2024 Alumni Association Celebration Program
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2024 I 6:00 -9:00 P.M. I B&O RAILROAD MUSEUM
Historical Ties:
Johns Hopkins University and the B&O Railroad
The history of Johns Hopkins University is inextricably linked to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and prominent investor John W. Garrett. Just as the B&O was pivotal in establishing rail connections that would unite major cities along America’s eastern seaboard, the relationship between philanthropist Garrett, stockholder Johns Hopkins, and financier George Peabody laid the tracks for what would eventually become Johns Hopkins University.
Peabody had endowed funding to establish the Peabody Institute, and Garrett urged him to convince Hopkins to do the same. As his legacy, Hopkins set aside seven-million dollars, largely in B&O stock, for this purpose. His namesake university was founded in 1876 followed shortly thereafter by the Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Garrett was influential in his support of Johns Hopkins University and went on to serve as a devoted trustee during the school’s formative years.
— from John W. Garrett and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad by Kathleen Waters Sander, published by Hopkins Press (2017)
Welcome
Recognition of Council Members Completing Service on the Johns Hopkins Alumni Council
Mary Ann Dickson, A&S ’97, President, The Johns Hopkins Alumni Association
Recognition of 2024 Alumni Association Awards Recipients
Judy Keen, A&S ’97, BSPH ’01, Med ’04, Vice President, Brian Fruchey, Bus ’10, Officer at Large, and Anika Penn, SAIS ’10, Immediate Past President, The Johns Hopkins Alumni Association
Dinner
Lan Yun Blue Orchids, Johns Hopkins University’s Classical Chinese Dance Team
Student Grants Presentation
Robert Hitz, Peab ’82, Co-Chair, Student Grants Committee, the Johns Hopkins Alumni Association
Recognition of 2024 Alumni Association Awards Recipients —continued
Claudia DeCarlo, Bus ’15, Secretary, the Johns Hopkins Alumni Association and Mary Ann Dickson
Our evening began with a performance by a Peabody Jazz Quartet
Community Champion Award
Recognizes outstanding contributions that address critical social, economic and environmental needs throughout our society and communities, including local communities. Both individuals and groups are eligible. The nominee(s) may be either Johns Hopkins alumni (individual or group) who have impacted any community or non-alumni (individual or group) who have impacted a Johns Hopkins Institution.
Alumni Aid for Ukraine, SAIS
Alumni Aid for Ukraine is a group of alumni and students that was initially launched to mobilize both financial and in-kind resources to help Ukrainian war-torn families fleeing their country resettle across the EU and in particular in Bologna, Italy, given the location of SAIS Europe, the existing students’ activity and the alumni connections to the city. The first goal of the group was to leverage their international connections to create a network of volunteers throughout Europe that can provide immediate relief to refugees by connecting them to potential hosts, helping them satisfy bureaucratic requirements, directing them to language/translation resources, and – generally – securing demanddriven support to people in need as the inflow grows. A second and more structured goal was to implement a One-Month Relief Program aimed at placing a certain number of families under a secure shelter, complemented by a small stipend for immediate needs, for a period of one month, to allow for other actors such as local administrations, and NGO s to better plane for more permanent solutions. Today, they are an official partner of The King Baudouin Foundation, an international philanthropic organization based in Brussels, Belgium, enabling the group to work together to promote the protection of human rights and stimulate civil society. Their mission has grown to unite alumni and students alike within international relations world to contribute to the protection of those affected by crises by funding innovative, inspiring, and impactful programs to tackle these issues. They also plan to support student experiential learning funds and provide humanitarian response grant-funding
Shelly Choo, SAIS ’91, BSPH ’14
Shelly Choo, MD ’11, MPH ’14 , is a champion for families of Baltimore City and the state of Maryland. During her time as Senior Medical Advisor for the B’More Healthy Babies Initiative, Dr. Choo led infant sleep training for families and she managed provider outreach efforts to ensure clinicians caring for families and babies in the area had access to B’More Healthy Babies resources, contributing to a 32% decline in infant death in Baltimore City. As Chief Medical Officer for the Baltimore City Health Department,
she led multiple population health initiatives such as the Accountable Health Communities Initiatives (AHC ) and the Levels of Care for Baltimore City Hospitals to Respond to the Opioid Epidemic. After Dr. Choo’s incredible work with the Baltimore City community, she began work as the Director of the Bureau of Maternal and Child Health (MCH ) at the Maryland Department of Health. In this role her expertise and vision can extend to families across Maryland, where she manages multiple essential services such as the Maryland Title V program, Family Planning, Women Infant and Children initiatives (WIC ), and home visiting. Shelly Choo has been saving lives in Baltimore City and across the state of Maryland for nearly a decade, leading to recognition as a 2023 40 under 40 in Public Health by the de Beaumont Foundation. Her work impacts families and communities in all stages of life, and the thoughtful and evidence-based approaches she brings have resulted in an increase in community access to resources and knowledge.
Sophia Lynn, SAIS ’91
Sophia Lynn currently serves as executive director of the Crow’s Nest Research Center, a non-profit organization located in Stafford, Virginia and dedicated to conservation, wetlands research, and environmental education. Sophia favors using shared nature conservation values as a common rallying point for local communities. Her prior career pursuits include working with the National Trust for Historic Preservation to establish the President Lincoln’s Cottage National Monument, serving as Deputy Director for the Council of Institutional Investors, and postings in Havana, Madrid, and Washington, DC with the U.S. Foreign Service. She is married to David C. Frederick and between them they have three children.
Deborah Rose, Friend of A&S
Deborah Rose is a chronic disease epidemiologist with interests in psychosocial epidemiology, demography, environmental health, and sustainable development. She spent over 20 years designing and analyzing data from the US National Health Interview Survey focusing on 1990 Health Objectives, Healthy People 2010, tobacco use, Hispanic health, 3
and advising the Ministries of Health of Hungary, Mexico, and Taiwan on best practices for their health interview surveys. Following her career in Public Health, Dr. Rose has taken on the mantle of President of the Helping Africa Foundation, which is dedicated to the improvement of health, education, and social welfare conditions in Sub Sahara Africa. Specifically, Dr. Rose has worked to launch Information and Communications Technology (ICT ) Centers in these areas. These computer labs provide local students with access to educational materials and resources, powered by a device that enables continued functioning without connection to the internet. More locally, and in alignment with her commitment to supporting educational opportunities for underrepresented populations, Dr. Rose is a significant supporter of BioEYES , a K-12 STEM outreach program which empowers students to experience hands-on science research through the study of zebrafish. Through the generous support of advocates like Dr. Rose, BioEYES has reached over 182,000 students over the course of 20 years, including PhD graduates of Johns Hopkins.
