Executive EducationDEPARTMENT NEWSLETTER

Celebrating Our December GraduatesTwelve Executive Education students celebrated the completion of their degrees at an end-of-semester dinner and recognition in early December. They represent 6 coun-tries, earning degrees in EMPA, EMIR and Certificates of Advanced Study in Public Administration, Leadership of International and Non-government Organizations and Health Services Management and Policy. Graduate Oleksiy Anokhin, EMPA/EMIR and CAS-LNGO provided reflections upon the Maxwell experience. The text of his speech appears in this newsletter.

Associate Dean Andrew London provided congratulatory remarks on behalf of the Maxwell Dean’s office. Catherine Gerard offered final thoughts on leadership and the importance of understanding power, using it to build people up; finding commonalities and not differences; seeing everyone as part of the global community and remembering that a Maxwell leader is ethical. Alumni Director Jessica Murray officially welcomed them into the Maxwell family which is 31,000 strong and to remember the values of the Athenian Oath.

Family members, friends and fellow Exec Ed colleagues celebrated the evening with the graduates.

2 GraduationHighlights

3 Graduate Speech

5 Exec Ed update

5 Alumni OfficeUpdate

6 Peer to Peer

7 Welcome NewStudents

8 In the classroom

9 Event Highlights

10 Student Updates

11 Alumni Updates

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December 2017 Graduates

Executive Master of Public AdministrationAmy Lee Eells United StatesMitchell Forbes United StatesMichael Thomas Mapley United StatesAkuete Giana Mathey-Apossan TogoMyoungjun Song Republic of KoreaJohn Ida Jakondo Tete South Sudan

Executive Master of International RelationsOleksiy Anokhin* Ukraine*previously earned EMPA

Certificate of Advanced Study Public AdministrationDilip Balkrishna Gawade IndiaSimerjit Kaur IndiaVenkata Nagireddy Kovvuri IndiaRamachandra Mishra India

Certificate of Advanced Study Leadership ofInternational and Non-government OrganizationsOleksiy Anokhin UkraineMichael Thomas Mapley United States

Certificate of Advanced Study Health ServicesManagement and PolicyAmy Lee Eells United StatesJasmine Lynn Jackson United States

A night of celebrationThe end of the semester was reason to celebrate, especially for those completing their degrees. Below are just some of the highlights of the evening captured in images. For the full complement of photos, visit Syracuse University’s collage page, or search ‘Executive Education December 2017 cele-bration’ at https://collage.syr.edu.

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Oleksiy Anokhin Addresses Fellow GraduatesGood evening everyone! My name is Oleksiy Anokhin. I am an EMPA/EMIR student from Ukraine and a Hursky Fellow. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today, it is a truly a privilege.

First, congratulations to everybody. To our Maxwell cohort, cheers to our amazing professors and school staff, and many kudos to our families and friends. Finally, we did it all together. In my application essay to the Maxwell School in 2014 the final sen-tence was the following: “I want to change the world by changing Ukraine, but firstly I need to change myself, and the Maxwell School is the ideal place for such transforma-tion.” Sounds familiar, right? I am sure everyone wrote something like this. I would like everyone to reflect on this for a second, on your lives before your time at Maxwell. I am talking not only about the students, but also the professors, staff, and families.

Who were you before this school? Who are you now? How did Maxwell transform you during these years? How many friends do you now have across the whole world? I bet that we all became completely different people here. That is why I would to congrat-ulate our professors and staff.

Everybody knows that any theater starts from the hangers. From people who make this school better every day and whose knowledge and experience has changed us forever. People- you know, I heard many times from many students that they are bored by Syracuse. It is a small college city, it is damn cold and snowy here, not too many places to go out, and all such stuff. But when the famous US writer and SU Professor George Saunders was asked recently about his favorite thing in Syracuse, he answered the same – people.

We came to this oasis and everyone had a chance to drink as much knowledge as possible. And we will never be the same. That is why my grateful message to this school and this university will be very simple. Maxwell School and Syracuse University. You will never walk alone. You have us. The Maxwell Mafia and Orange Nation. And we will never let you down.

Secondly, I would like to congratulate your families and beloved ones. You know, when I asked one person to share this journey with me – to go to the United States together- she refused. And I cannot judge this person. I came here alone, and this made me stronger. Because I desperately tried to prove myself that I am worthy of something as a man, as a professional and as a person. Now think about this. How lucky are you to have those who supported you in this journey? Those who left their families and friends, their jobs and careers, their comfort zone and moved with you here. From a different US state or from a different side of the moon.

