Rockefeller College Winter 2024 News Magazine

ROCKEFELLER COLLEGE

OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS & POLICY NEWS MAGAZINE

UNLOCKING DOORS

Dr. Julie Novkov was appointed dean of Rockefeller College in July 2023. Raised in the latchkey generation, Dean Novkov has spent her life providing leadership and stability for those around her.

A NATIONAL LEADER IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS EDUCATION

5th Information & Technology Management

7th Homeland Security & Emergency Management

17th Nonprofit Management

17th Public Management & Leadership

18th Local Government Management

22nd Public Finance & Budgeting

28th Overall Public Affairs

DEAN Julie Novkov

For as long as she can remember, Dr. Julie Novkov has been surrounded and inspired by strong women.

Raised in a generation where many women married, divorced, and had to fend for themselves, Dr. Julie Novkov’s mother worked multiple jobs — day and night — to provide for her young daughter.

“I was the classic ‘latchkey kid.’ I would come home from school, put a TV dinner in the oven, and wait for my mom to call from work at night,” explained Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy’s new dean, Julie Novkov.

While Julie kept a close relationship with her dad after her parents divorced when she was nine, he struggled with mental health and substance abuse issues throughout his life, and she experienced the unevenness of his bipolar disorder and the instability of daily life.

“My mom raised me with the idea that I was going to

go to college, and I was going to go into a career that would provide me with enough income to support myself no matter what happened,” said Novkov.

Growing up in the suburbs of Akron, Ohio, Julie was ambitious and had the talent to match. An outlier in her high school that typically saw students apply and stay within the confines of the Buckeye State, Julie applied to Ivy League universities and was accepted. In the end, Harvard was her top choice.

She majored in social studies, an interdisciplinary route, and found through the program an interest in political theory. From the day she arrived in Cambridge, she planned on becoming a lawyer — a lucrative and stable career, and one that could guarantee personal independence. But towards the end of her college journey, the idea of becoming a professor sparked her curiosity.

“I took the GRE one weekend and the LSAT the next, because I didn't know what I was doing,” recalled Nokov. “At the end of the day, I decided to go to NYU Law.”

At NYU, she became surrounded by inspiring faculty members, including activist Derrick Bell, Peggy Cooper Davis, and Paulette Caldwell, who were doing early work on critical race theory.

“It was enormously influential in my life,” said Novkov. “I also had the opportunity to do a summer associateship with a big New York law firm. I got to see what that life was like, and it confirmed my impression that it was not what I wanted to do.”

Pivoting, Julie began applying to graduate schools and by chance attended a lecture by a visiting professor from Michigan.

“I thought her work was really interesting, so I added Michigan to my list and that’s where I ended up going,” recalled Novkov.

At Michigan, Julie double majored in political theory and public law, and serendipitously fell in love with a fellow graduate student — Joel Bloom — who would soon become her husband.

“We defied the injunction of the first-year statistics professor who told everybody in the class, ‘look to your left, look to your right. Don't fall in love with these people. Don't marry them. You will never find jobs together,’” joked Novkov.

But the sentiment was warranted as the couple applied for over 100 teaching jobs combined, each with an Excel spreadsheet to keep track.

“When we got home one day, there was a message on the phone. It just said, ‘We would like to invite you to come out to the University of Oregon to do a job interview for our position in American politics,’” Novkov remembered. “We both had to open up our spreadsheets to see who had applied for that job. We didn't know who the call was for,” laughed Novkov.

It turned out to be for Julie. She flew out to Oregon and accepted the position in American politics and pre-law with the agreement that they’d give Joel a two-year visiting assistant professor position. The pair married in Ann Arbor, Mich. and moved to Eugene together just weeks later.

DEAN JULIE NOVKOV

EDUCATION

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

PhD in Political Science (1998)

MA in Political Science (1994)

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW

JD, cum laude (1992)

HARVARD AND RADCLIFFE COLLEGES

AB, magna cum laude (1989)

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS

UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY, SUNY

Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy

Dean, 2023-present

Professor and Collins Fellow, 2009-present Interim Dean, 2021-23

Director of Undergraduate Studies, Political Science, 2018-21

Chair, Department of Political Science, 2011-17

Director of Graduate Studies, Political Science, 2008-11

Associate Professor, 2006-09

UNIVERSITY OF OREGON

Director of Women’s and Gender Studies, 2004-06

Associate Professor, 2002-06

Assistant Professor, 1996-2002

BOOKS & PUBLICATIONS

American by Birth (w/ C. Nackenoff), 2021

Stating the Family (ed. w/ C. Nackenoff), 2020 Statebuilding from the Margins (ed. w/ C. Nackenoff), 2014

The Supreme Court and the Presidency, 2013

Racial Union, 2008

Race and American Political Development (ed. w/ J. Lowndes and D. Warren), 2008

Security Disarmed (ed. w/ B. Sutton and S. Morgen), 2008

Constituting Workers, Protecting Women, 2001

SELECT ARTICLES

“West Virginia v. EPA: Whither the New Deal Order?” Polity, 2023 “Donald Trump, Constitutional Failure, and the Guardrails of Democracy,” Maryland Law Review, 2021

