1. The Humphrey Fellows, their friends, and
host families gathered in the Strasser Legacy
Room to celebrate the accomplishments and
hard work of this year’s Humphrey Fellows.
Margaret Lane, Director of the
Humphrey Fellowship Program, commenced
programming by welcoming all in attendance
and congratulated the Fellows for a great
year. Catherine Gerard, who leads the
Humphrey Seminar and is Associate
Director of Executive Education and
Director of PARCC, the Program for the
Advancement of Research on Conflict and
Collaboration, also spoke and congratulated
the Fellows.
Members of the Executive Education
team recognized the Fellows’ host families,
who were a crucial piece in their transition
to a new country.
Faisal Ahmed, a Fellow from Pakistan,
offered a Humphrey reflection, speaking of
the diversity of his cohort and various site
visits the Fellows went on.
The keynote speaker was Tina Nabatchi,
Associate Professor of Public Administration
and International Affairs at the Maxwell
School. Congratulatory video remarks were
offered by both President Jimmy Carter and
Evan Ryan, Assistant Secretary of State for
Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S.
Department of State.
The Fellows were awarded certificates of
recognition, signed by both President Barack
Obama and the U.S. Secretary of State John
Kerry, and the program concluded with a
slideshow of pictures commemorating their
great year.
We will miss the Fellows, wish them
much luck in the future and look forward to
hearing of new accomplishments.
Saying Farewell to the 2015-
2016 Humphrey Fellows
January 2016 — July 2016Volume VII, Issue II
News and Events of the
2015-2016 Hubert H.
Humphrey Fellowship at the
Maxwell School Citizenship
Syracuse University
left to right: Andre II Emmanuel Ndjalle (Cameroon), Kokou Amouzou (Togo), Claude Fanohiza (Madagascar),
Vladislav Kulminski (Moldova), Nandita Suneechur (Mauritius), Syed Faisal Ahmed (Pakistan), Uran Esengeldiev
(Kyrgyzstan), Eduardo Cochella (Peru), Jahanzeb Akhtar (India), Filip Mitrovic (Serbia), Thiri (Grace) Maung
Maung (Myanmar), Temitope Aladesanmi (Nigeria)
Inside this issue:
Saying Farewell to
the 2015-16 Fellows
1
End of the Year
Celebration
2
Fellow Reflection 4
Annual Potluck, Peer 5
Lunar New Year,
Meeting NYS
Leadership,
Consensus CNY
6
Rotary Club Visits 7
Convocation Speaker 8
Enhancement Work-
shop
NYC Trip
Alumni Reflection
Penn State Trip
Alumni Updates
In Memoriam
Candidly Humphrey
2016-2017 Humphrey
Fellows Preview
10
12
14
16
17
22
23
24
2. End of Year Celebration
2
The evening was filled with memories and friendship as Syracuse said farewell to the Humphrey Fellows. Families, friends, faculty
and staff gathered to celebrate accomplishments of the past year. As Executive Education Director Steve Lux stated, we never say
goodbye, but see you later.
4. Fellow Reflection
Syed Faisal Ahmed was selected by his colleagues to pro-
vide a reflection on the Syracuse Humphrey Fellowship at
Maxwell at the Year End Celebration.
Good evening ladies & gentlemen:
Not very long ago, the decision for who will be giv-
ing the farewell speech was taken over a sumptuous
dinner. It wasn’t that difficult a decision because
naturally the most politically correct, sagacious,
hardworking and someone whose genius was free
from scholastic constraints had to be chosen and
here I am (pun intended).
It is customary for occasions like this, that one
starts reading from a list and unleashes a barrage of
compliments on the poor hosts, who after a minute
or two get so bored that they forget how to react. I
do not intend to subject this gathering to that or-
deal and will just put a few facts before you. You
take 12 professionals from 12 different countries of
four continents with four different religions, speak-
ing more than 15 different languages, more than 100
years of cumulative professional experience, differ-
ent eating habits and each one with his/her own
English accent as the ingredients for what already
looks like a pretty challenging 10 months. Some of
us hadn’t seen 4 seasons or snow or bone marrow
freezing cold. But all of us had definitely not seen
two winter breaks (pun) one of which was for rea-
sons unknown named “the spring break”.
