BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY
SUMMER 2013
A MAGAZINE OF THE HELLER SCHOOL FOR SOCIAL POLICY AND MANAGEMENT
CITIZEN LEADERSHIP
SUMMER 2013
A MAGAZINE OF THE HELLER SCHOOL FOR SOCIAL POLICY AND MANAGEMENT AT BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY
Contents PAGE 1
LETTER FROM THE DEAN PAGES 2- 5
HAPPENINGS AT HELLER PAGES 6 -19
FEATURE STORY: CITIZEN LEADERSHIP BY TRACEY PALMER PAGES 20 -23
MILESTONES
BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY MS 035 P.O. Box 549110 Waltham, MA 02454-9110
LISA M. LYNCH Dean and Maurice B. Hexter Professor of Social and Economic Policy SAMUEL O. THIER, MD Chair, Heller Board of Overseers CHRISANN NEWRANSKY, MA’05 President, Heller Alumni Association Board
LESLIE C. GODOFF ’71 Director, Development and Alumni Relations
CLAUDIA J. JACOBS ’70 Director of Communications Initiatives
SHARRA OWENS-SCHWARTZ, MBA’10 Assistant Director, Alumni Relations and Annual Giving
COURTNEY LOMBARDO Senior Program Administrator, Development and Alumni Relations
TRACEY PALMER Feature Writer
LETTER FROM THE DEAN Dear Friends, During this year’s commencement ceremony, the Heller School awarded 180 degrees to students from 46 countries. As graduates marched across the stage to receive their diplomas, the feelings of pride, relief and excitement were palpable. Rebecca Loya, selected to speak for the graduating doctoral students, shared, “I appreciate the gifts that Heller gave me: the lesson that good research can be both rigorous and compassionate; and the understanding that the real benefit of our work lies far outside of us (our own careers and our reputations) and instead rests on the collective benefit to others.” Commencement speaker Vartan Gregorian — whose personal history resonated with many in the audience, and whose professional achievements strongly align with Heller values — challenged the graduates to be on the forefront of social justice and civic engagement. “You will be among the ranks of leaders and citizens who make our economy viable and strong but our society just,” Gregorian said. “You’ll be the leaders who breathe life into our American ideals and find new ways to bring us together as one nation, one people and one humanity.” This year’s graduates entered Heller committed to addressing a range of social problems. They leave to join fellow Heller alumni who distinguish themselves as citizen leaders — individuals trained, motivated and dedicated to creating a more just and equitable society, locally, nationally and globally. This issue of Heller Magazine highlights a variety of ways our alumni and students serve their communities — from participating in national service organizations such as the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps before coming to Heller, to establishing a university in Kabul, building an inner city farm and educating citizens about healthy eating, or establishing and directing a division of autism within a state department of developmental services. Please share these stories with others, including prospective students, and keep Heller informed of the ways you are making a difference. I want to express my appreciation to every one of you who chose to make Heller a philanthropic priority this year. I urge all of you to give as generously as you can to support our students so that we continue the legacy of the Heller impact on social policy. The return on your investment is reflected in the achievements of our alumni, Heller citizen leaders. Warm regards,
Lisa M. Lynch Dean and Maurice B. Hexter Professor of Social and Economic Policy
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1. MA/SID 2013 graduates Brett Aronson (left) and Jarnail Singh (right). 2. Returned Peace Corps volunteers at Heller include (a) Parisa Kharazi, MS’13 (middle row, far left), Botswana, (b) Jessica Friedman, MA/SID’14 candidate (front row, left), Philippines and (c) Gabriel Ellis-Ferrara, MBA’14 candidate (second from left), China.
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HELLER GRADUATION 2013 On Sunday, May 19, Heller awarded 180 degrees to students from 46 different countries during an inspiring commencement ceremony. Six graduates, representing each of the degree programs, addressed their classmates with reflections on their experiences together and hopes for their future as a powerful network of individuals committed to improving the lives of others. Commencement speaker Vartan Gregorian, president of the philanthropic Carnegie Corporation of New York and a longtime advocate for higher education, called the graduates “ancestors in training,” urging them to leave the world a better place than they found it.
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HELLER: AMONG TOP SCHOOLS OF CHOICE FOR PEACE CORPS Every year, hundreds of Peace Corps volunteers return to the United States to pursue graduate degrees, and, increasingly, they are choosing to continue their education at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. Brandeis University currently ranks fifth in the nation on the Peace Corps’ list of top Coverdell Fellows programs, though it began participating in the fellowship only two years ago. During the 2012-13 academic year, 27 returning Peace Corps volunteers enrolled at Heller as Coverdell Fellows. (See related story on national service on page 16.)
TUESDAY TALKS
COEX GUEST SPEAKERS
The spring semester was punctuated by three well-attended and thought-provoking Tuesday Talks. Researchers from the Institute for Behavioral Health — Constance Horgan, Deborah Garnick, Dominique Hodgkin, Maureen Stewart, PhD’09, and PhD student Amity Quinn, MA’11 — presented on “Behavioral Health Services in an Age of Parity and Health Reform: What Are Health Plans Doing?” In March, Theodore A. Johnson, assistant professor in the MA/COEX program, spoke on “New Thinking About Critical Thinking.” Brandeis President Frederick M. Lawrence delivered this year’s final Tuesday Talk, “Words That Stab: Hate Speech Under the American Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.” Each talk is available at youtube.com/hellerschoolbrandeis.
Heller’s Master’s Program in Coexistence and Conflict continued to enrich the community with a wide variety of noontime and evening speakers addressing timely, global issues. Among the notable guests were Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein of Jordan speaking on “Beyond Nuremberg: The Future of International Criminal Justice”; U.S. Marine Corps combat correspondent Professor Andrew Lubin, addressing “The Afghan-NATO Partnership: The Way Ahead”; and Kathryn Bolkovac, author of “The Whistleblower: Sex Trafficking, Military Contractors and One Woman’s Fight for Justice.”
MARGARET MCKENNA DELIVERS 2013 MBA DISTINGUISHED LECTURE
Once again the Alumni Association pulled “The Muffins” out of the proverbial hat to fuel the students during a study break at the end of the semester. The break was accompanied by some motivational music, which drew students to spontaneously sing and dance in the Zinner Forum. Students also boosted participation in the Dean’s Challenge and spurred on their fellow students to meet Dean Lynch’s challenge — to match each dollar from students given to the Heller Annual Fund, up to $3,000. The challenge was successful!
“Leadership: Lessons for Proving the Possible” was the focus for Margaret McKenna’s address to the Heller community on March 19 as the 2013 MBA Distinguished Lecturer. She has spent her career advocating for social justice. Most recently, she led the Walmart Foundation, helping to create and implement its signature “Fighting Hunger Together” program. McKenna began her work life as a civil rights attorney for the Department of Justice and later served as the deputy counsel in the White House and as undersecretary of the Department of Education. In addition, she led the education transition team for President Clinton. McKenna previously served as vice president of Radcliffe College and spent 22 years as president of Lesley University.
HELLER STUDENTS CELEBRATE CULTURAL DIVERSITY
DEAN’S CHALLENGE AND MUFFINS — A WINNING COMBINATION
Students Sothea Phan (left) and Takawira Kapikinyu encourage classmates to contribute to the Dean’s Challenge during “Alumni Fund Muffin Morning.”