“Law, Policy, and Sexual Abuse in the #MeToo Movement: USA Gymnastics and the Agency of Minor Athletes.” Journal of Women, Politics, and Policy, 2019

“How Do We Solve a Problem Like the Donald? The Democratic Challenge of Trump Supporters and the Politics of Presidential Removal.” New Political Science, 2018

“Civic Membership, Family Status, and the Chinese in America, 1870s-1920s.” (w/ C. Nackenoff) Polity, 2016

“Legal Archaeology.” Political Research Quarterly, 2011

DEAN NOVKOV FUN FACTS

FAVORITE HOBBIES

Running, baking, playing Pokémon Go

DESERT ISLAND MOVIE & BOOK Zoolander, Lord of the Rings

HOGWARTS HOUSE Ravenclaw

MOST-USED EMOJI

FAVORITE FOOD TO COOK & EAT Gluten-free sweets

BEST VACATION Scotland

BEST CONCERT Prince’s Purple Rain Tour

PROUDEST ACCOMPLISHMENT

Being co-editor of an all-women team for American Political Science Review

HISTORY OF COLLEGE LEADERSHIP

1954-1957

Paul Studenski^

1957-1967 O.B. Conaway, Jr.

1967 Lewis P. Welch*

1967-1971 Fred Tickner

1971-1977

1977-1981

L. Gray Cowan

Orville F. Poland

1981-1983 Irene Lurie*

1983-1988 David Andersen

1988-2005 Frank J. Thompson

2006 Helen R. Desfosses*

2006-2011 Jeffrey Straussman

2011-2015 David L. Rousseau

2015-2021 R. Karl Rethemeyer

2021-present Julie Novkov ^Director *Acting/Interim Dean

While it was a relief to land a position, Julie’s tenure clock started immediately. She had to teach, write her dissertation, and at the same time, started a family.

“It was incredibly stressful,” said Novkov. “I had my son in 1999, my daughter in 2001, and my tenure was conferred in 2002.”

Dr. Novkov served as Oregon’s director of Women’s and Gender Studies and associate professor until 2006 when an opening in Albany, N.Y. caught her eye. A senior public law professor had recently retired at UAlbany, and Rockefeller College’s Department of Political Science was looking for a replacement. Joel’s parents were also living in nearby Saratoga Springs, adding to the allure of a coastto-coast move.

“I applied, got the offer, and they found a position in institutional research that would be a stable long-term career position for Joel,” said Novkov.

Once again, Julie steered her family across the country with a promising new opportunity.

“It was a really good fit for me,” said Novkov. “I was part of a movement to reform political science in the early 2000s, which was focused on encouraging people to do problemdriven political science. I was very happy to come into this department.”

Since arriving to UAlbany, Dr. Novkov has served as the director of undergraduate studies, chair of the Department of Political Science, director of the graduate program in political science, and professor in the Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. A highly visible and nationally respected constitutional scholar, Novkov’s teaching, mentoring and service have been recognized with awards, including the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and UAlbany’s Collins Fellowship, which honors faculty who are exemplars of the highest levels of institutional commitment and service.

In the midst of the COVID pandemic, Dr. Novkov became interim dean of Rockefeller College in July 2021. “I knew that the College needed somebody who knew how things worked within the College and I had that experience of being the chair, had some connections to both departments, and had a reservoir of trust in light of everything that we were going through.”

Stepping up for the challenge, Julie enjoyed the experience and threw her hat into the ring as the College began a national search for its permanent dean.

“I felt like I could be a good leader for the College, largely because my own personal values as an educator and a researcher are very much aligned with what I see as the ethos of the College itself,” explained Novkov. “We're interested in figuring out things about important problems in the world, and trying to use our expertise to tackle these important problems.”

“We are willing to take the time to communicate effectively about these problems beyond our small academic circles,” added Novkov. “And we're really passionately devoted to teaching and mentoring the students we have here at a public university and making sure that these students are getting the kinds of opportunities that they would get if they were at any institution in the country.”

In July 2023, Dr. Julie Novkov was named dean of Rockefeller College and looks forward to how she can best lead the College and its three units — the School of Criminal Justice, Department of Political Science, and Department of Public Administration and Policy — into the future.

Julie is the co-author of American by Birth and the author of The Supreme Court and the Presidency;

Constituting Workers, Protecting Women; and Racial Union, which was the co-recipient of the American Political Science Association’s Ralph Bunche Award. She is currently working on two book projects — one on citizenship and civic membership in the context of military service in the United States between the Civil War and World War I, and a second on the Roberts Court. In addition, she will wrap up her four-year term as co-editor of the American Political Science Review in May.

While her leadership, research, writing, and editing duties pull her in all directions, Julie remains committed to her role as matriarch, supporting her three children who are all attending or attended public universities, and husband Joel, who currently serves as Director of Assessment at Hunter College.

Inspired and guided by her mother’s determination to raise an independent woman, Julie has proven herself time and time again. She is capable of not only supporting herself, but is a trailblazer and stable provider for numerous university departments and programs, Rockefeller College, and most importantly, her family.

Dean Julie Novkov with her husband, Joel, and three children.