They came here to be with you, to make you feel at home. They came to a place with a different culture and language, and very cold weather. Sometimes this environment was uncomfortable and maybe even unfriendly. Folks, this was a huge sacrifice. That is why we are all grateful to our families and beloved ones. And if they could not join you in this journey for some serious reason, I am sure that they supported you as much as possible from the distance. And at least you did not feel alone here. That is why this is not only your achievement, but also their victory after their sacrifice.

Finally, I want to congratulate our students today. This school is well known for its students and alums. Many of them came here due to tremendous opportunities, which other people created for them. For instance, Humphrey Fellows and Fulbright students,

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as well as recipients of other fellowships, scholarships or government programs, or your parents. I am one of them as a Hursky fellow. And if you are not among them, you came here because you made it possible for yourself.

That is why I want you to think about our own legacy. Many people before worked hard to create these opportunities for you and a long-term impact. George Maxwell created this school as the first public policy school in the US. He passed away a long time ago, but his legacy made him immortal. I truly believe it is our turn to create a legacy for future generations. We have the values as Maxwell people before us, but we will have much more innovative technical tools – robots, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and others.

At the same time, we face more dangerous challenges in the modern world – such as global warming and nuclear threats, fake news and cyber warfare. And well will decide what side we choose: the dark side or the bright one.

Finally, I will share with you the final example from my life. Being a student at Maxwell last summer I had a privilege to work in the team of the 39th US President Jimmy Carter in Atlanta, Georgia. Jimmy is a great human, who has great values and dedicated his post-presidential life to make this world a better place. And you know my favorite story about Jimmy? His first book is called “Why not the best?” In this book, he described his interview (as a future Naval officer) with the US Navy Admiral Rickover.

Let me read some quotes very briefly please…

“At the end of interview Admiral Rickover asked him:

‘How did you stand in your class at the Naval Academy?’

Carter proudly answered: ‘Sir, I stood 59th in a class of 820!’

Then Rickover asked him again: “Did you do your best?’

Young Jimmy though for a while and answered: ‘No, sir, I didn’t always do my best.’Then Rickover looked at him for a long time, and concluded: ‘Why not?’”

Think about this… As a student, a professor, staff, as a parent, spouse, or just as a human. Have you done your best, not only at Maxwell, but in your life? I bet no. I know I did not. We made a ton of mistakes, but I truly believe that this simple question, “why not the best?” should be our enormous motivation in our post-Maxwell life. Because I can imagine many explanations for other tough questions. But I do not know any reasonable answer which can justify our inability to try our best in every situation to make this world a better place.

Many speeches in this school are traditionally finished with our great Athenian Oath. But my last message will very be simple. It is from one of my favorite poems “Ulysses”, written by the English writer Alfred Tennison. The last line of the poem:

“To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”

Folks, let’s just do it. Congratulations again. You did a great job and your families are very proud of you today. We are all proud. And the show must go on.

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Innovating Executive Degree ProgramsThis fall, we welcomed students from 17 countries. They represent almost all corners of the globe and enrich Syracuse University and the Maxwell School immeasurably. Our students are engaged outside the classroom- whether presenting at our Peer to Peer series, volunteering in the community or becoming involved in various initiatives at any one of our institutes. It’s this diversity of cultures, experience and perspectives that is a hallmark strength of the School.

The third cohort of the ExecutiveMPA@Syracuse began in January, and the inaugural cohort of the Executive Master’s in International Relations in Washington D.C. began this semester as well. Both programs are examples of how Executive Education is innovating to meet the needs of today’s global leaders. Nell Silva Barkowiak is now Director of ExecutiveMPA@Syracuse. It’s a welcome back for Nell,

who previously was Associate Director, Department of Public Administration and International Affairs at Maxwell. Assistant Dean for Washington Programs Ryan Williams, is heading the EMIR in DC program. These two programs join our traditional residential degree programs on campus.

As an alum of Executive Education, you appreciate the value of a Maxwell degree. We’d like to extend that opportunity to others in your organization. Feel free to reach out to me in order explore potential partnerships or sponsorships to build on more Maxwell momentum in your agency. I can be reached at melane02@syr.edu. I look forward to hearing from you!