So, you have this diversity and add to it the fact that
all apply for a diverse set of courses amidst the
planned Humphrey fellowship events which I may
inform you is not a purely academic program. It’s a
dual carriage way of information and learning ex-
change between the United States and the rest of
the world. This complex equation can only succeed
if there are dedicated, hardworking and intelligent
people at the helm of affairs in the executive educa-
tion department. And if I may say, they were and
are good; we were hauled all across the important
sites and organizations in Syracuse, the upstate New
York, NYC and Washington. Imminent scholars and
professionals were requested to address us and
share with us their experiences. In a period span-
ning nine months, the ladies at Maxwell ensured that
not a single query from us goes unanswered; tardi-
ness is a word that you will not find in their diction-
ary, come literally hell or high water. The length to
which the good office bearers of exec education
went to make the program successful merits exclu-
sive appreciation and I think that Margaret, Martha,
Denise and the rest of their associates deserve a
round of applause.
When your batch mate from Pakistan studying at “the”
Harvard University tells you that Maxwell is the best
school in the US with a pinch of envy then and only
then you realize the true extent of your good fortune.
And why shouldn’t it be the best school in the US?
With the likes of the sagacious Prof Gerard, the gentle-
man Prof Lux, the spirited Professor Schnell, the ener-
getic Professor Nabatchi, and Professor Bruno and Pro-
fessor Mergel and the list goes on and on, toiling away,
why should it be otherwise. It was, is and will forever
remain an honor for us to have walked the hallowed
corridors of this school.
A mention of the host families is also warranted here
for their tremendous support and love and for blessing
us with their friendship. Something about which the late
Hubert Humphrey so aptly remarked:
“The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I have re-
ceived it”
The lessons learnt during the Humphrey year were
many, but the sum total of it when distilled to a single
sentence comes to this: “Execute the simple tasks
properly and greatness shall follow”. By simple tasks I
mean that if you are required to be at your office desk
at 9 am, be there at 9 a.m. if you are expected to salt
and clear the footpaths at 6 a.m. then just do it at 6 a.m.
If you are forbidden to park somewhere just don’t park
there or in my case most definitely yield right of way to
a police car at a stop sign. The United States of America
didn’t achieve its present glory overnight. Its success
can be summed in the words Friedrich Nietzsche:
“He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to
stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one can-
not fly into flying.”
Like all good things, the Humphrey year is nearing its
end. It is with a strange feeling that we depart for the
longing of home is a bit too much now to bear and sim-
ultaneously the good time we had here in the United
States will be tough to let go off. But we had made a
promise in the beginning; a promise which entails the
application of our knowledge learnt here, in our home
countries. Suffice it to say that:
“Yesterday I was clever so I wanted to change the
world, today I am wise so I am changing myself,” Rumi.
May God Bless us all.
4
5. Annual Potluck Dinner
In what's become a Syracuse Humphrey tradition, the annual Syracuse Humphrey potluck provided the oppor-
tunity to showcase the Fellows' immeasurable culinary talents in the process of celebrating cultures. Some of the
host families also got in on the action. It was a perfect way to celebrate being back together after winter break
on a cold January afternoon.
Peer to Peer
Some Humphrey Fellows participated in Maxwell’s Executive Education Peer to Peer speaker series. This
past spring, Temitope Aladesanmi presented.
Death in Absentia: Social Media and Nigeria’s
Socio-Political Evolution (watch here)
Presenter: Temitope Aladesanmi (Nigeria)
5
6. Meeting with Consensus CNY
The Syracuse Fellows met with members of Consensus
CNY, the Commission on Local Government
Modernization. They learned about the importance of
public engagement in this initiative, which has explored the
creation of a metropolitan style of government in Syracuse
and Onondaga County.
Lunar NewYear
Humphrey Fellows and Executive Education students braved
the elements to enjoy dinner together on a cold and snowy
evening in February. This is an annual tradition for fellows
and students alike.
Fellows Discuss Open Government
Humphrey Fellows met with Executive Director of the
New York Department of State’s Committee on Open
Government, Bob Freeman. He discussed the Freedom of
Information law, its history in New York State, and global
perspectives of the public’s right to know.
6
7. Pag
Rotary Club Presentations andVisits
7
During the winter months, several Fellows made presentations about their respective countries to Rotary International
Clubs in the Syracuse and Cortland areas.
"Myanmar: the Golden Land" was the topic of Thiri
(Grace) Maung Maung's talk at the Syracuse Sunrise
Rotary on February 5th.
Jahanzeb Akhtar spent the day in Cortland, NY
thanks to the generosity of Humphrey Family,
Frank Kelly and Sandi Holland. Jahanzeb enlightened
the Cortland Rotary members with a presentation
about the culture of India.
Jahanzeb Akhtar presented to the Syracuse Sunrise
Rotary on January 22. Her presentation was entitled,
"India: Leading Nations Differently."
