GSPIA 2020 Commencement Program

2020 HONORS & COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY Thursday April 23, 2020 John T. S. Keeler Dean of GSPIA Paul Donnelly 2019 Student Cabinet President Samantha Monks Dean’s Award Winner Kaitlin Powers Dean’s Award Winner Emma Yourd Dean’s Award Winner Dan Flaherty 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award Winner Beth Rossman Commencement Speaker

Master of International Development Energy & Environment Justin Elias Giannantonio, BA West Chester University of Pennsylvania, 2017 Macy A. Holloway, BA Georgia Southern University, 2016

Governance & International Public Management Monica Angelotti, BS John Carroll University, 2017 Anna E. Baer, BA Pennsylvania State University, 2017 Kaitlyn Marie Burton, BS Kansas State University, 2015 Sergio Miguel Cabrales Dominguez, BA Universidad Centroamericana, Nicaragua, 2015 Fan Chu, BA Zhejiang University, China, 2017 Chloe Alexandra Kay, BA University of Colorado, 2014 Emma Lamberton, BA Geneva College, 2016 Luke Frederick Miller, BS University of Pittsburgh, 2017 Manami Noji, BA Gakuin University, Japan, 2016 Jennifer Rene Schaber, BS University of Pittsburgh, 2013 Elizabeth Wallace Shields, BA Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 2015

Human Security Michael D. Kuncio, BA University of Scranton, 2010 Samantha Monks, BS University of Pittsburgh, 2013 Halle Nicole Murdock, BA California University of Pennsylvania, 2018 Priyanka Srinivasa, BA American University, 2014 Andrew Arthur Tuznik, BA Pennsylvania State University, 2017

Nongovernmental Organizations & Civil Society Allison M. Bustin, BA University of Pittsburgh, 2012 Muhammad Khurram Butt, BBA, MBA University of Karachi, Pakistan, 1994; 1995 Amanda Kim Carpenter, BS St. Michael’s College, 2016 Kaleb Allen Eldridge, BA Cedarville University, 2009 Michelle Gabrielle Ozaeta, BA Florida International University, 2016 Brianna A. Sears, BA, BS Western Caroline University, 2018 Amber Stephens, BA Kent State University, 2013 Ya Su, BA China Foreign Affairs University, China, 2013 Calli Marie White, BA Villanova University, 2016 Kayla Noelle Whitehouse, BA Ohio State University, 2015

Social Policy Summer Hunter-Kysor, BA Heidelberg University, 2017

Urban Affairs & Planning Akira Inaba, BA, BA Kansai Gaidai University, Japan, 2011; University at Albany, 2011

Master of Public Administration Energy & Environment Yanru Li, BM Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, China, 2017 Melissa Lynn Ostrowski, BS Northern Michigan University, 2018

Governance & International Public Management Ian Fisher, BA Indiana University, 2012 Lingzi Liu, BA Xi’an University of Posts & Telecommunications, China, 2018

Natalie V. Thiess, BA Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 2014 Yichang Xu, BA Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, China, 2018

Public & Nonprofit Management Mary Kathleen Belonus, BA Pennsylvania State University, 2018 Aaron Jonathan Crawford, BA Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 2018 Gina N. Edwards, BS Ohio University, 2012 Kate Lauren Gascoine, BS Ohio University, 2010 Kaitlyn M. Hendrickson, BS La Roche University, 2015 Kenneth D. Kutzer, BS Allegheny College, 2018 Yiwei Li, BA Capital Normal University, China, 2017 Prince Denario Matthews, BA Clarion University of Pennsylvania, 2015 Alexandra Bortot McCrossin, BA University of Pittsburgh, 2012 Alexander Grant Neal, BA Allegheny College, 2015 Sara Michelle Rosenblum, BA Wheaton College, 2014 Aaron J. Ross, BS University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 2018 Samuel Leo Soergel, BA University of Pittsburgh, 2018 Cailee Marie St. Jean, BM Grove City College, 2015 Chaim Mordechai Strassman, BA Yeshiva University, 2013 Yidan Wang, BA Tianjin University of Technology, China, 2017 Chang Xu, BS Southeast University, China, 2017 Yingzhou Yao, BA, MA Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, China, 2015; 2018

