Schar School "The Pulse" Magazine | Fall/Winter 2022

2022

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Meet the incoming president of the 13,000-member Latin American Studies Association.

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The spokesman for D.C. Police uses his MPA skills every day.

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One month after graduation, she lands her ‘dream job’: Motivating young voters

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The student body president and former White House intern works to fight Asian/ Islander racism.

Longtime Schar School adjunct Teesta Ghosh, center front, with students.

From the Dean

Anyone in the field of academic leadership knows that having a new undergraduate degree program approved by the various governing bodies that protect the integrity of a university’s status is a significant achievement. Well, we did it.

Next year, beginning in fall 2023, the Schar School will introduce a new major, one that we—and those governing institutions, from the offices of the university president and the provost to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia—believe is a real game-changer: International Security and Law.

The bachelor of arts major brings together specialized fields of study that will prepare students for significant leadership roles in public and private agencies, enabling them to identify a vast variety of national and international threats and to respond to them appropriately. I have the deepest gratitude for the faculty and staff members who worked tirelessly on creating this important new degree program. I can’t wait to see the first graduates in 2027.

Speaking of undergraduates, the first year of our Learning Communities program is in the books, and it was so successful we added another. Joining the Democracy Lab, the Pillars of Research Learning Community, and the International Relations Policy Task Force is the Jurisprudence Learning Community, in which like-minded students with an interest in law develop academic and personal relationships with fellow students and committed professors

that are typically hard to come by in a university as large as Mason. Again, I offer my appreciation to those behind the scenes who have made this opportunity for our students possible.

While I am thanking those whose efforts benefit Schar School students, I extend much gratitude to T. Spike Terwilliger, whose generosity is behind a new scholarship dedicated to PhD students pursuing a PhD in public policy. The Terwilliger Fellowship will go a long way in helping students now and in the future. I highly recommend listening to Spike’s fascinating life story in his podcast, “Boy in the Trash Can.”

And finally, on a somewhat personal note, I traveled to the kingdom of Jordan for seven days this summer at the invitation of Maen F. Nsour, president and CEO of the Arab Potash Company and a proud Schar School PhD graduate. In addition to organizing speaking engagements at the University of Jordan and the Council for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Nsour introduced me to current and former Jordanian government leaders who provided considerable insight about the state of the kingdom and its place in the world. As it happens, the result of the visit is a new study-abroad opportunity for our students. The first one takes place this spring.

You can read more about these accomplishments in the following pages. Enjoy, and have a great semester.

Mark J. Rozell

Dean, Schar School of Policy and Government Ruth D. and John T. Hazel Chair in Public Policy

Table of Contents

A Letter From the Dean 2

Review: Democracy Lab’s Inaugural Year 4

Now There Are 4 Learning Communities 4

New Area of Emphasis: Designing Your Own Energy and Climate Change Policy 5 Burt’s New Leadership Post 6

Earle and Shpak Honored for Oligarch Research 6

NSF Study Takes on Illicit Trafficking—of Human Kidneys 7

Thiel, Harvin Join Emergency Management, Homeland Security Program 8

Destination: Jordan 8

Schar School Lecture Tour of Jordan is Enlightening for All 9

Continuing to Track the Labs that Handle the Most Dangerous Pathogens 10

ACE! Study: Prisons Are ‘De Facto Mental Institutions’ 11

Welcome to the Team 12

TraCCC, Amazon Team Up to Combat Illicit Crime 13

Marine Corps Fellows Visit Capitol Hill 14

Reducing PVC-Related Greenhouse Emissions by 2050 15

Slam Dunk! Meet the Golden State Warriors’ VP of DEI 16

His Name May Ring a Bell (or Is That a Siren?) 17

Alumna Finds Her Place in Public Service 18

Mason Double Alum Revels in Paying it Forward 19

A Month After Graduation, ‘My Postgrad Dream Job’ 20

Meet Mason Student Government President Sophia Nguyen 21

A Stranger No Longer 22

Seizing Opportunities—And Earning Results 23

All About the Adjuncts

Maen Nsour, left, and Mark J. Rozell in a tent at Wadi Rum.

Review: Democracy Lab’s Inaugural Year

Democracy Lab was a hit.

The inaugural year of the Schar School’s Learning Community, called Democracy Lab, put some 70 first-year college students with common interests in government and politics together for extended periods of time, often in the same residence hall. What could go wrong?

As it happened, it was all good.

Resident Advisors (RAs) and Schar School students Ethan Thomas and Molly Reed supervised students in Mason’s Adams Hall throughout the year and facilitated numerous community activities. The RAs balanced responsibilities between the Schar School and the university’s Housing and Residence Life department when tailoring events for political science- and governmentminded students.

Activities throughout the year consisted of debate watch parties, final exam study clinics led by the RAs, and attending a lecture by American philosopher and academic activist Cornel West.

Reed said that members of the Democracy Lab “are able to build community with other students passionate about political science and learn how to coexist with people with a variety of viewpoints. The Schar School has a responsibility to teach us to be promising political science scholars, but the Democracy Lab creates responsible neighbors.”

Now There Are 4 Learning Communities

I n addition to Democracy Lab for first-year students, the Schar School also hosts the Schar Pillars of Research Learning Community, which emphasizes strengthening undergraduate research skills, and the International Relations Policy Task Force, which teaches how to confront, research, and draft policy solutions to critical global problems.

New to this list of communities is the Jurisprudence Learning Community, designed to give a head start to those interested in how law pertains to careers in policy and government or are interested in law school. Professors and administrators with expertise in law will promote social and academic activities on- and off-campus to provide a realworld view of the legal profession.

New Area of Emphasis: Designing Your Own Energy and Climate Change Policy

Anew interdisciplinary curriculum offering will allow students to design their own course of study that addresses global and local challenges involving energy and climate change. A timely and innovative program, Energy and Climate Policy, is open to graduate students and undergraduates and will launch in spring 2023.