Claude Fanohiza was the featured speaker at the Syracuse
Sunrise Rotary on February 1st, where he spoke about
"Madagascar, Red Island : Dark Under Light."
8. Humphrey Alum Speaks at Maxwell Convocation
8
Today’s event is about us, the graduates of 2016,
reaching an important milestone in our lives. The
journey we have just traversed has been academi-
cally and personally very rich and insightful.
There is no doubt we worked hard, sacrificed
sweet sleep, stayed extra late in the AV or Bird
library due to missing the last bus and hoped for
free ride offers on Facebook groups, got frustrat-
ed in the closing minutes of approaching big dead-
lines, and definitely enjoyed tons of free food that
paved a path for us to Archbold Gym.
Yet, none of us reached here without our sup-
porters. From our families to our friends, from
our classmates to the staff and faculty here at the
Maxwell School and the whole of Syracuse Uni-
versity – their personal and academic counseling,
their financial support and of course their en-
couragement – all had such an important role in
our educational journey, and cannot be overstat-
ed or forgotten. Each and every graduate here
has enjoyed a unique personal journey. While
some of us came for academic advancement for
career growth, others sought out the Maxwell
School to engage in a scholarship program or to
turn their dream of a master’s degree into a
reality.
Like many of you, I too have my own special and
somewhat miraculous story behind my graduate
education, which I recently reflected on in prepa-
ration for this address. It’s sort of like a “message
in the bottle” story, although it comes from the
double landlocked country of Uzbekistan.
It is my belief that my journey to this graduate
program at the Maxwell School was in fact con-
ceived on the same day of my birth in 1978, with
this half faded slip of paper. On this paper, just as I
was taking my first breaths in this world, my grand-
mother typed her “big dream” for me that I would
earn university education from top ranked universi-
ty in Uzbekistan. My mom kept this paper in safe
keeping until it was time to put the wheels in mo-
tion for reaching this “big dream”, starting with my
university admission in 1995 to become public
school teacher.
My enrollment in that program was just the first
step in what I envision will be a long and fruitful
career in public service, a career that will undoubt-
edly be catapulted thanks to the amazing education
I have received here at the Maxwell School over
the last two years. I owe invaluable appreciation to
my grandma and mom for transmitting this “big
dream” to me; and leading me to become an edu-
cated public servant from this prestigious school
and more importantly, a contributing citizen!
Like many of you, beyond my family, I also owe a
debt of gratitude to the professors, researchers,
administrators and support staff of the Maxwell
School, who form the backbone of this school.
Their tireless work holds up the highest roof in the
country and creates an enabling environment
where theory and practice converge into a full-
spectrum learning environment. I was a witness of
this national level recognition of Maxwell’s excel-
lence at ICMA (International City/County Manage-
ment Association) Conference in Seattle last year
when the representative of Harvard’s Kennedy
School of Governance said “well…we also have
good programs” when I said I was a graduate stu-
dent at Maxwell.
I am also thankful to my American and international
friends for graciously sharing their time, personal
space, empathy and sympathy during the ups and
downs of graduate studies. I am thankful to my ex-
tended family and friends back in Uzbekistan for
Mirjakhon Turdiev (Uzbekistan, 2014-2015) was
selected to address the 2016 Maxwell Convocation.
He received his Executive Master of Public Admin-
istration.
9. 9
(con’t from previous page)
continuous encouragement and care de-
spite the 6500 miles of separation. And
finally, I thank my wife for making sure I
have my coffee on study nights and marvel-
ous kids for sharing my student life by going
to bed early, leaving me a time to study.
The education and professional develop-
ment opportunities available at Maxwell
catalyzed my inevitable interest in the
school’s master’s program while I was Hu-
bert H. Humphrey Fellow. Through the
courses offered in the EMPA program, I am
now able to frame and validate previous
work experience with theoretical concepts
of effective public administration tech-
niques.
The biggest intellectual evolution for me has
been the expansion of my approach to all
public issues by adding the question of
“How?” to the question “Why?” The ques-
tion “How?” has led me to deliberate about
the processes and instruments for more
effective, participatory and democratic poli-
cies and decision making as public servant.
As a result of policy analysis, leadership,
participatory and collaborative governance,
policy implementation and international
development administration courses, it be-
came a default habit for me to look at the
world through the lens of both “Why?” and
“How?” Listening to NPR, National Public
Radio, during my morning rides to campus
throughout the US presidential race de-
bates have provided an excellent opportuni-
ty for me to really test the knowledge I’ve
gained about public policy, governance and
leadership through this “Why?” and “How”?
spectrum.