Nicole Zeak, BA Mercyhurst University, 2012 Lulu Zhang, BA Dalian Minzu University, China, 2015 Tianru Zhao, BA Southwest Petroleum University, China, 2018

Policy Research & Analysis Zixuan Dong, BS Jiaxing University, China, 2017 Sean C. Hudson, BSW California University of Pennsylvania, 2012 Nicholas Leffakis, BA La Roche University, 2012 JoEllen Lovisa Mathews Marsh, BA Mercyhurst University, 2012 Yehui Nan, BS China Youth University of Political Science, China, 2017 Sha Qiu, BA East China Normal University,China, 2018 Kevin M. Tang, BA, BS University of Pittsburgh, 2014 Shuai Yan, BA Guangxi Normal University, China, 2018 Shuwen Zhang, BA, MS Shanxi University, China, 2015; University of Bristol, United Kingdom, 2016 Yimiao Zhou, BA University of International Relations, China, 2018

Urban Affairs & Planning Eric Alejandro Acosta Jr., BA University of Pittsburgh, 2018 Benjamin C. Emswiler, BA Eastern Mennonite University, 2016 Elizabeth Rose Fries, BS Ohio State University, 2017 Miranda R. Micire, BA University of Dayton, 2016 Emma S. Yourd, BA Smith College, 2012 Yanbin Zhao, BA Jiangsu Normal University, China, 2018

Master of Public and International Affairs Human Security Megan Elizabeth Bailey, BA DePauw University, 2016 Megan Lynn Canfield, BA Wilmington College, 2017 Adam James Diedrich, BA Arizona State University, 2011 Katherine Gramm-Zlotnick, BA University of North Florida, 2013 Jonathan Edward Gusew, BA Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, 2017 Kayla Marie Martin, BA, MA Saginaw Valley State University, 2012; Duquesne University, 2017 Kaitlin Elizabeth Powers, BA University of Pittsburgh, 2015 Joe Simeone, BA West Chester University of Pennsylvania, 2015 Joseph William Skibbens, BA Lehigh University, 2017 Heather Leigh Solomon, BS Florida State University, 2018

International Political Economy Bu Im Cho, BL, ML Konkuk University, South Korea, 2004; Korea University, South Korea, 2006 Shunyang Gao, BE Wuhan Polytechnic University, China, 2018 Kelsey Elizabeth Peterson, BA University of Pittsburgh, 2016 Jin Wang, BA Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, China, 2018 Xiran Wang, BA Sun Yat-sen University, China, 2017 Nicolas Clark Weltz, BA University of Pittsburgh, 2015 Weiping Xiao, BA Guangdong University of Finance & Economics, China, 2016

Security & Intelligence Studies Kelsey E. Brennan, BA University of Pittsburgh, 2015 Peter Albert Darius Curtis, BA Harvard College, 2013 Brittany Lauren De Hoyos, BS, MA Wichita State University, 2015; 2016 Logan James Dorminey, BA Saint Vincent College, 2013 Erin Frank, BA Florida Atlantic University, 2015 Kaitlyn Jeanne Hart, BA San Diego State University, 2018 Larkin R. Hogel, BS University of Pittsburgh, 2015 Shannon Marie Keys, BA Duquesne University, 2018 Thomas Aaron Krohn, BA Miami University, 2018 Austin Andrew Lebo, BA University of Pittsburgh, 2013 Lee. R. Margolit, BA Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, 2013 Rachel Elizabeth McGrath, BA University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2018 Richard Max Napotnik Jr, BA Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 2018 Penyinema Swaibou Ngoushema, BA Wilkes University, 2018 Steven A. Paterini, BA University of Pittsburgh, 2017 Matthew Dylan Pennock, BA West Virginia University, 2018 Kristin N. Ronzi, BS Georgetown University, 2016 Keara Anne Sanderson, BA Millersville University of Pennsylvania, 2018 Jamie L. Smith, BA Washington & Jefferson College, 2018 Kaelyn Jane Vitale, BA George Mason University, 2017 Allison Elizabeth Walker, BS Elon University, 2017 Paul M. Weaner, BS Eastern Michigan University, 2015