As part of Schar School’s Center for Energy Science and Policy (CESP), and funded by a recent Provost Curriculum Impact Grant, this new curriculum offers undergraduates and graduates an opportunity to focus on local or international energy and climate policy.

• In the local track, students can learn and engage with low-income and marginalized Virginia communities to model greenhouse gases, develop climate mitigation plans, improve community resiliency and sustainability, and work to ensure energy equity and environmental justice.

• In the international track, students can learn and engage on issues with seniorlevel policymakers on geopolitics of energy

security, climate change and national security, and clean energy policies for developing countries.

“These courses will be taught by seniorlevel practitioners in relevant industries and agencies,” said Joel Hicks, an instructor at the Schar School and a CESP research fellow who helped develop the program. “They will bring real-world experience and expertise to the Mason classrooms.”

“As a former federal government hiring official, I can tell you with confidence that the courses we have developed in the Energy and Climate Policy program will prepare students for competitive positions” in this rapidly expanding field, said Paul Bubbosh, an instructor in the College of Science and codirector of the Local Climate Action Planning Initiative in the CESP.

The program is entirely student developed, he added, meaning students have the flexibility to design a program that fits their needs as part of a graduate or undergraduate program. More at: cesp.gmu.edu/energy-climate-concentration.

— Buzz McClain

The Schar School saw $17,434,587 in new grant awards in 2022.

Joel Hicks: ‘These courses will be taught by senior-level practitioners…’

Photo by Buzz McClain/Schar School of Policy and Government

Democracy Lab students meet Cornel West following his talk at the Schar School.

Photo by Buzz McClain/Schar School of Policy and Government

Burt’s New Leadership Post

AssociateProfessor of Political Science

Jo-Marie Burt has been elected as president of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA). LASA is the world’s largest professional association for individuals and institutions engaged in the study of Latin America, with more than 13,000 members from more than 75 different countries. Burt will serve as vice president until May 2023 before assuming leadership as president. She will also be a member of the LASA executive council during her three-year term.

LASA’s mission is to foster intellectual discussion, research, and teaching on Latin America, the Caribbean, and its people throughout the Americas, promote the interests of its diverse membership, and encourage civic engagement through network building and public debate.

Earle and Shpak Honored for Oligarch Research

An article detailing how oligarchs use politics and economics to defend property from seizures written by Professor John S. Earle, PhD alumna Solomiya Shpak, et al., has been named “Best article in the field of Ukrainian history, politics, language, literature, and culture published in 2020-2021” by the American Association for Ukrainian Studies. The article, The Oligarch Vanishes: Defensive Ownership, Property Rights, and Political Connections , is published by the Quarterly Journal of Political Science The other co-authors are Scott Gehlbach (University of Chicago) and Anton Shirikov (University of Wisconsin, Madison).

Two years after graduating from the Schar School, Shpak was teaching at the Kyiv School of Economics when Russia invaded Ukraine; she and her family crossed several European countries to return to America where she is now a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Micro-Economic Policy Research at the Schar School.

NSF Study Takes on Illicit Trafficking of Human Kidneys

A new study funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) will explore the intricacies and prevalence of the trafficking of human kidneys by illicit networks around the world, with the goal of disrupting the flow of the trafficking.

The study, D-ISN: Evolution of Global Illicit Kidney Trade Networks: Identification, Reconstruction, and Disruption, will be headed by veteran kidney researcher Naoru Koizumi, professor of public policy and associate dean of research and grants in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University.

Koizumi will be assisted by Hadi El-Amine, an assistant professor in Mason’s Systems Engineering and Operations Research Department, who specializes in health care and public policy.

The award is for $999,941.

“Kidney trafficking is significantly understudied compared to other types of trafficking networks, despite the rising concern about this type of crime in recent years,” Koizumi said. “The project aims to develop a general framework for modeling the evolution of transnational kidney trade networks.”

Understanding those networks, she added, enables the exploration of effective disruption strategies.

The project uses a multidisciplinary set of methods that includes novel estimation procedures based on inverse optimization, dynamic link prediction models for handling unobserved activity in the networks, and stochastic simulation models to address the numerous sources of uncertainty and to allow the testing of potential intervention strategies for disruption of future network evolution.

These methods will be informed by data obtained from various sources including open and dark web and online news articles across countries, as well as world statistics that are publicly available from international organizations.

The analytical framework that integrates these methods will be used to:

• Predict the evolution of future transnational kidney tracking networks.

• Identify common patterns and mechanisms of actions of such networks.

• Investigate optimal strategies to disrupt the growth of such networks.

The collaboration with organ trafficking and “transplant tourism” experts will allow the project team to fine-tune the research outputs for real-world implementation of recommended strategies.

Naoru Koizumi

Hadi El-Amine

Solomiya Shpak Photo by Buzz McClain/Schar School of Policy and Government

Thiel, Harvin Join Emergency Management, Homeland Security Program

This fall saw the addition of two new instructors joining the faculty of the Emergency Management and Homeland Security program at the Schar School. The program offers certificates for those interested in furthering or starting careers in policy, planning, security, and organizational and management issues related to emergency preparedness at federal, state, and local levels.

Adam Thiel is the former deputy secretary of public safety and homeland security for the Commonwealth of Virginia (2014-16) where he led a department of 30,000 employees and an annual budget of $3.1 billion. Thiel, a 2000 graduate of the Schar School’s Master’s in Public Administration program, is currently the fire commissioner and director of the Office of Emergency Management for the city of Philadelphia. He is responsible for leading the Philadelphia Fire Department’s 3,000-plus uniformed and civilian members in addressing every facet of protecting the sixth-largest city in the U.S.