WEEKS IN DC: A LIFETIME OF OPPORTUNITY 15

Since 1997, Rockefeller College has operated the Semester in Washington Program. For 15 weeks, UAlbany students work in a professional office, learn from a tenured faculty member, and explore our nation’s capital. Scholars of student engagement call this a “high-impact experience.” For us and hundreds of UAlbany alumni, we call it a lifechanging experience.

Prior to ’97, students had to apply to programs run by private universities and pay as much for one semester in DC as their entire degree cost at UAlbany. Thanks to the bold vision of Dr. Michael Malbin, we were able to study in Washington at UAlbany tuition rates and comparable housing costs, as well as experience it alongside other UAlbany students, making the experience even more rewarding.

Many people think of the Semester in Washington Program as a public policy and political science program. Yet, it is a program for all UAlbany students. As a hub of international business, center of art and culture, and home of national health organizations, there’s opportunities for all majors in DC.

While the three of us all studied in different years and different programs, the experience affirmed our professional interests.

• Peter was interested in executive-legislative relations and policy implementation.

• Rose was interested in health policy.

• Cat was strongly interested in Congress and international affairs.

PETER W. BRUSOE BA ’03, MA ’04

Assistant Professor of Economics & Political Science, SUNY Delhi

Director, Government Affairs and Policy, Travere Therapeutics

Director of Constituent Services, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen

ROSE GALLAGHER BA ’15, MPA ’16

CATHERINE PROVOST BA ’05

Contributed by Rockefeller College Advisory Board Members and SIW Program Alums Peter Brusoe, Rose Gallagher, and Catherine Provost.

Thanks to the design of the program, we were able to select internships that complemented our interests. For Peter, the program began a 17-year experience living and working in the area. During his semester experience, he attended a panel and discovered a nearby university where he would go on and earn his doctorate. He remained in the Washington area for another 11 years working in nonprofits and for a major data company.

Rose’s Semester in Washington experience served as a springboard for her life both professionally and personally. Her internship at the U.S. Senate reaffirmed her interests in public policy and the opportunities and connections built during her internship in the U.S. Senate were life changing. Rose also met her husband, Brian Gallagher ’15, in the SIW program. After the program concluded, Rose finished her master’s at UAlbany and immediately returned to DC to continue her career.

For Cat, the program provided a guidepost for her professional interests. Though she explored several other fields after graduating from UAlbany, she found herself always comparing her various roles to her SIW internship. Within a few years, she made her way back to Capitol Hill, working as a congressional staffer for a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

For each of us, the Semester in Washington Program provided the opportunity to experience the incredible diversity our country has to offer. As the seat of the U.S. Government, DC is influenced by the histories of everyone in our country and the global community in which we live. Just walking the streets provides an education in U.S. history, and traveling from one neighborhood to another can sometimes seem like globetrotting — stroll down Embassy Row or visit Chinatown for the Lunar New Year!

Spring 2020 SIW students with Senator Chuck Schumer.

Spring 2019 SIW cohort with UAlbany leadership and alumni mentors.

Spring 2017 SIW students at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.

The SIW experience is universal regardless of one’s program year. It provides the opportunity for UAlbany students to experience Washington, DC firsthand —professionally, academically, and personally. Participants can crystalize their professional interests, advance their academics, build lifelong connections, and explore the culture of our nation’s capital.

For Peter, the experience was filled with lifelong memories, including meeting the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, watching the filming of The West Wing, and shaking actor Robert Schiff’s hand. He also recalls the night of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, and the way the flags whipped in the wind as his cohort held a moment of silence at the Washington Monument.

“The program truly was the best decision I made during my time at UAlbany,” said Cat. “The memories made are the ones that shine brightest from my time at Rockefeller. If it were not for the program, I don’t know that I would have found my way to Washington for my career.”

For students who rely on a paycheck in Albany and need financial assistance in achieving their DC dreams, there are scholarships in place to help. We are proud to be donors alongside many others. We hope that more will see the impact of this program and join us in making a gift to these scholarships so that all interested UAlbany students can have the same positive experiences.

2023-present

Spring 2024 cohort at the Semester in Washington Reception with Director Tim Weaver and Dean Julie Novkov (center).

1997-2015

Michael Malbin

2015-2023

Meredith Weiss

Timothy Weaver

HISTORY OF SIW PROGRAM DIRECTORS

As board members and donors, we continue to support the program for this reason — the lifechanging effect it can have on the direction of a student’s life and career. We want to ensure that all students who have an interest, regardless of circumstance or background, may benefit from the experience.

We also choose to support the program by serving as mentors to help students build connections during the program, so they can remain in or return to DC for their career — like many alumni did for us. We want to ensure that it continues to offer the same experiences we were able to benefit from.

We hope you will join us in helping to make the UAlbany Semester in Washington Program open and accessible to all for years and decades to come.

To contribute to the Semester in Washington Scholarships, visit albany.edu/give or scan the QR.

To become an alumni mentor, join the UAlbany Career Advisory Network (UCAN).

NADINE AL ANNABI, BA ’22

SIW INTERNSHIP: Office of Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer

“The highlight of my undergraduate career would be the Semester in Washington program that I participated in during the Spring 2022 semester. I had the opportunity to intern at the Office of Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and I had the most amazing time! I was able to witness historic events like helping the office during the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and also gave tours of the Capitol to high-profile visitors of the office. I met brilliant staff and people from different offices and backgrounds. I also just fell in love with DC as that was my first ever time living away from home and first time in DC as well.”

