Alumni

This alum found his calling in Alaska’s community recreation

Katarina Benson — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 18:50:22 +0000

This alum found his calling in Alaska’s community recreation Katarina Benson Tue, 07/29/2025 - 14:50

Brenden Powers, BS Recreation Management ’23, isn’t one to shy away from an adventure. As the indoor recreation supervisor for Anchorage Parks and Recreation in Alaska, he’s found himself thousands of miles from Northern Virginia—but right where he belongs.

A proud alumnus of �鶹��Ƶ’s College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) School of Sport, Recreation, and Tourism Management (SRTM), Powers oversees the Spenard Community Recreation Center in Anchorage, where no two days are the same.

From managing daily operations and summer camps to launching city-wide youth initiatives, Powers leads with purpose, empathy, and an unshakeable belief in the power of public service. “Typical days are far and few when it comes to working within parks and recreation. But every day, I know we’re making a difference,” he said.

Powers next to a snowman.

Powers’s journey into recreation management wasn’t always obvious; after enrolling at Northern Virginia Community College in 2018 and working part-time for NOVA Parks at Fountainhead Regional Park, he found his spark and his mentor. “I absolutely fell in love with the work I was doing—being outside, interacting with my community, and brightening someone’s day,” he says.

It was Nancy Chamberlain, his supervisor at the time and now an adjunct professor in the Recreation Management Program of SRTM, who offered him the words that would change everything: “Let’s turn your passion into a profession.” That encouragement was all he needed to transfer to George �鶹��Ƶ and dive headfirst into the field of parks and recreation.

At George �鶹��Ƶ, Powers found more than an academic home—he found a community that believed in him. “Every professor pushed me further than I imagined. They didn’t just want me to succeed; they believed in me even before I believed in myself.”

He credits the coursework and faculty support for building a professional foundation he still draws from today. The Recreation Management Program’s focus on accessibility, administrative practices, and the psychology of recreation helped him understand the deeper impact of his work beyond daily operations. His internships, first with the Bureau of Land Management and Chesapeake Conservancy and later with the American Conservation Experience, would eventually lead him to Alaska.

Now in Anchorage, Powers is putting all of it into action. In just six months in his current role, he’s helped shape programs that provide critical support to youth and families in the city. With Anchorage facing a growing homelessness crisis, he and his team partnered with local nonprofits Juanita Strong Forever Project and Hennings Inc. to provide free meals to anyone under age 18, five days a week. The Spenard Community Recreation Center also opens its doors daily to youth at no cost, giving them a safe space to play and belong. Adults can participate in additional programming for as little as $3.

“We’re also offering one of the most affordable summer camps in the state,” he said. At just $190 a week, the camp is American Camp Association-accredited and packed with STEM, arts, outdoor adventure, and field trips across Alaska. “What we’ve accomplished so far is only the beginning. I couldn’t be more proud of my team.”

Powers’ decision to move to Alaska was part childhood dream, part personal challenge. He grew up captivated by the Disney classic movie Brother Bear and later found himself inspired by Outdoor Boys, the popular YouTube channel created by fellow George �鶹��Ƶ alumnus Luke Nichols, JD ’09.

“Watching Luke’s adventures in the Alaskan wilderness really lit a fire in me,” Powers says. “I love a challenge, and Alaska just called to me. All the recreational activities I enjoy—hiking, fishing, skiing—they’re all elevated here. Once the idea was in my head, I couldn’t get it out.”

Powers in the woods.

Outside of work, Powers embraces every season. Winters are filled with cross-country skiing, snowboarding, skating, and watching weekend dog mushing races. Summers bring endless daylight, hiking, biking, and outdoor exploration. “It’s truly insane how much you can do when the sun doesn’t set,” he said.

Reflecting on his George �鶹��Ƶ experience, Powers speaks with deep appreciation. “To me, being an alumnus means being part of something far greater than just a degree. It means carrying forward the torch of empathy, equity, and lifelong learning that was ignited during my first few minutes at George �鶹��Ƶ,” he says. “Every child I teach, every life I touch, I do so with the knowledge that I am standing on the shoulders of the professors, classmates, and community who believed in me when I was still learning what it meant to believe in myself.”