Heller students, faculty and community friends were immersed in the rich variety of Latin American, African and Asian cuisine, music, costumes and customs during three evenings of studentorganized Cultural Nights this spring. Zinner Forum was “party central” as the community celebrated the diversity of our students from these three geo-regions. Students celebrating African Cultural Night
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ALUMNI EVENTS Alumni in the Greater Washington, D.C., area turned out in strong numbers for a reception with the 80+ current students who were visiting potential practicum and employment sites during the February school break. After thoughtful, reflective remarks by Professors Michael Doonan, PhD’02 (MPP) and Ted Johnson (SIDCO) and Martin Black (director of Career Services), alumni shared their current places of employment, making it easy for students to network and make helpful connections for the summer and beyond. Heller’s Master’s in Public Policy marked its fifth graduation this May with a reunion celebration in Zinner Forum following the class dinner on May 9. Forty alumni and friends warmly welcomed the 19 new members to the Heller alumni family.
1. MPP Program Director Michael Doonan (left) celebrates the program’s first five graduating classes with students and alumni Bevin Croft, MPP’10; Marissa Daniels, MPP’14; Sarah Emond, MPP’09; Pem Brown, MPP’11; Allison Ivie, MPP’13; and Grace Vaughn, MPP’12. 2. From left, Dean Lisa Lynch with award recipients Tatjana Meschede, Norma DeMattos and Carole Carlson. 3. Larry Atkins, PhD’85, president of the National Academy of Social Insurance, addresses the organizations’s annual meeting.
STRONG HELLER PRESENCE AT NATIONAL CONFERENCE The National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) held its annual meeting in Washington, D.C., in March. Among the 250 attendees, Heller was very well represented. Larry Atkins, PhD’85, is current president of NASI, Fernando Torres-Gil, MSW’72, PhD’76, was conference co-chair, and Dean Lisa Lynch delivered the keynote address. Three current Heller students who had interned last summer at NASI were also present, along with Heller faculty and researchers and alumni.
HELLER AWARDS CEREMONY The annual Heller Awards ceremony was held in the Zinner Forum on April 11. Each year, a committee of students, faculty and staff (including past winners) selects three individuals from the recommendations of the Heller community. This year, Carole Carlson received the teaching award, Tatjana Meschede the mentoring award and Norma DeMattos the staff award.
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SEVEN STUDENTS RECEIVE PRESTIGIOUS FELLOWSHIPS
TUFTS MD/HELLER MBA GRADUATION CELEBRATION
Within a school of talented, committed student scholars, seven Heller students were recently awarded the following fellowships: From a field of 12,000 graduate degree holders, Ariella Camera, MA/SID’13, was one of 650 finalists selected as Presidential Management Fellows. Abigail Rothberg, MA/SID, MBA, who has designed a project to explore NGO intervention strategies for combating violence against women in Sri Lanka, has been awarded a Fulbright Fellowship. Three current students have been awarded Boren Fellowships: Emily McCready, SID/COEX, will travel to Jordan to learn Arabic, with a focus on the current Syrian refugee crisis; Kristen Whited, MPP, MBA, will use her fellowship to return to South Korea to improve her language fluency, with the goal of informing a more nuanced approach to foreign policy in the region; and Cameron Asam, MA/SID, will use his Boren Fellowship to fund a 10-month practicum in Indonesia, studying the indigenous language, interning with Mercy Corps and focusing on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. Parisa Kharazi, MS’13, and current doctoral student John Macom each landed the USAID Global Health Fellowship for this summer. The program is extremely competitive, with an acceptance rate of only 2.15 percent (1,400 applications for just 30 seats). An eighth student, Jessica Friedman, MA/SID, is currently an alternate for the Boren Fellowship.
The first students to earn a dual degree from the Tufts University MD/Heller School MBA program were awarded diplomas on May 19. Heller took an opportunity at the end of April to celebrate and toast this extraordinary group of nine individuals, along with Dean Lynch, Jon Chilingerian, associate professor of human services management, Brenda Anderson, director of the MBA program, and Joe Jabre, Tufts University MD/MBA program director. Also in attendance were four Tufts MS in biomedical sciences (MBS) students who will earn Heller MBAs later this summer.
JAMES J. CALLAHAN JR., PHD’68, MEMORIAL LECTURE The Zinner Forum was filled to capacity on April 23 for the inaugural James J. Callahan Jr., PhD’68, Memorial Lecture. A panel of social policy experts — Dean Lisa Lynch; Stuart Altman, Sol C. Chaikin Professor of National Health; Laurence Kotlikoff, professor of economics at Boston University; and Robert G. Romasco ’69, president of the AARP — discussed and debated the topic of “Medicare and Social Security.” To listen to the full program, visit www.brandeis.edu/now/2013/may/callahanlecture.html.
Moderator Walter Leutz, PhD’81, and panelists Lisa Lynch, Stuart Altman, Robert Romasco ’69 and Laurence Kotlikoff at the Callahan Memorial Lecture.
(Top) 2013 MD/MBA graduates at Heller reception. (Bottom) Tufts MBS students anticipating their Heller MBA graduation in August
CELEBRATE HELLER AUTHORS: ISABELLA JEAN, MA/COEX’06 On April 11, Heller alumna, adjunct lecturer and author Isabella Jean shared her research experience with CDA’s Listening Project that captured the ideas, insights and analyses of nearly 6,000 people across 20 countries where international aid has been provided. “Time to Listen: Hearing People on the Receiving End of International Aid” (www.cdainc.com/cdawww/pdf/book/time_to_ listen_pdf_Pdf1.pdf ) reports that aid recipients want smarter aid, not necessarily more aid. Smarter aid involves understanding the local context and providing local stakeholders with a voice and decision-making power in how aid is conceived, funded, carried out and evaluated. The book talk provided a valuable opportunity and stimulated much discussion for the students preparing for careers in international development, peacebuilding, public health and community-based work. SUMMER 2013
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CITIZEN LEADERSHIP Leadership is not about title or status, nor is it found in power or authority, fame or wealth. Effective leaders are often ordinary citizens, motivated to bring about change for the common good. Driven by passion, persistence and purpose, citizen leaders succeed because they are engaged in the community. They guide others in setting new directions, opinions and actions. They play a critical role in democracy and in shaping sustainable social policy. Some say good leaders are made, not born. If this is true, then the Heller School surely helps make citizens leaders. On the following pages, you will meet some of our citizen leaders, inspired to create change in their communities and in the world. Through their professional and volunteer actions, they are living the Heller School’s motto — knowledge advancing social justice. BY TRACEY PALMER SUMMER 2013
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Eleven Heller citizen leaders who are changing the world: Row 1: Masoud Juya, Jessica Girard and Denise Dabney. Row 2: Julio Urbina, Karen Feinstein and Cariann Harsh. Row 3: Tom Sannicandro. Pertula George-Redd and Heather McMann. Row 4: Jayanta Patra and Dena Fisher.