ABIGAIL EVANS, BA ’23

SIW INTERNSHIP: Office of U.S. Representative Antonio Delgado

“Rockefeller College’s Semester in Washington Program was transformative. That chance to explore life in the epicenter of public policy showed me what I was made of, who I wanted to be, and how I could become that person.”

Peter Brusoe speaks with a 2024 SIW student after the Fall Advisory Board Meeting.

Rose Gallagher (center) at the 2024 Semester in Washington Reception.

2024 Semester in Washington Reception.

You’re invited...

Photo by Brian Busher

Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy 2023-24 ALUMNI AWARDS CEREMONY

Each year, Rockefeller College proudly bestows its highest honor on a number of distinguished individuals for their exemplary service to the public and to the College. This year, the College is delighted to present Alumni Awards to the following extraordinary individuals for their achievements in the areas of political science, public administration, criminal justice, leadership, and continuing professional development.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Scott Heil, MPA ’94

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO THE COLLEGE

Libby Post, BA ’82, MA ’84

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Ivan Sun, MA ’97, PhD ’00

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Richard O’Brien, MA ’01

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Angela Albertus, BA ’88

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE

Fred Kowal, PhD ’98

YOUNG ALUMNA IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Vanessa Panfil, MA ’08, PhD ’13

YOUNG ALUMNUS IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

David Belsky, MPA ’09

YOUNG ALUMNA IN POLITICAL SCIENCE

Jessica Pidgeon, PhD ’15

10 UNDER 10 AWARD

The 10 Under 10 Award recognizes and celebrates the great achievements of alumni who have graduated with a degree from Rockefeller College within the last 10 years. We are proud to celebrate their outstanding contributions during the early stages of their careers.

Diana Cruz, MIA ’19

Craig Famoso, MA ’14

Rebecca Prince, BA ’14, MA ’16

Leo Moscatelli, MA ’15

Matthew McLarnon, BA ’13

Marc Cohen, BA ’16, MPA ’18

Casey Fenton, BA ’17

Monique Gibbs, BA ’13

Daniel Butterworth, MA ’11, MPA ’13

Alyssa Shanderson, BA ’17 Please

Rockefeller’s 2022 Alumni Award

NANCY GRASSO BARRY, ESQ., BA ’85

Chief of Operations, NY State Office of Court Administration

EXCELLENCE IN PUBLIC SERVICE

Since her days at UAlbany, Nancy Barry has been maintaining order in – and on – the court. When the former UAlbany women’s basketball team captain isn’t cheering on the Great Danes at games and events, she oversees the New York State Unified Court System, one of the largest and most complex court systems in the world.

Barry earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University at Albany Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy in 1985 and graduated from The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in 1989. Before embarking on her career in the Unified Court System, Barry was a principal in a firm managing its litigation and transactional practice. Barry has served as the district executive of the 9th Judicial District, which encompasses the courts in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties. She also served as chief clerk of the Supreme and County Courts of Westchester County. Before moving to the management side of the courts, Barry was a court attorney referee in the 9th Judicial District serving as coordinator of the Mortgage Foreclosure Settlement Parts. She also served as principal court attorney in the office of the Hon. Alan D. Scheinkman, administrative judge, as well as principal law clerk to both the Hon. Francis A. Nicolai, administrative judge, and the Hon. Susan Cacace, County Court judge.

Barry currently serves under the direction of the chief administrative judge as chief of operations for the Office

of Court Administration (OCA), the highest non-judicial position in the NYS court system. She is responsible for overseeing the divisions at OCA, from Human Resources to the Department of Fiscal Management, Technology and Public Safety. Prior to becoming the first ever female chief of operations, Barry served as the OCA director of Human Resources.

In addition to promoting careers in the courts and supporting those who are employed by the courts, Barry works tirelessly to ensure everyone has access to justice. She has set up clinics, given talks at community centers and local churches and reaches out to everyone she can to make courts more accessible. She has lectured before various organizations and conducted continuing legal education seminars on the topics of mortgage foreclosure, ethics, civil case management, access to justice and electronic filing in New York State. Barry received the Milton Mollen Commitment to Excellence Award for her service to the 9th Judicial District and the Legal Services of the Hudson Valley’s Access to Justice Award for her pro bono activities. Barry is a member of the White Plains Bar Association, the Society of Irish American Lawyers and the Columbian Lawyers Association of Westchester.

“Ms. Barry’s unwavering commitment to public service and to the fair administration of justice is evident in all that she has done — and continues to do — in her illustrious career. She treats everyone with respect and dignity, and she is conscientious and caring,” said Deborah Kaplan ’82, deputy chief administrative judge for the New York City Courts. “There is a genuine warmth about her.”

UALBANY ALUMNI EXCELLENCE AWARDS

For the past 53 years, the annual Excellence Awards have recognized alumni and friends of the University at Albany who have brought distinction to the University through their achievements and service. This year, Rockefeller College’s Nancy Grasso Barry, Esq., BA ’85 and Arthur Schwabe, BA ’85 were honored.

