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Stay in touch with your classmates and peers

1980 / 1981 / 1982 / 1984 / 1985 / 1986 / 1987 / 1989 / 1992 / 1993 / 1994 / 1995 / 1996 / 1998 / 1999 / 2003 / 2005 / 2006 / 2007 / 2008 / 2009 / 2010 / 2011 / 2012 / 2013 / 2014 / 2016 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019 / 2021

Note: Years bolded indicate reunion years.

1980
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Eric Cody MCRP has a new book out titled Rescuing Ellisville Marsh: The Long Fight to Restore Lost Connections (University of Massachusetts Press, 2023). The book tells the story of a 15-year project to revitalize fisheries and wildlife in a 70-acre salt marsh in Plymouth, Massachusetts. This is Eric’s first foray into environmental activism after a 40-year career in the energy sector. The book has received a favorable mention in The Boston Globe.

1981
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Joe Leitmann MPP married Kyungsuk Brien in October 2022; they are enjoying hiking, traveling, and cooking together. Joe was elected vice president of The International Emergency Management Society and was selected to serve on the executive board of the International Science Reserve. He continues to serve as executive director of the University of California Disaster Resilience Network and CEO of Rapid Assessment, Planning and Implementation for Development (RAPID LLC).

Robert Reiner MCRP reports that his graphic novel adaptation of a lost “mini masterpiece” by science fiction and fantasy writer Otto Binder (Captain Marvel, Black Adam, Superman, and I, Robot) was recently published by Fantagraphics. Written in 1953 but left unpublished until now, Otto Binder’s The Unwanted uses literary metaphors to address the McCarthy era repression of the time. Remarkably prescient, many of the themes of racism, antisemitism, gender discrimination, military aggression, and fake news reverberate today.

1982
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Erik Ferguson MCRP writes, “The fundamental equation has finally been published, thank God. You may find it Down Under at Antipodean SF, an online magazine permanently archived by the Australian government, in a story called ‘Flowers’ by an author named ‘Keech Ballard,’ which is me. Enjoy!”

1984 | 40th reunion
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Judy Bunnell MPP was joined by almost 100 alumni and Judy Kugel, former associate dean of students and head of ����vlog���� Career Services, to discuss how to retire gracefully and age well. Judy K. discussed her 30-plus years at ����vlog���� and when she knew it was time to retire. She touched on health decisions, housing options, and how to keep active after leaving ����vlog����. More “lifestyle” webinars are promised for alums.

Marc Pomper MPA, after a 35-year-plus career in finance, has retired with his wife, Rayna, to a life of leisure and travel, with a present base in Philadelphia. There, he has become increasingly involved in support for arts and cultural institutions, as well other civic improvement initiatives. He is greatly looking forward to reconnecting with KSG alums in the coming months and years!

1985
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Barbara Lamont MC/MPA is still living in Lafayette, Louisiana, where she runs a 24-hour contact center for government agencies in all 50 states. She is working on retiring this year or early next year. “Call or stop by if you are in the area.”

1986
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John Hill MC/MPA received an Exceptional Service Award from U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in recognition of his 30 years of service to the nation.“Throughout his career, Mr. Hill has helped Treasury meet the challenges of the times,” cited Yellen. John prepared the nation’s import system for Y2K and post-9/11 security requirements, and managed Treasury’s financial agents in resolving troubled assets during the 2008–2009 financial crisis. During the coronavirus pandemic, John led the disbursement of $500 billion in relief funds under the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan. John is currently chairman of the board of Alexandria Renew Enterprises, his city’s water reclamation facility.

1987
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Nadine Hack MC/MPA recently received the Catalyst for Change Award and gave a keynote speech at Business and Professional Women Lake Geneva. She has written articles for Forbes as well as a book titled Power of Connectedness, featuring a foreword by Desmond Tutu. Nadine teaches a grad course at the University of Lausanne, and has been a guest on podcasts including “Conversations with Coaches,” “What Makes Work Work?,” “Your Path to Success,” and “Women Leading Audaciously.”

1989 | 35th reunion
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Joyce Barr MPA retired in 2017 after serving as U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Namibia, deputy commandant and interim chancellor at National Defense University, and assistant secretary of administration at the Department of State. Currently, Joyce is a regent at Pacific Lutheran University, a fellow at the National Academy of Public Administration, and a professor of practice at Virginia Tech.

James Brett MPA, president and CEO of The New England Council, was recently named the chair of the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PCPID) by President Joe Biden. PCPID is a federal advisory committee that promotes policies and initiatives that support independence and lifelong inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in their respective communities. James has been a lifelong champion for individuals with disabilities and previously served on PCPID under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

1992
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Juliette Fay MPP has published her seventh novel, The Half of It (HarperCollins, 2023). The novel tells the story of a woman reflecting on the most impactful night of her life—and reuniting with the man involved after 40 years apart. Juliette and her husband, Tom, live in Wayland, Massachusetts, where Tom’s role on the Select Board has him eating breakfast with half the town, and Juliette can often be found in her garden up to her elbows in dirt.

