DEPLOYING DATA TO SUPPORT FELLOW VETERANS

Data is everywhere. From how many steps you take in a day to the quality of your sleep, it seems that every aspect of our daily lives can be assessed by crunching the numbers.

In Nick Armstrong’s role as the managing director of research and data at the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), data takes on a more significant role: He directs a multi-disciplinary team of applied social scientists, evaluators and data engineers that analyze the numbers and conduct applied research on the delivery of educational and training programs that advance our nation’s veterans and the military-connected community.

Those issues include addressing how veterans transition from active duty to civilian life, and their pursuit of not just a job that pays the bills, but a satisfying and meaningful career that suits their skills.

This model of translating research and data into practice, programs and policy would be a differentiator for IVMF, and is what drew Armstrong to the role early on in working with J. Michael Haynie, IVMF’s founder and executive director and the Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation.

“It was a great fit for my career and my passions. We combine research with the data to offer programs that help us stay on the cutting edge,” said Armstrong, who earned M.P.A. and Ph.D. (SSc) degrees with concentrations in public administration and national security policy from the Maxwell School.

For seven years, Armstrong was an active-duty officer in the United States Army. Stationed with the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, he was deployed to Bosnia a week prior to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, then on to Afghanistan and Iraq. Among other leadership roles, Armstrong served as a general’s aide, and later a speechwriter to the commanding general, then Major Gen. Lloyd Austin, who is now serving as the secretary of defense.

When Armstrong first joined IVMF in 2014, veteran unemployment was a persistent concern. But as the economy recovered, less data was being collected on how satisfied veterans were with their jobs or their career paths.

After surveying veterans on their career goals and aspirations, Armstrong and his team realized a shift in philosophy was required. The result: more education, training and credentialing opportunities in long-term growth careers, particularly in fields like STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

“With our military, they are the largest workforce across America, and they consist of a ready-made pool of workers. We needed to design programs where we knew there was a market, a need, and a demand for specific careers and jobs,” said Armstrong. “We focused on the barriers they would face, and how we can influence or design policies to reduce those barriers and create opportunities. We’re focused on helping them gain employment, not just post-military but for life.”

In 2019, in partnership with Maxwell, Syracuse University launched the Veterans Program for Politics and Civic Engagement (VPPCE), with the goal of helping veterans seek elected office, political appointments and related civic engagement roles.

Armstrong said it was only natural for veterans, who volunteer to serve their country, to turn their attentions to a public service career as an elected official.

In just this last election cycle, four alumni from the VPPCE won their local elections.

Armstrong is proud of how Syracuse University and the IVMF provide resources to our country’s service men and women.

“It all starts at the top. Can you think of another University that, in its strategic plan, focuses on helping veterans and their families achieve their goals? I’m proud to be Orange and proud to have the opportunity to further that mission and that commitment we’ve made to serve our veterans and their families,” Armstrong said.

—John Boccacino ’20 E.M.P.A.

Rob Magliaro ’08 B.A. (Econ/IR/ PSt) is education lead at Grow with Google, a national company working with higher education institutions to co-create programs to support job readiness across disciplines.

Curtis Eatman ’09 B.A. (PSc)/’11 M.P.A. was appointed acting finance director of Hamden, Conn., by Mayor Lauren Garrett.

Pinar Guler ’09 B.A. (Econ/IR) has been promoted to senior program manager for social responsibility at Amazon.

Kevin Sutherland ’09 M.P.A. is the new town manager of Bar Harbor, Maine.

2010s

Julia Kay Dunlea ’10 B.A. (IR) has begun a new position in product marketing for Amazon Web Services.

Alicia Madden ’10 M.P.A. returned to Syracuse University as director of finance and administration for the iSchool after serving 10 years in government.

Nancy Simoe Andrade ’11 M.P.A. is studying for a Ph.D. in public health at Georgia State University while continuing her work as a health scientist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Joseph Ralbovsky ’11 B.A. (PSt)/’14 M.P.A./M.A. (IR) became an energy technology program specialist for the U.S. Department of Energy in October 2021.

Bree Spencer ’11 M.P.A. was confimed to the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission. Spencer was previously the policing program manager for the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a national coalition of civil rights groups.