Richard Antoine White, Peab ’96
Dr. Richard Antoine White is a 1996 recipient of a Bachelor of Music degree in tuba from the Peabody Institute, for the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association Community Champion Award. An accomplished and renowned community leader, with over two decades of performing on the world’s classical music stages, Dr. White’s accomplishments, which I will outline below, demonstrate the profound impact he has within his local community and recognition he brings to both the Peabody Institute and Johns Hopkins University. Richard, a native of Baltimore, Maryland who started from humble beginnings, planted the seeds for music to later become his way forward, when he began his tuba studies at 12 years old. After earning his Bachelor of Music degree from Peabody, he later attended Indiana University, earning both his master’s and doctorate degrees, making him the first Black American to earn a doctorate in tuba and his ensuing career. He now serves as the principal tubist in the Santa Fe Symphony and the New Mexico Philharmonic and is the Associate Professor of tuba/ euphonium, as well as the Associate
Director of the Spirit Marching Band at the University of New Mexico, making him one of only two Black American tenured tuba professors in the country. Inspirational speaker, professor, principal tubist, and best-selling author, Dr. White, continues to be a beacon for what the future of community engagement and leadership might represent in the world. Simply put, Dr. White is a community champion. Luckily for Peabody and Hopkins, he is also an extremely proud alumnus, who makes himself available to talk about his journey and provide guidance to future generations.
Distinguished Alumnus/a
Intended to honor alumni, who have typified the Johns Hopkins tradition of excellence and brought credit to the University by their personal accomplishments, professional achievement, or humanitarian service.
Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, SAIS ’84
Former Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer and Former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Malta Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley is the President of the Middle East Policy Council, a think tank that contributes to American understanding of the political, economic and and cultural issues that affect U.S. interests in the Middle East, Senior Advisor at the strategic advisory firm, WestExec Advisors, and a Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Atlantic Council. Before her current appointments, she held a series of senior positions that included Ambassador to the Republic of Malta, Foreign Policy Advisor to the Commander of U.S. cyber forces, Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism for the Department of State where she negotiated the establishment of the International Institute for Justice and Rule of Law, and Country Director for Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. Ms. Abercrombie-Winstanley was the first woman to lead a diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia as the Principal Officer in Jeddah after taking on the position of Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for the Middle East and Africa. In addition to the State Department, she held senior positions at the Defense Department and on the National Security Council staff. Prior to that, she was a Professional Staff Member for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Ms. Abercrombie-Winstanley is the recipient of numerous awards including the Maltese Order of Merit, Department of State Meritorious and Superior Honor Awards, including “For acts of courage during an attack on the U.S. Consulate General, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on December 6, 2004 by al-Qa’ida terrorists”, Foreign Policy for America’s Community Leadership Award, and Peace Corps Women of Achievement. During her break in public service, 2018-2021, she ran AbercrombieWinstanley Consulting and advised on issues ranging from U.S. policy in the Mid-East, how diversity and inclusion improve U.S. foreign policy making, cyber security challenges, and counterterrorism. She served in 2020 as co-chair of the Diversity in National Security Working Group for the Biden campaign before being recalled to service by Secretary of State Blinken.
Ms. Abercrombie-Winstanley, a Cleveland native, has degrees from The George Washington University and The Johns Hopkins University and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Women of Color Advancing Peace And Security.
She was a co-Founder of The Leadership Council for Women in National Security— LCWINS , and has been an active Board member for several organizations committed to excellence in professional development and leadership including the Cleveland Clinic, the Forum for Education Abroad, College Now Greater Cleveland, and the International Career Advancement Association. She also served on the board of the Cleveland Museum of Contemporary Art. She sings with the Washington Performing Arts Society and has been published in the New York Times Opinion and The Foreign Service Journal. She is the co-author of two papers published in the New York Review of Science Fiction on “Diplomacy in Star Trek” and “The Representation of Disability in Star Trek”, and wrote the Forward for “The Young Black Leaders Guide to a Successful Career in International Affairs”. In 2019, she was voted into the American Academy of Diplomacy.
Elizabeth Cherot, A&S ’92, Bus ’16
Dr. Cherot received her bachelor’s degree in 1992 from the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and her MBA degree from Carey Business School in 2016. As a student at Carey, she devised a birthing center as her capstone project and pitched it to St Peter’s Hospital (N.J.) executives. The hospital ultimately built the center on the first floor of the facility. She then devised an app that helps expecting mothers prepare for a cesarean section and post-operative care. The app was an overwhelming success as hospital stay duration and readmission rates dropped while patient satisfaction increased. This past year she was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of March of Dimes after a career dedicated to improving women’s and infant health. A trained OB/GYN , Dr. Cherot has spent the better part of the last two decades in medical management, first at Brunswick Hills Obstetrics and Gynecology in New Jersey where she managed over 70 employees and 15 medical providers and then at Axia Women’s Health where she rose to the position of Chief Medical Officer overseeing a staff of 2,500 across five states. Today, as the first physician CEO of March of Dimes, she leads one of the world’s largest organizations dedicated to improving the health of all mothers and babies. In addition to her numerous professional accomplishments, Dr. Cherot has been a great volunteer and donor for Carey Business School. She is a former member of the Dean’s Alumni Advisory
Board and served as an alumni mentor in the two-year NEXT program for Carey’s fulltime MBA students. She has also mentored students enrolled in Carey’s Health, Tech, and Innovation courses, and contributed to the School’s recent marketing campaign around its rebranding. She is dedicated to enhancing the student experience at Carey through mentoring and the School and its students have benefitted from her passion in many ways.
Mary Cwik, A&S ’99, Med ’07 (PGF)
Dr. Cwik is an Associate Director of Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health and Senior Scientist in the Department of International Health at JHSPH . Since completing her post-doctoral training in youth suicide prevention at JHSOM Department of Psychiatry, she has applied her skills and humanitarian compassion to developing, promoting and scaling public health innovations to prevent youth suicide in communities suffering the highest inequities in the U.S., American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN ) populations. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death for Americans ages 10-34, with startling increases over the past decade in youth deaths. Indigenous youth suffer the largest health disparities and are experiencing increasing inequity gaps since the COVID-19 pandemic compared to other U.S. youth. Dr. Cwik’s work brings hope. Dr. Cwik’s contributions to overcoming youth suicide inequities include: 1) Working with the White Mountain Apache Tribe since 2008 to develop, implement and evaluate the first of its kind tribally mandated suicide surveillance and case management system. Dr. Cwik provided 24-hour clinical support to local Apache case managers during the project’s implementation period. 2) Proving and publishing (lead author) in the American Journal of Public Health that the Apache suicide prevention system resulted in a 38% reduction in suicide deaths and 53% reduction in suicide attempts during a time when suicide was increasing among other AIAN and U.S. youth populations. 3) Leading her team in winning national recognition for the suicide prevention system from Indian Health Service, American Academy of Child Psychiatry and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA ); 4) Mentoring and promoting career development among two White Mountain Apache behavioral health specialists who work for JHU , who have received Masters and Doctoral degrees over the past 10 years, and now clinical-
ly oversee the suicide prevention program locally; 5) Winning new grants in the past five years to scale the suicide prevention program to more than 10 new tribal communities across the U.S. One of these grants included a $500,000 “high impact” investment from the JHSPH ’s Bloomberg American Health Initiative. 6) Providing senior consultation to the state of Maryland and national agencies, on regional and national suicide prevention.
