A.

is the community engagement advisor for the mayor’s office in the city of Hamilton in Ontario, Canada.
May 22, 2025
Published in the Spring 2025 issue of the Maxwell Perspective

Edward F. Pincar ’14 M.P.A.

has been appointed president of Fifth Avenue Association, a nonprofit that works to preserve and promote Fifth Avenue and 57th Street in New York City. He previously served as commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation’s Manhattan borough.
May 21, 2025
Published in the Spring 2025 issue of the Maxwell Perspective

Nicholas Weatherbee ’08 M.P.A.

is senior director of government affairs for Corning, Inc., a materials science company based in Washington, D.C.
May 21, 2025
Published in the Spring 2025 issue of the Maxwell Perspective

Olga Boichak ’15 M.P.A./ ’19 Ph.D. (SSc)

received the Max Crawford Medal, awarded by the Australian Academy of the Humanities, for her research on the role of media and technology in military conflicts. Boichak, a Ukrainian-born media scholar, was also recently named a 2025 Westpac Research Fellow, receiving funding for new research in digital security.

May 15, 2025
Published in the Spring 2025 issue of the Maxwell Perspective

Joseph M. Hanna ’14 M.P.A.

was named to Buffalo Business First’s 2024 Power 100 Business Leaders of Color for the third year in a row. He is a partner at the law firm Goldberg Segalla, and is also the founder and president of Bunkers in Baghdad, a nonprofit that collects and sends golf equipment to U.S. troops and veterans worldwide to aid in recreation and rehabilitation from injuries.

May 14, 2025
Published in the Spring 2025 issue of the Maxwell Perspective

Felipe Estefan ’10 M.A. (IR)/M.S.P.R.

joined the Shorenstein Center at the Harvard Kennedy School as a fellow to explore the intersection of narrative change, social justice and politics. A former Maxwell Advisory Board member, Estefan also served as vice president for narrative change and regional vice president for Latin America with Luminate, a global philanthropic organization. 
May 6, 2025
Published in the Spring 2025 issue of the Maxwell Perspective

Victoria Perez Shires ’04 B.A. (PSt/PSc)

began a new position as the senior director of development for the Maxwell School. She previously served as chief development officer at the Rescue Mission Alliance of Syracuse. With a background in sales and marketing, Shires held positions with Bell’s Brewery, Duvel Moortgat USA and Coca-Cola Enterprises.

April 29, 2025
Published in the Spring 2025 issue of the Maxwell Perspective

Shane Wasden ’03 M.P.A.

was recently named assistant program director of applied business management at Brigham Young University-Idaho. He previously served as the department chair for business management for five years. In the summer of 2024, Wasden joined Soegijapranata Catholic University as a Fulbright specialist in Indonesia.
April 23, 2025
Published in the Spring 2025 issue of the Maxwell Perspective

Carolyn J. Bourdeaux ’03 Ph.D. (PA) Carolyn (J.) Bourdeaux ’03 Ph.D. (PA)

is the president and executive director of The Concord Coalition and Concord Action. Based in Arlington, Va., the nonprofit organizations focus on educating citizens on fiscal debt and the economy. Bourdeaux served as a congressional representative for Georgia from 2021-23. 

April 15, 2025
Published in the Spring 2025 issue of the Maxwell Perspective

William A. Polf ’71 M.A. (Hist)/ ’73 Ph.D. (Hist)

released a new book, Not the Same River (Atmosphere Press, 2024). The book is a collection of fiction stories, centered around diverse characters and places. Polf previously served in the New York State Legislature and spent 35 years in the Columbia University–Presbyterian Hospital system.

April 11, 2025
Published in the Spring 2025 issue of the Maxwell Perspective

Nancy E. Coviello ’88 B.A. (SPsy)

is a public affairs specialist for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, D.C. Coviello has been with the EPA for nine years; previous roles include work for the Voice of America and serving as an English instructor with the Peace Corps in Namibia, Africa.
April 8, 2025
Published in the Spring 2025 issue of the Maxwell Perspective

Terrence R. Guay ’92 M.A. (IR)/ ’96 Ph.D. (PSc)

recently co-authored “The European Union and the United States: Competition, Convergence and Crisis in the Global Arena” (Bloomsbury Press, 2024) with Michael Smith and Jost Morgenstern-Pomorski. Guay is an associate dean for international programs at Pennsylvania State University.

March 11, 2025
Published in the Spring 2025 issue of the Maxwell Perspective
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