By way of example, now when I hear that well-
known immigration related policy idea about
building a “great wall” (And now, I’m not talking
about that Great Wall in China), I now think
about “costs and benefits”, “negative and posi-
tive externalities” or “rent seeking” behind such
policy.
Another significant change for me has been the
shift from “disability rights advocate” to
“pragmatic disability rights advocate”, meaning I
am able to link my disability rights advocacy
with practical policy instruments. All these give
a life to my definition of citizenship “Give and
Accept!” which was created within the walls at
Maxwell. The Oath of Athenian City – State
also endorses my motto by stating “…we will
transmit this city not only not less, but greater,
better and more beautiful than it was
transmitted to us.”
Change is inevitable. But good global citizens
such as us can play an instrumental role in shap-
ing how that change happens. This is the most
urgent time for our generation for constructive
citizen diplomacy to respond to all the human
made catastrophes we are witnessing now re-
gardless of ethnic, racial, religious or gender
differences.
I am grateful to Maxwell for positioning me to
be a capable citizen and leader in an ever-
changing world.
Thank you and hope to see you all in 2024
(twenty and twenty four) to celebrate the 10th
Decade of Maxwell School!
Humphrey Alum Speaks at Maxwell Convocation
10. Enhancement Workshop
Humphrey Fellows from across the Humphrey campuses spent a week at Syracuse University, gaining skills and
insights into how to lead during times of crisis at this year’s Enhancement Workshop, entitled, "Leadership and
Governance in Times of Crisis." This year, there were 40 Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows hailing from 29
countries and 15 U.S. host universities. Syracuse Humphrey Director Margaret Lane opened up the workshop,
welcoming participants and introduced lead faculty Professor Bruce Dayton, Research Fellow, Moynihan
Institute of Global Affairs, Maxwell School and Associate Professor, School for International Training. Fellows
were also welcomed by James Steinberg, Dean of the Maxwell School. Throughout the week they participated
in sessions offering contextual perspectives of crises. These included topics such as political leadership; GIS
mapping of a crisis; the importance of strategic communications and a final day simulation in which participants
had to work through a national crisis to avert disaster. Maxwell faculty from throughout various social science
disciplines and other crisis-based professionals led the sessions.
The 2016 Syracuse Enhancement Workshop participants
Syracuse’s Enhancement Workshop is also a great opportunity to
re-connect and collaborate with Fellows from across all fifteen
Campuses.
Syracuse’s snowy weather did not keep intrepid attendees from
a campus tour, which offered highlights of the campus founded
in 1870.
10
11. 11
Crisis Communication was one of the many top-
ics covered during the Enhancement Workshop
(left). Fellows also participated in sessions on Politi-
cal Leadership, Mapping Vulnerability, Social Media
in Times of Crisis, and Public Health Crises.
Syracuse alum Joe Bangura (Sierra Leone, 2009-
2010) (below, on screen) provided his experience
via the internet leading the communications effort
during his country's Ebola health crisis.
Professor Bruce Dayton (bottom right) provided an
applied perspective rooted in theory during the
week, which concluded with a half-day simulation.
During a welcome reception (bottom left) Humph-
rey alum Naqibullah Salarzai (Afghanistan, UMN
Humphrey) offers a welcome to the
Syracuse campus, both as a past attendee of the
Syracuse Workshop and as a current Executive
Education student at Maxwell.
Enhancement Workshop
12. UMN and SU Collaborate on NYCTrip
The University of Minnesota Humphrey School and Syracuse University Maxwell School Humphrey campuses
joined together during a trip to New York City. Among the joint sessions were meetings with J. Brian Atwood,
former dean of the Humphrey School and previous administrator for USAID, who talked about the United
Nations' role within current global challenges; and Jack Linn, former NYC Asst. Parks Commissioner who
provided an in-depth tour of Central Park, discussing the role of public parks in a democracy and as drivers of
economic development. A group dinner and tour of the UN were also on the slate of activities. Each campus
also had time to explore the city on their own. Syracuse visited Acumen, a social investment nonprofit with a
goal of alleviating global poverty through patient capital.
Brian Atwood discusses the role of the UN within current global
challenges.
Fellows Jahanzeb Akhtar and Nandita Suneechur during a tour of the
United Nations.
12
UMN and Syracuse Humphrey Fellows gathered at SU’s Lubin House for an afternoon of sessions about the
United Nations and the role of public parks in democracies.
13. Top left: Former Assistance Parks Commission-
er Jack Linn provided an extensive walking tour
of Central Park, highlighting how the park was
developed and its ongoing economic impact.