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“Our primary mission is to educate muchneeded specialists, professional cadres and aspiring grassroots leaders who change our country for the better through generation and application of ideas and knowledge.” Kahkashan-e-Sharq University mission statement
Citizen Leaders: Harnessing the Power of Education MASOUD JUYA, MS’11 Masoud Juya opened a school for children in Afghanistan when he was a child himself — at the age of 14. The idea came from the need to help support his family and a desire to serve his community. Juya had worked full-time in his family’s carpet weaving business in Herat since he was 5 years old. “At the age of 8, I was an expert weaver,” he says. “At the age of 11, I supervised a dozen individuals.” It was hard work. Founding and running a school, Juya says, seemed “less challenging than working full-time since I was 5.” When the doors first opened at Herat-e-Bastan School/Training Center, Juya did everything himself. “I was the only teacher, the cleaner, and everybody else during the first few months.” To make ends meet, he also worked at several NGOs. “Every kid who studied at my school was an inspiration for me,” he says. “My school has helped educate hundreds of poor people who were denied educational services at other places.” Juya’s school grew quickly. At one point, there were 400 boys taking classes (the Taliban did not allow him to enroll girls). Despite the harsh regime’s threats to shut him down, Juya continued to teach English, computers and other nonreligious subjects. When the Taliban finally collapsed, Juya jumped at the chance to expand his program. “My school was the first institution to gather girls and boys under one roof to celebrate their education.” With his school firmly established, Juya turned his attention to achieving another goal — becoming a doctor. For the next seven years, he attended medical school at Herat University. He earned an MD in 2007, but Juya was not yet finished with his own education. In 2009, he came to the Heller School to study international health policy and management on a Fulbright Scholarship. “At the Heller School, I learned about management, leadership, sustainability and other developmental values,” he says. “The classes I took gave me frameworks to use in my daily work in the field of development.”
With so much success and achievement to his credit, you might think Juya would pause to appreciate what he’s accomplished. But this is not in his nature. “I have a commitment and a desire for change,” he says. Today, Juya is embarking on perhaps his biggest project yet — launching a new university in Afghanistan. Founded in January 2013, Kahkashan-e-Sharq University will offer programs in economics, journalism, languages and humanities, law and political science, midwifery, nursing and pharmacy. “With the new university that I have cofounded, I believe I can make a change in the field of higher education in Afghanistan,” Juya says. “I know it will take a while, but I am determined.”
JESSICA GIRARD, MA/SID STUDENT Jessica Girard was deployed with the U.S. Air Force three times. She was in Oman after Sept. 11, 2001, and twice went to Iraq. While stationed in Baghdad, she traveled to villages where she met local people without any form of livelihood. Sometimes she would see Army soldiers passing out soccer balls to children as a goodwill gesture, but, she recalls, “the kids would literally try to kill each other to get a ball.” They had nothing. Even though she was only 24 at the time, Girard knew she could do something to improve the lives of those children. “People from home kept sending me these care packages…that’s when it hit me,” she says. “Instead of sending me stuff I really didn’t need, I asked people to send pencils, school bags, paper and other school supplies. Then I worked with a local imam to deliver it all to a school.” This one experience convinced Jessica that when she came back to the United States, she wanted to work in international development. “I loved the way it made me feel,” she says. “It made me happier than anything I’d ever done.” At Heller, Girard discovered the difference between military leadership and civilian, advocacy leadership. “The Air Force is more management by directive,” she says. “At Heller, leadership is based on being an educated person, crafting partnerships — you learn from them, they learn from you, and everyone is empowered.”
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DENISE DABNEY, BA’72, MA/PHD’00
doctoral classes, Urbina conducted a district-wide needs assessment, Denise Dabney is putting people to work. As lead planner and fundsomething that hadn’t been done in 15 years. He used the findings to raiser for the city of Boston’s Office of Jobs and Community Service, guide a comprehensive budgeting process. “Heller taught me you don’t she serves in a crucial role. “We take the least educated and capable necessarily have to throw money at things to get a significant outcome,” people and get them ready to work,” she says. “Our true goal is to he says. create self-sufficiency.” What drove Urbina to take on the public schools? A major reason Dabney was born in the 1950s in segregated Virginia. When her was his own experience as a student. Urbina grew up in Queens, N.Y. parents moved to Cambridge, Mass., she went to Boston Latin and All through high school, he found himself on the honor roll. But this was the first in her family to go to college. After graduating from label, as it turns out, was misleading. “I didn’t realize how poorly I Brandeis with a major in black studies, Dabney taught at an alternawas doing until I joined the general population,” he says. In college, tive school for at-risk children in Cambridge. She was head of the Urbina struggled. He was utterly unprepared and ended up flunking math program but soon discovered what her students needed most was out. Although he would later go back to a community college and help with social problems. “They were from broken homes, involved study to be a paramedic — a job he held for 20 years — he would with the courts…sometimes I brought kids home with me. I wanted never forget how the public school system let him down. to have an impact, change social policy.” That sentiment eventually “I wanted my kids to do better than I did,” says Urbina, who has brought Dabney back to Brandeis and to the Heller School. a 14-year-old son in high school and a 9-year-old daughter in fourth At the Jobs Office, Dabney’s team oversees GED prep, ESL grade. His objective was to re-establish academic rigor and hold people programs, job training and after-school MCAS prep courses. Dabney (teachers, superintendents, students, principals) accountable. His makes use of her extensive fundraising experience to secure support for approach is working. During Urbina’s tenure, the number of students Youth Unlimited Options (YOU), a quasi-nonprofit organization run who scored 85 or above on New York Regent tests in reading and by the mayor’s office and the Boston Redevelopment Authority. YOU math doubled. “There was a downward trend when I came on,” he says. is a re-entry program for Boston’s court-involved youth. “I raise funds “I’m nowhere near satisfied, but we’re on our way.” for them,” says Dabney, “so they learn that they have choices.” Over Urbina doesn’t see himself as a leader. “I’m just another member of two years, Dabney has raised $1 million for the program. the community with a skill set I can offer to improve our schools,” he says. “Education for me is the great equalizer; regardless of what I look JULIO URBINA, PHD’01 like or how my name is spelled, education goes a long way in leveling Julio Urbina is director of the Healthy Aging Program at the Fan the playing field.” Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation in New York, but lately it’s his volunteer work that’s getting all the attention. As president of the school board of New York’s Tuckahoe Union Free School District, Urbina is shaking things up. Using what he learned in his Heller
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Quality improvement team at Ha’emek Hospital in Afula speaking with Jewish Healthcare Foundation President and CEO Karen Feinstein (far left).