Master of Public Policy and Management Jaclyn Michelle Belczyk, BA, JD University of Pittsburgh, 2005; 2008 Leanna M. Bird, BA, MAT Westminster College, 2008; University of Pittsburgh, 2011 Andrea Leigh Bowersox, BA Susquehanna University, 2011 Nathan Clark, BA, MS University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2004; Lenoir-Rhyne University, 2016 Megan Cassie Conroy, BS Carlow University, 2010 Keisa A. East, BPS Geneva College, 2018 Jennifer A. Egan, BS Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, 1992 Autumn M. Falcsik, BA Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, 2010 Christopher Douglas Field, BA, MA, MLS Geneva College, 1996; 2000; University of Pittsburgh, 2004 Corey Suzanne Flynn, BA California State University, Sacramento, 2002 Lauren Anne Gray, BA University of California, Davis, 2012 Mary A. Harris, BS, MSW Saint Francis University, 1992; University of Pittsburgh, 1998 Lydia M. Heyliger, BA University of Pittsburgh, 2007 Carla J. Horvath, BA Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 2002 Joshua E. Hudson, BA Gardner-Webb University, 2008 Kerri A. Jackson, BA University of Pittsburgh, 2005 Lisa K. Kessler, BA University of Pittsburgh, 1989 Glory Leigh Koerbel, BSN, MSN University of Pittsburgh, 1978; Duquesne University, 1999 Laura A. Kuster, BA College of Wooster, 2010

Rhonda C. Leach, BA, MS Western New England University, 1982; Geneva College, 2012 Christopher A. Manning, BA University of Pittsburgh, 2017 Julianne Mattera, BA University of Michigan, 2008 Michele F. McNamara, BSN University of Pittsburgh, 1987 Shannon D. Miller, BSW, MSW Carlow University, 2005; University of Pittsburgh, 2011 Karen Jean Morris, BA University of Pittsburgh, 2017 Marc Adam Nikoden, BGS Fort Hays State University, 2010 Daniel Omale, BS Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 2017 Mallory Nicole Oslosky, BS Pennsylvania State University, 2011 Parul Paliwal, B.HSc, MBA Banasthali University, India, 2007; 2009 Sungmoo Park, BA Seoul National University, South Korea, 2007 Lena J. Picciano, BA University of Pittsburgh, 2008 Kimberly Marie Rehak, BA, MA Allegheny College, 2002; University of Pittsburgh, 2010 Mathew Romick, BS University of Pittsburgh, 2000 Benjamin Y. Shaw, BS, MA Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2001; Liberty University, 2015 Michael L. Stephens, BS U.S. Military Academy, 2007 Teresa Lynn Trich, BA Point Park University, 2001 David Franklin Tye, BS, MS Northern Arizona University, 1999; American University, 2007 Christine Tyler, BA University of Pittsburgh, 2016 Brenda Elizabeth Vasilescu, BA University of Pittsburgh, 2007 Amylyn Verrone, BA Mercyhurst University, 2011

Wenyu Xiang, MD Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China, 1990 Tae Wone Yang, BS Chonbuk National University, South Korea, 2002 Heesung You, BA Seoul National University, South Korea, 1997 Kevin J. Zwick, BA Marywood University, 2009

Doctor of Public and International Affairs Jennifer M. Bert, BA, MPIA Temple University, 2003; University of Pittsburgh, 2010 Dissertation: “An Evaluation of the Family SelfSufficiency Program in Pittsburgh Using Event History Analysis.”