Chuck Flacks MPP was hired this past December as the homelessness services coordinator for the City of Goleta, California.

The New Geopolitics of Energy

1993
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Xavier Briggs MPA, after six years in a global role as vice president for inclusive economies and markets at the Ford Foundation, has moved with his family back to Washington, D.C., where he works as a senior scholar and advisor at The Brookings Institution, focused mainly on equitable economic development and climate action in the United States. He’s also inspired by serving on the boards of Dēmos, JUST Capital, One Fair Wage, and other nonprofits.

Miki Sawanishi MPP writes, “Hi to all fellow 1993 MPPs! I’m working for the United Nations Democracy Fund to support grassroots democracy worldwide. I hope to reconnect with many of you and please send me emails if you have a chance to come to NYC.”

1994 | 30th reunion
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IN MEMORIAM
Chari Anhouse MC/MPA, Gary Stahl MC/MPA, and Toomas Palu MC/MPA write, “With heavy hearts, we share the news of Gepke Hingst MC/MPA 1994 leaving this life in March 2023 surrounded by loved ones in the Netherlands. Gepke was a true force of nature: Fresh out of medical school in 1983, she worked with Médecins Sans Frontières in the mountains of Afghanistan during the Russian occupation and then in remote hospitals in Botswana and Malawi. After Harvard—where she also earned a Master’s in Public Health—she joined UNICEF in Rwanda after the genocide and worked with refugees on the northern border. UNICEF postings in the Ivory Coast, the Philippines, Afghanistan, New York City, and Bhutan followed until her retirement. Throughout, Gepke truly became part of the communities she served and strove to improve the lives of women and girls. This listing of professional accomplishments only partly captures the intelligence, curiosity, dedication, and sense of adventure that were Gepke. Those of us lucky enough to know her are forever changed for the better. In her memory, please wear turquoise, drink a glass of red wine, trek through the mountains, and be a true and loyal friend.”

1995
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Lorene Flaming MPP writes, “My love of kimonos was born in 2016 when I made a pilgrimage to the Itchuku Kubota museum at the base of Mount Fuji and encountered Kubota’s unusual landscape kimonos, honoring the seasons and cosmos. I started collecting vintage Japanese textiles that invoke a deep sense of simplicity, beauty, and enduring craft, and eventually founded Distant Mountain to help them go out into the world to be appreciated anew. I’m currently collaborating with the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum store in Santa Fe, New Mexico, curating pieces that reflect O’Keeffe’s art and personal style in conjunction with the “Making a Life” exhibit. I divide my time between Asia, White Salmon, Washington, and a Zen center in the foothills of Santa Fe.”

1996
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Nancy Brune MPP was recently elected to serve on the Las Vegas City Council (a nonpartisan seat). She continues to work as a research professor at the Desert Research Institute, where she is examining issues of water security and the impact of extreme heat on the built environment.

Veit Dengler MPA writes, “I would like to support Michele Zanini’s nomination of Jean-Sélim Kanaan for the 2023 Alumni Public Service Award. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Jean-Sélim’s death in the line of duty at the U.N. compound in Baghdad. Jean-Sélim was not only a swashbuckling, hands-on public servant wherever there was real need, he was also a kind and very fun person. I have no doubt he would have had massive impact throughout his life, but even as short as it was, he has inspired many of us.”

Carol Gentry MC/MPA writes, “I have found a club of fun retired scientists, professors, doctors, lawyers, and business execs who keep learning and growing and sharing knowledge: the Academy for Senior Professionals at Eckerd College (ASPEC). The clubhouse, the former college president’s home, is right on the water here in St. Petersburg, Florida. I’ve been doing research and presentations on fascinating topics, from behavioral economics to private equity intrusion in health care.”

Todd Harper MPP was inducted in late February into the African-American Credit Union Coalition’s Hall of Fame for his efforts to advance economic equity and justice as chairman of the National Credit Union Administration. His work has included expanding access to capital for minority depository institutions, hosting diversity summits, enhancing fair lending supervision, and mitigating appraisal bias.

1998
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Jenny Korn MPP was interviewed for WGBH about Asian representation in media, particularly in the series “Sort Of” and the movie “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which won this year’s best picture Oscar.

1999 | 25th reunion
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Verónica Loewe Muñoz MPA keeps working as a senior researcher at INFOR, and since 2021 has also been principal investigator at the National Center of Excellence for the Wood Industry (CENAMAD, ANID) in the Forest Sustainability line. Most of her work relates to improving the sustainability of the forestry production, developing forest and fruit-forest species of high value for Chile, and monitoring the effects of climate change. Regarding stone pine domestication, she is focused on the commercial use of cones, validating technologies for harvesting and processing pine nuts. Verónica is living with her mother, husband, and son in Santiago, close to her daughter Caterina’s family, and is enjoying her two grandsons.