CEO of Alcoa, one of the safest corporations in America, involved. The pilot program ran in 30 hospitals, and the CDC measured the results. “We used Deming’s dual improvement, Six Sigma, Toyota’s Lean management …these methods had never been applied to hospitals before.” It worked — central line infections were reduced by 68 percent. KAREN FEINSTEIN, PHD’83 Buoyed by their success, Feinstein and her team tackled other When the Montefiore Hospital in Pittsburgh was sold and the endowhealth care issues using the same methods. Their work reduced patient ment went toward creating a new health care foundation, Karen falls and medication errors. “I think it made history,” Feinstein says. Feinstein was interested. Even though she had no experience in health “We just kept moving.” Next, the foundation focused on worker retencare, Feinstein was determined to take the lead. She was a veteran tion and applied what succeeded in hospitals to primary care and advocate for social change and had passion and enthusiasm to spare. skilled nursing facilities. “It’s just been a wonderful run,” says Feinstein, Feinstein is proud to be part of the generation that grew up during who has won awards for her work and gives training workshops the social movement era of the 1960s. In college she was involved in around the world on hospital safety. “Ironically, every consulting firm the Urban League, the civil rights movement, antiwar protests, the war has moved in to health care and is now making a fortune on what we on poverty and the women’s movement. “I didn’t need Heller to fuel did for free.” my passion,” she says. “I went to Heller because I needed tools and When she started the foundation, Feinstein had one assistant and a skills. People involved in revolution can’t be sloppy and unskilled.” part-time bookkeeper. Now she has a staff of 70 and $19 million in From the ground up, Feinstein built the Jewish Healthcare federal grants to work with. “I wish I could say we’ve solved all the Foundation. Her long-term goal was to drive performance excellence problems of health care, but we are doing projects on a scale I never across the region’s health care system and bring fresh perspectives to would have dreamed 16 years ago.” Feinstein credits much of her the health-related needs of underserved populations. “I was a pig in success to what she learned at Heller and the mentors she’s relied mud,” she recalls. “I wanted the foundation to be more of a laboratory, on over the years. “I can’t say enough about the Heller faculty,” she a think tank that could initiate programs.” Feinstein knew there was says. “They aren’t just ivory tower academics. They’re engaged in the room for improvement in the industry. real world. I still collaborate with Stu Altman on everything. If I get “What I observed in hospitals was shocking,” she recalls. “I knew discouraged or hit a bump in the road, he’s there. How many people we could save lives and improve conditions for health care workers.” can go back to their dean when they’re this many years out?” Feinstein started making changes and doing things differently. This Today, Feinstein is turning her attention to electronic medical scared some people, including the State Hospital Association board, records and end-of-life issues. “I like revolution,” she says. “Obama’s which, Feinstein says, asked her to step down. “They gave me a Tiffany health care plan is a sea change, sparking a new kind of revolution. bowl,” she jokes. “What we were doing was threatening. We were raisTechnology and massive amounts of new data and analytical ability are ing expectations, stirring things up.” bringing new solutions. We’re using technology to solve problems and The first problem Feinstein took on was central line infections. create change.” She believed they were preventable, so she approached the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative and asked them to help. Then she got the
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Citizen Leaders Advocating for People with Intellectual Disabilities CARIANN HARSH, MBA’04
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick (seated, center) signs landmark legislation sponsored by State Representative and Heller doctoral student Tom Sannicandro (back row, center) that promises a bright future for the state’s Down Syndrome community.
TOM SANNICANDRO, DOCTORAL STUDENT
The Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services recruited Tom Sannicandro was elected as a Massachusetts state representative Cariann Harsh while she was still a Heller student. Their mission for in 2004 as a write-in candidate. Prior to that, his only public service her was to build a fully functioning autism division from scratch. In a experience was as chair of the Ashland School Committee. He wasn’t little over eight years, she’s done just that. “Autism has shifted,” Harsh politically involved. He wasn’t even a member of a political party. But says. “This wave of kids isn’t just a wave. Autistic kids are here to Sannicandro had the most important thing he needed to succeed in stay. The issue now is: How do we support all these kids who all look the job — passion and purpose. slightly different?” Sannicandro’s son, Zach, was born with Down Syndrome in 1984. Under Harsh’s leadership, the Autism Division connects families Since then Sannicandro’s career and leadership decisions have been to advocacy centers that offer community-based services for children driven by a commitment to serving people like Zach and their families. and families. She oversees a $4.6 million budget for the program. “The “I became a State Rep to give voice to people with disabilities,” he says. baseline of skills I got at Heller really prepared me for this role,” she Sannicandro’s son was the first child with an intellectual disability says. “After Heller, I hit the ground and felt like I had all the tools in to be included in the mainstream in the town of Ashland, Mass., but it my toolkit that I needed. After eight years, I realize that I still use the was a battle every year. It took a lot of effort to get him what he needed. skills every day.” When Zach reached sixth grade, the system fell apart. “That was a For three years, Harsh collaborated with Walter Leutz, PhD’81, disaster,” Sannicandro recalls. “At that time there was a parent group and Marji Erickson Warfield, PhD’91, to evaluate the division’s waiver advising the school committee. I felt compelled to join.” That’s when program. The team submitted two journal articles based on the project. Sannicandro’s journey into public service began. He completed an “My Heller experience shaped where I am today,” Harsh says. “I’m in MPA at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and ran for office. a leadership position in state government because of Heller. And I’m As a state representative, Sannicandro has been chair of the making the world a little better for families with children with autism.” Committee of Higher Education and served as vice chair of the
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Citizen Leaders Building Stronger Communities PERTULA GEORGE-REDD, MA/SID’08
Pertula George-Redd (top left) gives tours of Common Good City Farm to England’s Prince Charles and U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin.
Committee for Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities. He has initiated changes to the special education law and worked to secure more funding and support for people with intellectual disabilities. Legislation he proposed removed the word “retardation” from Massachusetts law. Today, Zach lives in a group house and runs a car detailing shop. His father is back in school. A Lurie Fellow and doctoral student at Heller, Sannicandro is interested in learning more about community organizing and fixing broken political systems. “What I’m learning here has an immediate effect,” he says, “a direct impact on my work at the State House.”
Imagine Pertula George-Redd’s surprise when President Obama said her name…and then proceeded to personally welcome her as a new American citizen. “Pertula arrived in America from St. Lucia at the age of 23, leaving behind her parents and seven siblings,” Obama said, at George-Redd’s special citizenship ceremony in March 2013. “She came here to study international development. She stayed, for over a decade now, to work at nonprofits that teach our kids about sustainable foods and how to live a healthier life by eating well — which I know Michelle is very happy about. Today, she also has the gratitude of her new nation. So, thank you so much.” George-Redd came to Obama’s attention when she was executive director of Common Good City Farm in Washington, D.C. There she helped build urban farms and gardens and educate the community on the importance of eating healthy, local produce. “I’m very passionate about changing people’s mindset around food,” she says, “especially youth. I want them to learn how to be leaders and make healthy food choices.” Meeting the president and first lady was exciting, but it wasn’t George-Redd’s first brush with high-profile leaders. She gave England’s Prince Charles a tour of the farm in her first year as director in 2011. In 2012, she welcomed the U.S. surgeon general to a lunch with the farm’s Summer Youth Program. The farm has even been featured on the Travel Channel show “Bizarre Foods.” All of this celebrity treatment was nice, but what really inspires George-Redd is the idea of replicating the Common Good City Farm back in her native St. Lucia. “Where I grew up,” George-Redd says, “my food came from right outside my door — coconuts, lemons, mangoes, sheep, goats, herbs, tomatoes. We had a 5,000-square-foot piece of land. What we didn’t grow ourselves, we traded for. I loved being outdoors, connected to the land.” However, the food culture in St. Lucia has changed, George-Redd says. Farming is not done in a sustainable way in the Caribbean. And fast food and cheap processed food is taking over — the root cause of a public health crisis. St. Lucia has one of the highest rates of diabetes in the world and the second highest rate of hypertension. These worrisome trends motivated George-Redd to leave her job at the farm last December. She plans to move back to St. Lucia this year or next to launch her own nonprofit. “I’ve learned so many things at Heller,” she says. “It’s prepared me for what’s to come in St. Lucia.” When George-Redd starts her nonprofit, she knows she can rely on her longtime Heller School mentors, especially Professor Eric Olson, to help. “He’s ready,” she says. “I know he will come to St. Lucia and help me out. It’s good to know I have that support.”