Alexander Mark Halman, BA, MPA Binghamton University, 2012; 2013 Dissertation: “What’s with the Attitude?

Policymaker Attitudes towards Intelligence and National Security.”

Jessica Erin Hanson-DeFusco, BA, ME Colorado State University, 2003; Harvard University, 2007 Dissertation: “Fatal Remedies: Child Sexual Abuse and Education Policy in Liberia.”

Raymond Ruscoe, BA, MA Franciscan University of Steubenville, 1997; American Military University, 2007 Dissertation: “Prying the Bond that Ties: Breaking Variations in Nuclear Capabilities from Changes in Strategic Stability.”

Yoon Ah Shin, BPA, MPA Ewha Womans University, South Korea, 2009; 2012 Dissertation: “Network Coordination of Relief Logistics and Its Impact on Field Operations in Emergency Health Services: The Ebola Crisis in Liberia in 2014.”

Jee Eun Song, BS, MS Seoul National University, South Korea, 2007; Carnegie Mellon University, 2010 Dissertation: “The Increasing Calls for a Human Right to Water and Participatory Governance in Water Policy.”

Nami Yoon, BE, MPP Kyunghee University, South Korea, 1998; Harvard University, 2006 Dissertation: “Three Essays on Food and Drug Administration’s Postmarketing Studies on Prescription Drugs in the Virginia.“

GRADUATION AWARDS

ENDOWED AWARDS

WITH SPECIAL INTEREST

The Gloria Fitzgibbons Memorial Fund Award, for a female honoree in high scholastic standing, who is graduating from the MPA or MPPM program with potential to become a recognized public administrator, is awarded to Melissa L. Ostrowski and Kimberly Marie Rehak.

The Sergeant James “Rip” Taylor Memorial Endowment Fund Award, for a student who has shown outstanding academic achievement and exemplifies Sergeant Taylor’s spirit of public service, is awarded to Amanda Kim Carpenter, Prince D. Matthews, Kelsey Elizabeth Peterson, and David Franklin Tye.

Taraknath Das Foundation Award, for an outstanding student with a primary interest in the international problems of Asia, is awarded to Michelle G. Ozaeta for the paper, “Sex, Drugs, and Tom Yum Goong: An analysis of the current state of the HIV/ AIDS epidemic in key populations in Thailand.”

The David E. Oeler Award, for an outstanding student in the field of information systems, is awarded to Sean Hudson.

Simon Reich Human Security Writing Award, for the best research or policy paper on a human security topic, is awarded to Emma E. Lamberton for the paper “Chinggis Khaan as a Nationalist Symbol: Is he the egalitarian figure Eurasia needs to stem violence against women?”

Kevin Morrison Memorial Award, for the student with the most outstanding work in statistics and quantitative methods during the academic year, is awarded to Eric Alejandro Acosta.

Doctoral Program Faculty Award, for the most distinguished record among

graduates of the Doctoral Program in terms of academic achievement and service to the School, will be announced at a later date.

International Affairs Program Faculty Award, for the most distinguished record among graduates of the International Affairs Program in terms of academic achievement and service to the School, is awarded to Megan E. Bailey.

International Development Program Faculty Award, for the most

distinguished record among graduates of the International Development Program in terms of academic achievement and service to the School, is awarded to Kaleb A. Eldridge.

Public Administration Program Faculty Award, for the most distinguished record among graduates of the Public Administration Program in terms of academic achievement and service to the School, is awarded to Mary Kathleen Belonus.

Public Policy and Management Program Faculty Award, for the most distinguished record among graduates of the Public Policy and Management Program in terms of academic achievement and service to the School, is awarded to Brenda Elizabeth Vasilescu.

Dean’s Award, for the most distinguished record among students in the graduating class in terms of academic achievement and service to the School, is awarded to Samantha Monks, Kaitlin Elizabeth Powers and Emma S. Yourd.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL 2020 GSPIA GRADUATES!