Maxwell School News and Commentary

Prior to joining Procyon Partners, which is an an independent, employee-owned financial management firm, Steven J. Mitchell ’90 B.A. (Econ) served as managing director of wealth management, as well as a Pinnacle Council and Pinnacle Circle member at UBS, where he worked for twelve years.

The Dr. Ralph E. Montonna Endowed Professorship for the Teaching and Education of Undergraduates fund is designed to provide support, in the form of a supplemental research fund, to a professor with notable engagement in undergraduate education. Gretchen Purser, associate professor of sociology, received this year's award.

Changyong Choi ’11 Ph.D. (SSc) has been appointed to the Korea Development Institute’s School of Public Policy and Management as a faculty in international development and public policy.

Jeremy Ames ’04 M.P.A. is the new director of the Division of Communications in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Regulatory Affairs, which leads FDA field activities, inspecting regulated products and manufacturers, analyzing samples of regulated products, and reviewing products imported into the United States.

Scott Rayder ’92 M.P.A. is the new executive director of the Alabama Water Institute (AWI), based at the University of Alabama. As executive director, Rayder will facilitate collaboration with the National Water Center, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration center located on the University of Alabama campus. 

Melaine Rottkamp ’91 B.A. (PSc) is the new president and CEO of Dutchess Tourism. As president, she will manage Dutchess Tourism’s branding, advertising and marketing efforts, and various business support and education programs.

After serving as its director or co-director since 2005, Catherine Gerard has stepped down from her leadership role at the Maxwell School’s renowned Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC), effective July 1, 2020. Gerard will continue as an adjunct professor of public administration and associate director for the Executive Education Programs at Maxwell, and also continue her work as co-director of the Collaborative Governance Initiative at PARCC. 

Dave Levinthal '02 B.A. (PPhil) previously spent seven and a half years at the Center for Public Integrity, as an editor and senior reporter focused largely on federal politics.