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HEATHER MCMANN, MBA’12 Heather McMann is helping the city of Lawrence, Mass., reimagine itself with a bright green future. You’ll see the results of her influence everywhere — in the newly planted trees, the thriving community gardens, the bustling farmers market and in the happy healthy faces of the city’s children. McMann began consulting with the nonprofit Groundwork Lawrence (GWL) in 2005. She joined the staff as operations director in 2006 and became executive director in 2009. “I learned so much on the job,” she says, “but I didn’t have any of the theory or structure behind it.” That’s what prompted McMann to enroll in the Heller MBA. She went to school part-time and continued to work. “Heller was the only MBA that took the nonprofit and social policy piece seriously,” she says. “I was literally drawing on it from day one. Redesigning our budget process came from Tom McLaughlin’s class. My first fundraising plan came from David Whelan’s class. Carole Carlson’s Social Entrepreneurship class helped me with a project involving low-income neighborhood grocery stores.” There are 76,000 people in Lawrence, and about 70 percent of them are Hispanic or Latino. According to the 2010 census, the city has the state’s lowest median income. Despite past difficulties, Lawrence is coming together to make a comeback. GWL and McMann are helping the cause with environmental and open space improvements, fresh food access programs, youth education, employment initiatives, and community programming and events. “We’re helping people talk to each other,” she says, “building trust, knowing we can do a lot more together than we can do separately.”
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With McMann at the helm, GWL transforms formerly vacant and contaminated open spaces into attractive and productive community gathering spots. An orchard they planted in 2011 will provide the community with fresh apples, pears and cherries for decades. The community gardens and farmers markets they support have become lively gathering places for the whole community, with free entertainment, family activities and educational exhibits. To make fresh, local food more accessible, GWL runs a fruit and vegetable prescription program, in partnership with Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, which lets physicians give their patients scripts they can fill, free of charge, for fresh fruits and vegetables at the farmers markets. The markets also accept SNAP (food stamps). For Lawrence high school students, GWL started a Green Team, which offers 10 part-time, paid positions every year. The teens learn about and lead local environmental and healthy community initiatives, conduct research, raise awareness, challenge their peers to do community service, and participate in hands-on improvement projects throughout the city. “Environmental conditions are inextricably linked to the economic and social health of a neighborhood,” says McMann, whose success is getting recognition. The influential nonprofit research and consulting firm Root Cause recognized GWL’s good work, naming the group a 2013 Social Innovator.
1. Groundwork Lawrence Executive Director Heather McMann (front left) celebrates Earth Day. 2. Jayanta Patra (right) demonstrating for social justice for the Dalit.
Citizen Leaders for Social Justice JAYANTA PATRA, MA/SID’13 Jayanta Patra grew up in a remote village in the east part of India, close to Calcutta, with no electricity or Internet. And through no fault of his own, he was born with another disadvantage — Patra is a Dalit, a member of the untouchable caste in India. The term Dalit means “oppressed,” “broken” or “crushed.” This name has been adopted by the people otherwise referred to as Harijans and has come to symbolize for them a movement for change. The Dalit are almost all poor farmers or landless laborers. Many increasingly live in slums and on the street of cities. While discrimination based on caste is prohibited under the constitution of India, discrimination and prejudice against Dalits remain. Despite his background, Patra was able to take advantage of educational opportunities that lifted him up. Now, he is determined to give back. “Most Dalit don’t have the opportunities I’ve had,” he says. “I am committed to helping my community, the Dalit and other deprived communities.” Patra began working at NGOs in India in 2006. He was familiar with the challenges. To help his people, he knew he needed more advanced tools and skills in international development. Patra came to Heller School on a Ford Foundation Scholarship, drawn by the school’s mission to advance social justice. “I had to have some kind
of empirical understanding,” he says. “I needed to gain more knowledge and enhance my skills, so that I could fight the injustices against my community.” Patra knew firsthand that the Dalit are regularly deprived of government facilities and services. What’s worse, they are also often isolated from the many NGOs in India that could help them. Patra is beginning to remedy this problem. As program director of the NGO Solidarity for Developing Communities, he created a consortium of 23 NGOs in southern Orissa, India, and put pressure on the government to coordinate with its members. The consortium also records caste-related issues and concerns and reports them to top government officials. The group has spurred the creation of education and coaching centers for the Dalit, giving them access to higher studies, training, and better jobs. Patra’s efforts have strengthened partnerships and created new collaborations with the local organizations, government departments and donors. “I want my community to get social justice,” Patra says. “I’m really very much committed to this cause — to being the change in this society.”
DENA FISHER, PHD’91 Dena Fisher is director of programs and community outreach at El Taller Latino Americano or the Latin American Workshop in New York. But what’s most interesting about Fisher is how many of her accomplishments came after she retired. Fisher was 42 when she started a PhD at Heller, which she completed thanks to the Pew Health Policy Program for mid-career health care professionals. Fisher was assistant commissioner of health for Westchester County at the time. By 2001, she had retired from that job and was ready to leave for the Middle East as a Fulbright Scholar to study Israeli-Palestinian health disparities. When the Intifada broke up and the Fulbright organization stopped sending recipients to that part of the world, Fisher had a change of plans. For a while, she volunteered for the nonprofit Seeds of Peace, a conflict-transformation program that brings children from war-torn regions to a camp in Maine. Within a month or so, they made her grants officer and executive director. She went on to become executive director of Dos Pueblos, a sister-city program with Nicaragua. Fisher retired again in 2009. At 65, she entered the Peace Corps. In the refugee villages of Belize, she set up the first program for victims of domestic violence. El Taller is like coming home for Fisher. “I’ve always had an affinity for nonprofit organizations, especially those tied to Central America,” she says. “This is my passion.” Thanks to El Taller programs, thousands of adults and children in New York have learned conversational Spanish through Latino culture, art and music. “All this time I’ve been narrowing down what I wanted to do,” says Fisher. “Lots of people consider this retirement age. I don’t. I just can’t sit still.” One can only wonder what she’ll do after her next retirement.
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National Service Veterans Choose Heller Of the hundreds of national service volunteers who return to the United States each year to pursue graduate degrees, it is remarkable how many choose the Heller School. This year, Heller ranks fifth in the nation on the Peace Corps’ list of top Coverdell Fellows programs, even though its participation in the fellowship began only two years ago. During the 2012-13 academic year, 27 returning Peace Corps volunteers studied at
MA/SID candidate Jessica Friedman (second from right), a returned Peace Corp volunteer (Philippines).
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Heller as Coverdell Fellows. Heller is also a popular choice for those who have completed national service with AmeriCorps, City Year and the U.S. military. “The Heller School is the school of choice for those who choose service,” says Dean Lisa Lynch. “So it is no surprise that so many returning service volunteers choose to come to Heller to advance their understanding of policies that promote peace and human well-being.”
“I was attracted to the Heller School’s Sustainable International Development program because of its hugely diverse international student body — a component that is surprisingly rare among international development programs. The intercultural relationships I built at Heller are invaluable. Heller students have so many experiences to offer and so much to teach. This experience has confirmed my passion for participatory and sustainable international development.” JESSICA FRIEDMAN Candidate for MA/SID’14 Peace Corps, Philippines (2009-2012)
“After looking at a wide variety of schools, there were none that could match Heller in terms of academic excellence, diversity and course offerings (including an experiential learning requirement in TCP). And the cohort can’t be beat. I love my fellow students, and a big part of my learning at Heller I attribute to their insights, both in the classroom and out. My time in the Peace Corps, combined with my experiences at Heller, inspired my dream to start my own business, promoting sustainability initiatives in the private sector.” GABRIEL ELLIS-FERRARA Candidate for MBA in Nonprofit Management ’14 Peace Corps, China (2010-2012)
“I have been exposed to many people and organizations working to reform America’s education system. With a Heller degree, I feel I will be better prepared to continue educating and mentoring America’s youth.”
