MSFS Spring 2023 Alumni Newsletter

MSFS Leadership Welcome

We write to you now as excitement mounts on the Hilltop. Tropaia is near, and our next batch of MSFS graduates are about to sally forth to take on the challenges of the future!

In our last, special edition, of this newsletter, we shared with you the highlights of our Centennial year that culminated in an exciting weekend of celebrations bringing alumni together from far and wide. In this Spring edition, we want to share with you some other notable news from the last few months. From stories of our best and brightest MSFS students traveling the world and country to take advantage of experiential learning opportunities to happy gatherings of our alumni across the globe, we hope you enjoy what follows.

We hope you will take time to peruse the ‘class updates’ section for news that your fellow alums have recently shared with us. We look forward to receiving more of these in the future, and believe it will serve as a nice way to keep in touch with your colleagues.

Please also join us for our 2nd Annual MSFS Alumni picnic on Reunion Weekend, which will take place on the observatory grounds from 12:30 – 2:30pm on Sunday June 4th, 2023. We hope to see you there!

George Shambaugh Director, MSFS

Ashley Lenihan Deputy Director, MSFS

The MSFS Leadership Team

George Shambaugh Director

Ashley Lenihan Deputy Director

Rebecca Caro Director of Academic Affairs

Paul Miller Global Politics & Security Co-Chair

Jodi Vittori Global Politics & Security Co-Chair

Joseph Helman Global Politics & Security Co-Chair

Shantayanan Devarajan International Development Chair

Theresa Sabonis-Helf Science, Technology, & International Affairs Chair

Bali Khan

Events

Maggie Collins Assistant Director of Academic Affairs and Administration

Ryan Byington Director of Admissions

Doug Umberger Associate Director of Admissions

David Wallis Global Business, Finance, & Society Chair

cordially invite you to a special evening of cocktails and conversation with fellow MSFS alumni and friends

Monday, June 12, 2023

6:00-8:00 pm

Royal Automobile Club 89 Pall Mall London Space is limited

Kindly RSVP by Monday, June 5, to christina.adams@georgetown.edu

George Shambaugh Director, MSFS Program

Ashley Lenihan Deputy Director, MSFS Program

MSFS Students: Taking Experiential Learning to New Heights

Nov 2022 – MSFS Students at COP27 in Egypt

Georgetown University has observer status at the annual climate negotiations, enabling the University to obtain coveted visitor badges for the conference. MSFS was able to send two student delegates to the first week, and four student delegates to the second week of the conference. Students were selected in a competitive process, based on essays written and relevant courses taken. All selected students were MSFS second-years. Four were from the MSFS-STIA program (Tessa Ide, Rebecca Lynn Novack, Ruslana Kochmar, and Sam Pearl Schwartz); one from MSFS-IDEV (Evelina Dahlgren); and one from MSFSGPS (Kathryn Sullivan).

Several students were interns for organizations present at COP27 and were able to work with their organizations. Others used the opportunity to focus on a particular area within the negotiations. Students were able to learn first-hand how the conduct of high-level environmental negotiations unfold. They were also able to make excellent contacts and attend select meetings on topics ranging from Loss and Damage support instruments for the developing world, to the implications of climate changes on our oceans, to comparative markets for emerging renewable energy.

They were accompanied by other student participants from the University of Maryland and Stanford University.

MSFS students were able to visit the National Diet, Harajuku, Tokyo University, Miyajima Island, the Mazda factory, and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. At the end of their trip, they presented what they learned with an action plan to share that information upon their return to the US.

The Kakehashi project is funded by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and is aimed at promoting American and Canadian understanding of Japan with regards to Japanese politics, economy, society, culture, history, and foreign policy.

Five MSFS students (Jasmin Alsaied, Nickii Arcado, Jacob Auer, Elizabeth Miller, and Sheerica Ware Wilkins) were selected to travel to Japan to participate in the Kakehashi Project.

Mar-Apr 2023 – Power Plant Field Trips for STIA Students

On March 15, 2023, a busload of 14 students and one faculty member traveled to the Remington Solar Facility in Fauquier County, Virginia. Students received an extended tour of the 20 MW facility from a senior engineer. The tour provided a close-up view of some of the mechanics, advantages and challenges associated with solar power. Each of the participating students (a mix of undergraduates and graduates) had completed at least one course on energy. The tour was a part of MSFS-STIA efforts to get students better in touch with basic technology associated with electricity and the energy transition.