Raghu Narain MPA writes, “I am delighted to serve on the ����vlog���� Alumni Board. I hope to deepen the connection with the alumni community via various interesting initiatives. We are living in Hong Kong and if in the area, please contact me.”

2003
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Matthew Garcia MPP was nominated by President Biden to serve as a federal district court judge for the District of New Mexico. The Senate confirmed Matthew on February 14, 2023, and he was sworn in two days later. Matthew is the 26th U.S. district judge in New Mexico since statehood in 1912. Albuquerque will be the official duty station for Matthew, and a formal ceremony was held in May at the Pete V. Domenici U.S. Courthouse.

2005
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Sylvia Clute MPA and Molly Soeby MPA 2004 are working together for the nonprofit the Alliance for Unitive Justice (a4uj.org). Sylvia is president and executive director and Molly is AUJ’s director of the UJEd Whole School Program. Molly and Sylvia are teaching UJEd leadership teams at Hopewell Public High School and Woodson Middle School in Hopewell, Virginia. They teach a one-year online UJEd course on how to transform school culture using the Unitive Justice approach to replace zero tolerance school discipline. Unitive Justice has no punitive elements. More programs using cutting-edge Unitive Justice theory are in development, including transforming the culture of jails and prisons.

2006
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Angela Joo-Hyun Kang MC/MPA was appointed as the co-chair of the Climate Change Taskforce of Women 20 (W20), G20’s official policy engagement group for gender equality and women’s empowerment, during India’s 2023 presidency year. In her multiple roles as the co-head of the South Korean delegation to W20 and the Seoul/Korea Chapter Lead of Harvard Kennedy School Women’s Network (����vlog����WN), Angela strengthened the ����vlog����WN’s presence and visibility at the W20 inception meeting on February 27, 2023, in Aurangabad, India, and helped W20 and ����vlog����WN collaborate on a bilateral memorandum of understanding on March 8, 2023.

Dana Trytten MC/MPA was named an assistant director with the National Park Service (NPS).

2007
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Kusi Hornberger MPA/ID writes, “I am happy to share that I recently fulfilled a lifelong dream to publish a book. My book, inspired by my time at ����vlog����, is titled Scaling Impact: Finance and Investment for a Better World. In the book I pull together two decades of experience on what I see as six major paradigm shifts that need to happen to make the capitalist tools of finance and investment work to accelerate progress against the world’s biggest remaining collective challenges like climate change, poverty, and systemic inequality. More information about my book and where to buy it can be found here: scalingimpact.co. I hope you will all purchase, read and share widely.”

Siri Khalsa MC/MPA just launched a new podcast, “The Corporate Activist.” The podcast explores the role of the business sector in today’s complex social and political landscape. Siri writes, “We look at the role of the business sector from all angles, examining the benefits of engagement, as well as the risks. I talk with a broad range of experts to get their perspectives, take an in-depth look at some case studies, as well as answer your questions on how you can best navigate these issues in your own business. Please join the conversation!”

2008
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Bina Venkataraman MPP writes, “I’ve taken on a new role in 2023 as The Washington Post’s first columnist of the future. I am moving to D.C. later this summer, and I’d love to connect with fellow ����vlog���� alumni in the DMV—and, of course, around the world whenever we can travel each other’s way.”

2009 | 15th reunion
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Nora Nickum MPP authored a children’s middle-grade nonfiction book called Superpod: Saving the Endangered Orcas of the Pacific Northwest, published by Chicago Review Press in April 2023. Nora is the senior ocean policy manager at the Seattle Aquarium.

2010
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Josh Stephens MPP published his latest book, Planners Across America, a collection of interviews with directors of city planning for the largest cities in the United States. It’s available from Planetizen Press.

2011
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Joel Engardio MC/MPA was elected as a city supervisor of San Francisco in November 2022. He serves as one of 11 supervisors who oversee a $14 billion budget and draft local laws. Joel’s election made history twice. He was the first candidate to oust an elected incumbent supervisor in two decades. Joel is also the first openly gay supervisor elected in San Francisco’s historically conservative westside districts. Read Joel’s blog post about how he won: engardio.com/blog/we-won. “We deserve to live in a city that works,” Joel said. “We can create our best San Francisco—if we’re willing to address today’s problems with equal doses of innovation and common sense.”

2012
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Claudia Núñez Sañudo MPP writes, “As of November 2022, I was appointed executive director of Fundación Amparo, based in Mexico. The foundation created the “Museo Amparo” in Puebla, and runs three community centers in Puebla and Mexico City. All efforts focus on empowering beneficiaries through education and art, and the community centers also focus on health. For more information, please visit: fundacionamparo.com. I would love to connect with anyone who thinks we could partner to further the foundation’s impact. Sending all a big hug!”