“Heller stood out as a school that really backed up its social justice branding with meaningful coursework. The school also clearly demonstrated a financial commitment to AmeriCorps members….If AmeriCorps showed me time and time again that people can make positive change, then the skills I’m learning in the Heller MBA are going to allow me to amplify that positive change and make it as big and bold as possible.” LAURA ROONEY Candidate for MBA’14 AmeriCorps, Cape Cod, Mass. (2008–2009)
“I chose Heller because the SID program incorporates a second year of field experience in the practicum. Coming from the Navy and beginning school has been a major career shift. The practical experience built in to the coursework was the selling point for me.” JULIA LAFLEUR Candidate for MA/SID’14 U.S. Navy — San Diego, Calif.; Charleston, S.C.; Norfolk, Va.; Notre Dame, Ind.; Japan; Bahrain (2004–2011)
“When it was time to return, I chose Heller because of its support, financially and socially, to former Peace Corps volunteers. There is a huge network of us here. Using my Peace Corps experience and the skills I’ve acquired at Heller, I hope to pursue a career in international public health.” PARISA KHARAZI MS, International Health Policy and Management ’13 Peace Corps, Botswana (2010-2012)
JASMINE PETTUS Candidate for MA Public Policy ’14 City Year, Providence, R.I. (2010-2011)
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“As a result of attending the Heller School, I gained the skills, mentorship and connections necessary to advocate and promote national service on a state and federal level. As a Segal Fellow, I’m excited about supporting the program’s efforts to grow from 75 to 100 Fellows in the years ahead.” TONI SCHWARZENBACH BURKE, MPP’09 Former Director of the Eli J. Segal Citizen Leadership Program
“I chose Heller because of its commitment to social justice as a way to examine and develop public policy. I knew I would learn an approach to policy that shares my progressive values. I was honored to be selected in 2010 as a Segal Fellow because the program is committed to building a network of young leaders committed to progressive social change — and was founded by an inspiring group of individuals who shared Eli’s vision for a better world.” PEM BROWN, MPP’11
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“When I was selected as a Segal Fellow in 2011, I was immediately welcomed into a network of accomplished professionals whose commitment to mentorship was as profoundly moving as it was infectious. The staff and founders helped me obtain an internship at the National Women’s Law Center in Washington, D.C., paired me with a professional coach and offered me countless leadership development opportunities. Their generosity, offered in the spirit of Eli Segal, has challenged me to rethink traditional notions of leadership and to value kindness as a key component of social and political change.” JESSIE ZIMMERER, MPP’12
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Segal Citizen Leadership Program Last year marked the fifth anniversary of the Eli J. Segal Citizen Leadership Program. Friends and family of Eli Segal (Brandeis Class of 1964) created the program in 2007 to commemorate Segal’s legacy and advance his passion for citizen engagement. A skilled political strategist, Segal was the founding CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. President Clinton once called him “the Father of AmeriCorps.” Segal also created the Welfare to Work Partnership and for both of these initiatives he received the Presidential Citizens Medal. In his honor, the Segal Program seeks to carry on his legacy for inspiring leadership and community
Toni Schwarzenbach Burke, MPP’09 Vice President and Executive Director, City Year, San Jose, Calif.
Pem Brown, MPP’11 Consultant, M+R Strategic Services, Massachusetts
networking. Segal’s widow, Phyllis, is chair of the program’s Advisory Board and serves on the Heller School Board of Overseers. The Segal Program is housed within Heller’s Center for Youth and Communities. The Eli J. Segal Citizen Service Fellowship supports summer internships for Brandeis undergraduate students and Heller School Master’s in Public Policy students. These students intern at private, nonprofit and public organizations committed to purpose-driven missions. Fellows remain part of the Segal Network throughout their careers, sharing information and supporting each other. (segal.brandeis.edu.)
Jessie Zimmerer, MPP’12 Scheduler/neighborhood liaison, Office of Ayanna Pressley, Boston City Councilor At-Large
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MILESTONES NEW JOBS DEGREES/DIRECTIONS Laura Alpert, BA’96, MM’98, is vice president for development and marketing at Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood. She previously served as vice president for development. Each year, Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood provides exceptional services, honest education and fearless advocacy to nearly 15,000 residents of New York’s Capital Region. (lbalpert@yahoo.com) Oluwaseun Ayanniyi, MS’12, is a quantification adviser at JSI Research and Training Institute and is working on the Supply Chain Management System (SCMS) project. SCMS provides a reliable, cost-effective and secure supply of products for HIV/AIDS programs in countries that support the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. (seunayanniyi@yahoo.co.uk) Brenda J. Bond, PhD’06, was recently promoted to associate professor of public service and was granted tenure by the Suffolk University Board of Trustees. (bbond@suffolk.edu) J. Kent Boynton, PhD’80, directed child psychiatry for Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport, Mass., for the past six years, and in November 2012 he leaped to the other end of the age spectrum, joining Commonwealth Care Alliance/Senior Care Options to develop the organization’s behavioral health resources. Boynton also has a small private psychotherapy practice in Newton, Mass. He still lives in Harvard, Mass., with his wife, Mary Jo, who is a geriatric care manager. With their son Matt, 26, working in Manhattan and their son Adam, 23, pursuing a PhD in chemistry at CalTech in Pasadena, the Boyntons are now officially empty nesters. (jkentboynton@charter.net) Ruth Brandwein, PhD’78, has been appointed to the Sarasota County Human Services
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Advisory Council. That body recommends which local human service agencies should receive county grants and contracts. In her “retirement” she continues to serve as legislative chair for the Florida chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. Brandwein just concluded her final term on the editorial board of Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work, which she helped to found over 25 years ago. She is also co-chairing the newly formed Advocacy Committee of Jewish Family and Children’s Services in Sarasota. (rbrand24@aol.com)
Elizabeth Buckley, MBA/MA’09, co-founder of Lallitara, realizes that social responsibility has never been so important, especially in the apparel and retail industries. Lallitara reclaims discarded Indian saris and transforms the fabrics into high-value fashion for ecoconscious customers. Over 100 million saris — five yards of unstitched fabric each — are discarded in India each year. As India’s gross domestic product per capita has increased, demand for old saris has significantly declined. The thousands of saripickers that make a living (less than $1 a day) by reselling saris in informal secondhand markets are now facing uncertain futures with their livelihoods at risk. By reviving the potential of saris, Lallitara is creating social impact through economic empowerment, promoting environmental sustainability and keeping the earth stylish one shirt at a time. www.lallitara.com (Elizabeth@ lallitara.com or eabuckley@gmail.com) Ariella Camera, MA/SID’13, was recently selected as a finalist for the Presidential Management Fellowship class of 2013 out of about 12,000 applicants. Camera has also been working full-time at the National Institute for Children’s Healthcare Quality as a project manager since August 2012. There she has been working on the Improving Hearing Screening and Intervention
Systems funded by the Health Resources and Service Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau. (Ariella.Camera@gmail.com)