Donell Harvin, former chief of homeland security and intelligence for the District of Columbia is a senior policy researcher at the Rand Corp. He also instructs in the Master’s in Public Administration and Biodefense Graduate programs.

In his more than 30 years in the field, Harvin has developed expertise in domestic intelligence and information sharing, planning and response to terrorism, and countering weapons of mass destruction.

Schar School Lecture Tour of Jordan is Enlightening for All

The country of Jordan suffers low economic growth rates, increasing national debt, high youth unemployment, meager water resources, and noticeable income disparity. And yet, said Schar School Dean Mark J. Rozell, “It is remarkable that the country has such an impressive internal political stability.”

PhD in Public Policy from the Institute of Public Policy (TIPP), now the Schar School.

“The addition of these two accomplished ‘pracademic’ instructors is a fantastic opportunity for students to confer with and learn from experts who are in the thick of headline news and knowledgeable with up-to-the-minute policy issues in the course of their regular work,” said Bonnie Stabile, associate dean of student and academic affairs at the Schar School.

—Buzz McClain

Destination: Jordan

That was one of Rozell’s takeaways during a seven-day tour of Jordan in June 2022 that saw him deliver lectures attended by political dignitaries, academics, and business leaders eager to hear his insights about developments in the U.S. and the world. For his part, Rozell, on his first trip to the country, was equally keen to learn more about Jordan.

Rozell’s visit, Nsour said, was to create a pathway for the Schar School to join other academic institutions and think tanks that have realized the significance of the Arab world and the Middle East. “A good number of those schools established operations in the Arab world and built bridges so that their students can become well-versed with the region,” said Nsour.

The experience reinforced Rozell’s belief that Jordan should continue to receive international support.

“The country depends heavily on foreign aid to be able to sustain itself during such difficulties” as it is encountering now, he said. “The U.S. has a distinct interest in doing so given that Jordan is an important ally in a highly unstable region of the world.”

Anew

study-abroad opportunity will take Schar School Learning Community members to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for three weeks in May 2023. The expansive exploration of the country stemmed from a visit this summer by Schar School Dean Mark J. Rozell with PhD graduate Maen Nsour, president and CEO of the 2,000-employee, $2.4 billion Arab Potash Company, one of the largest companies in Jordan.

Visitors to the ancient country will engage with representatives of the government, the parliament, the judiciary, civil society organizations, and members of the private sector as well as visit historic sites and cultural and art venues.

Along the way, they’ll visit landmarks including

Petra, Wadi Rum, Jerash, and the Grand Al-Husseini Mosque in Amman. They will also earn three credits.

“Jordan is a monarchy with a parliamentary system and active civil society, labor, and business organizations,” said associate professor Heba F. ElShazli, who is coordinating the trip. “Jordan also has a Bedouin tribal community which lays an imprint on Jordanian politics, society, and economy, all of which will be investigated, experienced, and discussed.”

Students will also gain insights as to Jordan’s future since it “lives in a difficult geographic and political neighborhood” by means of interacting with young Jordanians, she added.

The tour was coordinated by Maen F. Nsour, president and CEO of the Arab Potash Company (APC), a 2,000-employee company with annual revenue of about $2.4 billion. Nsour, a 1998 graduate of George Mason University, earned a

— Buzz McClain

Mark J. Rozell is introduced to former Jordanian prime minister Abdelsalam Majali by Schar School alum Maen F. Nsour.

Schar School students will visit Wadi Rum, in the background.

Continuing to Track the Labs that Handle the Most Dangerous Pathogens

recommendations for strengthening biorisk management nationally and internationally.

“This map provides the most comprehensive accounting of where maximum containment laboratories are located around the world,” said Koblentz. “By collating publicly available information in a systemic way, we’ve been able to provide insights into the distribution and capabilities of these labs.”

ACE! Study: Prisons Are ‘De Facto Mental Institutions’

new study by Schar School researchers concludes that U.S. jails are de facto mental health institutions, with nearly 10 times as many individuals with serious mental illness in prisons and jails than in state psychiatric hospitals.

The study also found that access to affordable health care services and behavioral health treatment in the community changes how the jail is used and reduces the size of the jail population.

of Mental Health, the researchers studied the size of jail populations in 3,100 U.S. counties to explore factors contributing to the overuse of incarceration in county jails in the face of increased mental health challenges within those communities.

There are now 67 Biosafety Level 4 (BSL4) laboratories under construction, in operation, or in the planning phase in the world, a significant increase from May 2021, when the Schar School’s Biodefense Graduate Program Director Gregory Koblentz and Filippa Lentzos of King’s College London began tracking them.

Their team maintains an interactive map— GlobalBioLabs.org—that allows users to learn details of BSL-4 labs, including their home nation’s safety and security policies. The work is crucial: BSL-4 is the maximum level of security for biomedical studies of pathogens, equipped with elaborate safety systems to keep the pathogens contained.

The team also provides informed policy

Only three of 26 countries with these maximum containment labs have national policies to govern “dual-use” biological research and development activities. Dual-use research refers to work that can be used for scientific purposes—or misused for hostile purposes. These activities are significant because of their potential to be reused by other states, or nonstate actors, to cause harm.

A new version of the interactive map will go live later in 2022 and includes for the first time details about BSL-3+ labs around the world. These labs are increasingly popular for conducting high-risk research, “but there is little national or international guidance about how these labs should be designed and operated,” Koblentz said.

The updated website will also have a wealth of new information about the biosafety, biosecurity, and dual-use research oversight laws in place around the world.

Buzz McClain

“This study is important because it illustrates the interconnection between mental health services in the community and the size of the jail population—that is, if counties invest in expanding local health services, then they can reduce how they use their local jail,” said Faye S. Taxman, founding director of the Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence (ACE!) at George Mason University and the principal investigator of the study.

The data is relevant “to policy makers at federal, state, and local government agencies in terms of reducing the unnecessary use of local jails,” she said. “It also illustrates a connection that the number of services in the community is important to improve outcomes.”