Maxwell’s Alumni Office: The Power of LinkedInChances are you’ve heard of LinkedIn, the online professional networking site that has over 500 million users in more than 200 countries. But did you realize Maxwell School alumni have a shared “home” on LinkedIn? The Maxwell LinkedIn group of 6,600 members (and growing!) includes alumni, students, and faculty and staff who connect and engage online with fellow Maxwellians.

The benefits of joining Maxwell’s LinkedIn group are many. Members of Maxwell’s LinkedIn group share resources, post development opportu-nities, and participate in discussion topics. Alumni stay connected to the School by learning about activities at Maxwell or in specific geographic regions. Maxwell’s LinkedIn group is also one of the primary ways career opportunities are shared with the School’s alumni network.

Are you a member of Maxwell’s LinkedIn group? If not, join today by clicking here. We hope to see you in the group soon!

Jessica MurrayDirector of Alumni Relationsjwmurr01@syr.edu315.443.2660Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jessicawmurray

Do you have a LinkedIn question, or are you interested in a refresher? Contact alum@maxwell.syr.edu.

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Students Offer Perspective in Peer to Peer SeriesThis fall, eight Exec Ed students and Humphrey Fellows presented topics during Peer to Peer. A wide-ranging list of topics was part of the series and some are available on Maxwell’s YouTube playlist. The following Executive Education students spoke to their peers.

Mammad Zulfugarov (Azerbaijan) presented International Organizations, Chal-lenges and Tendencies, which provided an analytical overview and incorporated current initiatives, new multilateral cooperation mechanisms and identified some tendencies in the international arena that impact global affairs.

Camilo Condis (Cuba) presented Artecorte: Community Development in Cuba, which profiled this nonprofit community development association, focused on the social, cultur-al, environmental and economic vibrancy of a Havana neighborhood.

James Guild (U.S.) presented Compassion in the Work Place: What Leaders Can Do About Suicide in Their Organizations, reflected his experience at the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School where he specialized in courses such as Suicide Intervention, Resiliency, and Crisis Counseling. He states that his most rewarding experiences in his 20-plus years in the Army has been helping individuals who were at risk of suicide.

Jeremiah Catlin (U.S.) presented Chappy’s Outdoors: Leading a Non-profit from a Garage to a National Organization, nonprofit he founded to provide combat veterans an oppor-tunity to connect with each other and their faith during hunting and fishing excursions. What started as a venture based in his garage grew to having a national presence. Jeremiah reflected on lessons learned.

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The incoming class of Fall 2107 continued the geographic and professional diversity that Executive Education is known for. Seventeen countries comprise the total student population of new and continuing students who represent the following countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Costa Rica, Cuba, India, Iran, Japan, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, South Sudan, Togo, Turk-menistan, Ukraine, United States and Uzbekistan. These 105 students join an overall Syracuse University student population (graduate and undergraduate) comprising all 50 U.S. states and 118 countries.

Dashel Hernandez (Cuba) was featured in the Program for the Advancement of Research in Conflict and Collaboration’s (PARCC) Con-versations in Conflict series in a talk entitled, “Healing Memories Thought Art.” He premiered his film, “One Day in the Life of Javier Antonio” and provided a discussion about the semi-au-tobiographical story of growing up in Cuba- it’s both a reflection of his childhood and a collec-tive memory of this difficult time in Cuba. Join-ing him was Maria Marino, an MPA candidate in the School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Delaware. Dashel previous-ly spoke in Executive Education’s Peer to Peer series. He is an EMPA candidate, with a focus on nonprofit management. Executive Education Assistant Director Margaret Lane introduces Professor

Sean O’Keefe during fall orientation. Prof. O’Keefe teaches a section of PAI 895, Managerial Leadership. Catherine Gerard also teaches the course, which is a core course for EMPA, EMIR and CAS in Public Administration.

Students spent time getting to know their colleagues during an icebreaker which got them mixing and mingling. The backgrounds and experiences of Exec Ed students are always impressive.

Welcome New Executive Education Students

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Executive Education Students in the ClassroomExecutive Education students spent a busy, illuminating fall in the classroom. Below are just some of the students, classes and faculty in action.