ARTHUR SCHWABE, BA ’85

President/CEO, Premier Home Health Care Services, Inc.

EXCELLENCE IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Artie Schwabe co-founded Premier Home Health Care Services, Inc. in 1992 in White Plains, New York and now serves as President and CEO. Today, Premier provides compassionate care to more than 15,000 clients on a weekly basis through its comprehensive suite of services. His company is committed to providing high-quality services to individual clients and their families, as well as to health care organizations in need of supplemental staffing, such as health plans, certified home health and hospice agencies, hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities.

Arthur Schwabe ’85 hosted an alumni reception at his home in North Palm Beach, Fla. On behalf of the Alumni Association, Fardin Sanai, Joe Bonilla, and President Havidán Rodríguez presented Artie with the 2023 Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award, as he was unable to attend the Awards Gala.

ROCK STAR GRADS

SEAN ASAEDA, BA/MA ’23

Earning his BA from the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cybersecurity and a master’s from the School of Criminal Justice, Sean Asaeda interned with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and is now pursuing a career in federal law enforcement.

“I completed my internship with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). I learned how to communicate at a professional level, to investigate crimes and criminal actions, to work with a team, and participate in an arrest professionally and safely. I was able to learn a wide variety of useful skills through my experiences with my internship.”

Mashaal Bhatti completed her MPA while working fulltime with State Senator Jessica Ramos and also served as president of the Public Affairs Student Association.

“During my program, it was the connections to my peers and my professors that truly stood out. As president of the Public Affairs Student Association, I was able to bring students together through social and professional gatherings where I met new friends and grew closer to my classmates.”

As part of the 3+3 Program, MacKenzie Brown will attend Albany Law School to obtain a JD after majoring in criminal justice at UAlbany, serving as president of the Women in Law Association, and traveling and studying abroad in Wales.

“I decided to study abroad in Swansea, Wales for the Spring 2023 semester. Studying abroad, especially as someone interested in criminal justice and law, was so eye-opening for a multitude of reasons. Traveling to various different countries and watching their political, judicial, and cultural processes firsthand was such a life-changing experience. I was even able to attend King Charles’ coronation, which was absolutely amazing to witness! I feel as though these unique experiences have given me a new sense of independence and pride for our United States’ government and justice system, as well as given me many new ideas on how I think the U.S. could improve certain laws, policies, and practices. Traveling abroad and seeing the ‘normal’ of other places has allowed me to not only appreciate the United States’ way of doing things, but also assess how we can change for the better. Perspective is everything and gaining a new one in Europe has been extremely helpful and will serve me well in life moving forward.”

MACKENZIE BROWN, BA ’23

MASHAAL BHATTI, BA ’21, MPA ’23

PHIL MELECIO, MPA ’23

As a mid-career professional, Phil Melecio started his journey in the MPA program with 33 years of work experience in the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS). He now has a new set of skills and broader knowledge base for the next steps of his career.

“I am a superintendent of a prison, so my first career is already established. I am thinking of another career in consulting and possibly teaching at the college level. The new skills that I have learned will make me a well-rounded consultant when bringing my career and education together.”

PHIL GIGLIOTTI, PHD ’23

Phil Gigliotti believes quantitative research and performance management principles have the potential to create a better future by improving business and policy processes. As a researcher in the healthcare field, Phil serves on projects that provide data analytic support to the federal government to facilitate implementation of the Medicare program.

“My dissertation used quantitative methods to evaluate the ability of performance management reforms to improve population health outcomes in the context of local health departments. I am passionate about quantitative methods due the importance of data and statistics in business and public policy today, especially in the healthcare sector. I am passionate about performance management because it is a method of using data to improve decision-making and drive better outcomes in organizations of all kinds.”

RACHEL NOVICK, PHD ’23

While earning her doctorate at UAlbany, Rachel Novick studied intersectional differences in the relationship between employment and desistance from crime. She secured a position as an assistant professor at the University of New Haven.

“In Fall 2023, I began as an assistant professor in the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences at the University of New Haven. I am teaching stats and methods courses to a student population that includes many first-generation students. This feels like a dream come true! I never could have gotten here without the amazing support and guidance of my professors in the UAlbany School of Criminal Justice.”

FRIDAY, MAY 10, 2024

All Undergraduates, Fountain

SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2024

Undergrad Ceremony, Entry Plaza Lawn

Doctoral Stage Crossing & Hooding*

SUNDAY, MAY 12, 2024

Graduate Stage Crossings*

10am-10:30am, School of Criminal Justice 10:30-11:30am, Rockefeller College

* All Stage Crossings will be held in the Broadview Center (formerly SEFCU Arena) on the Uptown Campus.

STUDENT EXPERIENCE

Rockefeller College’s Nadine Al Annabi, Briana Bace, Emily Berkemeyer, and Haleigh Gaston received the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence. The award acknowledges students for outstanding achievements that have demonstrated the integration of SUNY excellence within many aspects of their lives, including academics, leadership, campus involvement, community service or the arts. It is the highest honor bestowed upon a student by SUNY.