Researchers included Niloofar Ramezani, a biostatistician at Mason’s College of Engineering and Computing, and collaborators from Michigan State University and the University of Central Florida. Working with $3.6 million in funding from the National Institute

The study’s conclusions point to increasing mental health services—particularly in counties with smaller populations, reduced numbers of high school graduates, and fewer treatment services—to reduce prison and jail populations.

“The new Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill has funds for mental health services,” she said. “If used, that funding can help to reduce the over 11 million Americans who are processed by local jails each year.”

Meanwhile, researchers at ACE! have begun helping administrators at St. Louis County Justice Center in St. Louis, Missouri, develop new racial equity policies and programming to improve the jail’s culture and reduce its population. The 18-month, first-of-its-kind study, funded by a $300,000 grant from the MacArthur Foundation, will focus on rampant racism and mistreatment of inmates.

If successful, those new practices and policies could be adapted by criminal justice systems across the country.

The study team includes researchers from ACE!, the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and justice system partnerships.

“This study is important because it illustrates the interconnection between mental health services in the community and the size of the jail population …”

A

Faye Taxman: ‘The new Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill has funds for mental health services…’

Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

Welcome to the Team

Ally Rose Coll assistant professor

While Coll will be teaching legal studies, she’s also the debut director of the Jurisprudence Learning Community (JPLC). The JPLC brings together legal-minded undergrads to get a jumpstart on law school. She’s also president and cofounder of the Purple Campaign, which works to develop corporate policies to combat workplace harassment.

Kelly Richter assistant professor

While she scrambles to finish a manuscript ad dressing immigration politics and policy, Richter is teaching several undergraduate courses in the Legal Studies curriculum. “I’m excited about the unique opportunity my Schar School teaching role will offer met to tie together my interdisciplinary academic and professional backgrounds that span the social sciences, public policy, and law,” she said.

TraCCC, Amazon Team Up to Combat Illicit Crime

The Schar School’s Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC) and the world’s second-largest company, Amazon, have joined forces to combat counterfeiting and disrupt criminal supply chain networks.

The method? Cohosting the 2022 Bring Down Counterfeiting Public Policy Hackathon, a first-of-its-kind event, administered by analytics firm Blue Clarity, that will challenge teams from U.S. academic institutions, companies, and other agencies to develop innovative ideas to combat these global challenges. They are competing for more than $20,000 in prizes. Final judging is in November. (To see results, go to schar.gmu. edu/news-and-events/latest-news.)

“Our goal is to bring together U.S. policy makers, domain experts, and academic institutions to raise awareness of the threats and generate powerful new ideas to stop this criminal activity,” said TraCCC Founding Director Louise Shelley, a University Professor

in the Schar School. “We are excited to have Amazon as a partner in this initial event and we appreciate their leadership in fostering a culture of open cooperation and innovation. The results from this hackathon will also be used to inform our ongoing research on counterfeit and other criminal supply chain networks.”

“Mason is taking on these global challenges that we must confront as humanity,” said Mason alum Paul Misener, Amazon’s vice president of global innovation policy and communications.

“The fact is, Mason is not just a pipeline for tech talent,” Shelley said. “We have a unique perspective that Amazon sought out, which is to place tech in context to inform policy. This makes Mason different from other tech programs, and is what brought Amazon to us in the first place.”

Catherine Maclean

associate professor

The health and labor economist is teaching Into the Weeds: Marijuana Policy, drawing on her expertise in behavioral health, particularly substance abuse, addictions, and mental health; she also studies paid sick leave issues. She’s also a coeditor at the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management and an associate editor at the Journal of Health Economics The popular podcast “Freakonomics” did an episode on her work: Let’s Be Blunt: Marijuana Is a Boon for Older Workers, episode 459.

Ashley Jardina associate professor

Political scientist Jardina comes to the Schar School from Duke University and brings with her an expertise in racism and identity politics. She’s the author of the well-received 2019 book White Identity Politics (Cambridge University Press); this year she won the Emerging Scholar award from the American Political Science Association (APSA).

Goldstone’s Career Achievement Award

Professor of Public Policy Jack A. Goldstone has been awarded the Distinguished Career in Political Sociology Award from the Political Sociology section of the American Sociological Association (ASA). The ASA, founded in 1905, is the national professional membership association for sociologists and

others working to advance and promote sociology as a science and a profession. Goldstone, who holds the Virginia E. and John T. Hazel, Jr. chair at the Schar School, received his award in early August in Los Angeles during the ASA’s 117th annual meeting.

— Damian Cristodero

“The results from this hackathon will also be used to inform our ongoing research on counterfeit and other criminal supply chain networks.”

Louise Shelley

Marine Corps Fellows Visit Capitol Hill

The Marine Corps Congressional Fellows program, exclusive to George Mason University, is an intensive and competitive fellowship that, when completed, grants the officers a Master’s in Public Policy degree from the Schar School and launches their transitory careers working on the Hill.

For First Lieutenant Bridget Greene, September’s visit to the Hill was not the first, “but it was the first time I have ever met a member of Congress in person,” she said.

Little did Alec Pourteau know when he ran for exercise on Capitol Hill while assigned as an officer at Marine Barracks Washington that someday he would be working in the renowned buildings—representing the military as a congressional fellow.

Marine Major Pourteau’s first visit to the Capitol complex took place in September when he and 10 of his fellow Department of Defense Fellows were briefed in the majestic Ways and Means Committee Hearing Room by U.S. Representatives French Hill (R-AR) and Mike Gallagher (R-WI), who detailed the ins-and-outs of daily life on the Hill. They also illuminated some of the expectations of congressional fellows.