Professor Catherine Gerard, PAI 601, Fundamentals of Conflict Studies Professor Julia Carboni, PAI 732, Collaborative and Participatory Governance

Professor Saba Siddiki, PAI 995, Master’s Project (Capstone)

Professor Sean O’Keefe PAI 895, Managerial Leadership

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Syracuse University Celebrates Thanksgiving for International StudentsSyracuse University hosts an annual Thanksgiving Dinner so international students can discover this American holiday. This year, Exec Ed (and Uzbekistan) was well-represented at Chancellor Kent Syverud’s table. Mirjahon Turdiev ‘16 EMPA, who is currently is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Education and EMPA candidate Khushnud Sapaev were invited to dine with the Chancellor and his wife, Dr. Ruth Chen. The outcome of the evening concluded with offers from the Chancellor for a personal driving lesson (or two!) for Khushnud and some other students in addition to an invitation for Mirjahon to join Syracuse University’s Internationalization Council.

Celebrating an American Fall TraditionIt’s not fall in Exec Ed without the annual pumpkin party at the Inn Complete. The mid-October evening was an opportunity for stu-dents and their families to celebrate an early Halloween season and carve a jack-o-lantern, a first for many who hail from outside the U.S.

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EMPA student Luisa Hernandez (Costa Rica, standing left) was a facilitator during First Year Forum, a series for new Syracuse University students. She par-ticipated in the Conflict Management Center’s (CMC) Reflective Listening and Conflict Styles workshop which included a Train the Trainer module in facilitation. CMC is a graduate-student run organization in PARCC, the Program for the Advancement of Research in Conflict and Collaboration. This institute directed by Catherine Gerard.

Executive Education was well-represented at the annual International Cities/County Manager’s Association (ICMA) convention held this year in San Antonio, TX. December 2017 EMPA graduates John Ida Jakondo Tete (South Sudan) and Giana Mathey-Apposan (Togo), in addition to Exec Ed CAS candidate Ahmed Hachelaf (Algeria), joined other Maxwell students at the annual conference. Wally Bobkiewicz, ‘89 MPA, pictured far left, was just named vice president of ICMA, and has long supported Maxwell students’ attendance at the annual conference.

December 2017 EMPA graduate Mitchell Forbes was named a SoldierStrong Scholar, which supports veterans in their pursuit of higher education. The Soldier-Strong endowment at the Maxwell School provides funds to fulfill tuition gaps that may be present after the 9/11 GI Bill.

Current Student Updates

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Mr. Eric Ka-chun Lee ’01 CAS PA, is Associate Director at Sun Hung Real Estate Agency, Ltd., in the Public Affairs Division.

Jaime Saunders, ’05 MA PA, has joined the United Way of Greater Rochester (NY) as President and CEO. She previously was President and CEO of Willow Domestic Violence Center. “To be part of something so meaningful is very humbling. This is an exciting time in our region as we address critical and complex challenges by collaborating on effective solutions,” Jaime stated in the United Way’s press release announcing her appointment.

(image from http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2017/11/07/united-way-roches-ter-president-ceo-saunders/839924001/)

Philip Church ’05 MA PA has been elected to the New York State Association of Counties Board of Di-rectors. He has been Oswego County Administrator since 2007.

Daniel J. Gage, ’05 MA PA/CAS (Health Services Mgmt & Policy) was appointed president at NGVAmer-ica (Next Gen Transportation).

Lisa Pye’09 EMPA/’09 CAS (Civil Society Organizations)/’09 CAS (Leadership of International and Non-government Organizations) was recently named a U.S. Department of State English Language Fellow and is based in the Ministry of Education in Quito, Ecuador. She is also a Ph. D. candidate at Syracuse Uni-versity, with her dissertation research taking place in Madagascar. She had been a Peace Corps volunteer there, as a Teaching English as a Foreign Language teacher trainer and Director of an English Language and Cultural Center. “My graduate studies at Maxwell remains a pivotal experience in my professional career and provided additional foundational skills and cross-cultural connects and experiences for me to seek out new challenges such being part of the US State department ELF program,” she states. As part of her appointment as an English Language Fellow, Lisa will be responsible for teacher training and curriculum development for over 9,000 English teachers in Ecuador. In late January she hosted a live webinar for teachers from Ecuador and Peru.

Elizabeth Cardona, ‘10 EMPA, stopped by during a visit to Syracuse University. She is pictured with Executive Education Assistant Director Margaret Lane and Tammy Salisbury, Exec Ed student coordina-tor during Elizabeth’s time at Maxwell. Elizabeth is currently Executive Director of Multicultural Affairs & International Student Life at Bay Path University in Massachusetts. In response to Hurricane Maria, Baypath is offering scholarships to women whose education was impacted by the devastating storm. The college’s efforts were highlighted by MassLive: Elizabeth stated: “We are very diverse at Bay Path, and many of our students’ families are from Puerto Rico and we have staff members who are part of the Puerto Rican and Latino community in general, so this is a way for us to come together in solidarity and to really show how much we care about our community here.”