Muhammad Taufik Hidayat, MA/SID’11, and Krista Clement, MA/SID’11, have taken their Heller knowledge to the natural resource management and conservation sector in Indonesia on behalf of private consulting firm Mazars Starling Resources. The dynamic MA/SID duo are leading an innovative institutional capacity development program for local government in Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia, as a part of the Bird’s Head Seascape initiative, the world’s largest marine conservation program. Raja Ampat, the most biologically diverse marine habitat on record, faces significant hurdles in protecting its vast natural resources as mining companies, unsustainable fishing practices and oil palm plantation expansion continue to descend on resource-rich West Papua. The capacity development program uses a two-pronged training and mentoring approach working one-on-one with local government officials to develop clear operational protocol, transparent financial systems, and strong legal frameworks that aim to conserve one of the last natural wonders of the world. (taufik.hidayat@mazarsstarlingresources.com and krista.clement@mazarsstarlingresources.com) Shirley Ann Girouard, PhD’88, became dean of the School of Nursing at Long Island University, Brooklyn, N.Y., in June 2012. (shirley.girouard @liu.edu) New Hampshire Governor John Lynch named Stephen H. Gorin, PhD’83, chair of the State Commission on Aging to identify concerns of
seniors and to make recommendations to the Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services regarding policy and procedures to protect the well being, rights and quality of life of older citizens. (s.gorin@comcast.net)
book, “School-Based Health Care: Advancing Educational Success and Public Health” (Jeanita Richardson and Terry Wright, eds., 2011, American Public Health Association). (lednam39@aol.com)
Ruth Kelley, MM’04, has worked for over 22 years at the Dimock Community Health Center in Roxbury, Mass. It is the largest provider of substance abuse and mental health programs connected to a health center in the state. Upon graduation she was promoted to chief behavioral health officer at Dimock, overseeing the substance abuse and mental health services programs. The past nine years have been filled with tremendous satisfaction and joy for Kelley working with colleagues to develop a full continuum of creative programs utilizing “best practices” for our most vulnerable residents and their families facing addiction and ongoing recovery. (rkelley@dimock.org)
Danna Mauch, PhD’90, was recently named senior fellow at Abt Associates. (dannamauch@comcast.net)
Parisa Kharazi, MS’13, was selected as a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Global Health Fellow as an HIV/ AIDS care and support intern in Washington, D.C., this summer for three months. Her work focuses on analyzing technical materials on HIV/AIDS program and policy development. In addition, she provides support to global public health projects that are supported by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and USAID. (parisakharazi@gmail.com) M. Barton Laws Jr., PhD’97, left his position at Tufts University to join the faculty of the new Department of Health Services, Policy and Practice at Brown University. Laws sold his home in Boston and moved to rural Connecticut, from which he now commutes to Providence, R.I. His research focuses on patient experience of health and illness and on clinical communication. He is working on transforming Brown into a brand new school of public health. (michael_barton_laws@brown.edu) Leslie Mandel, PhD’07, has recently accepted an associate professor faculty position at Regis College in Weston, Mass., with a dual appointment in public health and health administration. Mandel also published two articles in a new
R.L. McNeely, PhD’75, is professor emeritus at the Bader School of Social Welfare, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He continues as a practicing attorney at Midwest Legal Center LLC, in Germantown, Wis. He also serves as chair of the Chaney Correctional Center Advisory Board in Milwaukee and as an executive committee member of the Milwaukee Branch of the NAACP. (rl@midwestlegalcenter.com) Dr. Abiodun Oyeneyin, MS’09, is the managing director/chief executive officer for Lifecare Partners Limited, an accredited national health maintenance organization in Nigeria. (a.oyeneyin@lifecarepartnershmo.com) Ruth Palombo, PhD’03, recently joined the Tufts Health Plan Foundation as a senior health policy officer. Palombo will lead educational, network-building and policy-related activities for the foundation in the area of healthy aging. A 30-year health and human services industry veteran, Palombo was previously assistant secretary for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs. She also directed programs in nutrition, aging, health promotion and chronic disease prevention for more than 20 years at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Kristen Pancio, MA/SID’13, recently joined the Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking (part of the Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs) as a monitoring and evaluation specialist. Debbie Potter, PhD’07, is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Louisville. She was elected last fall to a twoyear term as the chair for the Health, Health Policy and Health Services Division of the Society for the Study of Social Problems.
In addition, she recently received a small intramural research grant from the university’s College of Arts and Sciences to conduct a nine-month pilot study on health care seeking patterns among women dually diagnosed with a chronic somatic illness (Type 2 diabetes) and a mental health disorder (clinical depression). Results will inform a subsequent grant application to the National Institutes of Health for a more extensive study. (dpotter222@aol.com) Roba Duba Sharamo, MA/SID’02, defended his PhD in conflict analysis and resolution dissertation, “Predatory Politics and Struggles of Peacemaking in Somalia” at George Mason University. He is also a new father of a 6-monthold baby girl, Sabdio. Sharamo works for the United Nations Development Program in Kenya. (robadsharamo@yahoo.com) Sadie Silcott, MBA’09, was previously working in the Bureau of Health Professions and is now working as a public health analyst in the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) in the Division of Services for Children with Special Health Needs at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Her responsibilities include management of the Epilepsy Program as well as providing assistance in managing the Newborn Hearing Screening Program. (ssilcott@brandeis.edu) Dr. Sreeraj Sasi, MS’10, joined as program manager of the process improvement team in January 2013 at ACCESS Health International in Bangalore, India. ACCESS Health is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving access to high-quality and affordable health care worldwide. (dr.sreeraj.sasi@gmail.com or sreeraj.sasi@accessh.org) Laura Stahl, MBA’08, continues to work for Teach For America as the director of operations, New York City Institute. She splits her time between San Francisco and New York. She has an additional job working for the San Francisco 49ers and serves on two nonprofit boards, School to School International and the Mary Elizabeth Inn. (stahl_l@hotmail.com)
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MILESTONES
Roberta Ward Walsh, PhD’89, has retired from Florida Gulf Coast University and is now consulting and teaching part-time in graduate online public administration programs for Norwich University and the University of Virginia. (rwwalsh06@comcast.net) Amandine L. Weinrob, MA/SID’12, started working at AECOM International Development, a contractor to USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI), in December 2012. As a program coordinator working on the crisis response and stabilization team, she is currently backstopping a project in Cote d’Ivoire. Weinrob had the opportunity to travel to Abidjan and around the northern parts of the country, where there were (and still are) tensions between the Ouattara and Gbagbo political camps that have been destabilizing the social cohesion of the Ivorian society. (amandineweinrob@gmail.com) Dinah Zeltser Winant, MM’00, is a democracy and governance officer with USAID, completing an assignment in Central Asia. In the fall she will move to Pakistan to take up a position as humanitarian affairs officer with USAID. She is married to a fellow foreign service officer. (dinah_z@yahoo.com) Joseph Wronka, PhD’92, professor of social work at Springfield College in Springfield, Mass., was recently interviewed by Austrian Public Radio on the importance of creating a human rights culture, which he has written about as a “‘lived awareness’ of human rights in one’s mind