His advice for students hoping to follow a similar path is simple but powerful: “Work hard, keep an open mind, and always arrive 15 minutes early. Your passion can absolutely become your profession, and George �鶹��Ƶ will give you the foundation to make it real.”

Powers also extended a heartfelt thank you to the SRTM faculty and staff who helped shape his journey. “You didn’t just teach me facts or theories. You taught me resilience, compassion, and how to lead with integrity. You saw potential in me before I knew it existed and helped mold me into the man I am today. Because of you, I leave not just with a degree, but with purpose, confidence, and a heart full of gratitude. I carry your lessons with me every single day.”

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George �鶹��Ƶ partners with DoD agency to bring closure to the families of lost U.S. service members

Shayla Brown — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 17:39:16 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ partners with DoD agency to bring closure to the families of lost U.S. service members  Shayla Brown Mon, 07/28/2025 - 13:39

There are currently more than 80,000 unaccounted-for service members from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Persian Gulf War, and other conflicts. �鶹��Ƶ’s ongoing collaboration with the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) is exploring new ways of locating the missing remains of those American service members and bringing closure to their families. 

This partnership, which began December 2020, is finding success, and deeper meaning, as it extends beyond the classroom to the grieving families of prisoners of war (POWs) and missing soldiers, and it showcases George �鶹��Ƶ’s commitment to being a veteran-serving institution.   

John C. Winters, MA History ’13, is a DPAA postdoctoral research fellow at George �鶹��Ƶ’s Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media (RRCHNM) in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) whose research includes war, diplomacy, and the 19th and 20th centuries. 

John C. Winters. Photo provided.

“I’ve previously worked on cemetery projects, and my responsibilities were to essentially help not only map the cemetery as it stood, but to identify places where people were not cataloged properly, or were forgotten over time,” said Winters, who has been a fellow at the center since January 2025.  

Winters is also working with the Henry Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine with the goal of supporting and expanding a wide range of DPAA operations, from initial case development to field mission planning. 

“The advantage of conducting research at the Center for History and New Media is that the people there are experts in using intricate digital mapping tools. It's really wonderful to see that faculty, as well as graduate students, are so comfortable using these tools to make their research accessible,” said Winters. 

Digital mapping is a critical tool for the agency’s mission as it helps researchers visualize where someone was lost and supports investigation and excavation proposals.   

George �鶹��Ƶ has access to ArcGIS Pro, the mapping program that Winters is currently using to track missing or unidentified soldiers.  

“ArcGIS is a really dynamic program. There are a lot of facets to it including a base-level digital cemetery mapping, and the ability to create informational and visually engaging maps. They're accurate and concise, and they deliver all the information at a glance,” said Winters, who earned his PhD in history from the City University of New York in 2020. 

Jesse Stephen, chief of innovation at Defense POW/MIA accounting agency, said their mission has two goals: to search for, locate, recover, and identify missing-in-action personnel, and to communicate. 

Jesse Stephen. Photo provided.

“These projects are multidimensional and address active casework. They also tell the story of a conflict and of our missing individuals,” said Stephen. “That involves going back into archives and looking for information about a particular case or campaign. It's organizing, reviewing, and analyzing that information we find, and then putting all these different pieces together to build a case.”  

Over the course of the partnership, DPAA has learned more about more than 3,000 unaccounted-for losses. George �鶹��Ƶ Fellows have reviewed more than 1,000 deceased personnel files of people who served alongside the unaccounted-for. 

Throughout the process, DPAA staff, Service Casualty Offices, and family members meet and review the specifics of a loss. Documentation, including maps, is shared with family members, who can see where the last-known sighting of their loved one happened. 

The partnership also employs George �鶹��Ƶ students as interns and to date has given nine interns real-world experience in managing data, giving presentations, and project management. Beyond service to students, research partner fellows are encouraged to give presentations at museums and other venues on the mission and how unaccounted-for are found.  

“These were people who gave their lives while fighting to protect democracy, so I see the important work I’m doing at George �鶹��Ƶ as a public service and it’s relevant to a very large body of veterans in the Northern Virginia area,” said Winters. 