The Greenlawn, N.Y., native is a logistics officer by trade. It was while serving in Hawaii that she had “the opportunity to experience firsthand the evolution of the American military presence in the Indo-Pacific,” she said. “Building a strong relationship with Congress is critical to enhancing the effectiveness of the Marine Corps during this period of transformation.”

The Schar School/Marine Corps program, which began with a blistering summer session, provides the fellows with the skills in policymaking and analysis necessary for understanding and solving critical problems. Those are proficiencies likely to be required while representing military interests with members of Congress.

After a year wearing suits, ties, and dresses in the famed “hallowed halls” of Congress, the officers return to duty in uniform to complete their military obligation. In Houston-native Pourteau’s case, that’s back to the courtroom as a Judge Advocate.

“It was too good of an opportunity to not apply,” he said of the fellowship.

“I’m excited to learn more about policy and government, and to get to firsthand experience with our civilian leadership on Capitol Hill next year.”

“I was struck by the emphasis that they placed on fostering the intellectual curiosity of their Defense Fellows,” Greene said. “I am looking forward to learning more about defense policy issues while also expanding my aperture to include a wide range of policy areas while on Capitol Hill,” she said.

— Buzz McClain

Reducing PVC-Related Greenhouse Emissions by 2050

‘[O]ur study…may also be important for insights into decarbonization pathways for the broader chemical industry.’”

A groundbreaking study from the Schar School’s Center for Energy Science Policy (CESP) shows how the U.S.’s producers of polyvinyl chloride—PVC—can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90 percent by 2050 using technologies that are nearing maturity now and add only a modest cost to production.

“We estimate that the facilities that contribute to PVC production in the U.S. emitted about 18 million metric tons of CO2—a major greenhouse gas—in 2020,” said Schar School professor David M. Hart, who led the study. “The PVC value chain is important for its own sake, but our study of it may also be important for insights into decarbonization pathways for the broader chemical industry.”

The report, one of two funded by a $500,000 grant from Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy, is the first of its kind to model the cost and emissions impact of decarbonizing a major chemical industry value chain through a “bottom-up” analysis. The yearlong study was written by CESP nonresident fellows Ronald Whitfield and Francis Brown and Hart.

— Buzz McClain

Members of the fifth cohort of the Marine Corps Congressional Fellows program at the Schar School respond to a question asked by U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI). Photos by Buzz McClain/Schar School of Policy and Government

U.S. Rep. Gallagher describes what’s expected of the fellows when they serve in the Capitol.

U.S. Rep. French Hill (R-AR) addresses the Marines. Alex Pourteau and Bridget Greene are to the left.

Slam Dunk! Meet the Golden State Warriors’ VP of DEI His Name May Ring a Bell (or Is That a Siren?)

NBA superstar Stephen Curry and his world champion Golden State Warriors have a new teammate.

Jennifer Vasquez, a 2001 bachelor’s in government and international politics major, joined the Warriors this year as vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), a new position in the San Francisco-based sports and entertainment company that boasts some 2,500 employees. She will also lead the franchise’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council.

The Arlington, Virginia, native says her time at Mason, as a first-generation college student, made a lasting impact.

“It was transformative for me by how [Mason] embraced different cultures and prioritized the success of each student,” she said. “There was so much diversity that it prompted me to continue my passion in this work and to really venture into DEI with a systems-change lens.”

Her degree, she said, “gave me grounding in how to navigate multicultural and political environments. felt that at George Mason I could be authentic, and it helped me define my identity and led me to realize the impact I wanted to have.”

Vasquez, whose parents immigrated from El Salvador to Northern Virginia during that country’s civil war, made the most of her college career at Mason, working as an intern at three embassies before interning at the Department of Defense. That position turned into a full-time job, she said.

As for her new job, Vasquez, who has worked in the DEI field for more than 15 years, said her goal with the Warriors is to remove barriers that exist, inadvertently and otherwise, in the maledominated sports industry.

“There are not only barriers of entry for getting into sports, but also barriers of advancement and upward mobility,” she said. “My work is grounded in providing a safe space where everyone feels they can belong, and where everyone is in a position to thrive, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disabilities.”

As for working in an organization that also employs Steph Curry and has won seven NBA championships, Vasquez said “that’s an added bonus—the icing on top of the cake to be part of his legacy.”

— Buzz McClain

Dustin Sternbeck serves as director of communications for the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) of the District of Columbia, and as such he is the point person when high-profile police activity in Washington makes the news.

The MPD, with 4,500 sworn and civilian employees, is the nation’s sixth-largest police department, so you can imagine he stays busy.

“That’s the understatement of the year,” said Sternbeck, 41 and a 2010 Schar School graduate who joined the MPD six years ago.

“They warned me when I was interviewing that it’s hard to imagine the pace and volume, but man, were they right.”

It wasn’t that long ago that Sternbeck was putting out fires of a different sort, as a fireman and a public information officer in the Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Management. He worked there while pursuing his master’s in public administration in the Schar School’s Northern Virginia Public

Service Fellows Program.

Participants in the Fellows Program— in which the students study and work together toward creating policy to solve a real-life problem—are nominated by their employers and their tuition is paid in full or in part by the agency. “It was great to just have the opportunity to work alongside and learn from industry experts and from the professors, but also from my classmates,” Sternbeck said of the program.

The MPA degree prepared Sternbeck with a familiarity and understanding of government hierarchy, budgeting, and “all the different pieces of the puzzle and how they really fit together so that we all ultimately can do what we got into the business for—to serve our communities.”

Sternbeck said he applies some aspect of what he learned in the MPA program each day.

“I owe a lot to that program,” he said. “It’s hard to imagine that there are other better programs in the country.”

That’s the amount of earned media generated by the July 29 Washington Post/Schar School poll on the nation’s attitudes toward abortion. The survey of 1,026 adults indicated 65 percent say the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade represents a major loss of rights for women in America.

“I felt that at George Mason I could be authentic, and it helped me define my identity and led me to realize the impact I wanted to have.”