On April 27, 2023, 15 students and one faculty member toured Dominion Energy's North Anna Nuclear Power Plant Facility in Louisa County, Virginia. At the facility, students learned about the challenges nuclear power faces, examined the plant's safety features, and were invited into the control room training facility, where they

had the opportunity to experience a simulated earthquake and view the control room response. Senior engineers at each facility spent several hours with the Georgetown groups, enabling students to ask lots of questions about policy, technology, and the future of each power sector.

MSFS Alumni On Campus – Giving Back

Apr 11, 2023

On April 11, Stephanie Murphy, a former Congresswoman and MSFS Class of 2004 alum, visited the Hilltop to speak with current SFS students. In conversation with Prof. Tony Arend, Murphy discussed the practice of foreign policy and legislating from her time in the U.S. Congress from 2017-2023. She shared insights from her leadership roles and service on critical committees, including the historic Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the Capitol. She also reflected on how her experience in the MSFS Program and at Georgetown informed her career in service. Murphy was the first VietnameseAmerican woman ever elected to the United States House of Representatives.

– Conversation with Former U. S. Representative Stephanie Murphy (MSFS ’04)

On April 17, Alumna and Advisory Board Member campus to give a talk to Professor Lenihan’s National Security and Foreign Investment class (MSFS-629) during a week focused on energy and critical resources. Lisa gave the students an in-depth overview and first-hand account of the ‘Battle for Unocal’ that took place between CNOOC and Chevron, when Lisa was Chevron’s Vice President of Government Affairs. Lisa played a key role in Chevron’s acquisition of Unocal, having developed a strategic government affairs program that positioned the company as a leading player in Washington policy circles.

Lecture with Lisa B. Barry (MSFS ’79,

’17)

Anna Vavrovsky visited the Hilltop to talk with MSFS students and reflect on his experiences both in the program and as a global business leader. Mr. Cordt is Chairman of the Board of RHI Magnesita N.V., and students from across all concentrations engaged in a wide-ranging discussion about the intersection between

MSFS Alumni Gatherings

Feb 18, 2023 – GLAF Event in Vienna, Austria

On Feb 18, MSFS alumni gathered at Im Hof 8, Vienna for an event organized by the Global Leaders Assembly Foundation (GLAF) as an extension of the MSFS Centennial Celebration. Sixteen people participated in the intergenerational small group conversations that included spouses as well as alumni from the 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s.

Following this, pre-recorded video interviews (edited by Tanja Kleinsorge MSFS ’93 and Lisa Kuhn MSFS ’00) were played for the participants. These interviews were conducted by Ilja Tuechter MSFS ’94 and featured David Boyd, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment; George Papandreou, former prime minister of Greece; and Rik Daems, Chair of the European Network of Contact Parliamentarians for a Healthy Environment and former President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Participants were then invited to discuss in small groups some of the economic and political drivers affecting sustainability and prosperity, as well as the ideas to shift our economic and political models toward sustainability. Afterwards, many went to the Juristenball at the Hofburg Palace, Vienna.

L to R: Peter Sonnenhol MSFS ’89, Ghena El-Hariri MSFS ’03, Herbert Cordt MSFS ’75, Marjeta Novak (wife of Peter Raymond), wife of Kiril Klaturov.

L to R: Christelle Traxler (wife of Franz Traxler), Helena, Sebastian Sandler, Peter Raymond MSFS ’90.

L to R: Anne-Karin Grill MA SSP ’04, Scott Morse MSFS ’83, Murad Akhmedov MSFS ’16.

Franz Traxler, MSFS ’04 and wife Christelle (from Brussels).

Anne-Karin Grill MA SSP ’04 and husband Dr. Georg Adler (from Vienna).

Ghena El-Hariri MSFS ’03 (from London) and Scott Morse MSFS ’83 and his wife Angelika Kasten (from San Francisco) in the Festsaal, Hofburg Palace

Nov 12, 2022 – MSFS Alumni UK Relaunch Dinner

On Nov 14, over twenty MSFS alumni gathered for dinner at the Iberica Marylebone restaurant in London. The theme of the event was "The roaring 2020’s”, and alumni had the opportunity to chat about the last couple of years and share their plans for the future. The event was organized by Luis Quiroga (MSFS ’07), Claudia Pompa (MSFS ’11), Jasmine ElGamal (MSFS ’08), and Elliot Hentov (MSFS ’00).