Currently, more than 150 Virginian service members are unaccounted for. 

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These George �鶹��Ƶ alumni were driven to succeed with a premier NASCAR race team

Shayla Brown — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 13:53:55 +0000

These George �鶹��Ƶ alumni were driven to succeed with a premier NASCAR race team Shayla Brown Fri, 07/25/2025 - 09:53

You could say Dave Alpern, BA Speech Communication ’91, started at the bottom of the corporate ladder when he joined Joe Gibbs Racing.

Dave Alpern. Photo provided.

In 1993, Alpern landed an internship with the company. As he recalls, his office was a broom closet complete with an elementary school desk, an extension cord, and a lamp.

But that didn’t put the brakes on his enthusiasm.

“Being an intern [at Joe Gibbs Racing] was really special because I really had to earn it. I have this principle of delivering more value than you're paid, and that’s what I did,” said Alpern.

Fast forward to today: the �鶹��Ƶ alum is the president of the organization and recently made a cameo appearance in the Netflix series, NASCAR: Full Speed, which documents NASCAR teams as work as they race to win the NASCAR Cup Series.

“Joe Gibbs Racing is one of the two most successful teams in NASCAR racing, so clearly if they do a show on the sport, we're going to be a part of it in some way.”

Alpern may have had the inside track at the company as the best friend of Jason Dean “JD” Gibbs, the son of the company’s founder, Joe Gibbs, but he had to earn his way into every role. Alpern has held nearly every position in the front office and witnessed the company grow from a team of 18 employees to more than 500, including 50 engineers and an aviation department.

Around the office Alpern was known as “the T-shirt guy” because of his dedicated work in merchandise and consumer products.

Alpern was named president of the JGR in 2016 during the illness and eventual death of his friend JD in 2019.

“When he got sick and passed away, I was named president and essentially took my best friend's job for his family's business, which was very difficult,” Alpern said.

Coach Joe Gibbs (left) and Dave Alpern. Photo provided.

Now Alpern is also sharing some of the things he’s learned during his time with JGR. He’s written a book, Taking the Lead: Winning Business Principles That Fuel Joe Gibbs Racing, with all proceeds going toward the JD Gibbs Legacy Fund, in honor of his friend.

While Alpern was navigating the growth of JGR, his colleague and fellow George �鶹��Ƶ alum, Chris Helein, BA Speech Communication ’91, was following a parallel path.

The summer before his senior year, Helein got a full-time internship with the Washington Commanders in the organization’s public relations department, where Joe Gibbs was the head coach and led the team to three Super Bowl victories.

“Thankfully my professors were pretty understanding. That experience was my introduction into the world of PR and communications on that front. I really enjoy being part of an organization as opposed to the journalistic side,” said Helein, who followed Gibbs to JGR and has now been at the organization for 17 years.

Helein, who is vice president of communications and partner activation at JGR, credits George �鶹��Ƶ for giving him the tools he needed to begin his career. While on campus, he got involved in WGMU, the campus radio station, and Broadside, the student newspaper.

Chris Helein at Daytona. Photo provided.

“George �鶹��Ƶ had a tremendous amount of assets for me from the location of the campus to the connections in different fields. It [provided] incredible opportunities regardless of the industry you want to work in,” said Helein.

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Nursing PhD alum becomes Oakwood University’s first female president

Mary Cunningham — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 13:32:09 +0000

Nursing PhD alum becomes Oakwood University’s first female president Mary Cunningham Wed, 07/23/2025 - 09:32

Throughout her career, Gina S. Brown, PhD Nursing ’99, has demonstrated tenacity and resolve. While earning her PhD at �鶹��Ƶ, she balanced a demanding academic schedule, sustained a full-time job, and raised a young family.

On July 1, Brown returned to her undergraduate alma mater, Oakwood University, to take on a historic new role: the first female president of the institution.

Gina S. Brown, PhD, MSA, RN, FAAN (PhD Nursing ’99), the first female president of Oakwood University. Photo provided.

