Maxwell Virtual Alumni Conversation

28 May, 2025, 12 PM-1 PM

Join Maxwell for a virtual alumni event, Wednesday, May 28, at 12:00 p.m. ET, featuring Maxwell Dean David M. Van Slyke and an alumni panel discussion.

Maxwell alumni and friends are invited to a Maxwell virtual alumni opportunity Wednesday, May 28, at 12:00 p.m. ET. During this online event, Dean David M. Van Slyke will provide an update from the Maxwell School and will lead a panel conversation with alumni affirming the continued importance of public service.

Pre-registration is required to attend, and can be completed at the event registration page. Questions can be directed to director of alumni relations Jessica Murray.

The conversation will be moderated by Dean Van Slyke, and alumni panelists will include:

• Amma Felix '95 A&S/'01 M.P.A., President and CEO, Collegiate Directions, Inc.
• Patrick Mocete '12 B.A. (PSt/PSc), Chief of Staff to U.S. Representative Young Kim
• Whitney Shepard '14 M.P.A., Program Coordinator, Department of Children and Family Services, Onondaga County, N.Y.
• Jacquelyn Williams-Bridgers '77 B.A. (UrSt)/'78 M.P.A., Former Chief of Party, USAID Serbia Improving Public Procurement Project with Deloitte Consulting, LLC.
  

Panelist bios:

Amma Felix is a strategic senior executive with over 25 years of public sector leadership experience in education, philanthropy, and community development. She has a successful track record leading board governance work, strategic planning and execution, nonprofit fundraising/revenue growth and evidence-based program planning. Her accomplishments led to her induction as a Fellow into the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA), one of the highest honors for those serving in the sector. As president and CEO of Collegiate Directions, Inc. (CDI), Amma leads their efforts to close the education opportunity gap for students who are first in their families to attend college and who are from households with limited financial means. 90% of CDI Scholars graduate from college, a rate nearly five times that of the national average for their peers. Previously, Amma was the Vice President of Strategy and Secretary of the Board of Directors at UNCF. She also held key strategy positions at the Abyssinian Development Corporation and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation in NYC. As an adjunct lecturer at the City University of New York/Baruch College’s School of Public Affairs, she taught public and nonprofit management to graduate students. Amma holds degrees from Syracuse University and Cornell University, including a master’s in public administration from the Maxwell School. She serves on the Maxwell School Advisory Board, is on NAPA’s board finance/investment committee and serves on a local county board.

Whitney Shepard currently serves as the Program Coordinator for Onondaga County’s Department of Children and Family Services. In this role she oversees two teams of staff. One team is responsible for the administration and monitoring of the 180+ annual contracts for services. The other is the Data Analytics team whose purpose is to visualize data for multiple human services departments to help inform policy questions and programmatic decisions. Whitney holds a Bachelors of the Arts in economics from Le Moyne College, a Masters in Education from the University of Maryland, and a Masters in Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. Her prior work experience includes 10 years as a middle school teacher and seven years working for a non-profit with leadership roles related to delivering social emotional and behavioral supports in schools as well as helping districts build out mental health services. She resides in Fayetteville NY with her husband, their two teen sons, and their dog. She also serves as the President of the Board of Trustees for the Fayetteville Free Library.

Jacquie Williams-Bridgers is a leader of public sector reforms and good governance with over 25 years’ experience in evaluation, audit, and investigation of public sector policy and programs. She has advised government leaders and parliamentarians across Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and South America. Her expertise has been pivotal in the construction of policy, legislative, regulatory, and investigative reforms impacting implementation of governance frameworks, both within the U.S. and internationally. The U.S. Senate confirmed Jacquie as the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of State where she provided counsel to three Secretaries of State on foreign policy matters derived  from her organization’s evaluations of foreign policy and intelligence operations, and criminal investigations of security assistance and counter-terrorism activities in U.S. embassies. She concurrently served as Chair of the Board of Audit for the Organization of American States and as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Board of Audit. After State Department, the U.S. Comptroller General appointed Jacquie as the Managing Director of International Affairs and Trade for the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Jacquie extended her public service to lead multiple U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) anti-corruption and rule of law projects in the Philippines and Serbia. Most recently, she served as Deloitte Consulting LLC’s Chief of Party for USAID Serbia’s Improving Public Procurement project where she supported audit, law enforcement, judicial, legislative, and civil society organizations to implement policies and strategies to curb corruption and advance Serbia’s path toward European Union accession. Jacquie’s career stands as a testament to her dedication to public service and her impact on fostering transparency, accountability, and integrity in governance worldwide.