Top right: Fellows await their United Nations
tour, posing in front of portraits of previous
U . N . S e c r e t a r i e s - G e n e r a l .
Right: Have selfie stick, will travel!
The Fellows take a selfie outside the U.N.
Bottom: Fellows from both University of Minne-
sota Humphrey School and Syracuse University
Maxwell School pose with J. Brian Atwood in
the Security Council Chamber during a tour of
the United Nations.
13
14. Filip Mitrovic, 2015-2016, from Serbia, authored the fol-
lowing post on LinkedIn. The original post is here.
For Humphrey Fellows, future and otherwise and any-
one else planning to study abroad. This is a short re-
flection on this excellent opportunity. Humphrey Fel-
lowship is available for a number of mid-career profes-
sionals to come to some of the top ranked schools in
US and world, and enhance their skills. In the same
time, they will get an opportunity to do high level in-
ternships in their fields of interest. But also I hope my
reflection might help others using similar educational
exchange opportunities to advance their knowledge
and careers.
All in all, Humphrey or not, I just tried to help by pre-
paring my list of top impressions and tips for challeng-
es you might come across and hope it is useful. Have a
great time while here!
To break it down, my Humphrey year was about
these things:
1. Figuring out what to do next
2. Reaching out of my comfort zone
3. Exploring new interests
4. New academic challenges
5. New professional challenges
6. Understanding new cultures
Understanding new cultures
I think there is a big difference between just experi-
encing a culture and actually learning about one. Once
your Fellowship starts, you will inevitably experience
not just US culture, or cultures of your Humphrey
cohort, but many, many others. My two cents are - I
hope you take time and effort to understand as many
of these cultures as you can. I’m sure that in your fu-
ture professional work, you will meet even more peo-
ple, with and understanding their cultural background
will be a key to a successful cooperation. Make this
Fellowship an opportunity to understand how individ-
ual cultural background shapes interactions and bond-
ing. Don’t be lazy, invest effort to make yourself cul-
turally sensitive and adaptive. It is most valuable skill
and this is a perfect time to work on it.
Professional challenges
One important insight I got, in what makes US great
(again) is how dedicated Americans are to their work.
Working in such committed and professional environ-
ment will give you a great opportunity to learn, devel-
op and network through so called, Professional Affilia-
tions. Best way to describe them would be high level
internships, you can start while on campus and for six
weeks after the second semester. I would recommend
doing both. I didn’t do a local one for a number of
reasons, none of which is good enough really, so
please learn from my mistake. Ideal position never
15. 15
comes easy, and it is important to put as much effort
as possible into getting one you will like. Email, call,
network use resources you have personally and also
through means you create while on your Fellowship
in order to be satisfied. It sounds daunting I’m sure,
but end result is pretty much worth it.
Academics
This will be a focus of your stay. My year was in Syra-
cuse. Maxwell School is number one school in the
area of public policy in US and it was easy to see why.
Professors are dedicated to students and their work,
but also bring a lot of experience from their time in
public service. I had classes thought by former heads
of agencies, undersecretaries, directors of interna-
tional bodies. They were all very accessible, they
knew every student’s name and helped merge theory
with their experience in the best way possible. I took
classes out of the area of what my previous studies
were about – economics. Studying up in NGO man-
agement, big data, national security, I feel I made the
right choice. Those are all areas I had some at least
tangential experience with and it helped a lot in fur-
ther building up my skills. I know a lot of Fellows did
pretty much the same, trying to build up their skill set
by acquiring new knowledge. It is also ok to just take
courses that are just fun!
If you send a few emails and do one or two visits to
professor’s office, you would be allowed to sit in on/
or audit pretty much any class you want – and you
will be treated as any other student there. Some peo-
ple during our year took piano lessons, fitness classes
or something out of their field of interest. All these
choices look like great decisions to me.
Exploring New Interests
You have a skill set you can improve on by becoming
a Fellow. And you can do it either by strengthening
skills you already have, and that brought you to
where you are now. But another option is to expand
on your knowledge with something new. I have tried
to do the latter by taking data management and national
security courses. It gave me new perspectives on what I
already know and opened my future plans to new ideas
and opportunities. I guess depending on what you want;
you should make a combination of both. I am not thinking
on academic interests only, or ones related to university,
you can do so much… I tried carting… that was a lot of
fun. Also wine slushies… also fun in moderation. But new
cuisines come to mind in this category and so much
more, it is all under your fingertips in most cases and I’m
sure you will get a lot from being inquisitive or adven-
turous.