Brown emphasizes a leadership approach founded on shared governance, rooted in respect for every voice in the Oakwood community—students, faculty, and alumni alike. “I want to hear from everyone—those who loved their experience and those who didn’t. Everyone’s voice matters,” Brown stated. Nevertheless, she is clear that her foremost priority is to protect and respect students.

A career grounded in service and leadership

Brown has served in clinical, academic, and leadership roles. While pursuing her PhD, Brown worked as a nurse recruiter. She traveled frequently to the Philippines to recruit nurses back to the United States to address the shortage of nurses, and to evaluate their educational level to assess that they were the same as those in the states.

She went on to hold several notable positions, including serving as an investigational review board liaison at Washington Hospital Center, followed by faculty appointments at Washington Adventist University that evolved into leadership roles as associate chair, chair, and dean. Brown also supported underrepresented students at a minority-serving college in Baltimore and played a pivotal role in restoring accreditation at a school in Massachusetts.

She later served on the board of Loma Linda University in California, which led to a faculty role as associate professor and director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice capstone programs. She then became dean of the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences at Howard University, overseeing 1,500 students and 100 faculty.

Recognitions and professional achievements

Brown’s work has earned her numerous distinctions, including:

Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN)
Fellow of the Academy of Diversity and Leaders in Nursing (FDNL)
Fellow of the National Academies of Practice
Recipient of the 2024 Gold Foundation’s Medal of Honor, highlighting her wide-reaching impact in health care

She attributes much of her success to the encouragement and foundation laid at �鶹��Ƶ, which inspired her to seek leadership roles, pursue excellence, and serve her community.

Her time at George �鶹��Ƶ

Brown highlights her time at George �鶹��Ƶ as exceptionally supportive, recalling faculty who went above and beyond to help her with funding, tutoring, and flexibility. Brown credits this period as a formative chapter in her career, citing the unwavering support and encouragement she received from �鶹��Ƶ faculty and staff.

“So many times, people complain about their institutions, but I’ve always been very pleased with George �鶹��Ƶ. It was rigorous—it was tough—but it was a great program. It was my most positive educational experience. Keep up the good job.”

Her advice for the next generation: value relationships as much as academic achievement. “Really get to know your professors. When you build those relationships, you can anticipate each other’s needs, and support becomes much more meaningful. It makes all the difference.”

Brown’s journey is a testament to the power of perseverance, supportive mentorship, and servant leadership. As she steps into her new role at Oakwood, her experiences continue to inspire students, colleagues, and the broader academic community.

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Meet the alum who probably made your George �鶹��Ƶ shirt

Katarina Benson — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 18:50:38 +0000

Meet the alum who probably made your George �鶹��Ƶ shirt Katarina Benson Fri, 07/18/2025 - 14:50

If you were given �鶹��Ƶ branded gear of any sort since 2006—from hoodies and tees to Hawaiian shirts and bucket hats—chances are good that Mike Ickowitz, BA Communication ’03, had something to do with creating it.

The 2003 alum was destined to market his alma mater. That destiny began early, when he was a freshman and recruited to work in the Admissions Office as a tour guide.

His fate as a Patriot salesman was cemented when, challenged to show his ability to generate school spirit during sports events, he donned a fuzzy green costume to become the lovable mascot known as Gunston (later replaced by the familiar Patriot).

Now Ickowitz is a custom merchandise merchant with a 3,000-square-foot manufacturing complex in his native Knoxville, Tennessee, and a client list with universities, businesses, and governments around the world. He is founder, with his wife, Tanya, of Patdome Promotions.

Mike and Tanya Ickowitz with Patdome George �鶹��Ƶ gear. Photo provided

The couple met in the Admissions Office while working to introduce prospective students to George �鶹��Ƶ. Ickowitz’s Patriot roots run deep. Even the name of the company is a nod to George �鶹��Ƶ: It’s a comic abbreviation of the former name of EagleBank Arena—the Patriot Center, where Ickowitz worked as a student.

“I worked in the parking lot,” he said. “It’s the greatest position from a student’s perspective. I worked before and after events, and in between I saw just about every show.”

Patdome Promotions began as a side hustle for the couple. In 2006, when George �鶹��Ƶ was making a run at the [NCAA men’s basketball] Final Four, the only place in the world to get a [NCAA] shirt was the bookstore, he said. “And they were sold out because of the demand.”

