Marxe Community Spotlights 2022

In this month’s student spotlight, MPA candidate Shahnoza Kurbonshoeva tells us about her recent fellowship with Coding it Forward, her interest in civic technology, and more.

Hear from our then-new faculty member, Associate Professor Angie Beeman, who tells us about the problem with certain progressive attitudes toward people of color, how she addresses the themes of racism and inequity in her teaching and how she believes race-based education will evolve in the near future.

In this month’s alumni spotlight we spoke with MIA graduate and Excelsior Fellow, Robin Taylor. She tells us about her performing arts background, her goals for her Fellowship at the NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, and more.

Master of International Affairs student Lindsey McCormack tells us about her work as Director of Development for Rights CoLab, her experience in the MIA program, and more.

In this Legacy Spotlight we welcomed then-new professor Scott Evenbeck to the School and spoke about his teaching and involvement in the Higher Education Administration program, CUNY’s role in the future of New York City, and more.

In this month’s alumni spotlight, MPA alumna Amy Sohn tells us about her newest book, The Man Who Hated Women: Sex, Censorship and Civil Liberties in the Gilded Age, her new role at the NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice as press secretary, and more.

MPA student, Jacques St.Cloud, shares with us his program experience at the Marxe school, the achievements and challenges he’s faced throughout his career, shares details of his current position, and more.

In this Legacy Spotlight from 2020, Professor Casey talks about his approach to teaching, his research projects (including one on skiing, which he describes as typically a “rich person’s sport”), and his time away on sabbatical.

We speak to Excelsior Fellow and Marxe MPA alumna, Joanna Green, about her summer position working as a VISTA NYC Program Coordinator for the Summer Associate Program at Hunger Free America, her involvement with the MPA club, her time as a Graduate Research Fellow and Teaching Assistant working with Professor Deborah Balk, and much more.

In this month’s Student Spotlight we speak with MPA candidate, Sandra Raafat. She tells us about her Marxe Dean’s Fellowship experience, her previous roles at the Marxe School, her interest in law and public policy, and much more.

In this Faculty Legacy Spotlight from 2017, we spoke to then new faculty member Rahul Pathak about the courses he’ll be teaching at the Marxe School, the research he has been doing, and his interests in public finance and social policy.

MIA alumna, Ashley Roselló, shares with us her experience while working as an Emergency Management Specialist at FEMA, why she decided to pursue an MIA degree at the Marxe School, how her studies have been while at the school, and more.

MPA candidate, Nara Sandberg, who is passionate about public health and sustainability tells us about her summer internship at Johnson & Johnson and more in this month’s student spotlight.

In this Legacy Spotlight, Professor Dan Williams tells us about his new book on participatory budgeting and his approach to remote instruction.

Alumna Victoria Gnerre (MSEd-HEA ’22) talks about her involvement at Baruch College, her experience in the MSEd-HEA program, her approach to HEA, and more.

This month’s student spotlight, Amiyah Young (BSPA), is a highly accomplished individual who has been accepted for the nationally competitive Columbia Climate School Research for Undergraduates Program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). We discuss her experience volunteering and assisting abroad, her time working at the New York State Senate, and more.

In this past Legacy Spotlight we spoke to Professor Robert C. Smith. Take a look at this recap interview as we discussed Trump’s wall, how to make immigrant communities safer, and more.

Marxe alumna, Samaira Kempner, recently started a new position as Onboarding Account Manager at Justworks! We discuss Samaira’s Hagedorn Internship class experience, the challenges she has faced while working for Dress for Success, and more.

Marxe MIA student, Tenneth Fairclough II, tells us about the organization and his role as Polling Analyst at Data for Progress, his journey throughout the years at the Marxe School, and what has driven him to pursue a MIA degree.

Dr. Zachariah Mampilly tells us his thoughts on the MIA program, the fellowships he is working on, what courses he is looking forward to teaching, and much more.

MPA Alumna, Maia Roseval, joins us to discuss her research with Professor Mampilly on African rebel groups and uprisings, her work for the Fund for the City of New York as a Community Planning Fellow, and what drove her to pursue a second Master’s degree.

Marxe BSPA student, Lia Harutyunyan, introduces us to her world of art and talks about her painting Indestructible for Evelyn Simien’s book talk on Historic Firsts in U.S. Elections.

We speak to Marxe Professor Douglas Muzzio about his deeply-rooted interests in all things New York City and his new book.

MPA alumnus Patrick Masseo, Director of Strategic Initiatives at 1199SEIU Benefit and Pension Funds, tells us about his current position, his previous work experience, and the various work he had done as part of the COVID-19 response.

In this month’s Student Spotlight we speak with MPA student, Giselle Guerrero. She tells us about her current position as a consultant for El Barrio Bikes, and her role as a Community Planning Fellow at Fund for the City of New York.

Congratulations to Marxe Professor Don Waisanen for receiving the Con Edison Social and Behavioral Research Award! In this special edition of Faculty Spotlight, he tells us about his research which focuses on what prevents people from reporting gas leaks. The project stands to contribute to an understanding of what types of communication can motivate people to take action on important societal issues.

Director of Operations at the Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development (ANHD), Lauren Nye, tells us more about her role, the challenges she’s faced, and what drew her towards nonprofit operations.

In this month’s student spotlight we talk to Executive MPA student and Director of Youth & Community Partnerships at Trinity Church Wall Street, Jennifer Chinn about her background in arts and hospitality, subsequent transition to community engagement, and her Executive MPA experience at Marxe.

In our Special Edition Faculty Publication Spotlight we speak to Marxe Professor Thomas Main about his new book, The Rise of Illiberalism.

Marxe alumnus and Special Assistant to CM Rita Joseph & Infrastructure Policy Advisor at the New York City Council, Joel Desouve tells us all about his MPA experience; his research with Professor Pathak which studies budgets voted and executed for more than 20 years for Senegal, Uganda, Rwanda, and 30 other countries; and his various fellowships, internships, and more.

In this month’s student spotlight we talk with Katrell Lewis, who is taking the Urban Development and Sustainability track of the MPA program. Katrell tells us about his recent promotion at Habitat for Humanity, his Marxe School experience, and more.

The CUNY Institute for Demographic Research (CIDR), located at Baruch College, brings together demographers from throughout the University and is the focal point for demographic research and training taking place at CUNY. Professor Neil G. Bennett, who is the Director of CIDR, was among the group of faculty who helped to create this unique CUNY-wide initiative a decade ago. In this legacy spotlight, he talks with us about CIDR and his career in demography, what he enjoys most in teaching, and about his ongoing research projects.

We welcome back BSPA alumna Alyssa Alicino who was our first student spotlight way back in 2014. We catch up with her to find out about what she’s been up to, including her new role at Accenture.

Cerlyn Ellis talks about her role in health care, her interest in women’s health and immigration, and more.

Professor Hernandez tells us about his research on the US immigration system, his work as an asylum officer, and his pedagogical aspirations for his then return to the Marxe School.

Former Policy and Research Assistant at the Marxe School’s Howard J. Samuels State and City Policy Center, Wooserk Park discusses his research at the Center, what it’s like to work in research, and more.