A POWERFUL VOICE FOR JUSTICE: MAZAHER KAILA ’19

Well before she knew exactly what a lawyer was, Mazaher Kaila ’19 B.A. (PSc) knew she wanted to be one. “I might have first gotten the idea from my sister,” she confesses. “But I knew, even when I was in fourth or fifth grade, that lawyers had a voice and the power to make change. That appealed to me.”

Kaila is now a second-year student in the College of Law. She moved with her family from Sudan to Central New York when she was 4 and quickly developed an understanding of certain challenges she’d face. “I’m Black, female, an immigrant and Muslim. That puts me pretty much at the lowest level when it comes to social advantage and privilege,” she says. But, she explains, this understanding also fueled her ambitions. “Civic engagement is a core value for me. I have always aspired to help the communities I’m from.”

Kaila is not waiting until she graduates law school to assume the role of advocate and changemaker. She serves as president of the Black Law Students Association and is leading efforts to help the University administration address issues of diversity and inclusion on multiple fronts, including in admissions practices and in the establishment of a resource center at the College of Law.

Growing up, Kaila loved art, played several sports and was curious about technology and engineering. But by the time she transferred to the University as a sophomore, she had discovered political science and knew she wanted to learn more. “I realized that to make meaningful change in society, I needed to understand the systems that power it—government and politics—and that’s insight I would gain by studying political science.”

—Sarah H. Griffin

Michael Scherger ’07 M.P.A. is director of the national training center for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. He previously served as division chief for the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C.

Colin Seale ’07 M.P.A. is author of Thinking Like a Lawyer: A Framework to Teaching Critical Thinking to All Students (Prufrock Press), which challenges students to think critically about law.

Ashish Upadhyaya ’07 M.P.A. serves as additional secretary and financial advisor for India’s government ministry of power division.

Steven Watson ’07 M.P.A. was promoted from deputy budget director to deputy chief financial officer and budget director for the city of Detroit.

Mohammad Mahmodi ’08 E.M.P.A./’09 M.A.I.R. is a research fellow at Yale Law School. He previously served as an independent attorney, and executive director of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Christian Lee ’08 M.P.A. retired as a captain from the U.S. Coast Guard after 23 years of service and joined Cornerstone Government Affairs, where he serves as principal on the homeland and national security group.

Alok Srivastava ’08 M.P.A. is principal secretary to the state government of Punjab, India. He previously served as permanent representative of India for the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal, Canada.

Abraham Awolich ’09 M.P.A. authored The Economic Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Sudan, discussing Sudan’s struggle to manage COVID-19, both in the private and public sector.

Matthew Duncan ’09 M.A.I.R. is director of intelligence of the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center at North American Electric Reliability Corp. He previously served as program manager for the U.S. Department of Energy’s State/Local/Tribal/Territorial Energy Assurance.

Matthew Daskal ’10 M.P.A. is assistant town manager for Plainville, Conn. He previously served as town manager for Westminster, Vt. Lauren Day ’10 M.A.I.R./M.S.P.R. was reappointed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to the Texas Crime Stoppers Council, which certifies and funds local crime stopper programs throughout the state. Day’s term ends in September 2024.

Sayed Zaman Hasemi ’10 E.M.P.A. is chief executive officer at Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment. He previously served as general director for the legal department for the Ministry of Justice of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Changyong Choi ’11 Ph.D. (SSc) was promoted to full professor at the KDI School of Public Policy and Management at Korea Development Institute in Namsejong-ro, Sejong-si Korea.

Justin Cole ’11 B.A. (Econ/PSt/ PSc) is a presidential innovation fellow for the General Services Administration’s Technology Transformation Services. Cole will serve for one year with the U.S. government, assisting new companies and introducing new technologies for rapid growth.

Sabithulla Khan ’11 M.P.A./ M.A.I.R. authored Islamic Education in the United States and the Evolution of Muslim Nonprofit Institutions (Edward Elgar Pub), earning the Virginia A. Hodgkinson Research Book Prize awarded by the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action. Khan is a program director and assistant professor at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Kelly Baug ’12 B.A. (PSt) was promoted to deputy film commissioner in July 2020 for Colorado’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade in Denver, Colo.

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Curtis Eatman ’09 B.A. (PSc)/’11 M.P.A. is transitioning from finance director to acting economic development director for the town of Hamden, Conn.

Benjamin Albert ’13 M.A.I.R. is director of corporate partnerships at Save the Children U.S. in Washington, D.C. Albert previously served as associate director for strategic partnerships at KABOOM.

Brent Johnson ’13 M.P.A. is deputy director of advance and operations for the second gentleman at the White House, Douglas Emhoff. Johnson previously served in the Office of Legislative Affairs for the Biden-Harris transition team.