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and heart and dragged into one’s everyday life.” He was also interviewed on World Citizen Radio using human rights as a nonviolent strategy to enter into a creative dialogue concerning how to foster allegiance to humanity rather than the nation-state, which continues to spend roughly $2 trillion dollars a year to keep the boundaries of their countries intact. He also developed a series of public service announcements for Amherst Cable Television to commemorate such international days that pertain to: mental health, the eradication of the death penalty, the eradication of extreme poverty, the promotion of tolerance, the right to peace, the rights of children, the rights of women and the rights of people with disabilities. (rightsdefender1@verizon.net) Aaron Gregory Young, MA/SID’12, received a substantial fellowship to the University of California, Berkeley, and plans on matriculating this fall. In addition, he will be traveling to Lagos, Nigeria, to work on a project in upgrading impoverished areas. (xaaronyoungx@gmail.com)
PUBLICATIONS Allan Borowski, PhD’80, has recently published “Australia’s Children’s Courts Today and Tomorrow” (Springer, Amsterdam and New York). Co-edited with Rosemary Sheehan, it is based on the first national study of juvenile courts conducted anywhere in the world. The two-year study was completed in 2012. (a.borowski@latrobe.edu.au) Michael Galhouse, MA/SID’13, has been working full-time as a family economic opportunity manager at CASA of Oregon since August 2012. He also published an article in which he discusses the performance and cost savings of electric vehicles and the possible implications they will have on the environment. Summer Jackson, MA/SID’13, co-authored a book titled “Powering Africa Through Feed-In Tariffs: Advancing Renewable Energy to Meet the Continent’s Electricity Needs.” Through her practicum at Meister Consultants Group she was selected as a Truman National Security Project Fellow. She will be starting as a program analyst at the Department of State, Middle East Partnership Initiative. (summerj@brandeis.edu)
Deborah Kaplan Polivy, MSW’72, PhD’78, finished her new book called “Donor Cultivation and the Donor Lifecycle Map: A New Framework for Fundraising,” which will be published by John Wiley & Co. in the fall. (debpol@aol.com) Michael Levine, PhD’85, recently coauthored a news report for the national Campaign for Grade Level Reading titled “Pioneering Literacy in the Digital Wild West.” The campaign is supported by more than a dozen foundations and operates in over 140 cities across the United States. (Michael.Levine@sesame.org) Angela Nicoara, MA/SID’07, is chief of party for the IREX New Media Project in Azerbaijan. Since leaving Brandeis in 2007, Nicoara and her writer husband, Mike, have lived in Romania, Serbia and Sudan, and they are now based in Baku. In addition to holding down a full-time job in a developing region, Nicoara has recently published “Spinner the Winner,” a children’s book about a wind turbine that saves the day. This charming tale of triumph over adversity has superb images, an ecofriendly theme and memorable characters. “Spinner” has sold more than 3,000 copies in three languages since October 2012. Nicoara plans to translate the book further and help to educate kids about renewables in many windy countries around the world. (angela.nicoara@gmail.com)
AWARDS/HONORS/BOARDS/GRANTS Akdeniz University in Antalya, Turkey, recently named the library of its new gerontology building in honor of Professor Nina Silverstein, PhD’80. (Nina.Silverstein@umb.edu)
BIRTHS/MARRIAGES Sue Doucet ’96, MBA’12, was engaged on Nov. 22, 2012, and married John Mynttinen on July 20, 2013, in Maynard, Mass. (sdoucet@brandeis.edu)
Gregory Harrison, MA/SID’10, and Lauren Harrison welcomed their second son, Ezra Leo, on April 13, 2013. Harrison works for Oxfam America in Boston. (gharrison@oxfamamerica.org)
Sarah Winawer-Wetzel, MBA’09, is delighted to announce her marriage to Catherine Deneke, a lawyer and fellow social justice advocate. The couple was married on Sept. 8, 2012, on the beach in Provincetown, Mass. (winwetz@gmail.com) On Dec. 29, 2012, Vina Titaley, MA/SID’11, and Curt Davis, MA/ SID’11, were married in Lebanon, N.H. The pair met at Heller during orientation in 2009 and immediately began a relationship with Heller and each other that would change their lives forever. Following their first year in residence, during which they attended 10 classes together, they moved to India, where they completed their professional practicums working with the same NGO. Upon graduation, Titaley returned to her native Indonesia and found work with the U.N., Oxfam and AusAID, while Davis remained in the Greater Washington, D.C., area and applied to doctoral programs. After nearly one and a half years apart, the couple now lives in Delaware, where Davis is completing a PhD in energy and environmental policy and Titaley continues work in disaster risk reduction. The couple
would like to sincerely thank the SID program and extended Heller community for bringing them together. (vtitaley@gmail.com and curtjdavis@gmail.com)
FACULTY/STAFF NOTES On March 8, 2013, Professor Emerita Janet Giele was honored by Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Education and Psychology. She received the inaugural Distinguished Life Course award in recognition of her “remarkable achievements in the fields of women’s studies and family policy.” Giele was the closing plenary speaker at the first annual conference of Pepperdine’s Digital Women’s Project. The project records key events in the lives of women who have attained various leadership positions in the United States and abroad. Giele’s work, published in “The Craft of Life Course Research” (Elder and Giele, 2012), is being used by Pepperdine doctoral students as the principal conceptual framework for analysis and interpretation of the Digital Women’s Project research findings. (giele1@brandeis.edu) This spring, students, faculty and staff of the Institute for Child, Youth and Family Policy were pleased to announce the following activities:
Presentations Morgan Crossman, doctoral student (March 2013). “Perspectives of Adult Physicians on Providing Care for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders.” Gatlinburg Conference on Research and Theory in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. San Antonio, Texas.
Funding Rosenfeld, L. “NOURISH (Nutrition Opportunities to Understand Reforms Involving Student Health) Study.” Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Publications Acevedo-García D., Rosenfeld L., McArdle N., Hardy E.F., Osypuk T.L. (February 2013). “Future Directions on Research on Institutional and Interpersonal Discrimination and Child Health.” American Journal of Public Health. Rosenfeld L., Shepherd A., Agunwamba A., McCray A. (April 2013). “Iterative Development and Evaluation of a Web-Based Health Information Resource.” Journal of Health Communication.
IN MEMORIAM Kathleen Bradley Kapsalis, MMHS’97, died peacefully on Dec. 15, 2012, at Hospice House. She was formerly the quality assurance director for New Medico Corp., had been an executive with the Greenery Corp. and had previously served as the chief operating officer for the May Institute. She had most recently served as adjunct faculty in the business department of Presbyterian College. She was an eloquent public speaker and was highly sought for her knowledge of the field of brain injury treatment. Kapsalis had helped to found the National Head Injury Foundation.
Pamela Joshi, PhD’01 (April 2013). “Building Community Resilience Through Effective Partnerships Between Faith-Based and Community Organizations and Emergency Management Agencies.” Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Washington, D.C. Lindsay Rosenfeld (February 2013). “Health Impact Assessment: An Introduction to the Practice, with Applications to a Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax.” University of New England. Freeport, Maine.
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SAVE THE DATE ACHIEVING EQUITY OF ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY HELLER’S 55TH ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE AND REUNION
SEPT. 12-14, 2014
Watch for further details on the Web (heller.brandeis.edu/55), via email and in the mail.
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To the growing community of Heller alumni and friends, thank you for generously supporting today’s students and tomorrow’s citizen leaders!
ANYTIME IS THE RIGHT TIME TO MAKE A GIFT TO HELLER. www.heller.brandeis.edu
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Brandeis University MS 035 P.O. Box 549110 Waltham, MA 02454- 9110 Lisa M. Lynch Dean and Maurice B. Hexter Professor of Social and Economic Policy Samuel O. Thier, MD Chair, Heller Board of Overseers Chrisann Newransky, MA’05 President, Heller Alumni Association Board Leslie C. Godoff ’71 Director, Development and Alumni Relations Sharra Owens-Schwartz, MBA’10 Assistant Director, Alumni Relations and Annual Giving Tracey Palmer Feature Writer Claudia J. Jacobs ’70 Director of Communications Initiatives Courtney Lombardo Senior Program Administrator, Development and Alumni Relations
Office of Communications ©2013 Brandeis University D199