2013
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Gianna Montinola MC/MPA writes, “I am currently the senior vice president for corporate affairs at Far Eastern University, a leading university in the Philippines.  I am also co-founder and president of Hands On Manila Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organisation which focuses on volunteer management. Hands On Manila is an affiliate of the Points of Light Foundation, USA, where I am chair of the Asia Roundtable and am a member of its Global Assembly. Finally, I recently assumed the presidency of the Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Association of the Philippines and am looking forward to growing the ����vlog���� network and helping steer its members to pursue activities in aid of public policy legislation in the country.”

Athol Williams MC/MPA writes, “I was honored to receive a Special Recognition Award from the international NGO Blueprint for Free Speech, for ‘integrity and bravery in the public interest,’ and the Chairman’s Award from the U.K. branch of the South African Chamber of Commerce for ‘brave public service’ after I blew the whistle on ‘unlawful’ and ‘corrupt and fraudulent’ practices by Bain & Company and others in South Africa. Sadly, I’ve had to go into exile after warnings of threats to my life. It has been a powerful lesson that acting for public good can come at great cost.”

2014 | 10th reunion
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Winston Ma MPP has joined the International Data Center Authority (IDCA) as the chief investment officer and executive vice chairman. The author of the books The Hunt for Unicorns and The Digital War, Winston most recently released Blockchain and Web3: Building the Cryptocurrency, Privacy, and Security Foundations of the Metaverse (Wiley, 2022). Winston is currently the board chairman of Nasdaq-listed MCAA, a European tech SPAC, an advisory board member of Capgemini, and an adjunct professor at NYU Law School. 

Tim Purinton MPA writes, “In the spring of 2023 I became a special assistant to the deputy director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under an Intergovernment Personnel Act posting where I will remain until the end of President Biden’s first term.”

2016
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Maroof Mohsin MC/MPA is currently teaching at the School of Global Affairs Kings College in London. Since graduating from ����vlog����, he has been teaching as a lecturer at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) of the University of Dhaka and in the Department of Political Science and Sociology (PSS) at North South University Bangladesh. Prior to attending Harvard University in 2015, he was working for the Yunus Centre in Dhaka and Bloomberg in London.

Challenges for Today’s Public Leaders

2017
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Kirsten Rulf MPP is a new partner and associate director at the Boston Consulting Group. She just concluded four successful years as senior advisor to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and current German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and their Cabinets in all strategic questions of innovation and emerging technologies, like AI or quantum computing. In her new role at BCG, Kirsten will build up a global knowledge hub to advise businesses on the major digital and data regulations currently being rolled out by the EU, United States, and China, e.g., the EU Digital Services Act and the AI Act. Kirsten negotiated most of these laws in her previous role with Chancellor Merkel.

2018
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Dana Rassas MC/MPA writes, “It has been an incredible five years since our graduation in 2018. I have been blessed on so many levels: I have a baby girl named Kinzi who turned one year this past January. I live in the Mishawaka/South Bend area of Indiana with my partner and our baby. Our Michiana region is the best place to raise a family amidst the beautiful nature, water bodies (we are 30 minutes away from Lake Michigan), and the reputable schools of higher education (Indiana University, Notre Dame, St. Mary’s, and many more). I work for Indiana University in South Bend as the major gifts officer in the University Relations and Advancement Department. If you are around, come visit, you will enjoy it!”

2019 | 5th reunion
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Keisha Blair ����vlog����EE writes, “In March 2023 I published the new Holistic Wealth (Expanded and Updated): 36 Life Lessons to Help You Recover from Disruption, Find Your Life Purpose and Achieve Financial Freedom. The foreword for the book was written by iconic actress Kelly Rutherford, star of Gossip Girl, Melrose Place, and Dynasty. Holistic Wealth has been called “an essential guide to the ‘art of recovery from disruption’ by CNN senior political analyst Kirsten Powers and ‘game-changing’ by actress Kelly Rutherford.”

Stefan Chavez–Norgaard MPP married Bianca Chavez in 2022 and is now Stefan Chavez-Norgaard! He’s in the fourth year of his PhD in urban planning at Columbia University. From September to May, Stefan will spend the 2023–2024 academic year in Cambridge, Massachusetts, working as a scholar-in-residence at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy while finishing his PhD. For those ����vlog���� alumni still around Cambridge, please reach out and say hello!

2021
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Josh Altman MPP was recently promoted to national security advisor to United States Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA). Josh previously served as Senator Ossoff’s military legislative assistant.

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Banner photography by Lydia Rosenberg and Inline photography by Martha Stewart and Lydia Rosenberg.