Chinenye Monde­Anumihe ’13

B.A. (IR) is a government and regulatory relations manager at FMDQ Group in Lagos, Nigeria. She previously worked as an independent consultant at CLM Consulting with a focus on fundraising for World Economic Forum events and developing business proposals for small and medium size enterprises.

Corina Rebegea ’13 M.P.A. is the Center for European Policy Analysis director for democratic resilience. She plays a leadership role as she works toward programming future democratic governance and combatting disinformation.

Alexandra Curtis ’14 B.A. (PSc) is a second lieutenant in public affairs for Rhode Island’s National Guard. Curtis previously interned for two congressional offices in Rhode Island and Florida and was named Miss Rhode Island in 2015.

Joseph Hanna ’14 M.P.A. is a partner at Goldberg Segalla in Buffalo, N.Y. Hanna was recently elected to serve a three-year term on the board of directors of the Business Council of New York State.

Diana Pearl ’14 B.A. (Hist) is associate editor for business of fashion and managing editor of Brandsweek. She previously served as a writer and reporter at People magazine.

Claire Rupert ’14 B.A. (IR) is a disclosure policy analyst for the United States Navy International Programs Office for the Disclosure Policy and Technology Transfer Division. She previously served as senior consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton in Arlington, Va.

Oleg Tofilat ’14 E.M.P.A. is an advisor to the Republic of Moldova’s prime minister. Tofilat’s focus as advisor is centered on transportation and infrastructure.

James Jarvis­Thiébault ’15 M.P.A. is a research analyst at the Canadian Space Agency’s Division of Economic Research and Analysis in Montreal, Quebec. He previously worked at PYXERA Global in Washington, D.C.

Victoria Savage Kreiger ’15 B.A. (IR/PSt) is vice president at Goldman Sachs Prime Brokerage. She previously worked as a due diligence analyst at Stroz Friedberg in New York City.

Ashlee Newman ’15 B.A. (PSt/ PSc) is an associate at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP in New York City. Newman earned a juris doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.

Ivan Zhivkov ’15 B.A. (Hist/ IR)/’16 M.A.I.R. is vice consul for the U.S. Department of State in Moscow, Russia. He previously served as vice consul in Yekaterinburg, Russia.

Elizabeth Cole ’16 M.S.Sc. joined the board of trustees for the Cortland Free Library in Cortland, N.Y.

Sarah Davis ’16 M.P.A. is executive director for the Seneca County Industrial Development Agency in Seneca County, N.Y. She previously served as a program coordinator for CenterState CEO.

Youssef El Ayachi ’16 M.A.I.R./’19 M.P.A. is chief executive officer for Africa Bright Asset Management in Douala, Cameroon. El Ayachi was previously a board member for the firm and was adjunct professor at Emlyon Business School in France from June 2018 to August 2020.

Virginia Giannini ’16 B.A. (IR) passed the New York State Bar exam after completing a juris doctor at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. She is now providing legal advice to immigrants at the New York City Immigration Court.

Rebecca Maifeld ’16 B.A. (IR) is a program operations specialist at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance in the Africa Division in Washington, D.C. She previously worked as an emergency personnel and operations specialist for USAID’s Office of Food for Peace as the personnel unit lead.

Elise Roberts ’16 M.A. (PSc) is a policy research analyst at Booz Allen Hamilton and a Ph.D. candidate in political science at the Maxwell School. She previously served as a research and practice associate at the Syracuse University Institute for Security Policy and Law (formerly the Institute of National Security and Counterterrorism).

Charlene Cordero ’17 M.P.A./ M.A.I.R. is senior policy advisor for public safety to New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. Cordero was recognized by the 2020 Latino National Security and Foreign Policy Next Generation Leaders for her work in intelligence, security and policy.

Claudia Delgado ’17 B.A. (IR) completed a juris doctor degree with honors at George Washington University School of Law. Delgado also earned the Gold President’s Volunteer Service Award for pro bono work with The Nature Conservancy.

Jamie Takashai ’17 B.A. (Econ) is a 1st lieutenant for the New YorkArmy National Guard and is executive officer for the 719th Composite Truck Co. Takashai recently joined the Paramus (N.J.) Police Department as an officer.

Oloruntobi Dare ’18 B.A. (IR) completed the master of public health degree in global health program design, monitoring and evaluation at George Washington University in May 2020. Dare currently serves as a COVID-19 case investigator for Ajilon.

Elissa Gibbs ’18 M.S.Sc. is chief of staff at Armoured One, which trains school faculty and staff on how to respond to an active shooter or other crisis situation.

