NAPA FELLOWS

Four Maxwell School alumni are among 39 public administration leaders who were named 2021 National Academy of Public Administration Fellows.

NAPA is an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan organization established in 1967 to assist government leaders in building more effective, efficient, accountable and transparent organizations. Induction into NAPA is considered one of the leading honors for scholars in the discipline. The new fellows join former cabinet officers, members of congress, governors, mayors and state legislators, prominent scholars, business executives, nonprofit leaders and public administrators.

The

ALUMNI INDUCTEES ARE:

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux ’03 Ph.D. (PA), who took office in January 2021, representing Georgia’s 7th district. Just a few months into her term, legislation she wrote passed both houses and was signed into law by the president. In addition to the successful Paycheck Protection Program Extension Act, she has introduced bills to support supply chain resiliency, infrastructure and state and local COVID-19 funding flexibility. Bourdeaux previously served as an associate professor at Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Public Policy.

Nuria Esparch ’00 E.M.P.A., who served as Minister of Defense of Peru. She was the first woman to hold the position. She was charged with oversight of national security and the ministries of War, Navy and Aeronautics. She previously served as vice minister for defense resources in the Ministry of Defense of Peru; chief executive of the National Civil Service Authority; chief of staff for the Office of the Vice Minister at the Ministry of the Interior; and as secretary general at the Ministry of Agriculture, Labor and Employment Promotion as well as at the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations.

Amma Felix ’01 M.P.A., president and chief executive officer of Collegiate Directions Inc., a nonprofit that helps low-income and first-generation students plan for and succeed in college. Felix is also a Maxwell Advisory Board member and a founding member of Chief, a network of professional women. She previously worked for the United Negro College Fund, rising from chief of staff to vice president, strategy and secretary of the corporation. She also served as vice president for strategy management for the Abyssinian Development Corp.

Shiro Gnanaselvam ’93 M.P.A., the chief executive officer of Social Impact, a consulting firm that aids global development organizations in improving health and education, reducing poverty and promoting peace and democratic governance. Among other roles, Gnanaselvam previously served as the chief operating officer of Africare, an organization that seeks to improve the quality of life in Africa by addressing food insecurity, HIV and AIDS, empowering women and expanding access to potable water.

Michael Nitzky ’98 B.A. (PSc) was appointed to Mercury as managing director of its New York office. Mercury is a global, bipartisan public strategy firm located in all 50 states.

Peter Simmons ’98 M.P.A. was named chief administrative officer of the town of Amherstburg in Ontario, Canada.

Scott Zuchorski ’98 M.P.A. is Fitch Ratings’ new global group head of infrastructure and project finance. Fitch Ratings is an international company that provides credit ratings and credit-related research.

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Clo Ewing ’00 B.A. (PSc) has written a children’s book, Stella Keeps the Sun Up (Simon & Schuster, 2022). The book follows a young girl named Stella who schemes to keep the sun up all day so that she does not have to go to bed. Ewing has worked as a television producer for The Oprah Winfrey Show and as a journalist for CBS News. She currently works as vice president of strategic communications for The Chicago Community Trust.

Kelly Marie Flannery ’00 B.A. (IR) was appointed finance director for Metro Nashville by Mayor John Cooper in October 2021. In this role Flannery is in charge of financial leadership including disbursements, operations budget, revenue, collections, treasury and purchasing for metro Nashville. Flannery serves on the Maxwell Advisory Board.

Reem Maysoon Ghandour ’01 M.P.A. has won a 2021 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal from the Partnership for Public Service, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. The award honors federal workers whose achievements have directly benefited the health, safety and prosperity of the United States.

Kevin Boryczki ’02 B.A. (Hist) was named general manager for Spectra’s new Tahoe South Events Center. Spectra is an international hospitality company that works in live events and entertainment.

Kate Powers ’02 J.D./M.P.A. was appointed assistant deputy superintendent of life insurance at the New York State Department of Financial Services.

Diana Rocco ’02 B.A. (PSc) is co-anchoring News 4 San Antonio Today, a broadcast based in San Antonio, Texas.

Stasha Fyfe Santifort ’02 B.A. (PSt)/’06 M.P.A. was selected as one of City and State New York magazine’s Responsible 100. The award highlights those who are dedicated to helping others and exemplify the optimism and idealism that make New York a national leader, especially as partisan gridlock hinders the nation’s ability to contend with an unending pandemic, heightened racial tensions and a rising climate crisis.

Brian Selmeski ’02 M.A. (Anth)/’07 Ph.D. (Anth) was named associate vice president for learner success for the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.

Elizabeth Hansen ’03 B.A. (PSc/ PSt) was hired as director of university records management at Syracuse University.

Desiree Coleman-Fry ’04 M.P.A. has joined the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Mo. as the vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Brandy Oakley ’05 B.A. (PSt) was elected as state representative for the 12th Suffolk district in Massachusetts and was sworn in on Jan. 6, 2021. Prior to her appointment, Oakley earned an M.A. in education at Johns Hopkins University and attended law school at Emory University. Oakley became a public defender with the Committee for Public Counsel Services in the Boston Municipal and Chelsea District courts.

Evan Theis ’06 B.A. (PSc) and business partner Alexis Grenell have started Pythia Public, an organization that shapes public agendas for public and private sector clients.

Marissa Lorenzetti ’08 B.A. (PSc/ PSt) has been named chief of staff at the Madison, Wisc.-based Madison Group, which provides consulting services, technical expertise and innovative technology to the plastics industry.