In fact, after knocking off No. 1 seed UConn in overtime in the Elite Eight game, the line to the bookstore was a mile long, he said. “It snaked out the back of the Johnson Center, around the pond, and around Patriot Circle for a shirt that was sold out.”

So Ickowitz created GMUGear, a dot com that became the university’s first e-commerce site. “If you didn’t live in Northern Virginia and wanted a shirt, GMUGear was just about the only place to get one,” he said.

While the Ickowitzes were reasonably profit motivated, he priced the merchandise “so that the average fan could get George �鶹��Ƶ memorabilia at an accessible price,” he said, adding that he always intended to spread the George �鶹��Ƶ brand focused on the fan while building a business. It’s a philosophy, he said, that still drives the business nearly 20 years later.

Ickowitz finds deeper meaning in his work than selling giveaway swag.

“I want our product to be on your shelf,” he said. “I want people to ask you about it. I want you to love it so much that you have it 20 years later. It’s the tangible part of the �鶹��Ƶ spirit.”

He’s particularly proud of the reach of Patdome into the �鶹��Ƶ Nation. “From the drawstring bag that a student receives on a tour to the graduation stole they wear four years later, and lots of branded giveaways in between, Patdome is a proud silent partner of George �鶹��Ƶ, working with incredibly talented professionals on campus who maintain the �鶹��Ƶ spirit from admission to graduation and beyond.”

Ickowitz is an example of a student who made the most of his college career. A brief television appearance as Gunston led to an offer to substitute during public appearances for the departing actor who was G-Wiz for the NBA Washington Wizards and Slapshot for the NHL Washington Capitals. “And I was the full-time mascot for the [WNBA] Washington Mystics in their first season,” he added. “All because I was Gunston.”

Now the Ickowitzes are a two-generation George �鶹��Ƶ family. The couple’s daughter, Rachel, is a University Scholar in the Honors College and a rising junior. She was recently named the 2025 Outstanding Sociology Undergraduate Student at George �鶹��Ƶ.

“We’re very proud of her,” her father said.

Mike Ickowitz and Patdome Promotions will present an educational seminar for university staff on branded products Thursday, July 31, at the Johnson Center Bistro; session one runs from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; session two runs from 1-2:30 p.m. Admission is free, but registration is required at this site.

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Hina Kazmi: Meet the Schar School Alum Who Is Launching ‘Intro to Space Policy’

Andrew J Schappert — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 15:55:13 +0000

Hina Kazmi: Meet the Schar School Alum Who Is Launching ‘Intro to Space Policy’ Andrew J Schappert Thu, 07/17/2025 - 11:55

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Hina Kazmi

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Hina Kazmi: ‘We’re expanding our access to space, and it has become critical infrastructure—but what does that mean policywise?’ Photo provided

Hina Kazmi, after seeing Voyager 1’s images of Saturn: ‘I knew I was going into aerospace.’

When you ask Hina Kazmi if she would ever like to live in a colony on the moon, her answer is quick and enthusiastic.

“Oh, I would absolutely do that,” she said. “Do they need a tester for the first flight to Mars? I would do that too.”

It’s not a farfetched question to ask Kazmi. The Schar School of Policy and Government at �鶹��Ƶ adjunct professor is set to teach a new course, Introduction to Space Policy, beginning in August with the start of the 2025 fall semester. It’s one of the rare courses in the country that will bring the growing fields related to space exploration—and exploitation—into the classroom.

The course is designed to support a broad range of public policy interests, Kazmi said. Those interested in international and national security, engineering, business, public administration, and other topics will find the course useful in their academic pursuits and future careers.

“When you think of space,” she said, “you think of commercial startups and Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk launching their rockets. That’s the fun stuff. But beyond that excitement there are huge national, international, and commercial aspects to this industry.”

As more of the business of space falls into in private hands, there comes a need for clear, informed, and educated thinking on public policy, she said.

“In the past, [space activity] was government controlled, but now it’s commercially available for navigation, weather prediction, communications. We’re expanding our access to space, and it has become critical infrastructure—but what does that mean policywise?”