Faith Temiloluwa Abiodun ’12 M.P.A. was appointed as executive director of the United World Colleges (UWC) in December 2021. UWC is a global movement that makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.

Kyle Doran ’12 M.P.A. is a director of advisory services at Social Finance, a national impact finance and advisory nonprofit that works with the public, private and social sectors to build innovative partnerships and investments that measurably improve lives.

Alissa Italiano ’12 B.A. (PSt) was appointed to the Manlius Town Board in Manlius, N.Y. She previously worked as a risk manager and management analyst for the Syracuse Housing Authority.

Kathleen Walpole ’12 B.A. (Hist/ PSt/PSc) accepted the position of Central New York Humanities Corridor program manager in the Humanities Center in the College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University.

Julian Florez Isaza ’13 M.A. (IR) accepted a position as business development manager for the United Nations World Food Programme in Rome, Italy, at the beginning of 2022.

Ryan Suto ’13 J.D./M.A. (IR)/ M.S.P.R. was appointed senior policy advisor for FairVote, a nonpartisan organization that seeks better elections for all. It is based in Takoma Park, Md.

Eric Ennis ’14 M.P.A. was appointed deputy commissioner for business development for the City of Syracuse by fellow alumnus, Mayor Ben Walsh ’05 M.P.A. Ennis also serves as the executive director for the Syracuse Economic Development Corp.

Keely Hanson ’16 M.P.A. is executive specialist in the Office of the Director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development. Prior to that, she worked as a strategy and impact coach for Secoya Strategies, an organization that works to build strong performance through design and practice.

Ellen Johnson ’14 B.A. (IR/PSt) completed her master of science in learning and organizational change at Northwestern University in 2021 and is now a leadership coach for Evergreen Consulting, which is based in Chagrin, Ohio.

Lauren Hill Rose ’14 M.P.A. was promoted to assistant city manager for the city of Sachse, Texas.

Maryangel Rodriguez ’16 B.A. (IR) manages the Washington, D.C., office for the Obama Foundation and is in the liberal studies master’s degree program at Georgetown University.

Jace Beehler ’17 M.P.A. is celebrating the birth of a son, Finn Stephen Beehler, born July 24, 2021. Zachery Le Cuyer ’17 B.A. (IR/ PSc)/’19 M.A. (IR) joined the federal civil service as a NATO program manager for the Department of Defense, supporting the secretary of the Air Force’s Office of Information Dominance at the Pentagon.

Katsistohkwi:Io Louise Jacco ’17 B.A. (PSc) is the new coordinator of student success for the Otsenhákta Student Centre at Concordia University in Montreal. In this position she serves as an advisor to Indigenous students on academic and non-academic programs and services.

Layla Mahdieh Sharaf ’17 B.A. (IR) has begun a new position as director of the Civic Leadership Program at the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans, a Washington, D.C., organization which seeks to include Iranian Americans at all levels of the democratic process.

Tobi Dare ’18 B.A. (IR) began working with Chemonics International in September 2021 as a senior associate, project management and is working in the Global Health Division on a project which aims to achieve universal healthcare in Bangladesh by 2032.

Kevin Porter ’18 B.A. (PSc) was promoted to Congressman Kurt Schrader’s communications director in March 2022. Schrader represents Oregon’s 5th congressional district.

Satoshi Sugiyama ’18 B.A. (IR) started a new job as an automobile and mobility technology correspondent for Reuters in Tokyo in January 2022.

Dumisa Adams ’19 E.M.P.A. has joined the Mohawk Valley Health System Medical Group as medical director and OB/GYN.

Blake Neumann ’19 M.P.A. has joined the Adirondack Council’s conservation team in the newly created role of clean water advocate.

2020s

Dennis Vicchiarelli ’20 E.M.P.A. has been appointed managing director of research and strategy at JLL Jones Lang LaSalle in Chicago. In his new position, Vicchiarelli focuses on real estate activity in the Chicago region, serving as a market expert and partnering with the business community and public sector.

Brooke Schneider ’21 M.P.A. was appointed senior public information officer by Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh ’05 M.P.A. in November 2021. In this role she is responsible for planning, preparing and communicating critical information on government activities, services, programs and projects to Syracuse residents.