PHOTO: President Rodríguez with six of eight UAlbany honorees — Haleigh Gaston, Mya Darsan, Emily Berkemeyer, Nadine Al Annabi, Briana Bace, Caroline Srokowski.

The inaugural UAlbany Showcase featured 900 posters, presentations, demonstrations and performances, and inspired exchanges across disciplines between undergraduate and graduate students. The 2024 UAlbany Showcase is scheduled for April 30th.

On September 29th, Rockefeller College hosted APPAM Public Policy Camp. Students learned from and interacted with diverse public policy leaders to gain a better understanding of career options in public service, public policy, and public management, how elements of diversity have impacted their careers, and the knowledge and skills needed to get them where they want to be.

PHOTO: Rockefeller alums Nic Rangel BA ’06, MPA ’11; Alfredo Balarin BA ’03, MS ’04; and

panelists and spoke on the importance of diversity and inclusion in public policy and management.

Nancy Hernandez BA ’94 served as

PHOTO: Rockefeller students served on an Internship Panel at UAlbany Showcase, speaking on their experiences in the Semester in Washington Program, NYS Assembly, as well as part-time and international internships.

RESEARCH AT ROCKEFELLER

The University at Albany held its inaugural Research & Entrepreneurship (R&E) Week from October 16 to 20, 2023.

The week united researchers, innovators and leaders from across the University to demonstrate the impact of research on the world around us. By providing a forum for scholars from diverse disciplines to come together, R&E Week showcased UAlbany’s research and economic potential while fostering new partnerships.

Rockefeller College hosted a forum highlighting its breakthrough research in areas such as criminal justice, traffic safety, and government technology. Presentations included the Center for Policy Research, the Hindelang Criminal Justice Research Center, the Professional Development Program, the Center for Women in Government and Civil Society, the Institute for Traffic Safety Management & Research, and the Center for Technology in Government.

This was followed by afternoon panel discussions on artificial intelligence and data science, criminal justice and public management for social good, and politics and elections.

“ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND DATA SCIENCE FOR PUBLIC POLICY”

Virginia Eubanks, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science

Stefan Kehlenbach, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science

Luis F. Luna-Reyes, Professor, Department of Public Administration & Policy

“CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT FOR SOCIAL GOOD”

Mikhail Ivonchyk, Assistant Professor, Department of Public Administration & Policy

Mary Ellen Stitt, Assistant Professor, School of Criminal Justice

Jason Robey, Assistant Professor, School of Criminal Justice

“POLITICS AND ELECTIONS”

Cammie Jo Bolin, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science

Dina Refki, Director of the Center for Women in Government & Civil Society

Niloufer Siddiqui, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science

Professor and Associate Dean for Research Bryan Early presented on the topic of “Strategic Trade Controls: Protecting Technology at UAlbany” at the Research Resources Fair.

Photo by Patrick Dodson

FALL 2023

E. Stefan Kehlenbach

Department of Political Science

E. Stefan Kehlenbach is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science. His research focuses on the intersection of technology, structures of power, and politics. His current research is focused on technological power, asking how the vast collection of data, used to fuel technology such as AI and machine learning, becomes invested with discourses of power and shapes our political futures. Stefan received his PhD from the University of California, Riverside and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto before joining the faculty at the University at Albany.

Bo Li

Department of Public Administration & Policy

Bo Li is an assistant professor in the Department of Public Administration and Policy. Her research and teaching interests fall in the broad area of nonprofit leadership and management. Currently, her studies focus on topics such as racial diversity, nonprofit finance, nonprofit commercialization, and inter-organizational collaboration. Dr. Li holds a doctorate in public policy from Georgia State University. She received her master’s and bachelor’s degree in public administration from Beijing University of Chemical Technology.

Jason Robey

School of Criminal Justice

Jason Robey is an assistant professor in the School of Criminal Justice. His research examines the evolving relationships between the criminal justice system and social inequalities across three substantive areas: declining incarceration rates, disparities in criminal sentencing, and peer influences on delinquency. Jason received a doctorate and master’s in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a bachelor’s in sociology of law, crime, and deviance from the University of Minnesota.

Kayla Schwoerer

Department of Public Administration & Policy

Kayla Schwoerer is an assistant professor in the Department of Public Administration and Policy. Dr. Schwoerer’s research focuses broadly on public and nonprofit management, with a particular focus on issues related to technology and citizen-state interactions from a behavioral science perspective. She earned her PhD at Rutgers University-Newark’s School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA), her Master of Public Administration at Arizona State University, and her bachelor’s in sociology from Texas Tech University.

Justin Zimmerman

Department of Political Science

Justin Zimmerman is an assistant professor of American politics in the Department of Political Science. His area of concentration is Black politics and urban politics. His research aims to understand how Black Chicagoans work with institutions and neighbors they distrust to pursue common policy goals — in this case, to remedy state and community violence. Justin received his PhD from Northwestern University and is an alum of the University of Alabama where he received a bachelor’s in political science and philosophy and a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in organizational management.