As an example of the field’s growth, the tiny island of Bahrain, where the Pakistan native spent her middle school years, has a space agency. “Every country now sees this as important,” she said.

Kazmi, an engineer by training who at one point was leading programs for NASA, developed a fascination for space in 1980, when the interstellar craft Voyager 1 sent its first images of Saturn back to Earth from some 800 million miles away. The astronomical event made an impression on the young scholar.

“I knew I was going into aerospace,” she said.

Kazmi earned her undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering, with a minor in mathematics, in 1993 from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona.

She also holds a master of business administration degree. After rising through the ranks in technical and management roles at major private and public aerospace leaders, she began teaching at George �鶹��Ƶ, revitalizing a dormant course in managing government contracting.

Realizing her future was in academia, she earned a master of public policy degree from the Schar School in 2008, followed by a PhD in public policy in 2016. She received the Joseph A. Fisher Award for best PhD dissertation.

“I really believe Gen Z, who is in college now, and Gen Alpha behind them will be the space generations,” she said. “Space tourism, living in space, working in space, moon colonies—all of that is happening. We’re in the very, very early stages of it.”

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Former Patriots star Tayler Cook brings winning touch to coaching

Katarina Benson — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 19:38:22 +0000

Former Patriots star Tayler Cook brings winning touch to coaching Katarina Benson Tue, 07/15/2025 - 15:38

Tayler Cook knows a thing or two about winning, and the former �鶹��Ƶ women’s basketball standout hasn’t wasted any time imparting what she knows.

Coach Tayler Cook with her Heritage team. Photo by Maya Lopez/LoCoSports

In her first year as head coach at Heritage High School in Leesburg, Cook took over a girls’ basketball team that had finished 12-12 the year before, leading the Pride to a remarkable 25-3 record and the program’s first Virginia High School League (VHSL) Class 4 state championship.

“It was definitely a good year and an exciting flip,” said Cook, who earned a BS in physical education from George �鶹��Ƶ’s College of Education and Human Development in 2018 before returning for a master’s degree in special education. “I told them before the start of the season that they could win a state title, but they had to believe it.”

Cook’s impact was almost immediate. Heritage, a Loudoun County school that had never advanced that far since opening in 2002, also claimed Dulles District and Region 4C titles while holding opponents to fewer than 33 points per game, making them one of the toughest defensive teams in Northern Virginia.

Cook was named Class 4 State Coach of the Year for her efforts.

“We’re so excited to have her,” said Pride Athletics Director and fellow George �鶹��Ƶ alum J. J. Totaro, BS Public Administration ’03. “It takes a real special coach to get players to use their talents selflessly, use them with a team mentality, and rise to the moment when situations get tough. We look forward to seeing what they can do this coming season as well.”

Coach Cook on the sidelines. Photo provided

Cook, who is a special education teacher in addition to coaching basketball, is a former VHSL Player of the Year and daughter of longtime Spotswood High School Coach Chris Dodson, whose career ledger includes 12 district titles, 10 regional crowns, and six state championships. She played a key role in Spotswood’s back-to-back state championships in 2013 and 2014.

It seems that winning is in her DNA.

Cook was a four-year player at George �鶹��Ƶ, where she still ranks 14th all-time in assists with 251 and 25th in rebounds with 495. She helped lead the Patriots to a 24-win season and a berth in the 2018 Women’s National Invitational Tournament (NIT) after three consecutive losing seasons.

Cook took over at Heritage following a successful run guiding Tuscarora High School to back-to-back state tournament appearances. She brought with her a dynamic five-out, spread offense, and a passion for player development.

“It feels different as a player than as a coach,” Cook said. “As a player, you’re definitely having fun and doing it with your best friends. I just wanted it so bad for them as a coach because I had done it.”

While Heritage graduated six seniors from this year’s title-winning team, including two starters, Cook likes her team’s chances for next year with the return of several top prospects.

“It’s a lot of fun, and I truly enjoy coaching them,” she said.