Reaching out of my Comfort Zone
This one is tough, and whenever I got some advice, al-
most always it would be about how best decisions made
when you are out of your comfort zones. Sounds easy
enough but it is ultimately difficult task in my experience. I
like to do things on my own, and enjoy being independ-
ent. But coming to Fellowship is kind of a step out the
comfort zone. Why not make a leap out of it?
Whenever I felt stuck with a challenge I tried to make
myself to step out my comfort zone, meaning reach out,
ask for help or advice. Or simply take a route that is not
my usual pattern of behavior. It worked more time than it
didn’t and I am happy that I can give the same advice we
all heard before- step out of your comfort zone, it works!
And it works even better if you want a successful and
meaningful Humphrey year.
Figuring what to do next
My Fellowship was time for me to reflect. It was not sit-
ting next to the calm lake and looking at the water kind of
reflection. But it did include getting out of my everyday
setting and thinking how this time spent here on so many
different academic and professional challenges impacts
what I do next. And it seems to me it will. To a great
extent. I am sure you will use time during the fellowship
in the same way. Also hope you get some great ideas. If
your plans ever need anything from a policy wonk from
Serbia, do contact me.
16. Pa Penn State and SU HumphreyTrip
16
In the Syracuse Humphrey Fellows’ third cross-campus collaboration of the year, they met their Penn State colleagues to
talk about challenges and opportunities of re-entry (returning to their country). Fellows gathered on the most perfect of
spring days to reflect on their Humphrey year and along the way enjoyed Cayuga Nature Center with its 6-story tree
house and a short hike to Taughannock Falls.
17. As part of the Maxwell School’s “In the Loop”
series at the Greenberg House in Washington,
D.C. in February, Syracuse Humphrey alum
Khaled AlAjmi (Saudi Arabia, 2010-2011)
introduced Big Data. He provided an overview of
its dimensions, and described the value and
challenges it can bring to business. Khaled has
been in the field of technology management since
2000. He is now with the International Monetary
Fund as a Section Chief of Data/Metadata Collec-
tion and Dissemination.
Congratulations to San Thida (Myanmar, 2014-2015)
for her candidacy as a 2016 Distinguished Humphrey
Leadership Award recipient! She will travel to the
U.S. to participate in a one week executive leadership
course at Harvard, followed by a one week job shad-
owing with the U.S. counterpart to her position in the
Ministry of Planning and Finance.
Cesar Perez (Guatemala, 2014-2015, third from
left), had a “Maxwell moment” at Costa Rica’s Nation-
al Assembly. He was there for the launch of a think
tank initiative of Democracy Lab. Alvaro Salas, a Ph.D.
candidate at Maxwell joined Cesar and Dean David
Van Slyke and Associate Professor Tina Nabatchi in
regards to research on infrastructure transportation
policy, public private partnerships and civic engage-
ment.
To learn more about Democracy Lab, visit its Face-
book page at https://www.facebook.com/
democracylab/.
17
Alumni Updates
18. 18
Temitope Aladesanmi (Nigeria, 2015-2016), spoke at the
Mason-NSF Cybersecurity Leadership & Innovation Confer-
ence, "Bridging the Cybersecurity Leadership Gap: Assess-
ment, Competencies and Capacity Building," in Arlington, VA
at the George Mason University. His topic was "Man or Ma-
chine: Addressing the Weakest Link." A profile was also pub-
lished on Temi by the George Mason School of Business,
shortly after the conference. It can be found here
San Thida (2014-2015) Deputy Direc-
tor of Training, Research and ICT Divi-
sion within the Budget Department of
the Ministry of Planning and Finance. She
is also coordinating the World Bank
sponsored Myanmar Modernization of
Public Finance Management Project. They
also met with the Permanent Secretary
of the Ministry of Planning and Finance
and the Deputy Director of the Budget
Division to discuss current reforms going
on within the Ministry.
Two of our Syracuse Humphrey alumni from Myanmar recently welcomed Executive Education’s Dan Nelson,
International Program Manager for the Maxwell School.
Phone Myint Win (2011-2012) is
Country Representative for the Burnet
Institute. Phone is focused on directing
Burnet Institute’s public health interven-
tions as they work on connecting national
health programs supported by the Minis-
try of Heath with civil society and interna-
tional agencies.
19. Alumni Updates
Sania Battalova (Kyrgyzstan, 2011-2012) was
interviewed on "Opinion" a program airing on NBT, a
Bishkek television station. She discussed copyright
issues in the digital age and the inherent tension
between that and access to information, stressing the
importance of free and open access to knowledge. To
see the video presentation, click here.