E. STEFAN KEHLENBACH

BO LI

KAYLA SCHWOERER

JASON ROBEY

JUSTIN ZIMMERMAN

FALL 2022

Melissa (Mimi) Arnold Lyon

Department of Public Administration & Policy

Melissa (Mimi) Arnold Lyon is an assistant professor in the Department of Public Administration and Policy. Mimi studies the political economy of education, focusing on inequality, governance, and teacher politics and policy. She is a quantitative social scientist who works at the intersection of education policy, political science, and labor economics. Her aim with this work is to contribute new knowledge that helps to inform how we can make educational systems more equitable for students and teachers. Her current projects center around three interrelated components of the political economy of education: teacher unionization, teacher labor markets, and state-level education governance. Prior to this position, Mimi was a postdoctoral research associate at the Annenberg Institute at Brown University.

Cammie Jo Bolin

Department of Political Science

Cammie Jo Bolin is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science. Her research explores questions of identity, representation, and participation in political and religious contexts in the United States. Cammie teaches courses on campaigns and elections, U.S. politics, and identities, boundaries, and mobilization. She earned her doctorate in political science at Georgetown University and a bachelor’s in politics and history at Centre College in Danville, Ky.

FACULTY PROMOTIONS

Professor Criminal Justice Professor Political Science

MIMI ARNOLD LYON

CAMMIE JO BOLIN

Bryan Early and Justin Pickett were promoted to full professor. Chris Clary and Teddy Wilson were awarded tenure and promoted to the rank of associate professor

JUSTIN PICKETT

BRYAN EARLY

Associate Professor Political Science

Associate Professor Criminal Justice

CHRIS CLARY

TEDDY WILSON

PROFESSOR WEISS TO DIRECT SUNY/CUNY SOUTHEAST ASIA CONSORTIUM (SEAC)

The University at Albany has received a four-year $550,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to support building a SUNY/CUNY Southeast Asia Consortium (SEAC). Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy Professor Meredith Weiss will serve as its initial director, while UAlbany history professor Michitake Aso will also work among lead faculty from various SUNY and CUNY schools.

The Henry Luce Foundation’s Luce Initiative on Southeast Asia (LuceSEA) is a multi-year grants competition with the broad goal of strengthening the study of Southeast Asia in institutions of higher learning in North America and in Southeast Asia by providing resources for the creation of models, strategies, and partnerships that not only bolster existing program structures but also take them in new directions.

The SUNY/CUNY Southeast Asia Consortium (SEAC) aims to enhance Southeast-Asiarelated teaching and research to benefit both Southeast Asian-identified and Southeast Asia-focused students and researchers. As a statewide link for faculty, students, alumni, and surrounding communities, SEAC will develop and enhance collaboration and networks across New York as well as between the United States and Southeast Asia.

Each year, SEAC will delve into one interdisciplinary theme through curricular, research, and public-outreach components as a way to explore new and emerging areas of inquiry. For the first three years, the themes will be:

• Sites and Spaces of Mobilization and Protest (2023-24)

• Southeast Asian Identities in Popular Culture and Literature (2024-25)

• Climate Change, Sustainability, and Geography (2025-26)

Students statewide will have the opportunity to take an interdisciplinary course co-taught by SUNY and CUNY faculty that aligns with the year’s theme. In addition, students, faculty, and researchers will have access to supplemental programming, including lectures, research workshops, an experiential field school — the first in Chiang Mai, Thailand — as well as research, language-training, and publication grants.

“The SUNY/CUNY SEAC will offer a uniquely valuable opportunity to foster and support the study of Southeast Asia across disciplines, throughout New York’s public universities,” noted Professor Weiss. “This consortium expands opportunities for students, faculty, and members of the public to engage with Southeast Asian societies and cultures, politics and histories, economies, ecosystems, and more. We are profoundly grateful to the Henry Luce Foundation for this opportunity, and excited to build new programs, networks, and possibilities.”

With 64 campuses and 370,000 students in the State University of New York (SUNY) system and 25 campuses and 270,000 students in the City University of New York (CUNY) network, SEAC has the opportunity to make New York’s public university systems a hub for the study of Southeast Asia.

MEREDITH WEISS

FACULTY LEADERSHIP NEWS

Cammie Jo Bolin was elected to the executive committee of American Political Science’s (APSA) Religion and Politics section.

Mila Gasco Hernandez is serving as a member of the Executive Board of the NYS Academy of Public Administration.

Erika Martin was recognized with an “Above and Beyond” award from the Journal of Public Health Management & Practice (JPHMP) for service to the editorial board.

Dean Julie Novkov received the 2023 Public Engagement Award from the Women, Gender and Politics Section of APSA. The award recognizes significant efforts to diffuse knowledge beyond the classroom and to make a social/political difference. Dr. Novkov serves as co-editor of the American Political Science Review.

Niloufer Siddiqui is serving as chair of APSA’s Comparative Politics of Developing Countries division.

Lucy Sorensen has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Association of Education Finance and Policy (AEFP). She has also joined the editorial board of Education Finance and Policy

Timothy Weaver has been appointed as a co-editor of the Urban Affairs Review.

Robert E. Worden earned the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Criminology Division of Policing. This award recognizes lifetime scholarly achievement, funded research, collaboration with practitioners, influence on policy and practice, and mentorship of junior colleagues in the field of policing.

