2024 SMPA Newsletter
Message from the Director
School Spotlights
Department Kudos
Alumni Class Notes
Message from the Director
Dear SMPA Alumni,
One of the best parts about becoming director of SMPA has been reconnecting with so many alumni, and meeting many more for the first time. Everyone I’ve talked to - regardless of when they graduated, what they do, or where they are in their career - has an interesting story to tell. And they all want to help our students and our community continue to grow and thrive.
This past year has been an exciting one in SMPA. We launched several new speaker and event series, we hosted talks with alumni and fellows, we tripled the number of student journalism groups, we started showing GW-TV in the building, and much more. This is a small space and I have a long list of cool stuff we’re doing - check out SMPA’s website and follow us on social media for more.
Unfortunately, not all of the news has been good. Last summer we lost two SMPA and GW legends, professors Chris Sterling and Mike Freedman. Both had a huge impact on our community and on many of you and your colleagues personally. The unsolicited outpouring of support when they passed away was a testament to who they were, and a reminder to the rest of us how much of a difference one person can make.
These are challenging times in domestic and global politics. The stakes are high, and the best way forward is uncertain-which is exactly why we’re here. Your footsteps echo in our halls. Professors Sterling’s and Freedman’s lessons are still heard in our classrooms. Your work you did here, and that you carry with you, continues in all that we do today. We ask hard questions, demand good answers, and train the next generation of people who will shape - and tell - the stories that matter.
Shoot me a note or drop by next time you’re in Foggy Bottom. I’d love to hear what you’re up to, find ways to get you involved, and brag a bit more about what we’re doing.
Best,
Peter Loge
Director, School of Media and Public Affairs
School Spotlights
Cory Booker Spoke at GW about Healing Political Divide in America
The first ever Sesno Series event, A House Divided: How to Survive our Polarized Times, A Conversation with Cory Booker, was held in September 2023. Frank and Senator Booker had an inspirational discussion on the state of our democracy, and the night also featured clips from an enlightening GW student focus group led by renowned pollster Frank Luntz.
Reviving the Heart of Her Hometown: Cate Burgan Works to Keep Her Community Informed through the 'Kingston Springs Gazette'
Cate Burgan, a journalism and strategic communications graduate student at George Washington University, saw it happen in her hometown. So, she decided to start an online newspaper by herself to ensure her community could still receive reliable news.
Department Kudos
- Thom Shanker co-authored the book on national security policy, Age of Danger.
- John Sutter won the Sharon Begley Award for Science Reporting.
- Marc Lajoie joined SMPA as our new Assistant Professor of Media & Public Affairs.
- Silvio Waisbord was selected as the next president of the International Communication Association.
- Janet Steele is the new interim director of GW's Sigur Center for Asian Studies. She also authored a new book titled Malaysiakini and the Power of Independent Media in Malaysia.
- SMPA welcomed our 2023-2024 Terker Fellows, Mindy Finn and Jonathan Karl.
- Jason Osder and Will Youmans received the 2023 Alex Odeh Award for their filmmaking and advocacy.
- Peter Loge authored the article "Trust is Collateral Damage of Contemporary Politics."
- Pat Phalen was quoted in the Barron's article, "AI Took Center Stage In the Writers Strike. It’s ‘Just the Tip of the Iceberg."
- Steven Roberts received the Spirit of GW award.
- Cheryl W. Thompson moderated an event with former Attorney General Eric Holder in October.
- Shanto Iyengar, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science at Stanford University was the winner of the 2023 Robert M. Entman Award in Democracy and Political Communication.
- Steven Livingston gave the keynote address at a conference at the University of Bern in Switzerland and was featured on the front page of the national newspaper.
- Sean Aday and Thom Shanker were both featured in the Messenger article, "In the Fog of War Truth Is Hard to Discern — and Social Media Is Making It Worse."
- David Karpf's work was cited in the Axios article, "Exclusive: Wired to launch politics vertical ahead of 2024 election."
- Frank Sesno is the new executive director of the Alliance for a Sustainable Future.
- Jesse J. Holland was named the new associate director of the School of Media and Public Affairs.
- Nina Seavey won a Silver Signal award for her podcast, "My Fugitive."
Alumni Class Notes
Dzhulyetta A. Avanesyan, BA ’14, is currently working as an international producer in the world of dubbing because of her devoted love for filmmaking.
Brendan Barrack, BA ’11, welcomed his first child, Oscar, to the world on August 26th and is living in Toronto and working as an agent to some of the best golfers in the world.
Andrew Brill, BA ’97, a two-time Emmy award winning editor, has worked for Warner Bros Discovery since 2004 and is married with two teenage boys.
Zeb Eckert, BA ’03, recently joined Omni Air International Flight Attendant, serving special characters for the Department of Defense and other United States agencies.
Jennifer Elzea, BA ’05, in her 17th year of federal government service, is currently the Chief of Strategic Management at the Space Development Agency and lives in Alexandria with her husband.
Darren Goldberg, BA ’97, founder of Atlantic Pictures and GW graduate, launched a new endeavor called Backlot which is a location management agency that represents commercial portfolio for film and tv production.
Roxanne Goldberg, BA ’15, is working as an academic editor as she completes her PhD in History, Theory and Criticism of Art at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Shilo Groover, BA ’03, launched a new top rated newscast at her hometown station WBRC last year and moved back to Alabama after her daughter was born.
Emily Harrison, BA ’18, recently started as the Digital Media and Marketing Manager for Catholics for Choice, the world’s largest Catholic pro-choice organization.
Hunter Ihrman, BA ’21, is director of policy communications for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and is engaged to GW alum Natalie Morgan.
Jennifer Kozel, MA ’08, is now the Vice President of Marketing at Databricks, a leading AI company.
Dillon Lewis, BA ’16, is the director of advancement communications at Chautauqua Institution which recently launched Boundless, a $150 million capital campaign to honor the institution’s 150th anniversary.
Rachel Linn, MA ’14, has proudly served as director of communications for Health Access California, the statewide health care consumer advocacy coalition, for 8 years.
Racheline Maltese, BA ’94, novel, That Special Something, was released in July 2023. They are also active as a cultural competency consultant on queer and trans issues, and served as a strike captain for SAG-AFTRA during the 2023 entertainment industry strikes.
Sarah Mann, MA ’17, joined The Levinson Group as a managing director in October 2023, supporting clients through issues management, crisis, and litigation matters.
Laura Marsh, BA ’02, is a lobbyist for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in Washington D.C. She is also married with two kids and lives in Alexandria, VA.
Hera McLeod, BA ’03, published her memoir titled, “Defying Silence: A Memoir of a Mother’s Loss and Courage in the Face of Injustice.” You can get a copy of the book in ebook or print on Amazon.
Henry Morillo, BA ’14, is an unscripted television producer. He served as supervising producer for the 25th season of “Big Brother” on CBS and helped launch a new holiday competition formation, “Big Brother: Reindeer Games.”
Alison Mortell, BA ’14, is the director of research at Blue Rose Research- a democratic data and analytics shop specializing in message testing and persuasion for progressive institutions and democratic campaigns up and down the ballot.
Marcus Mrowka, BA ’05, serves as the communications director for the Maine Department of Education and Chairs the School Board in a coastal community in Maine.
Mireya Navarro, BA ’79, is editor in chief, Brennan español, the Spanish website of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law in NYC.
Cat Oriel, BA ’22, is a lead producer for the Forbes Breaking News Youtube channel.
Anthony Palermo, MPA ’93, is assistant community development director in the City of Fort Myers.