19
Dr. Nimrod Goren (fourth from left)
Photocredit:GPoT
Nimrod Goren (Israel, 2009-2010) founder
of the Mitvim Institute recently travelled to
Istanbul and GoPT Center of Turkey, where
experts from both think tanks convened
(together with politicians and diplomats) to
develop policy recommendations for the
mending of Israel-Turkey ties. http://
www.gpotcenter.org/news/1325/
In July 2016, for the second year, the Mitvim
Institute offered an intensive summer program
to Syracuse University students on the Israeli-
Palestinian peace process. The program,
carried out in cooperation with INSCT, the
Institute of National Security and Counterter-
rorism, and included a series of lectures, visits,
and discussions on domestic and regional
aspects of peacebuilding efforts in the Middle
East.
20. Page 14
Thiri (Grace) Maung Maung (Myanmar, 2015-2016)
recently provided this update as she wraps up her
Professional Affiliations in Washington, D.C.
Currently, I am doing my professional affiliation at the
IMF’s Institute of Capacity Development (ICD). At ICD,
I am working on Internal Economics Training (IET) Pro-
gram housed under the Operations Management Divi-
sion. I am assigned review the soft and technical skills
trainings and draw a structured curriculum for internal
IMF staff with the collaboration between the IET and
HR department. The rationale is to give staff a sort of
“passport to training” to enable easy access and direc-
tion in wading the myriad training offerings in the Fund.
At the meanwhile, I am also remotely working on the
United Nations Institute for Training and Research
(UNITAR) Women’s Leadership Programme. Basically, I
have to do research on the gender imbalance which
exist in multilateral conferences, particularly focusing
Congratulations to Syracuse Humphrey Fellow Dee Moskoff, (South Africa,
2013-2014) for being selected as a winner in the U.S. Department of State's
Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund for 2016! Her project is entitled
“Empowering Caregivers to Promote School Readiness.” She partnered with
Lundi Siwundla. The project proposal stated:
“The project will adapt that prototype to the local context and roll it out to a
network of preschools in South Africa. Our approach leverages ubiquitous,
entry-level Android devices. We will bridge the school readiness gap by
providing preschool teachers and mothers with frequent, actionable feedback
that enables them to identify and meet their children’s specific developmental
needs.
Our team worked with grad students at U-Michigan to create a ‘wireframe’
prototype of a game-based assessment app that runs on Android devices. The
app includes a series of carefully designed games suited for weekly, supervi-
sion-free engagement by 3-5 year-old children. As a child progresses through
a game, the app measures the early learning outcomes embedded in each ac-
tivity. These measures are displayed on a feedback ‘dashboard’ with suggested
remediation strategies, thereby enabling caregivers to actively facilitate a
child’s learning progress."
In a future newsletter Dee will provide updates once the project is
implemented!
on sectors where women are most underrepresented including Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematical
(STEM) fields. At the Asia Society, my first host organization, they asked me to write a policy paper. I am now fin-
ishing on it, entitled, “Myanmar and its prospects” and hope to publish in the near future.
Grace added that to provide balance to her hectic days in Washington, she took advantage of the World Bank’s “Power of
Relaxation” session and found it quite beneficial.
20
Dee also had the opportunity to
meet up with Michelle Ntukanyag-
we (Rwanda, 2014-2015) when
Michelle and a colleague were visiting
Cape Town (right photo). And while
Dee was in Kampala, she met an in-
coming Syracuse Fellow, Umar
Kiyimba (Uganda) (left photo). They
talked about her experience as a
Syracuse Fellow and suggestions to
make his Humphrey year the best
year possible.
21. Page
Humphrey alum Roxanna Silva (Ecuador, 2009-2010), a
Constitutional judge in Ecuador, was asked to observe the
election proceedings in the Dominican Republic as an In-
ternational Electoral Observer. Pictured right is Silva with
President of the Constitutional Court, Judge Milton Ray
Guevara of the Dominican Republic.
On April 20th, 2016, Humphrey alum Elena
Marchan (Ecuador, 2011-2012) earned an MBA
in International Affairs from the University of
Guayaquil. Her paper was entitled, "Analysis of
Diplomatic Affairs between Colombia and Vene-
zuela and its Influence on the Colombian/
Venezuelan Crisis of August 2015." Pictured right
is the Dean of the International Affairs Institute
and a professor of the University of Guayaquil.
Alumni Updates
21
Photo credit: Tribunal Constitucional Republica Dominicana
Sanaullah Abro (Pakistan, 2013-2014) provided us with
the following update:
After serving one year at the HQ, the World Customs
Organization (WCO) in Brussels selected me to work
there for one year. Now, almost at the completion of the
program, I’ve accomplished a number of professional
projects and worked with many international agencies
related to Customs and Border Management including
the United Nations.