Gatis Eglitis, SAIS B ’02
Gatis was born in small-town Dobele in Latvia in 1978 (then Soviet Union) and moved to Riga in 1997 to purse business and economics studies in the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga. After graduating, he started working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on economic and security issues (NATO ) and obtained his Master’s degree in international relations from JHU SAIS Bologna and Vienna Diplomatic Academy. Gatis continued his career in the European Commission in 2005-2016, representing European Union in its bailout programs aiding Latvia, Greece, and Cyprus. In this capacity he worked directly with policymakers and high-ranking politicians to quell the financial crises that engulfed these countries’ economies. After returning to Latvia, Gatis served as Member of Parliament from 2018 to 2021, inter alia, representing Latvia in NATO Parliamentary Assembly and co-sponsoring historic Holocaust restitution law. He served as Minister for Social and Labor Affairs from 2021 through 2022, overseeing some 40% of Latvia’s state budget (primarily pensions, benefits, and social security) and a staff of over 4000 employees. During this time Latvia was confronted by Covid pandemic and the regional crisis ignited by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As Latvia welcomed large refugee flows, he was in charge of providing safe harbor to those displaced. Gatis is now the Chairman of the Latvian Conservative party, championing center-right policies and running for Prime Minister in 2026. Gatis travels to the U.S. frequently, meeting with Republican Party leadership, U.S. Treasury officials, and other organizations. Gatis is a good husband, a proud father of three (two daughters and a son), He speaks Latvian, English, Danish and Russian and has travelled for work and leisure to more than 100 countries. His SAIS Bologna class nominated him “Most Likely to Become a Diplomat.”
Shannon Frattaroli, BSPH ’94, ’99
Shannon Frattaroli, PhD ’99, MPH ’94 , is a nationally recognized injury prevention researcher with a special focus on gun violence prevention. Her work has directly influenced federal and state policy around research and violence prevention, including crucial research on reducing the threat of gun violence. In response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, CT in 2012, Shannon Frattaroli and her colleague Josh Horwitz assembled the Consortium for Risk-Based Firearm Policy, a multidisciplinary group of experts, to develop evidence-based policy recommendations for gun violence prevention. The work Dr. Frattaroli led at the Consortium is the foundation for her work in the development of Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO ) laws. Dr. Frattaroli has been able to continue her groundbreaking research with ERPO laws through a high impact project with the Bloomberg American Health Initiative where she has advocated for enabling clinicians to be able to petition for ERPO s, using ERPO s to prevent teen suicide, research ERPO policies and the implementation process, and the impact of COVID-19 on gun violence. She also serves as Director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy and she helped develop the policy track and co-directs the Health Policy and Management DrPH degree program. Dr. Frattaroli’s contribution and leadership in the violence prevention field is changing the way the nation is thinking about its injury and violence prevention policies. Her work is saving lives in families, communities, and across the country.
Laman Gray, Jr., Med ’67
Laman Gray, Jr., M.D. is an internationally recognized leader in the fields of cardiac surgery and development of artificial hearts and circulatory support systems. Dr. Gray’s outstanding accomplishments include performing the first heart transplant in Kentucky (1984) and the first bridge to heart transplant after the use of a Thoratec Bi-Ventricular Assist Device in the United States (1985). He was also an original investigator for the Novacor Ventricular Assist Device System. In 1992, he performed the first clinical use of ABIOMED ’s SupraCor IABP and was one of the four primary clinical investigators that
brought ABIOMED ’s BVS 5000 temporary cardiac support system to clinical approval by the FDA . On July 2, 2001, Dr. Gray and his surgical team implanted the first artificial heart into Robert Tools who lived five additional months on the device. He has been the Director of the University of Louisville School of Medicine’s Division of thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery for more than twenty years and is a founding member of the Jewish Hospital heart and Lung Institute. Dr. Gray is also the Medical Director of the Cardiovascular Innovation Institute – a center focused on bio-adaptive heart innovations, including the integration of heart-assist device, bio-feedback sensors and related technologies. He also serves as a consultant the Food and Drug Administration to the circulatory System Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee, Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
Atul Grover, BSPH ’04
Atul Grover, PhD ’04 is an internal medicine physician, health services researcher, and nationally recognized expert in health policy whose advocacy work transcends political lines - improving individual health and our healthcare system through his work to redefine health policy issues and highlight meaningful solution. As the inaugural executive director of the Research and Action Institute at Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC ), he works to develop policy and programmatic solutions, then harnesses the power of the AAMC ’s member schools, teaching hospitals and academic health systems, and academic societies to test, validate, and scale effective change. Through his work across the health policy field, he identified a significant gap—the translation of scientific research toward actionable, accessible language that can be easily understood by a large audience. As a featured contributor to USA Today and Health Affairs, Dr. Grover has worked to reduce the public’s knowledge gap through more accessible language, applying this approach to several public health issues including challenges associated with the response to COVID-19 and an examination on why the U.S. spends so much on healthcare. During the AAMC Research and Action Institute’s Learn Serve Lead 2023 Conference, Dr. Grover and colleagues discussed health policy priorities including rural
health and mental health access, identifying clear problems, and exploring viable federal policy solutions in the present political and economic climate. Through this large-scale capacity building effort, Dr. Grover has made a nation-wide impact - analyzing problems in healthcare, identifying what is actionable, and building capacity to implement solutions.
Chandresh Harjivan, BSPH ’99
Chandresh Harjivan, MPH ’99 is a well-respected public health leader and innovator with experience working across multiple types of organizations including pharmaceutical and health care industries, the public sector, and now the United States government. Dr. Harjivan’s wealth of experience allows him to work within key stakeholders’ needs to align requirements, set priorities, and define core capabilities, ultimately transforming and growing organizations in the public health space. He has advised companies, multilateral NGO s, and governments on crucial issues in global health and security, including understanding the epidemiology of existing and emerging diseases, the development and delivery of technologies against those diseases—whether new diagnostics, drugs, vaccines, or digital tools—as well as on advising where to make healthcare investments. Dr. Harjivan is a co-founder of SaponiQx, a bio-pharmaceutical company where the focus is on technology that has the potential to dramatically change how vaccines are created and extend the average vaccine lifespan thereby improving access, reducing cost, and saving more lives. In October of 2023, Dr. Harjivan was appointed to the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, Dr. Harjivan contributes to the Administration’s response to public health threats with pandemic potential and strengthens domestic pandemic preparedness. His work primarily focuses on the oversight of interagency research & development, diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics policy, supply chain, and plans & exercises.