Caitlin Harrison ’18 B.A. (IR) is a program analyst for the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Bureau for the Middle East. She previously served as program analyst for U.Group, supporting the U.S. Department of Defenses’ Office of Industrial Policy.

Andres Laguna Martino ’18 B.A. (IR) completed a master’s degree in political and corporate communications at the University of Navarra in Spain. Laguna Martino designed a one-year communication strategy for the Citizens Party of Spain.

Kevin Porter ’18 B.A. (PSc) accepted a job with the office of Congressman Kurt Schrader for Oregon’s 5th congressional district. Abdulaziz Al­Sulaiti ’19 B.A. (Econ/PSt/PPhil) is special advisor for the United Nations.

Colby Cyrus ’19 M.A.I.R. is program services coordinator at Interfaith Works of Central New York. He previously served as a fundraising development intern for the Near East Foundation in Syracuse.

Dina Eldawy ’19 B.A. (CCE/IR) is Syracuse University’s second recipient of the Marshall Scholarship. In the United Kingdom, Eldawy is working toward a master’s in migration and global development at the University of Sussex and a MSc in comparative and international education at the University of Oxford.

Katherine Ferguson ’19 E.M.P.A. was named chief of staff for the Office of the Secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). She previously served as chief of staff for the White House Domestic Policy Council and as chief of staff for rural development at USDA during the Obama administration.

Sophie Katz ’19 B.A. (PSt) is clinical excellence and innovation coordinator at the Community Health Care Association in New York City. When the pandemic hit, Katz pivoted to a role that directly supported New York State’s COVID-19 pandemic relief efforts at the community level, mainly the planning, logistics and distribution of vaccines.

Kaitlyn Menegio­Stahl ’19 B.A. (IR) is a pathways intern with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the 2020-21 academic year. She is also interning at UNICEF as a graduate student consultant and is currently working toward her master of international affairs at Columbia University in New York City.

Ashley Denney ’20 B.A. (IR) is serving in the AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America program in the New York City Department of Education. She focuses on education for children’s afterschool programs and coordinates partnerships with donors to sponsor grant programs.

David Schwegman ’20 Ph.D. (PA) joined American University’s Department of Public Administration and Policy as an assistant professor in Washington, D.C., in 2020. Schwegman’s research interests hinge on state and local social policy and public finance management.

Donald W. Meinig, a renowned figure in the field of cultural and historical geography who was a full-time member of the Maxwell faculty from 1959 until his retirement in 2004, died on June 13, 2020 at the age of 95.

Meinig, professor of geography, chaired the department from 1968 to 1973. He was the doctoral advisor to more than 20 graduate students.

He authored four volumes of The Shaping of America: A Geographical Perspective on 500 Years of History, published by Yale University Press. It provides a comprehensive perspective on the geographical development of the nation from Columbus’s arrival through 2000.

Additional published works include The Great Columbia Plain: A Historical Geography, 1805-1910 (University of Washington Press, 1968), Imperial Texas: An Interpretive Essay in Cultural Geography (University of Texas Press, 1969), and Southwest: Three Peoples in Geographical Change, 1600-1970 (Oxford University Press, 1971). In the 1980s, a series of thematic regional maps he developed were distributed to more than 10 million subscribers of National Geographic magazine.

Meinig was the recipient of numerous awards, including the Presidential Achievement Award, the highest honor given by the Association of American Geographers. He had been a Fulbright Scholar, a Guggenheim Fellow, a fellow of the National Endowment for the Humanities, a fellow of the British Academy, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Meinig was a veteran of the U.S. Army. He received his Ph.D. in 1953 from the University of Washington. He taught at the University of Utah before joining the Maxwell School faculty.

John Burdick, a professor of anthropology in the Maxwell School and College of Arts and Sciences for nearly 30 years, died of cancer on July 4, 2020 at age 61.

He served as chair of the Department of Anthropology from 2012 to 2017; served as associate director of the Program on the Analysis and Resolution of Conflicts (now PARCC); and he co-founded and led the Syracuse Social Movements initiative for 11 years.

Burdick worked on different projects in Brazil over the past three decades and reached people around the globe through his books on race, religion, gender and politics in Brazil, including Looking for God in Brazil: The Progressive Catholic Church in Urban Brazil’s Religious Arena (University of California Press, 1993); Blessed Anastácia: Women, Race and Popular Christianity in Brazil (Taylor and Francis, 1998); Legacies of Liberation: The Progressive Catholic Church in Brazil at the Start of a New Millennium (Taylor and Francis, 2004); and The Color of Sound: Race, Religion and Music in Brazil (New York University Press, 2013). He received Fulbright-Hayes awards for research in Brazil in 1995 and 2004.