MSFS Class Updates

Thank you to those who shared updates with us in our last survey! Ahead of our next MSFS Alumni Newsletter, we plan to survey you again for your news. In the future, we hope these class notes will be much longer, and a great way for MSFS cohorts to stay connected. Share your work and family news, and pictures of you and your classmates!

Class of 2021

– Kevin Russell - Kevin started a registered investment advisory firm exclusively focused on working with millennials and GenZ.

Class of 2014

– Adam Fivenson - Adam joined the National Endowment for Democracy to work on the integrity of the information space.

– Kali Gasteiger - Kali is currently serving at U.S. Embassy Zagreb as the Human Rights Officer in the Political Section covering human rights, Holocaust restitution, and reconciliation with Serbia.

Class of 2009

– Rafael Frankel - Rafael is living in Singapore and has started an MSFS Singapore WhatsApp group chat. To join, please contact rafaeldfrankel@gmail.com.

Class of 2005

– Marta Molina Seal - Marta recently relocated from New York City to Mexico City to launch Alojica, an investment platform focused on lodging real estate opportunities in Mexico.

Class of 2003

– Nayla Alkhalifa - Nayla is currently the founder and CEO of Royal Lifesaving Bahrain.

Class of 2001

– Mateo Dunne - Mateo is now the Staff Counsel for America’s Frontier Fund, which invests in frontier technologies to strengthen the national security of the United States and its allies.

Class of 1999

– Michael Snarr - Michael is the co-Leader of the International Trade and National Security team at BakerHostetler.

MSFS Class Updates

Thank you to those who shared updates with us in our last survey! Ahead of our next MSFS Alumni Newsletter, we plan to survey you again for your news. In the future, we hope these class notes will be much longer, and a great way for MSFS cohorts to stay connected. Share your work and family news, and pictures of you and your classmates!

Class of 1997

– Kristi Tange - Kristi joined the Quarter Century Club at Goldman Sachs after 25 years of service in 2022.

– Brian Roeder - Brian wants us to know that he is living the dream!

Class of 1996

– Michelle Carter - Michelle has switched from 22 years of humanitarian/development work to State Department and is also serving on the MSFS advisory Board working primarily on diversity issues.

Class of 1991

– Dorothy Shea - Dorothy was nominated by President Biden to be the next Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations on January 3, 2023.

– Linda Anderson - Linda is currently a partner at tax accounting firm Calegari & Morris, living in San Francisco, California.

Class of 1989

– Patricia Parera - After spending more than 20 years working with the UN (FAO & IFAD), Patricia is now working for the Center for Climate & Security in DC on the nexus between climate change, food & agriculture security and global risks / national security.

– Peter Sonnenhol - Is there anybody out There? Pink Floyd asked in 1979, 10 years before my MSFS graduation in 1989. 30 years in the German diplomatic service will come to an end in 2027 in Berlin, still one more posting to go (destination yet unknown). Please call when coming by!

Class of 1985

– Craig Allen - Craig is currently serving as the President of the US-China Business Council.

MSFS Class Updates

Thank you to those who shared updates with us in our last survey! Ahead of our next MSFS Alumni Newsletter, we plan to survey you again for your news. In the future, we hope these class notes will be much longer, and a great way for MSFS cohorts to stay connected. Share your work and family news, and pictures of you and your classmates!

Class of 1984

– Steven Fisher - Steven has authored his first book, "Into Russia's Cauldron", which is an account of the Bolshevik revolution. Out now!

Class of 1982

– Yo Konno - Yo is the Board Chair and the CEO of the International Education Center, Tokyo.

Class of 1980

– Mary Ann Singlaub - Mary Ann is still happily teleworking with Booz Allen Hamilton as technical editor and trainer.

Class of 1978

– David Weiss - David will be leaving his role as the Senior Advisor at Global Communities as of June 30, 2023.

Class of 1974

– Gregg McManus - Gregg self-published a political/sci-fi thriller titled "The Bug Light Room" in late 2020 and is putting the finishing touches on its sequel (working title, "Taking the Little Blue Marble). The sequel deals with the U.S. government's efforts to address the alien presence on planet Earth.

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