Marjorie Olds, A&S ’72
Ms. Olds commitment to transforming lives is evident in her role as a Consultant for NYS Prison Reentry Programming, where she has played a pivotal role in creating and
implementing programs to enhance the success of young adults upon release from prison. Her extensive work in securing federal and state grants for pre- and post-release educational and employment services underscores her dedication to breaking the cycle of incarceration. Similarly, as a New York State Consultant for the Office of Children and Family Services and Cornell Cooperative Extension Energy Warriors, Ms. Olds contributed to overcoming barriers to employment and education for incarcerated teens through statewide initiatives and pilot programs. She previously served as a Supervising Administrative Law Judge for the New York State Department of Labor, where she managed a hearing unit, oversaw personnel and training, and developed strategies for compliance. Ms. Olds served as the first female City Court Judge in Ithaca, focusing on domestic violence programming, dispute resolution, and court supervision for individuals with recidivism histories related to drugs, alcohol, and mental health challenges. She also previously served as a Visiting Jurist at the United Nations, where she worked on human rights issues worldwide. Further highlighting her trailblazing achievements, and perhaps most notable for the JHU community, Ms. Olds was first woman undergraduate admitted to Johns Hopkins University. She received a bachelor’s degree in humanistic studies from the Krieger School. 2011 New-Letter article: https://www.jhunewsletter. com/article/2011/03/first-woman-admitted-to-jhu-shares-her-experiences-50884
Roy Strowd, Ed ’18
Dr. Strowd is truly a triple-threat in medicine with nationally recognized expertise in neuro-oncology, medical education, and translational research. This all began during his training at Johns Hopkins. As a fellow in the Department of Neurology, he developed a foundation in clinical research and medical education that have catalyzed a highly productive career. He was the senior author in a phase 2 multi-center study that translated a long-standing Johns Hopkins interest in the ketogenic/modified Atkins-based diet for patients with glioma. He is recognized nationally in neuro-oncology and has been invited to speak at national meetings (e.g., AAN, SNO ) and was editor of a recent textbook titled “Neuro-oncology for the clinical neurologist.” He is a passionate educator. He serves as Vice Dean for Medical Education at the Wake Forest University
School of Medicine – the highest educator-specific leadership position at the school. He has received numerous prestigious awards and recognitions including the Innovation in Medical Education Award from the SGEA and was the inaugural recipient of the national Brownell Anderson Award from the AAMC for his exceptional teaching scholarship.
Kurt Vandenberghe, SAIS B ’91 ’92
Kurt was appointed Director General of DG CLIMA on 16 January 2023. Until then, he was the Green Deal and Health advisor to President Ursula von der Leyen since 1 December 2019. He had joined the cabinet of the President coming from DG Research and Innovation where he was Director for Policy & Programming since 1 February 2016 and Acting Director for Research & Innovation Outreach since 1 June 2019 .Before that, he was Director for ‘Climate action and resource efficiency’ at DG Research and Innovation since July 2013. He served in the Cabinet of Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin (1999-2004) and as Head of the Cabinet of Janez Potočnik, who was Commissioner for Research and Innovation (2004-2009) and subsequently for Environment (from 2010). Kurt joined the European Commission in 1996 as co-ordinator of the Commission’s Intermodal Transport Task Force and of the Transport Research Programme. Before entering the Commission, Kurt worked for 4 years as a manager at Ernst & Young Association Management, where he set up, managed and represented international trade associations. After reading French and Italian literature at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL) and obtaining a degree in Public and International Affairs at the University Catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve (UCL), Kurt gained a Master of Arts degree in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (S.A.I.S.) in Bologna, Italy and Washington D.C., US.
Laura Wood, Nurs ’12
Laura Wood received a Bachelor of Science (BSN ) degree in Nursing, Magna Cum Laude, from West Virginia University School of Nursing; a Master of Science (MS ) degree from The University of Maryland, Baltimore; and a Doctor of Nursing Practice
(DNP ) degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. In 2011, she was the recipient of the Johns Hopkins University Fralic Nursing Fellowship. In 2012, she was named a Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ ) Foundation Executive Nurse Fellow as part of a selective three-year national executive leadership program. Wood has served on a variety of child and education focused non-profit boards over the past two decades. She currently serves as a member of the Boston Children’s Hospital Board of Trustees, as Principal Investigator for the Sporing Carpenter Chair in Nursing, and as a member of numerous national nursing advisory boards including: The Beryl Institute’s Nurse Executive Council, CRICO ’s Nursing Advisory Board, Greater Boston Nursing Collective, Harvard Medical School Bioethics Hospital Advisory Board, Johns Hopkins University Nursing Advisory Board, The Joint Commission Nursing Advisory Council, and the Press Ganey CNO Advisory Board. As Executive Vice President Patient Care Operations, System Chief Nursing Officer at Boston Children’s Hospital, Dr. Laura Wood leads the discipline of nursing and provides system-level oversight of patient care delivery throughout the organization’s network and satellite locations. Boston Children’s serves as the pediatric training center for Harvard Medical School, where nurses in concert with interprofessional care teams actively translate science to care delivery as part of the world’s largest pediatric research enterprise — treating more children with rare and complex conditions than any other hospital in the world. Boston Children’s is consistently recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best children’s Hospitals.
Public Service Award
Intended to honor alumni of Johns Hopkins who have brought credit to the University by their current or recently concluded distinguished service to the public as elected or appointed officials.
Brant Goode, BSPH ’02
Since graduating from Hopkins BSPH in 2002, CAPT Goode has been an unwavering force in the field of public health through his dedication to mentorship and leadership at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC ). He began his CDC when he entered a two-year Fellowship with the elite Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS ) program in 2004 – At the time, an honor rarely afforded to nurses. After completing his EIS Fellowship, CAPT Goode joined the Career Epidemiology Field Officer (CEFO ) program. This CDC program places federal public health professionals with epidemiology and emergency preparedness skills at state and local health jurisdictions around the U.S. CAPT Goode’s dedication to public health has taken him across the U.S.; From 20062015, he served as the CDC CEFO in North Carolina, Hawaii, and Vermont. While his assignments had him crisscrossing the US, the impact of CAPT Goode’s service has extended far beyond US borders. He responded to the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, the 2014-15 West African Ebola outbreak, and since 2020 he’s supported the CDC ’s all-encompassing response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, including a 2021 deployment providing vital healthcare to unaccompanied minors arriving at the US-Mexico border. Since 2015, CAPT Goode has served as Deputy Branch Chief of the CDC Field Assignee Services Branch, overseeing the daily activities of 50+ CEFO s assigned to 48 jurisdictions and 2 international posts.