Burdick was committed to furthering peace and social justice, particularly on Syracuse’s West Side. He worked with the Westside Residents Coalition, advocating for thoughtful, equitable and community-led betterment. He was a key player in the creation of Gifford Street Community Press, providing West Side residents a platform to express their concerns about gentrification, police conduct and disability rights. He was also a longtime member of the Syracuse Peace Council.

In addition, Burdick served on the University Senate and on many other committees. He was honored with the William Wasserstrom Prize for Outstanding Graduate Teaching, the Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence, the Service Through Peace Award and the Chancellor’s Inspire Award.

Sidney “Sid” Lerner ’53, alumnus of Syracuse University and benefactor of the Maxwell School’s Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion, died on Jan. 12 at age 90.

During his career, the legendary advertising executive represented such well-known brands as Maxwell House and Texaco, and created memorable campaigns including “Please Don’t Squeeze the Charmin” featuring Mr. Whipple. Lerner later applied his expertise in advertising and promotion toward improving public health, and in the early 2000s founded the Monday Campaigns—a nonprofit health promotion organization that promotes sustainable behavior change by dedicating every Monday to making positive changes to improve health. In conjunction with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health and the Maxwell School, the campaign has grown in the past decade to encompass numerous wellness initiatives.

In 2011, Lerner and his wife Helaine, an environmental activist and philanthropist, joined the Maxwell School to create the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion. The Center is dedicated to improving population and community health through research, outreach and education focused on the social, spatial and structural determinants of physical, mental and behavioral health.

Over the past several years, the Lerner Center has launched numerous health promotion programs and community partnerships, including the Monday Mile and DeStress for Success, and conducted timely research on pressing population health issues, including the opioid crisis and COVID-19.

Robert J. Wolfson, professor emeritus of economics, died on April 4, 2020 in Riverdale, New York from COVID. He was a member of the Maxwell School faculty from 1966 through his retirement in 1993.

After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Wolfson married Betty (Bunes) Wolfson in 1954 while completing his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago.

According to his children, he relished the opportunity afforded him as a faculty member to speak out more freely than he could in the private sector, where he had worked previously. He was elected to the Faculty Senate virtually upon arrival.

In 1970, after the Ohio National Guard killed four students at Kent State University, SU students occupied the administration building, barricading the doors. Wolfson and psychology professor George Stern acted as mediators. They were hoisted up to enter through a window and speak with protesters. They then left, also via the window, and conveyed the protesters’ demands to the administration. After a few rounds of this, they came back to the students with some concessions, and the occupation ended.

Wolfson took teaching seriously. He never recycled old lecture notes, preferring instead to rewrite them each time he taught the course. “Wolfson teaches economics with a flourish,” declared a student publication that reviewed teaching and courses universitywide.

His lengthy publication record includes A Formal Lexicon for the Social Sciences (Florida Atlantic University Press, 1990), which sought to pioneer lucid ways of understanding social sciences by unifying their terminology.

Ali Khalif Galaydh ’69 M.P.A. /’72 Ph.D. (PA) died Oct. 8, 2020 in Jijiga, Ethopia. Khalif Galaydh was both a student and faculty member at the Maxwell School. He attended Syracuse University from 1967-72. He went on to lead Somalia’s Institute for Public Administration before returning to Syracuse University to teach public administration and international relations at the Maxwell School from 1989 to 1996. Khalif Galaydh later served as Prime Minister of Somalia from September 2000 to December 2001. In September 2001, Khalif Galaydh played a key role in Somalia’s diplomacy with the U.S. government in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks.

Longtime Maxwell School donor and Maxwell Advisory Board member Sheldon J. Horowitch, M.D., died June 28, 2020. “Shelly,” as he was known to family and friends, was a physician-turned-businessman and strong supporter of Syracuse University. He and his wife, Sheila ’54, helped provide initial funding for the Maxwell School’s respected Community Geography Program and generously funded the North American Indian Art Project. Additional support through the Horowitch Family Foundation Endowed Scholarship each year assists Native American students attending SU.

Horowitch enlisted in the Navy during World War II, while attending Hamilton College. After graduating from Hamilton and SUNY Upstate Medical University, he interned at Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago and was a resident at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City. During medical school, he met the love of his life and constant companion, Sheila Sporn, then an undergraduate at the University. They were married in New York City in June 1954 and had three children. Horowitch started a medical practice in Syracuse and continued in private practice for over 25 years, specializing in internal medicine with a sub-specialty in hematology. In 1974, he became the president of the Morris Distributing Co., a wholesale electronics and appliance distribution company that was founded by his father. He later founded Morris Management Co. and spent the rest of his career owning and managing residential and commercial real estate.