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Alumna Whitney Woods to Lead Denver Domestic Violence Survivor Center

Andrew J Schappert — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 17:41:55 +0000

Alumna Whitney Woods to Lead Denver Domestic Violence Survivor Center Andrew J Schappert Mon, 07/07/2025 - 13:41

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Whitney Woods, a 2007 graduate of the Schar School of Policy and Government’s renowned government and international politics program—known for preparing students to lead in complex policy environments—has been appointed executive director of the Denver-based Rose Andom Center, a comprehensive resource center supporting survivors of domestic violence. The announcement was made earlier this month.

Whitney Woods: ‘When I came to visit, it was a picture-perfect weekend and felt like something out of movie. George �鶹��Ƶ turned out to be a great fit for me.’ Photos provided

For Woods, née Phillips, the new position at the helm of Colorado’s first family justice center is a fitting next chapter for someone whose career has already included high-stakes crisis communication on Capitol Hill, work with the White House, and strategic leadership across government and philanthropy.

The Colorado native chose �鶹��Ƶ in 2004 “because I wanted to go to college very far away from where I grew up—it was important to me,” she said. “I knew I wanted to work in government someday and George �鶹��Ƶ had a great program.”

Woods, who minored in conflict analysis and resolution in an accelerated degree program, was also interested in studying international policy.

“If I decided to go that route, I wouldn’t need to change schools,” she said, an observation that underscores one of the Schar School’s defining strengths: housing both political science and international affairs under one interdisciplinary roof.

But it was the tour of the Fairfax Campus—a leafy hub of innovation and buzzing with student life—that was the deciding factor.

“When I came to visit, it was a picture-perfect weekend and felt like something out of movie,” she said, recalling the campus vividly more than 20 years later. “George �鶹��Ƶ turned out to be a great fit for me.”

Whitney Woods Alpha Xi Delta’s 2006 recruitment event

The Schar School’s proximity to key institutions in nearby Washington, D.C., was another draw. “It was close to the city but not in it,” she said. “It felt like a small community even thought it was really connected to not just the larger community, but to the world.”

That proximity paid off: While balancing her coursework with roles as a �鶹��Ƶ Ambassador—giving campus tours to prospective students—and an active member of Alpha Xi Delta, a Schar School professor helped her develop a resumé and encouraged her to apply for internships on Capitol Hill, despite her only experience being retail work.

That nudge led to a 2007 internship with U.S. Rep. John Barrow (D-GA) and an extended stay on Capitol Hill until 2013, rising through the ranks, ultimately serving as communications director for U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT) until his retirement in 2013.

In that role, she helped shape national narratives and dealt with the world’s major media outlets during a series of historic moments: the assassination of Osama bin Laden, the government shutdown, Hurricane Sandy, the Sandy Hook school shooting, and the death of Muammar Gaddafi, among other generational milestones.

“When I eventually went to work in Congress, I often thought of how interesting it was that our [government] framework remained the same—three branches—but that so much else had changed,” she said. “My [Schar School] degree provided a solid foundation for understanding how our government is supposed to work and the intention behind its design.”

As she begins her new role leading the Rose Andom Center, Woods is drawing once again on the values and vision she developed in Fairfax where, she said, “I really grew up there and found my independence, and who I wanted to be.”

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George �鶹��Ƶ faculty member helps NASA astrobiology task force shape future goals

Colleen Rich — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 15:40:55 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ faculty member helps NASA astrobiology task force shape future goals Colleen Rich Wed, 07/02/2025 - 11:40

�鶹��Ƶ researcher Anamaria Berea was selected to serve on NASA's Decadal Astrobiology Research and Exploration Strategy (DARES) Task Force 1.

Anamaria Berea. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

This group of experts was charged with shaping the future of NASA’s astrobiology research over the following decade. As one of only 13 scientists chosen from across the United States, Berea contributed to identifying key research priorities, synthesizing community input, and guiding the development of NASA’s long-term strategy for exploring the origins, evolution, and distribution of life in the universe.

With an interdisciplinary background as a computational data scientist and artificial intelligence researcher, Berea, who is an associate professor in the Department of Computational and Data Sciences, brings a unique perspective to the task force. Most recently, she led the ASPIRE ONE Lunar Record project, a digital time capsule that preserves Earth’s cultural and scientific heritage and offers future lunar visitors a glimpse of life on Earth in the early 2020s. In March, the payload made a successful moon landing, a historic milestone for NASA’s Artemis program.