Jacqueline Hackett, BSPH ’19
Jacqueline Hackett, MPH ’19 , is a lifelong advocate for policy solutions to combat drug addiction on the national stage. Since 2011 has worked tirelessly for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP ), a component of the Executive Office of the President, where she coordinates the strategy addressing the addiction and overdose epidemic present in communities around the country. In this role, Ms. Hackett oversees a budget of approximately $43 billion and she is responsible for the development and implementation the National Drug Control Strategy. As part of this strategy she also ensures hundreds of millions of dollars are provided to community programs such as the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program and the Drug-Free Commu-
nities Program. Ms. Hackett has been able to work with both Republican and Democratic administrations, Federal partners, state and local governments, law enforcement, and substance use disorder advocacy organizations to create evidence-based legislation and policy that can address the epidemic both nationally and in individual states. Her research on the importance of community support as a crucial pillar of addiction recovery directly influenced the ONDCP , where they are currently expanding the Peer Recovery Support Services. Ms. Hackett is a global leader in the drug control policy space and has represented the United States to the World Health Organization and Organization of American States on multiple issues of substance use policy and health.
David Heyman, SAIS ’96
David Heyman is a nationally recognized thought leader in innovation, risk management, and national security and the founder of three technology companies. He has served in senior executive positions in the public and private sector, including at the White House, U.S. Department of Energy, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Heyman co-founded and leads Smart City Works Venture Labs (The “Actuator”), a next-generation—and first of its kind—business accelerator, focused on urban infrastructure and improving the livability, operations, and resilience of cities. He also serves and has served in a number of leadership roles on municipal, corporate, and international boards, including George Mason University President’s Innovation Advisory Council; the Board of Directors for The George Mason Research Foundation; the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Council; MITRE ’s Homeland Security Experts Group, and previously, as Chair of Sandia National Laboratory’s External Advisory Committee, Chair of the District of Columbia’s Homeland Security Commission, and as a member of the Governor of Virginia’s Task Force on Smart Communities, and a member of the Hedayah’s International Advisory Board for The International Center of Excellence For Countering Extremism and Violent Extremism. Prior to Smart City Works, Heyman served as the senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary for Policy (now Under Secretary) and part of the senior management team at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the third largest agency in the U.S. Government. At DHS , he
led the Department’s policy and decision analysis, strategy development and oversight across all mission areas: counterterrorism, border security, immigration, cybersecurity, and building resilience. He was responsible for establishing cybersecurity as a mission of DHS , for leading DHS representation in the National Security Council (NSC ), for the development of the nation’s first congressionally-mandated National Homeland Security Strategy, the Quadrennial Homeland Security Report (QHSR ), and for managing DHS international cooperation and engagements. Previously, he served as a senior advisor the U.S. Secretary of Energy and at the White House, advising the President’s Science and National Security Advisors on matters at the nexus of technology and international security. Before entering government, Heyman was an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, and the founding Director of the Homeland Security program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Prior to that, he was the 12th hire and worked for nearly a decade as a computer systems software engineer, and head of international operations for a firm specializing in industrial automation, robotics, and supply-chain management systems for Fortune 100 companies. There he helped grow the company to over 100 employees on three continents, where it was eventually sold to BDM International, a publicly traded (2x: AMEX and NASDAQ ) and private equity backed (The Carlyle Group) information technology company. BDM subsequently sold to TRW (now part of Northrop Grumman), a publicly traded company. Heyman has commented and written on terrorism, technology, and other international security-related matters before Congress, in the media, and in numerous publications. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in biology from Brandeis University and a Master’s in international relations and economics from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, where he graduated with the highest level of distinction.
Theodore “Ted” George Osius III, SAIS ’89
Former ambassador Ted Osius is President & CEO of the US-ASEAN Business Council. A diplomat for thirty years, Ambassador Osius served from 2014 to 2017 as U.S. ambassador to Vietnam. Prior to that he served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Jakarta, Political
Minister-Counselor in New Delhi, deputy director of the Office of Korean Affairs at the State Department, regional environment officer for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and senior advisor on Asia and trade to Vice President Al Gore. He also served in Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Manila, and at the United Nations. After his departure from government, Osius joined Google Asia-Pacific as Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Policy, covering 19 Asian nations from Google’s Singapore headquarters. Earlier, he was a senior advisor at the Albright-Stonebridge Group, the first Vice President of Fulbright University Vietnam, associate professor at the National War College, and Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Ambassador Osius has authored numerous articles on Foreign Service tradecraft and U.S.-Asia policy. He wrote The U.S.-Japan Security Alliance: Why It Matters and How To Strengthen It (CSIS /Praeger 2002) as a fellow at the Japan Institute for International Affairs. While at CSIS , he published “Global Swing States: Deepening Partnerships with India and Indonesia” (Asia Policy, January 2014), Enhancing India-ASEAN Connectivity and A US-Indonesia Partnership for 2020. In October 2021, he published Nothing Is Impossible: America’s Reconciliation with Vietnam.
Evan Ryan, SAIS ’06
Evan Ryan currently serves as White House Cabinet Secretary, leading the Office of Cabinet Affairs. In this role, she is the primary liaison between the President and his Cabinet. Before joining the Biden-Harris Administration, Ms. Ryan served as Senior Adviser to the Biden Transition. Prior to that role, she was Executive Vice President of Axios, joining the media company before its launch. She also helped launch Axios on HBO , a news program where she served as an Executive Producer.
In the second term of the Obama-Biden Administration, Ms. Ryan was the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs. In the first term, she worked in The White House as Assistant to the Vice President and Special Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement. Before that, she served as Deputy Campaign Manager for then-Senator Joe Biden’s 2008 presidential campaign.
Ms. Ryan began her career in The White House working for First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton from 1994 to 2000, first as Special Assistant to the First Lady’s Chief of Staff and then as Deputy Director of Scheduling. She then moved to New York to become the Director of Scheduling for Hillary Clinton’s 2000 Senate campaign. From 2003 to early 2004, Ms. Ryan was the Deputy Director of Communications for John Kerry’s presidential campaign, and then went on to serve as the Deputy Chair for the Governance track of the first year of the Clinton Global Initiative.
Ms. Ryan is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She holds a B.A. from Boston College and an MIPP from the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.
William Colonel Smith, A&S ’07
Lt. Smith, a distinguished alumnus of Johns Hopkins University with a Master’s degree in Government (2007), has had a notable career marked by public service. Beginning with AmeriCorps and the ACLU , he showcased early dedication to community empowerment and civil liberties. His commitment continued through law school, where he engaged in employment discrimination cases and joined the U.S. Navy Reserve. Appointed as a Director at the Department of Homeland Security in 2010, Lt. Smith later made history as the first African-American Senator from Montgomery County, representing District 20 in the Maryland House of Delegates. Since 2019, he has served as the Chairman of the Judicial Proceedings Committee, advocating tirelessly for criminal justice reform, economic opportunities, and social equity. Lt. Smith’s service extends to Afghanistan, where he deployed for Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. As an intelligence officer, he served as Branch Chief for Governance and Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, earning military accolades such as the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and Joint Service Commendation Medal. Beyond his legislative and military roles, Lt. Smith practices law, specializing in national security and employment discrimination. His multifaceted expertise equips him to address complex societal issues, reflecting his enduring commitment to public service.
Global Achievement Award
Honors alumni who exemplify the Johns Hopkins tradition of excellence and have brought credit to the university and their profession in the international arena through their professional achievements or humanitarian service.