“It’s hard to imagine that there are other better programs in the country.”

Alumna Finds Her Place in Public Service

During her time at George Mason University, India Adams-Jacobs, BS Public Administration ’12, discovered her passion for local government and public service.

“My entire career has been in public service,” said Adams-Jacobs, who is the town manager in Colonial Beach, Virginia. “Everywhere I’ve lived and served, I’ve helped make that community a little better through my work.”

In Colonial Beach, Adams-Jacobs oversees the day-to-day operations of the town, its 58 employees, and a budget of more than $8 million. She is leading the implementation of the town’s first strategic plan and is director of emergency management.

Adams-Jacobs chose Mason because of its diversity. Also important to her were her Schar School classes. She says one class taught by former congressmen Jim Moran and Tom Davis focused on how governing really happens “in the middle.”

“While many of my classmates looked to serve at the federal level due to our proximity to D.C., was drawn to local government because it was closest to the people and where I felt I could make the most direct impact,” she said.

While pursuing her master’s degree at Virginia Tech, Adams-Jacobs became the first African American selected to serve as the university’s General Assembly Fellow with the president’s office of government relations. She also serves as a member of the board of Mason’s Black Alumni Chapter, sharing her experience with other alumni.

It is a journey that began at Mason. “Mason has everything you would want in an institution— faculty and staff that really look out for you, that really care about your well-being and your development as a person who can make a contribution to our global community.”

Mason Double Alum Revels in Paying it Forward

When the time came to decide where to pursue a master’s degree in public policy, the choice was simple for Freddy Mitchell. Already an alumnus of George Mason University (BA in history, 2008), he attended an open house for Schar School graduate programs and immediately felt at home.

Prior to graduate school, Mitchell worked at two prestigious Washington, D.C., law firms. He even attended law school for a year, but ultimately decided it wasn’t for him. He worked on Capitol Hill as a graduate Congressional intern on the House Ways and Means Committee while pursuing his master’s degree. Valuable lessons learned in the classroom immediately transferred to his position on the Hill.

“What I was working on day-to-day in the House of Representatives were things that we were discussing in the classroom,” he said.

Mitchell credits Schar School faculty members for their expertise and engagement in and out of the classroom.

“They understand bureaucracy. They understand politics. They understand process,” he said.

“Being able to go a mile wide and a mile deep was just a whole other level. Those are things you expect from a graduate course at a prestigious graduate school.”

Now a vice president of U.S. government relations at MetLife, Mitchell advocates and lobbies on behalf of the Fortune 50 company.

“I really do believe it was the master’s that got me to where I needed to be,” he said. “I use my degree every single day.”

This “Mason lifer,” as Mitchell calls himself, feels a responsibility to pay it forward and serves as a member at large of the Schar School Alumni Chapter.

“Mason did so much for me,” he said. “The least I can do is absolutely shout from the rooftops what the university has done for me personally and professionally.”

— Damian Christodero

“Mason has everything you would want in an institution ...”

“I use my degree every single day.”

Meet Mason Student Government President Sophia Nguyen

Sophia Nguyen realized that to accomplish her goal of fighting discrimination, she needed the knowledge that comes from studying policy and government.

The Schar School senior, majoring in government and international politics, serves as the president of the George Mason University student body. In addition, the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants scored an internship at the White House, working to eliminate hate against Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.

Nguyen’s reason for fighting AAPI hatred was fueled by the rising attacks against those vulnerable communities. Further inspired by the Black Lives Matter protests, she wanted to make a change and fight for AAPI communities.

“I wanted to be more active rather than just posting on social media,” she said.

After being elected to the student senate in 2020, Nguyen organized events and served as

a bridge between students and the university’s administration. Her student government career progressed when she ran for president in spring 2022 and, along with vice president running mate Celine Apenteng, secured the highest vote count of any ticket since 2014.

The culmination of Nguyen’s on-campus accomplishments and her passion for AAPI activism led to her White House internship. In her role, Nguyen helped organize events and worked on issues related to the AAPI community with White House representatives.

After graduation, Nguyen intends to continue her fight for AAPI rights and hopes to go into humanitarian work, particularly for people who have been affected by poverty and violence.

“I just want to help people in need and make people’s lives a little bit better,” she said.

—Maaz Abbasi

A Month After Graduation, ‘My Postgrad Dream Job’

F or Class of 2022 Schar School government and international politics graduate Maria Hernández, politics has always been personal. Her family migrated from Venezuela to Miami in the 1990s, and she says seeing and hearing Barak Obama, a presidential candidate of color speaking positively about Latinos and immigration, was “special.”

More specifically, her passion for political organizing began her senior year of high school and continued during her freshman year of college. Born and raised in the Coral Springs/ Parkland area of Florida, which was directly impacted by the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman

Douglas High School in 2018, Hernández says, “my community will never be the same.”

She is working to change that.

After earning her degree in Government and International Politics with a minor in Conflict Analysis and Resolution, Hernández now channels her interest and passion in what she describes as her “dream job” as the executive director of organizing at Blue Future.

A national program run out of the Youth Progressive Action Catalyst and part of the largest political action committee in America, Blue Future works to engage, mobilize, and connect young people to progressive political campaigns and equip them with resources to be effective volunteers, organizers, and

community leaders.

Hernández says she will use the skills gained during her time at the Schar School for the rest of her career.

“Taking advantage of those resources, our location, and skills taught by the greatest and most notable political scientists in the field truly prepared me to obtain my postgrad dream job barely one month after I graduated from Mason,” she said.

“I will forever be grateful for the Schar School and every single lesson it taught me, the relationships will cherish for the rest of my life and the location, environment, and opportunity of a lifetime,” she said.

