Marshal ROBERT KAUFMAN
Robert and Kathryn Dockson
Professor of Public Policy
Class of 2016, Caruso School of Law
Processional Pomp and Circumstance (Elgar)
Invocation CHARITY N. WALLACE Member, School of Public Policy Board of Advisors
Alumna, Seaver College
Pledge of Allegiance CHARITY N. WALLACE
National Anthem BRITTANY WEINSTOCK
Current Student, Seaver College
Presiding JAY L. BREWSTER
Provost
Student Address JENNIFER B. GALARDI
Class of 2023
Presentation of Distinguished PETE N. PETERSON Alumnus Award Dean, Braun Family Dean’s Chair
Senior Fellow, Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership
Class of 2007
TROY V. SENIK
Cofounder, Kite & Key Media
Class of 2007
Presentation of Commencement PETE N. PETERSON Speaker
Commencement Address ROBERT C. O’BRIEN
Former US Ambassador
27th National Security Advisor
Distinguished Senior Fellow
Presentation of Candidates PETE N. PETERSON for Graduate Degrees
Conferring of Degrees JAMES A. GASH President
Class of 1993, Caruso School of Law
Benediction MAUREEN A. TOBIN
Executive Director, Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership
Recessional Green Hills and When the Battle’s Over (Scottish Standards)
The School of Public Policy Alumni Office and Pepperdine University Alumni Association invite you to a reception following the commencement ceremony on Alumni Park.
The audience will rise for the benediction and be seated during the recessional.TROY V. SENIK
Troy V. Senik is an author, media executive, former White House staffer, and policy leader who has established himself as a versatile professional across multiple industries, including journalism, public policy, and education. He is the cofounder of Kite & Key Media, a New York-based digital nonprofit, where he helps lead the organization’s mission to make public policy accessible to the general public through compelling and accessible videos.
In addition to serving as a speechwriter for president George W. Bush for several years, Mr. Senik has been a columnist and member of the editorial board at the Orange County Register. His written work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal, and he hosted a series of podcasts for the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. His first book, A Man of Iron: The Turbulent Life and Improbable Presidency of Grover Cleveland, was published by Simon & Schuster in 2022 and named among the year’s top publications by the Christian Science Monitor
A 2014 Jeopardy! champion, Mr. Senik has held positions at the Manhattan Institute, where he was a vice president, and the Los Angeles World Affairs Council.
Troy Senik graduated with honors in 2005 from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and philosophy. In 2007 he completed his master of public policy at the Pepperdine School of Public Policy.
Robert C. O’Brien, chair of strategic advisory firm American Global Strategies LLC and Partner Emeritus at the law firm Larson LLP, has amassed more than three decades of service in the legal, military, and foreign policy realms and is a leading diplomat and expert in national security. He served as the 27th US national security advisor from 2019 to 2021, during which time he oversaw significant developments in the Indo-Pacific regions and the Middle East, where his department was notably instrumental in negotiating the historic Abraham Accords. He is currently a distinguished senior fellow at the Pepperdine School of Public Policy, where he mentors future public leaders with his proven ability to create effective, valuable change within our nation and around the world.
Mr. O’Brien spent time as a student in apartheid-era South Africa as a Rotary scholar, priming him for a robust and influential future in foreign relations. He worked as a legal officer with the United Nations Compensation Commission in Geneva and was also a major in the US Army Reserve JAG Corps. Following his nomination by president George W. Bush to serve as the US alternate representative to the 60th session of the UN General Assembly, Mr. O’Brien later co-chaired the State Department’s Public-Private Partnership for Justice Reform in Afghanistan under Presidents Bush and Obama.
Mr. O’Brien’s numerous accolades include being awarded the National Security Medal and the Freedom of the Seas Award. The Los Angeles Business Journal has named him one of the city’s top litigators and among its 500 most influential people.
Robert O’Brien received his bachelor of arts in political science at the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1988, and in 1991 he earned his juris doctor from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.
CANDIDATES FOR DEGREES AWARDED BY THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY
Master of Public Policy
ABBY BUTIKOFER
American Policy and Politics
Applied Economic Policy
TROY WADI COLLAZO
Applied Economic Policy Dispute Resolution
BRADLEY LYNN COMBEST
American Policy and Politics
International Relations and National Security
ANDREW STEVEN DAVENPORT
American Policy and Politics
International Relations and National Security
ALEXANDER THOMAS DESANTIS
American Policy and Politics
State and Local Policy
CHLOE SUNSHINE EDWARDS
American Policy and Politics
State and Local Policy
JENNIFER BETH GALARDI
American Policy and Politics
International Relations and National Security
ERIC GREEN
American Policy and Politics
State and Local Policy
AUSTIN HAYS HARDMAN
Applied Economic Policy
International Relations and National Security
ENDRIT HASA
International Relations and National Security
YESENIA ROSA MARIA HUERTA
American Policy and Politics
International Relations and National Security
ARIF HUSEIN
Dispute Resolution
LEILANI KATIE JIMENEZ
International Relations and National Security
LACEY SARAH KESTECHER
American Policy and Politics
Applied Economic Policy
CHRISTOPHER JAMES LACRETA
American Policy and Politics
State and Local Policy
LAWSON HALL MANSELL
State and Local Policy
LAUREN ANN McCOY
International Relations and National Security
CLARE CARRICK McKENZIE
State and Local Policy
GABRIEL JOHN MILLAR
American Policy and Politics
State and Local Policy
NASEEM MOUSSAVIAN
International Relations and National Security
Joint MPP/MDR
CONOR JOSEPH O’HARA
International Relations and National Security
JAIMIE PARK
Dispute Resolution
State and Local Policy
RAAJ SINGH PARMAR
Dispute Resolution
International Relations and National Security
GRACE ANDREW PIPPAS
International Relations and National Security
State and Local Policy
MILES JACKSON POLLARD
Applied Economic Policy
International Relations and National Security
LANI LILLIAN REJOYLA
American Policy and Politics
State and Local Policy
KARINA ROSAS
American Policy and Politics
International Relations and National Security
MARK STEPHEN SHIELDS, JR.
State and Local Policy
KIRILL STRAKHOV
International Relations and National Security
State and Local Policy
EVELYN MARICELA TORRES CALLEJAS
Dispute Resolution
International Relations and National Security
AEMON NAOMI SOFIA VIENS
Dispute Resolution
State and Local Policy
AARON TYLER WILEY
International Relations and National Security
REANA LYNETTE WILSON
Dispute Resolution DUO ZHANG
International Relations and National Security
This is not an official graduation list.
Accessible Seating
SERVICES
Blue chairs indicate the area for accessible seating plus one accompanying guest. Please find posted signs or ask an usher for assistance.
Drinking Water Available in dispensers in various locations on Alumni Park.
First Aid Available at the first aid/information tent near the entrance of Alumni Park. If an emergency occurs, please ask the nearest usher for assistance.
Lost and Found Please visit the information tent regarding any lost or found items.
Reception Following the ceremony, refreshments will be served under the canopies near the Alumni Park pond.
Restrooms
When facing the stage, located to the right of the graduation ceremony area.
Sun-Sensitive Seating
A small area of shaded seating is located to the left of guest seating.
To view a live broadcast of this event or a digital version of this program, scan the code or go to go.pepperdine.edu/commencement