John Francis, BSPH ’06, Bus ’06
John Francis, MPH/MBA ’06 has spent the past 15 years supporting and leading multiple public health initiatives both domestically in the United States and internationally. During his almost 12 years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mr. Francis led multiple branch projects on the development and use of public health programs and data analytics, prevention research, and advancing evidence-based practices. In his role as Deputy Branch Chief, Country Strategy and Implementation Branch for the Division of Global Health Protection, he led conversations with local and global partners to improve health security globally. His work influenced support of the COVID-19 International Taskforce in 2020, the E-cigarette Lung Injury response in 2019, and the Ebola Vaccine Trial in 2015. His broad work and influence with the CDC prepared him to take on the role of Project Manager, Malaria Vaccines Team for the World Health Organization (WHO ) in the fall of 2020. Mr. Francis’s work on the Malaria Vaccine Team is a vital part of ensuring the vaccine is shared with priority communities in a timely manner to prevent hospitalizations and deaths. Mr. Francis regularly serves as a mentor to current MPH students, where he helps students understand how to make the most of their yearlong program according to their goals, ensure experiences are enhancing their education, and provided feedback and guidance on navigating the job hunt and career path.
Lillian Kidane, BSPH ’07
Lillian Kidane, MPH ’07 is a powerful public health force working across continents and with stakeholders in multiple industries to provide resources for individuals and communities to reach their full potential through educational opportunities, dignified work, and community healthcare initiatives. Ms. Kidane understands economic growth is an imperative part of healthy communities, and her recent work supporting both Ethiopia’s Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Innovation and Technology have placed Ethiopia on the path towards ensuring steady, inclusive, and equitable growth specifically through the development of the country’s first-ever digital transformation roadmap in support of the country’s target to reach low middle-income status by
2025. Ms. Kidane currently serves as Partner and Regional Director, Africa at Dalberg Advisors. Ms. Kidane knows the African continent is in many ways leading the global movement towards sustainable development and now is the time to pursue people-centric systemic change in climate resilience, healthcare accessibility and quality, and digital enablement. Lillian Kidane is a champion for global meaningful impact. She has previously served as senior advisor to the COVID Vaccine Delivery Partnership in Geneva, where she oversaw vaccine allocation and distribution across the globe during the pandemic. She opened and operated the first direct commercial office for General Electric (GE ) in Ethiopia, overseeing GE investment across Africa including innovations for the local workforce. She has been featured in African Shapers and is regularly consulted for her expertise across multiple geographic regions and industries.
Ajit Mohan, SAIS ’05
Ajit Mohan is President at Snap, Inc. where he is a member of Snap’s global executive team and leads the Asia-Pacific region. In a career spanning over 25 years, Ajit has played a leading role in building and steering media and technology companies around the world. He was the founding CEO at Hotstar where he conceptualized, launched and built India’s largest live sports and entertainment streaming platform that also became a leading destination for the South Asian diaspora. As the Vice President and Managing Director of India for Meta, he spearheaded the company’s charter in the country across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. His tenure is recognised as one that shifted the company’s posture in India from one that was seen as a foreign company in conflict with local stakeholders to one that was seen as a constructive local player investing in the digital ecosystem. He has served on the boards of Jio Platforms, India’s largest telecommunications and digital company, as well as Johns Hopkins India. Ajit has also worked in developmental areas linked to urban renewal, education and public health in the United States and India. As a Fellow at the McKinsey Global Institute, he co-authored India’s Urban Awakening, a 2010 report that outlined a policy and governance roadmap to guide India’s rapid urbanization. He is a current member of the board at the Museum
of Art and Photography (MAP ) in Bangalore, one of India’s first private museums that recently was selected as a cultural hot spot on National Geographic’s Best of the World 2024. He is a graduate of the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS ) at Johns Hopkins University and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Boris Ruge, SAIS B ’98
Ambassador Boris Ruge is Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy (PASP ). He leads the team responsible for political affairs within NATO ’s International Staff. This includes partnerships, global affairs, security policy, as well as arms control, disarmament, and nonproliferation.
Starting from September 2024, Ambassador Ruge, will serve as Acting Deputy Secretary General until a successor of Mircea Geoană is appointed.
He previously served as Vice Chairman of the Munich Security Conference, German Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Director Middle East/North Africa at the German Foreign Office in Berlin, and Deputy Chief of Mission of the German Embassy in Washington, DC.
Having joined the Foreign Service in 1989, much of Ambassador Ruge´s career has been focused on security policy and stabilization. He worked at NATO Headquarters in Brussels during the Kosovo air campaign. He later served as chief political adviser to two successive Commanders of NATO ’s Kosovo Force as well as Head of the Political Department at the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina. At the Foreign Office in Berlin, he was deputy head of division for European Security and Defence Policy.
Following undergraduate studies at the University of Cologne, Ambassador Ruge received a master’s degree in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He holds a diploma in international relations from the Bologna Center of the Johns Hopkins University and was a participant in the 2005 course of the Royal College of Defence Studies in London. He is married and has three daughters and one son.
Heritage Award
Intended to honor alumni or friends of Johns Hopkins who have contributed outstanding service over an extended period to the progress of the University or the activities of the Association.
David Calleo, SAIS (Posthumously)
Prof. Calleo (1934-2023) was the director of the SAIS European Studies Department from its creation in 1968 until 2012 and Dean Acheson Professor of European Studies at SAIS with the title of University Professor until his retirement in 2018. He was one of the world’s most respected scholars on European affairs and foreign policy. Prof. Calleo authored numerous books and articles on subjects ranging from the international economy to U.S. foreign policy, transatlantic relations and the history of ideas. These included America and the World Political Economy (1973, coauthored with Benjamin Rowland); The German Problem Reconsidered (1978); Beyond American Hegemony (1987). Most recently, The Follies of Power: America’s Unipolar Fantasy (2009). Prof. Calleo was a beloved and respected member of the SAIS community. This award recognizes his enormous legacy and impact on generations of SAIS students and colleagues.
Chaomei Chen, Engr ’88, Trustee
Chaomei Chen is a dedicated Johns Hopkins alumnus and a retired business executive from the financial industry and lives in San Francisco. She is a leading expert in risk management and operations and held several impressive positions in her career, including Chief Risk Officer, Chief Credit Officer, and Executive Vice President at several US -based financial technology companies and banks. Chaomei earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Southwestern JiaoTong University and her master’s degree in Mathematical Sciences from Johns Hopkins University. Since graduating from Hopkins, she has been a strong volunteer leader and supporter of the school, consistently going above and beyond in a variety of roles. She has hosted numerous Alumni Association events in the Bay Area, and has agreed to host an upcoming event in 2024. She has returned to campus several times to meet with university leadership and is truly invested in strengthening the university. She currently serves on the Whiting School’s Dean’s Advisory Board, as has for almost ten years, helping to guide Dean Schlesinger and the school as it continues its rise to preeminence. Within the advisory board, she has also taken on leadership roles, previously serving as the Chair for the advisory board’s diversity
committee and being the featured speaker at the school’s 2012 Convocation Ceremony. In 2016, she began her first term on the University’s Board of Trustees, serving on several committees, most recently the development committee. Despite her busy schedule, she has always found time to meet with leadership from different areas of the university and work to forge partnerships between WSE and other divisions. In addition to generously giving her time to the university, she and her husband have also been strong philanthropic supporters of the school. Together, they established a department headship in the Applied Mathematics and Statistics Department, they supported newly formed Department of Environmental and Health Engineering and championed the effort to combine the departments, which were rooted both in the Engineering and Public Health Schools, they set-up the Yu Wu and Chaomei Chen Impact Fund which supports collaborative research projects within the department and have made unrestricted gifts to the Department of History.