Sophia Nguyen in front of her former workplace: The White House. Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Servicesw Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

“I will forever be grateful for the Schar School and every single lesson it taught me …”

— Taylor Ramirez

A Stranger No Longer

J ad Makdissi is using his time at the Schar School to discover his purpose

The son of a prominent spokesman for the Syrian Foreign Ministry, Makdissi has lived all around the world and is no stranger to international diplomacy. His family circumstances—his father fled Syria in protest of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime—brought him to the United States in 2017. But his unique global experiences led him to Mason in 2020.

The biggest perk of being a Mason student, he says, “is that whether you’re on the Fairfax or Arlington campus, you are studying only 30 minutes away from the world’s most important capital city— Washington, D.C.”

A senior majoring in government and international politics, Makdissi has gained a wealth of experience. He served as a government relations assistant through an internship at the law firm Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough. He was also a research assistant at the Arab Studies Institute and an executive assistant at the Middle East Institute. Last summer, he held a Congressional internship in the office of U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina.

Makdissi ultimately hopes to work for the federal government in the Foreign Service. His desire to serve the American people comes from the sense of belonging he feels in the United States. He says one of the downsides of living around the world is struggling with his identity, and he wants to work for the country that he

loves and identifies with most.

“Before I moved to America, I’ve never lived in one country for more than five years—America to me is my home,” he said.

Seizing Opportunities— And Earning Results

As Barbara Montgomery prepared to present at the Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science National Honors Society Student Research Conference in March, she admitted to feeling a bit apprehensive.

But her confidence surged after the presentation and during the Q&A session as she engaged with the audience members who asked informed questions about her paper, “The Importance of Incorporating Behavioral Analysis into Rational Choice Theory.”

The experience taught Montgomery, at the time a senior in the Schar School’s Bachelor’s Accelerated Master’s program, to seize every opportunity, no matter how challenging.

“You may feel nervous or that you are not ready, but it could end up being a great learning experience that prepares you for future endeavors,” she said. Despite stiff competition and after rigorous vetting, the paper was published in the George Mason Review.

Because she was in the accelerated bachelor’s degree program, Montgomery is now studying in the Master’s in Political Science program, thanks to the new Douglas and Mariana Brook Public Policy Endowed Scholarship. She is one of two Schar School graduates to win the funding award. “That set me in high spirits as I began my

first semester of grad school,” she said.

She was also accepted into the Don Lavoie Political Economy Fellowship program offered by Mason’s Mercatus Center. “Along with scholars from universities all over the world, I am studying key ideas in political economy and considering their academic and policy applications,” she said of the opportunity.

Montgomery’s research explores the complexity of decision-making in international conflicts and the need to supplement rational choice theory when analyzing the behavior of international actors. She chose the topic because she believes in the importance of learning how to make better decisions. Additionally, she finds game theory and decision-making interesting.

Her undergraduate career was capped by yet another highlight: She was inducted into the prestigious honor society, Phi Beta Kappa. Another opportunity seized.

“A lot goes on beyond what is seen in earning a college degree that is hard to express,” she said. “But this initiation speaks volumes and reflects my academic journey so beautifully. I have worked so hard. And my hard work has been worth it.”

— Sydney Kosztolnik

— Taylor Ramirez

Jad Makdissi in front of the Middle East Institute where he was an executive assistant.

All About the Adjuncts

To the students, the person standing at the head of the classroom imparting wisdom is the “professor.”

Most students are not aware—or even consider—that the professor maybe an associate professor, an assistant professor, a tenure-track professor, an endowed professor, a professor emeritus, a visiting scholar, or even a distinguished visiting scholar. Little do they realize, each title comes with its own privileges and duties.

Add to this age-old academic hierarchy the adjunct professor.

Adjunct instructors are part-time teachers at universities and represent about 40 percent of the total number of professors in the U.S. That is up from 24 percent in 1975.

At George Mason University, there are some 1,360 adjuncts who help teach the school’s 39,000 students.

Since its founding at Mason’s The Institute of Public Policy (TIPPS) in 1990, the policy and

Char Mollison’s T-shirt gives another reason adjuncts are the coolest.

government school has hired countless adjuncts, hand-picked for their knowledge, experience, and connections in nearby Washington, D.C. Since 2020, the school has employed 130 different adjuncts, with about 50 of them teaching the 1,720 Schar School undergraduate and graduate students at any given time.

Not all adjuncts teach consecutive years, or even semesters, although a few, such as the late D.R. Butler taught undergraduate courses for 20 years. And many teach at multiple universities at the same time—89 percent of them nationwide work at more than one school—while also holding down significant full-time jobs.

“I teach at other universities in the region when asked, and serve on nonprofit boards of directors,” said Char Mollison, who also teaches nonprofit management courses at American University. She’s also a senior fellow of the Center for Advanced Governmental Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

Why Mollison does it is typical of adjunct responses to the question.

“The best thing is the opportunity to teach,” said Mollison, who serves on Mason’s Adjunct Faculty Committee, which represents part-time faculty to the university’s administration. “So many of us known as ‘willing adjuncts’ do it because we have expertise in our subject and love to teach. And the opportunity to teach Mason students is a privilege.”

Mollison offered that the quality and enthusiasm of Schar School students makes her job all the more enjoyable.

“I’ve taught at four universities in the region, three of which are private universities,” she said. “The graduate students at Mason are far superior overall: They tend to be a bit older, often with jobs and even families, and they are serious and disciplined about their studies; they don’t take education for granted.”

For Ron Marks, a career CIA agent who, as a visiting professor of cyber and intelligence, teaches national security policy and new technology, said the best thing about teaching is “the interaction with young minds.”

But the life of an adjunct, no matter how enjoyable, offers challenges. Mark Langevin, who has taught in the Global Commerce and Policy program since 2014, said effective planning is a major consideration.

“Since my other professional pursuits take up much of my time, I have to be very careful to plan my time accordingly so that my students can benefit from my teaching, and sometimes, mentoring … I am also inspired by the opportunity to teach and work with students at the Schar School.”