Later on, the WCO nominated me to participate a Unit-
ed Nation Mission for assessment in Kazakhstan for the
implementation of the UN Security Council Resolutions
on counter terrorism. I covered Customs and border
management side of the mission. It was a rewarding ex-
perience to work with highly professional team.
Now at the end of the program, I have accomplished a
research project on performance measurement in Cus-
toms administration and have brought my learning from
Maxwell School particularly from Seminar lectures to my
research project.
22. 22
In Memoriam– Dr. Philip Brachman,
Emory University
We offer condolences to the Emory Humphrey
Fellowship program family on the early June passing of
its longtime director, Dr. Philip Brachman. He was
involved with the Humphrey program at Emory Uni-
versity for over 25 years. Many Syracuse Fellows re-
member him from Emory’s Global Development and
Social Justice Enhancement Workshop. He was in-
credibly dedicated to Humphrey Program, its ideals
and mission and all of its Fellows, regardless of cam-
pus or field of study.
To send your condolences to the Emory Humphrey
Fellowship Program, go to their Facebook page: https://
www.facebook.com/HHHEmory
Gina Chacon (Mexico, 2012-2013) recently met with
Margaret during her visit to Mexico City for Executive
Education. Gina is a project coordinator and research-
er at Fundar, Center for Analysis and Research in
Transparency and Accountability. She’s currently work-
ing on a study to fostering transparency and accounta-
bilit y in the envi ronmental sector .
She also travelled to Washington, D.C. in July to pre-
sent at the 3rd International Conference
on Democratic Governance in the Developing World.
The conference, Advancing Democratic Governance in the
Developing World: The Role of Conflict, Complementarity,
and Collaboration in Fostering Democratic Ideals, Practices,
and Institutions and was organized by Maxwell’s Program
for the Analysis and Research on Conflict and Collabo-
ration. Professor Tina Nabatchi was committee chair
and PARCC Director (and Humphrey Seminar lead
faculty) Catherine Gerard served on the conference
program committee. Gina’s session was entitled
“Environmental Governance: building a public agenda
for the sustainability in Northwest Mexico.”
Alumni Updates
We always like to hear about Humphrey alumni updates! We post to Facebook
in between newsletters. No news is too big or too small. Please pass along any
news you wish to share- and photos are always welcome. You can post on our
Facebook page or email Martha at mhketcha@syr.edu.
23. Stay up to date with us on
We want to hear from you! Join us on Facebook. If you have news, views, or updates, join our
“Humphrey Fellows- Maxwell School, Syracuse University” group on Facebook. It’s a
great way to keep in touch with past and current Maxwell Humphrey Fellows! This is a closed
group– only current or former Fellows and host families are accepted. Our public Facebook
page is The Hubert H Humphrey Fellowship Program at Maxwell, Syracuse Univ. and
can be ‘liked’ by anyone!
Candidly Humphrey
Top: During a site visit to ArtRage Gallery, Fellows saw how the
intersection of art and activism can shape discourse. They also
learned about the mission of the Syracuse Peace Council, the oldest
such organization in the U.S., having been founded in 1936.
Top Right: As part of the final Humphrey Seminar, Fellows provided
some concluding lessons of leadership.
Right: Fellows in Washington for their professional affiliations
gathered one last time with Humphrey staff, who were in town for
the Coordinator’s Conference.
Bottom: Recently Humphrey Fellows had the opportunity to meet
World Bank President Jim Yong Kim in Washington, D.C. Syracuse
Fellows included Thiri (Grace) Maung Maung (Myanmar), Nandita
Suneechur (Mauritius) and Vlad Kulminski (Moldova). Syracuse
alum Karla Dominguez (Mexico, 2013-2014) also attended the
meeting, in addition to Judy Gibson (IIE), and Anthony Koliha, John
Sedlins and Paul Schelp (U.S. Department of State).
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24. 2016-2017
Humphrey Fellow
Preview
Although we will miss this year’s Fellows dearly, we are already
excited to welcome a new group who will follow in their footsteps.
The 2016-2017 Fellows will be arriving in August, and are the 8th
group of Fellows to come to Syracuse University. They hail from 11
different countries, including Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Lebanon, Jamaica,
Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, Sudan, Uganda, Central African
Republic, Togo, and Chile. With such a diverse group of Fellows, we
already know it will be an enriching year for all. We can’t wait to
meet you!