Alumni Updates

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Executive Education connects across the continents- Sisi Zheng ‘10 EMPA/CAS travelled from China to Ghana to meet classmate Gifty Biyira ‘10 EMPA and Maxwell Professor Horace Camp-bell during the 2nd Kwame Nkrumah Pan-African Cultural and Intellectual Festival “Global Africa 2063: Education for Reconstruction and Transformation.” It was organized by the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon under the auspices of the Kwame Nkrumah Chair in African Studies.

After graduation in May 2010, Elissa Orlando, ’10 EMPA/’10 CAS (Health Services Manage-ment and Policy) was promoted to senior vice president at WXXI Public Broadcasting in Roches-ter, NY. She supervises the television division and the radio, TV and online news operations for its four television stations and AM and FM radio stations, website and social media. She states her CAS in Health Services and Management Policy has served her well, both as executive producer of a national health series, Second Opinion, airing on PBS stations nationwide, in her capacity as a member of the strategic leadership group of the Clinical Translational Science Institute at the University of Rochester Medical Center, and as a member of the community advisory council at the Center for Community Health, in Rochester.

Greg Munno’10 EMPA/’10 CAS (Conflict Resolution), is now Assistant Professor, Online News-paper and Online Journalism at the Newhouse School, Syracuse University. He earned his Ph.D. from Newhouse in 2017.

Kyi Pyar Chit Saw’12, EMPA (right), and Phone Myint Win, Humphrey Fellow 2011-2012 (left), reminisced with Margaret Lane about their time at Syracuse University and the Maxwell School. Margaret was in Myanmar for Open Society Foundation scholarship interviews.

Blessed Sikhosana ’12 EMIR/’12 CAS (Conflict Resolution) (pictured middle), is current presi-dent of the Sunrise Rotary Club in Syracuse. This fall she welcomed Humphrey Fellows Fatoumata Binta Balde (Guinea) (pictured right) and Pierre Lovens Mérolien (Haiti) (pictured left) to be featured speakers at the club’s weekly meeting.

Jared Lyon ’13 EMPA was recently named to the 2018 class of Presidential Leadership Scholars. He joins 58 other scholars this year in learning about leadership experiences of Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson. Scholars are selected after a rigorous application and interview process and selected based on identified leadership potential and projects focused on addressing an identified need in society. Jared is President and CEO of Student Veterans of America. He met with Executive Education Assistant Director Margaret Lane during the fall to discuss potential partnership opportunities.

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Jyoti Chauhan ‘13 EMPA/ CAS (Conflict Resolution) is currently Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Finance for the Government of India. She is presently working in the health sector in Jaipur, focused on multiple health issues and quality of care in various health setups. She is dedicated to finding ways to make government hospitals safer, affordable for patients, and operationally efficient. She’s strived to establish safe and effective healthcare processes over the years in all organizations, which has been well-documented by TQM Project, CRM Profiling, Six Sigma and Lean Hospital Index. She states it has been challenging to initiate but is working tirelessly towards it.

Vittoria Buccina ’15 EMPA/CAS (Conflict Resolution) is now Director of Enrollment Management in the School of Architecture at Syracuse University.

Tina Kapral ’15 EMPA/CAS (LNGO and Conflict Resolution) is now Director of Development for Syracuse University’s Institute for Veteran and Military Families.

Sandeep Jain ’16 EMPA has been posted as Chief Vigilance Officer in Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), Government of India. C-DOT is the premier telecom technology development center of the Government of India. He’s heading the vigilance set-up of the organization and his re-sponsibilities include preventive vigilance, punitive vigilance, surveillance and detection.

In Summer 2017’s newsletter, it was reported that Mustafa Yavuzdemir’s ’17 EMPA paper, Assess-ment of Turkey’s Nuclear Energy Policy had been accepted for the 15th IAEE (International Asso-ciation for Energy Economics) European Conference 2017 “Heading Towards Sustainable Energy Systems: Evolution or Revolution.” The conference was held in September 2017 in Vienna, Austria. Preceedings can be found here. Mustafa’s paper was originally part of Prof. Yilin Hou’s PAI 996, Master’s Project.

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