High Profiles, Notable Names

The Schar School has a reputation for hiring parttime faculty members who are well established, widely published, and maintain high profiles in their careers. At one point, two longtime former U.S. Representatives— Tom Davis (R-Va.) and Jim Moran (D-Va.)—taught an undergraduate course together.

Current adjuncts include former CIA intelligence officer and current chief operating officer of the Lawfare Institute David Priess; director of the Center for Climate and Security Erin Sikorsky; chair of the Board of Commissioners of the Virginia Port Authority John G. Milliken, also a former Virginia secretary of transportation; former Virginia Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling; two-term Virginia delegate David Ramadan; former minister of finance and development of Eritrea Gebreselassie Tesfamichael; and others. New to the staff this year is former Virginia Secretary of Education Atif Qarni.

Ron Marks: The best thing about being an adjunct is ‘the interaction with young minds.’

They come to the Schar School by reaching out to administrators to networking with current and past faculty to being in the right place at the right time. Ashley Grant, a group leader of Counter Weapons of Mass Destruction at the nonprofit government research institute the MITRE Corporation, asked an adjunct acquaintance if the school was in need of anyone with her expertise.

Ashley Grant was in the right place at the right time when the Schar School needed a global health security expert.

“As luck would have it,” she said, “they were looking for a professor to teach Global Health Security.” She began in 2019.

Special Guest Speakers Abound

Like many Schar School adjuncts, relationships in their professional fields run deep and as such, many distinguished practitioners make classroom appearances as guest speakers.

For instance, Marks recently invited Jon Rosenwasser, budget director of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, to speak to Marks’ Congress and Intelligence class. “He summarized the class beautifully without being asked and reinforced all the lessons from the term,” Marks said. “The students were thrilled.”

“I try to recruit speakers who offer much different, often foreign or international perspectives,” said Langevin. “Given my expertise in Latin America, have presented Brazilian and Chilean trade policy experts and diplomats to my students.

also bring in former students who can speak with authority on a particular issue intersecting the course content.”

John Byrne, a longtime expert in illicit crimes, teaches a seven-year-old course called International Money Laundering, Corruption, and Terrorism. He’s also the former executive director of the Association of Certified AntiMoney Laundering Specialists (ACAMS).

“Our model is to expose students to a variety of experts from the ACAMS board and in the [money laundering] community,” he said. Les Joseph, a former adjunct at the Schar School and chief of the financial investigation section of banking giant Wells Fargo & Company, guests lectures in Byrne’s classroom, as do Dennis Lormel, the first head of the FBI’s Terrorist Financing Operation Section; Don Fort, former chief of the IRS Criminal Section; and Sara Crowe, the staff expert on financial issues for Polaris, the anti-human trafficking organization.

In addition to sharing their experiences and knowledge, Byrne hopes the guest speakers “offer the students insight to how a career in this

field, whether in the government or the private sector, can assist society. am happy to report that a number of students have stayed in touch and have progressed in our community.”

For her part, nonprofit expert Mollison brings one or two guest speakers to each class. “I have been able to make use of global connections from my career,” she said, particularly when the classes are online.

‘Long-Term Relationships’

Teesta Ghosh has been a consistent parttime instructor at the Schar School since 1999, after reaching out to the emerging policy school at Mason. “Since then, I have not looked back,” she said. Courses she has taught include International Relations, Democracy in Global Perspective, International Law and Organizations, and Politics of South Asia.

Ghosh’s respect for her students exemplifies the earnest effort many of the Schar School adjuncts bring not only to the classroom but beyond— and it earned her a nomination for Teaching Excellence and Mentorship Award at Mason.

“I have done my best to support my students, the department, and the university over the years,” she said. “I write many letters of recommendations for students who are applying for either jobs, graduate school, or internships every semester and also during my summer break when I do not have any teaching responsibilities. And I have mentored students who have reached out to me to do independent studies—remuneration for which is token—and undergraduate research projects.”

As for “the best part” of being an adjunct, Ghosh said the answer was easy: “It’s the long-term relationships that I have developed with my students in the 23 years that I have taught here.”

Sometimes it’s the professor who is the student: “I have learned a lot from my students as well,” she said. “Mason has a very diverse student body, with students coming from many different countries around the world. Since I teach international politics, it has opened my eyes to their personal experiences—for example, as a refugee—and to cultural, social, and political nuances of their countries, which I would have no way knowing even if I read hundreds of scholarly books and articles.”

Last question: Are you an “easy A”?

“Good question!” she replied. “My answer is: It depends on who you ask. I have received both bouquets and brickbats from my students—but that, of course, is part of the job.”

— Buzz McClain

Mark Langevin celebrates the end of the semester with students and recent grads.

John Bryne works to bring students to the vital field of countering illicit trade.

Ready. Set. Activate!

The expansive plaza in front of Van Metre Hall at George Mason University’s Mason Square, home of the Schar School, has been “activated.” No longer a concrete wasteland of seldomly used tables, the plaza now draws Mason and community members to daily activities hosted by University Life’s Richard Nash, who rolls out a cart full of board games, sets up ping pong and cornhole, and plays upbeat Caribbean steel drum music on his laptop. Afternoons and evenings see free yoga, dance, fitness, tai chi, and juggling lessons. Food trucks, musicians and movies round out the offerings. All are welcome.

— Buzz McClain

The Schar School offers classes at Mason’s Fairfax and Mason Square campuses in Virginia. Both campuses are located within the heart of a dynamic region and close to the nation’s capital. Opportunities for internships, jobs, and research are unequaled, as is access to archives and museums, policymakers and think tanks, and diverse career opportunities. With 90 full-time faculty, we offer 13 degree programs across undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels.

Parting Shots A Dynamic Education for an Evolving World