Janis Garcia Keating ’98 M.P.A.
was named 2021 entrepreneur of the year for the northeast region by Latina Style magazine. She is the founder and president of Wilco Group LLC which provides information technology consulting services, Agile development support and general business consulting services in the Washington, D.C., area.
John Bass ’86 B.A. (IR)
former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan (2017-20) and Turkey (2014-17), was recently nominated by President Joe Biden ’68 to serve as undersecretary of state management. If confirmed, he will serve as primary advisor for the secretary of state and the deputy secretary of state.
Peder A Schaefer ’74 M.P.A.
returned to Warwick, R.I., as the city finance director in January 2021. Schaefer previously held the position from 1993 until 1999.
Alex Jeffrey Rouhandeh ’20 B.A. (CCE/PSt)
is a writer for Newsweek.
Michael Apicelli ’07 J.D./
is director for multilateral climate and clean energy engagement for the U.S. Department of Energy.
Cathryn Quantic Thurston ’95
recently left the federal government after 25 years working in national security in Washington, D.C., to be an associate professor at SUNY Empire State College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Thurston is heading Empire State’s new bachelor’s degree in security studies.
Justin G Rudgick ’05 M.P.A.
was named the new president of Christopher Community, Inc., a nonprofit that strives to provide affordable housing in Upstate New York.
Scott Lowry ’21 B.A. (IR/PSc)
has accepted a position as a patent assistant with the fi rm Arent Fox in Washington, D.C.
Mazaher Kaila ’19 B.A. (PSc)
has joined the Syracuse-based law firm, Bousquet Holstein, as an associate. She is currently pursuing a J.D. at the Syracuse University College of Law.
L.Scott Baird ’09 J.D./M.P.A.
is vice president at AgReserves, an agricultural investment company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Jeremy Paul Busch ’09 M.A.I.R. is now serving on the Human Rights Commission and the Shade Tree Committee for the city of Geneva, N.Y.
Stephen Bright ’82 M.P.A.
has been named vice president for finance at Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, Va.
Dan Zhang ’11 M.A. (Soc)
joined the online platform ClickUp as vice president of finance.
Benjamin J Markus ’02 M.P.A.
has been appointed as interim coordinator for English language arts for K-8 at Greenwich Public Schools located in Greenwich, Conn.
Frances Aloi ’63 M.P.A.
has written a book-length study on organized crime in America. It will be released in four parts and is titled The Gangster Chronicles (Blair Publishing, 2020).
Gerard McTigue ’11 B.A. (IR)
has been promoted as an account director at Freuds, a London-based communications agency focused on representing clients working to achieve the United Nations’ sustainable development goals.
Laurel Bennett ’19 B.A. (IR)
has accepted a position working with the fund administration team for the consulting fi rm Carter Mackenzie in Washington, D.C.
Howard Palley ’63 Ph.D. (SSc)
professor emeritus at the University of Maryland, recently co-authored the introduction, conclusion and a chapter on Canada in his paperback issue of Comparative Health Care Federalism (Routledge, 2020). The publication offers academics the opportunity to study federalism on an international level.
Catherine Choi ’02 M.P.A.
is senior director of programs at the Eisner Foundation and an incumbent member of the University of California, Los Angeles Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Vikas Sheel ’15 M.P.A.
is an administrative service officer for India and serves as secretary for the country’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Sheel is part of the national team handling COVID emergency response, and developing and implementing Co-WIN, India’s digital COVID vaccination platform.
Eliza Orlando ’10 E.M.P.A.
is the strategic director of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, N.Y. She was also recently named director of stakeholder engagement for the Center for Leading Collaboration and Innovation.