Martha Hill, Nurs ’64, 1966, BSPH Ú86, former Dean of Nursing
Martha Hill served as dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing from 2001 until early 2014 and has been a member of the faculty since the school was established in 1983. As an educator, she is known for her mentorship of students and faculty members; as a researcher, for her investigations in preventing and treating hypertension and its complications, particularly among young, urban African-American men and the effectiveness of nurse-run clinics. Her expertise in community-based participatory research focuses on the integration of multi-professional health care to improve treatment and outcomes for vulnerable and underserved populations. She has been an active investigator, mentor, and consultant on numerous National Institutes of Health-funded clinical trials and is recognized around the globe for her research projects including “Comprehensive HBP Care for Young Urban Black Men,” “Barriers to HBP Care and Control in Black South Africans,” and “Research Training in Health Disparities in Underserved Populations.” Dr. Hill is a member of the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) and serves on its health sciences policy board. Dr. Hill previously served on
the IOM Council and the Board of Directors of Research! America. From 1997-1998, Dr. Hill served as president of the American Heart Association, the first non-physician to be named to that position. She is a professor of nursing, medicine, and public health.
Will Linder, A&S ’72
Since graduating from JHU in 1972, Will Linder has remained as committed and active as ever with his alma mater. He’s been involved through regional events in Chicago and served on numerous reunion committees. Will currently serves on the KSAS Humanities Advisory Council and is a past member of the Alumni Council. Will has also supported Hopkins philanthropically, taking great pride in both The Linder Family Scholarship and The Robert Forster and Vernon Like Scholarship, as well as his contributions to the University Writing Program. In 2020, Will participated in one of the early Hopkins at Home offerings which featured Dr. Ralph Hruban. This course sparked a connection between Will and Dr. Hruban, which led them to co-author and publish the book A Scientific Revolution: Ten Men and Women Who Reinvented American Medicine. This book recounts the stories of the early Johns Hopkins luminaries John Shaw Billings, Max Brödel, Mary Elizabeth Garrett, William Halsted, Jesse Lazear, Dorothy Reed Mendenhall, William Osler, Helen Taussig, Vivien Thomas, and William Welch. This chorus of lives tells a compelling tale not just of their individual struggles, but how personal and societal issues went hand-in-hand with the advancement of medicine. It is clear that Will’s dedication to Hopkins has only grown stronger through the years and he has shown this by continually contributing to the success of the school for many years.
Outstanding Recent Graduate Award
Honors alumni who have received their Hopkins degree in the last 10 years and demonstrated outstanding achievement or service in their professional or volunteer life.
Somaya Albhaisi, BSPH ’22
Somaya Albhaisi is an early career physician-scientist, an Assistant Professor of Medicine, an academic hospitalist, and an aspiring hepatologist-social entrepreneur in the Department of Internal Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU ). Her research focuses on the epidemiology, prevention, and treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis cirrhosis. During her first 3 years as faculty, she produced over 24 publications that received more than 400 citations. She received several academic awards, including the Emerging Liver Scholar Award from the American Association for Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD ) in 2019, and getting inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi Honorary Society in 2022, and the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health in 2023. She is an active member of major national GI and Liver societies, the Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network (NASH CRN ) and the Alcoholic Hepatitis Network (AlcHepNet) of the NIH . During the COVID-19 pandemic, she led an initiative to establish a COVID-19 registry with biorepository to become the Founding Director of VCU ’s first institutional COVID-19 biorepository, named VCU Registry of SARS-C oV-2 (VCU-RS ). She received multiple internal grants from the Wright Center and the Health Innovation Consortium to fund the registry. Serving as the principal investigator of the COVID-19 registry has allowed her to collaborate widely with many researchers in VCU and outside of VCU in order to yield high impact studies that could potentially make positive changes to treatment of patients with COVID-19 infection. In addition, she participated as a key co-investigator in several COVID-19 clinical trials at national and institutional levels.
Cheree Davis, Ed ’15
Cheree has been deeply entrenched with Baltimore City Public Schools since her days as a founding teacher at the Baltimore Talent Development High School (where at-risk students were given an alternative to other area schools) through today in her work as an educational advocate and support professional. Cheree joined Baltimore County Public Schools in 2016 as an educational specialist. She was responsible for overseeing
the implementation of the School Programs for the Acceleration and Recovery of Credit Program, which impacts nearly 5,000 students. She is now the Supervisor of Leadership Development which involves teaching aspiring leaders and supporting new leaders. In her role as a School Transformation Facilitator with Johns Hopkins, she was uniquely positioned to drive the academic, cultural, and community goals of Johns Hopkins and play an integral role is leading school turnaround initiatives across the country. She was recently featured as the inaugural speaker with the School of Education’s School Leadership Consortium and will be joining the adjunct faculty at SOE . She is a current member of the Johns Hopkins Alumni Council and Executive Committee.
Julie Jenkins, Nurs ’22
Julie A. Jenkins, DNP, APRN, WHNP-BC , is the Clinicians in Abortion Care Strategist & Training Program Manager at the National Abortion Federation. She is a sexual and reproductive health nurse practitioner with more than 15 years of clinical experience across multiple organizations. Julie was previously the lead plaintiff in federal ACLU litigation challenging Maine’s physician-only abortion law, an effort that ultimately succeeded through state legislation. Julie completed her doctoral studies at Johns Hopkins University in 2022, focusing on executive leadership. She was the Reproductive Health Access Project’s national Advanced Practice Clinicians Cluster Leader from the cluster’s inception in 2020 until she became CIAC liaison to the cluster in late 2022. Julie was an early adopter of telehealth medication abortion, providing telehealth abortion care for multiple organizations, and now provides telehealth abortion training to organizations interested in implementing this care. In 2022 she and two other abortion providers co-founded the Abortion Freedom Fund — a national abortion fund supporting accessible, affordable, evidence-based telehealth abortion care for all. Julie is an experienced educator, speaker, and trainer. She has taught in nursing programs at UCSF , University of Maine, and MGH institute of Health Professions, and is currently a member of the nursing faculty at Yale. She speaks nationally on the role of advanced practice clinicians in abortion care and on abortion provision, from in-clinic services to self-managed abortion.