The astrobiology task force worked through more than 120 community-submitted papers to recommend nine major themes for the project. These themes, which range from detecting life on other planets to workforce and career development in astrobiology, were discussed and shared with the public at a two-day workshop in May. Phase two of the initiative will invite another task force to take these themes and compose a formalized strategy to support and advance the evolving needs of the field.

“We have rovers on Mars. We had probes on Venus to sample its atmosphere. But in the next era of space, it looks like there will be a focus on human spaceflight. And if we have humans in space, then how will this change the landscape for astrobiology research?” Berea said.

Astrobiology research has the potential to tackle some of the most profound cosmological questions humanity faces. It deeply explores the origins of life, suggesting that discovering even simple microbial life on nearby planets like Mars would fundamentally change our understanding of how life began on Earth.

These big questions capture significant attention from both the scientific community and the general public, highlighting the broad impact and importance of astrobiology research.

Read about the ASPIRE ONE Lunar Record project

Listen to the episode

Anamaria Berea joined the Access to Excellence podcast to discuss her research on Mars settlements and Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon.

Topics

Alumni

Research

Faculty and Staff News

NASA

GCI-Grand Challenge Initiative

Space

A watershed year for �鶹��Ƶ sustainability data

Jennifer Pocock — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 16:14:43 +0000

A watershed year for �鶹��Ƶ sustainability data Jennifer Pocock Mon, 06/30/2025 - 12:14

In This Story

Viviana Maggioni

Lucas Henneman

An intercollegiate study, in partnership with �鶹��Ƶ's Facilities, analyzes the effects of campus events and weather on local air and water quality.

Maryam Zavareh tests a water sample from the Fairfax Campus. Photo provided.

Major events at �鶹��Ƶ, like graduation ceremonies, basketball games, and �鶹��Ƶ Day are high-water events in student life. But how do they affect the campus ecosystem?

For the past year, with support from the Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE), groups of undergraduate and graduate engineering students have worked with university Facilities to sample air and water quality measurements at eight spots across campus. They are studying how human-centered activities like special events and campus construction projects, along with natural events like heavy rainstorms, affect the urban campus environment.

“Fairfax is a very active campus in terms of construction,” said Maryam Zavareh, an expert in environmental engineering who earned her PhD from George �鶹��Ƶ in 2021. “They’re always building something or something is always going on for students.”

Weather is also a factor, she pointed out, and so are projects like rain gardens (also called best management practices or BMPs). “Rain can affect a stream’s turbidity and its dissolved oxygen in a negative way, while BMPs can help quality.”

As part of her PhD program, Zavareh started taking measurements around �鶹��Ƶ Pond and campus streams. She wanted to use machine learning to predict water quality patterns in conjunction with the Maggioni Research Group, a lab run on campus by water resources engineering expert Viviana Maggioni, an associate professor in the Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering, and air quality expert Lucas Henneman, an assistant professor in the department. With this ISE grant, Maggioni called Zavareh back to run the project as a consultant.

Starting in May 2024, a new group of students each semester have learned to gather data in the field, work with the instruments, and calibrate them for accurate readings.

“One of the advantages of this project is that students get to go into the field and take measurements,” said Dinesh Neupane, a PhD candidate in civil and environmental engineering and student leader for the project. “That was lacking in my previous programs—students stayed in the labs.”

Neupane is excited for the opportunity to measure air quality—something that hasn’t been done yet on campus—in addition to water. “We want to calibrate the ground data we measure with satellite imagery to see if we can get the imaging to accurately take the readings for us,” he said.

So far, Neupane said that campus events do not have a major effect on water quality. “We think big gatherings will have an effect on air quality, but we don’t have that data yet. We’re still in the process of setting those instruments up.”

This year’s work by Zavareh, Neupane, and their student teams lays the groundwork for future students to analyze their data and carry the research forward. They are proving that ISE’s �鶹��Ƶ as a Living Lab program offers great insights.