JULIE NOVKOV

ROBERT E. WORDEN

MILA GASCO HERNANDEZ

LUCY SORENSEN

ERIKA MARTIN

TIMOTHY WEAVER

CAMMIE JO BOLIN

NILOUFER SIDDIQUI

ALUMNI NOTES

ADVISORY BOARD

VINCENT J. ABRAMO, BA ’67

Construction Safety & Occupational Health Manager, Overseas Buildings Operations, U.S. Department of State

ANGELA ALBERTUS, BA ’88

Program Director, Juvenile Justice, National District Attorneys Association (NDAA)

JOE BONILLA, BA ’11

Managing Partner, Senior Media Director and Co-Founder, Relentless Awareness

DONALD E. BOYCE, III, BS ’06, MPA ’08

Regulatory Relations, Fannie Mae

LOLA BRABHAM, BA ’96, MPA ’00

President, Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (CICU)

PETER W. BRUSOE, BA ’03, MA ’04

Assistant Professor of Economics and Political Science, SUNY Delhi

DAVID BUCK

Rockefeller College alumna Patricia Salkin, BA ’85 has a new book entitled, May It Please the Campus: Lawyers Leading Higher Education. The book traces the history of lawyer campus presidents from the 1700s to present, exploring dozens of topics such as: where lawyer presidents went to law school; the percentage of lawyer presidents serving at public, private, community, HBCUs, and religiously affiliated institutions; geographic concentrations of campuses led by lawyers, women lawyer presidents, pathways to the presidency for lawyers, commonalities in backgrounds, and more. Salkin explores reasons for an exponential increase in lawyers serving as campus leaders, examining the growth of legal education and myriad legal and regulatory issues confronting higher education. A graduate of Albany Law School and former Rockefeller College advisory board member, Patricia currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs, Provost, Graduate and Professional Divisions, and Professor of Law at Touro Law Center.

Jennifer Manner, BA ’86 produced and directed the documentary, “When Wire Was King: The Transformation of Telecommunications,” a featurelength documentary that puts the telecommunications revolution into historical context. “When Wire Was King” is syndicated by American Public Television and is currently showing on PBS stations across the United States.

Jennifer is the Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at Echo Star Corporation and is a former Rockefeller College advisory board member and currently on the UAlbany Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Principal, Government and Public Services, Deloitte Consulting LLP

MICHAEL T. CASSIDY, BA ’08, MPA ’10

Partner, Brown & Weinraub, PLLC

GERARD CITERA, BA ’77

Senior Policy Adviser, Division of Trading and Markets, Securities and Exchange Commission

JONATHAN DOH, MA ’86

Associate Dean of Research and Herbert G. Rammrath Endowed

Chair in International Business, Villanova University, School of Business

DEBORAH EICHHORN, MA ’88

Senior Level Telework Special Assistant, U.S. Government Accountability Office

ROSE GALLAGHER, BA ’15, MPA ’16

Director, Government Affairs and Policy, Travere Therapeutics

HEATHER HART, BA ’11

Director, Capital Introduction Division, Wells Fargo Corporate & Investment Banking

ROCHELLE HAYNES, BA ’02

Managing Director, What Works Cities-Bloomberg, Philanthropies

FRANK JAZZO, BS ’80

Member, Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth, PLC (retired)

LAWRENCE J. KORB, PHD ’69

Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

TANYA MEISENHOLDER, PHD ’13

Director of Gender Equity, The Policing Project, NYU School of Law

CARA PACE, BA ’93

Chief Executive Officer, United Hospice of Rockland

CECELIA F. PELKEY, MPA ’95

Advisory Board Co-Chair, Director of Government Affairs, Capitol City Group, Ltd., Attorney, Harrington & Vitale, Ltd.

JOHN D. PORCARI, MPA ’85

Managing Partner, 3P Enterprises, President, Axilion Smart Mobility, Operating Partner, Corsair Infrastructure Partners

CATHERINE PROVOST, BA ’05

Director of Constituent Services, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen

NIC RANGEL, BA ’06, MPA ’11

Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York (LASNNY)

THOMAS ROACH, BA ’83

Mayor, White Plains, NY

GREGORY SERIO, BA ’83

Managing Director, Park Strategies, LLC

GARY STRIAR, MPA ’79

Advisory Board Co-Chair, Regional Chief Executive Officer American Red Cross, Eastern New York Region (retired)

ALICIA TAMBE, BA ’11

Head of International Organizations for Connectivity & Inclusion, Meta

MICHAEL TOBMAN, BA ’95

Principal, Tobman Strategies LLC

BARBARA VANEPPS, MPA ’92

Executive Director, New York State Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials

PATRICIA E. SALKIN BA ’85

JENNIFER A. MANNER BA ’86

A NATIONAL LEADER

IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS EDUCATION

GRADUATE PROGRAMS

MASTER’S

• Criminal Justice (MA)

• International Affairs (MIA)

• Political Science (MA)

• Public Administration and Policy (MPA)

DOCTORAL

• Criminal Justice (PhD)

• Political Science (PhD)

• Public Administration and Policy (PhD)

CERTIFICATES

• Nonprofit Management and Leadership (CGS)

• Public Sector Management (CGS)

• Women and Public Policy (CGS)

FULL-TIME, PART-TIME, AND ONLINE OPTIONS.