She provides training on abortion care and options counseling and consults on projects for various national organizations. In the past she worked as a Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner/Forensic Nurse Examiner (SAFE/FNE ) performing sexual assault and domestic violence exams. As a longtime political activist and sexual and reproductive health advocate, she looks to Reproductive Justice experts to guide her work. She is board certified in Women’s Health and, in addition to her doctorate, holds a Master of Science in Nursing from California State University, Long Beach and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Southern Maine, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and a Certificate in Women’s Studies from the University of Maine at Orono.
Albert “Jim” Marckwardt, SAIS ’14, SAIS ’23
Dr. Albert J. Marckwardt is the Faculty Co-Lead, Program Administrator and Adjunct Lecturer for the Americas Focus Area at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He is also Faculty Lead & Associate Professor for Institutional Capacity Building at the Defense Security Cooperation University. Jim is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and Foreign Area Officer that served in various policy and security cooperation positions including at the Office of Secretary of Defense for Policy as the Colombia and Venezuela Country Director, at the U.S. Embassy in Honduras as the Liaison Officer & Political Military Advisor for Joint Task Force Bravo, at the Defense Intelligence Agency as a Defense Strategic Intelligence Planner, and at U.S. Army North as a Mexico Senior Leader Engagement Officer. He is a graduate of Argentine’s Escuela Superior de Guerra (Superior War School) and deployed twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in command and staff positions as an Armor Officer.
During his time in Iraq, he coauthored The Defense of Jisr al-Doreaa, the premiere tactical primer for junior leaders on the conduct of modern counterinsurgency. He earned his Doctor of International Affairs and Master of International Public Policy degrees at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and a BA in International Business at Florida International University.
Momodou
“Lamin” Sonko, A&S ’16
Dr. Sonko graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the Krieger School with a B.S in Molecular and Cellular Biology and a minor in Bioethics. Dr. Sonko gained valuable experience at Remedy Partners, where he served as a business analyst. In this capacity, he played a pivotal role in transitioning healthcare organizations from a fee-for-service model to a more patient-centered, value-based bundled payment system. His involvement in co-founding White Coat Strategists in 2017 further highlights his commitment to peer mentorship within the healthcare community. Having earned his MD/MBA from the Perelman School of Medicine and Wharton School of Business in 2022, Dr. Sonko has seamlessly integrated his medical and business acumen. Currently, as a second-year resident in Emergency Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, he is making significant contributions to patient care while pursuing further specialization in a challenging field. Dr. Sonko’s impact extends beyond the hospital walls through the establishment of Diaspora Health, a healthcare startup that undoubtedly reflects his entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to improving healthcare delivery to the African diaspora.
Spencer Twigg, Bus ’16
Upon completion of his master’s degree, Spencer was selected to serve as the 2016 Administrative Fellow at Carolinas Hospital System. Two years later, he was promoted to Assistant Chief Executive Officer at the age of 25. He was responsible for the daily operations of 4 large clinical departments. Just two years later, Spencer was given additional responsibility over a rural 124-bed hospital where we worked together. At the age of 27, he was the Administrator for the sole hospital in an underserved county. His scope expanded to over 600 employees in all ancillary, clinical, and diagnostic departments, a 92-bed nursing home, and 12 physician clinics. Spencer led that hospital through the COVID-19 Pandemic where we stood up testing, treatment, AND vaccination efforts to combat the virus. During his time as a hospital administrator in a rural area, Spencer was engaged in a number of civic and community organizations. He became a Rotarian, attending weekly meetings and organized volunteer activities. Leading a rural hospital
through the COVID-19 Pandemic, Spencer became heavily involved in community outreach, education, and advocacy – all exemplars of Johns Hopkins mission. During those uncertain times, he organized the hospital’s drive thru COVID testing efforts, which at the time was the only site for COVID testing in the county. Eventually, 24,000 vaccines were successfully administered to citizens over a course of months (in a county with a total population less than 29,000). Through the hospital Spencer wrote grants to obtain funding for identified gaps in the community we served. The first grant was to address pediatric food insecurity. Boxes of fresh produce and easy-to-follow recipes were distributed to families with children screened as food insecure (representing almost 24% of the county’s population). Additionally, he wrote a grant for 3D Mammography to provide earlier detection of breast cancer to at risk women in the area. Spencer was able to work with the MUSC School of Dentistry and state leaders to integrate oral health into our rural primary care practices for children who needed prophylaxis during their annual wellness visits. Most recently, Spencer was able to achieve his dream working for the #1 hospital system in the United States. Today, he serves as an Operations Administrator at Mayo Clinic. During his time at Mayo, he’s overseen the Departments of Anesthesiology, Ophthalmology, Urology, and Gynecology representing over 200 physicians and other allied health staff.
Kimberly Zou, Engr ’19
Kimberly “Kim” Zou is the co-founder and CEO of Sightline Climate, a marketing intelligence platform that organizes the climate ecosystem, providing tactical research and insights, and bringing clarity to climate. The company developed out of CTVC , a leading newsletter on climate innovation. The weekly newsletter, which comes out every Monday, is read by over 35,000 industry leaders. CTVC generates data-driven insights on the climate tech market, which have been featured in channels including Bloomberg, Reuters, Financial Times, and TechCrunch, and highlights leading companies and voices working to bend the climate curve. Prior to starting CTVC and Sightline Climate, Kim was a climate tech investor at Energy Impact Partners, a $2.5B AUM venture capital firm
investing in a sustainable future backed by a coalition of 40+ energy & industrial companies. Prior to joining EIP , Kim was part of JPMorgan’s Tech M&A investment banking team. Kim was named one of 40 Leaders in Climate by Climate Transformed. She has been featured on numerous podcast and sites, including “Invested in Climate,” “Climate Week,” and at the SOSV Climate Tech Summit. Kim graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in economics and applied mathematics and statistics. With her immense accomplishments and brand, it hard to believe that she graduated less than 5 years ago.
Acknowledgments
The Johns Hopkins Alumni Association would like to thank the 2023-2024 members of the Johns Hopkins Alumni Council’s Building Diverse Leadership Committee. This committee determined the slate of 2024 award recipients for presentation to the Alumni Council’s Executive Committee.
Building Diverse Leadership Committee
Co-Chairs
Lou Bartolo, Nurs ’18
Joseph Yoon, A&S ’00
Committee Members:
Jane Ball, Nurs ’74, BSPH ’78, ’80
Susan Borgos, A&S ’81
Francesco Clark, A&S ’00
Greg Fortsch, A&S ’91
Bettina Gensollen, A&S ’94
Julie Ho, A&S ’05
Shelby Kemper, BSPH ’16
Alysia Lee, Peab ’06
Mervat Mina, Bus ’02
Guillermo Ortiz, A&S ’14
Sita Sonty, SAIS ’02
Emily Dabish Yahkind, A&S ’16
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