Alumni Awards

About the Awards

Every year, the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration recognizes exceptional alumni who are changing the world through their work. Among our outstanding awardees are ambassadors, vice admirals and lieutenant commanders, nonprofit and business founders, government affairs experts, presidents of universities and much more. Save the date for the 2023 Alumni Awards on October 18 at 4:30pm!

Nominations for the 2023 Alumni Awards are open until June 30 at 11:59pm. Click here to submit a nomination →

Outstanding Recent Alumni Award honors graduates within the past 10 years who are at the early stages of their careers and have already distinguished themselves while demonstrating the promise of even greater achievements in the future.

Distinguished Alumni Award honors graduates (more than 10 years post-graduation) who have made a lasting influence on society through outstanding professional, volunteer and/or philanthropic accomplishments.

Selection Criteria: 
Candidates must have an MPA, MPP, ENRP or PhD degree (or their predecessor degrees) from the George Washington University. Accomplishments in the following areas will be considered:

• Professional Attainment and Achievement – Candidates should have attained prominence in their career or profession. Work should have a demonstrated and wide-ranging impact.
• Public Service/Outstanding Service to Field or Profession – Candidates should have demonstrated outstanding scholarship, teaching, and service in the fields of public policy and/or public administration or active and reflective engagement in local, national, and global governance.

2022 Award Winners

 

 

 

Outstanding Recent Alumni Award

Rachel Breslin, PhD '19, is the Chief of Military Gender Relations Research in the Office of People Analytics in the Department of Defense. In this role, she leads the Defense Department’s data collections and research on sexual assault, sexual harassment, and gender discrimination in the military. Dr. Breslin is also a member of the Consortium of Race and Gender Scholars, an editorial board member for Public Administration Review, and a recent nominee to serve as a Commissioner for the Montgomery County Human Rights Commission in Maryland.

 

 

 

Distinguished Alumni Award

Dr. Charita Castro, PhD '07, is currently a Deputy Assistant United States Trade Representative for Labor Affairs where she oversees its global forced labor and human trafficking portfolio, multilateral and regional fora concerning trade and labor (G7, G20, OECD, ASEAN, APEC, ILO), and trade-related labor issues in East Asia, including China, and Southeast Asia. She has 20 years of federal government experience in senior policy, research, and management positions working collaboratively to deliver concrete results that improve the lives of workers and children, especially those in or at-risk of child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking.

Past Awardees

Outstanding Recent Alumni Award

• Lieutenant Commander Paul Miller, MPA '14
• Commander Zeita Merchant, MPA '10
• Dominique Harris, MPA '11
• Kristen Easterday, MPA ‘07
• Emily St. Martin Lord, MPA '08
• Kara Ryan, MPP '07
• Alex Lawson, MPP '08

Distinguished Alumni Award

• Ambassador Susan Schwab, PhD '93
• Vice Admiral Scott Buschman, MPA '96
• Amy B. Peeples, MPA '91
• Dr. Mark Esper, PhD '08
• Jeff Marootian, MPA ‘03
• Dr. David J. Bernstein, MPA '83 and PhD '00
• Dr. Cynthia Pierre, PhD '06
• Dr. Jeffrey Levi, PhD '99
• Commander Timothy Cronin, MPA ’08
• Dale Didion, MPA ’83
• Christa Fornarotto, MPP ’05
• Dr. Nancy Potok, PhD ’09
• Michael Stinziano, MPA '04
• Frank DiGiammarrino, MPA '95
• Edwin Verburg
• Dr. Demetra Nightingale, PhD '98
• Alfredo Campo, MPA '86
• Allison Gurnitz, MPA '91
• Claudia Oakes, MPA '83
• Dr. Kathryn Mohrman, PhD '93
• RAdm. John M. McConnell, MPA '86
• Robert Efrus, MPA '82
• Kenneth Yellis, MPA '87
• Mary Beth Morgan, MPA '97
• Susan Brita, MPA '83
• Winnie Stachelberg, MPA '90
• Michael Freimuth, MPA '79
• Mark Duffy, MPA '82
• Nancy Tate, MPA '80
• Adm. Thad Allen, MPA '86
• John Berry, MPA '78
• Matthew Crouch, MPA '90
• Dr. Jay White, PhD '82
• Michelle Mrdeza, MPA '83
• Dr. Anne DeBeer, PhD '80
• William Haden, MPA '65
• Dr. Harry West III, PhD '73
• Christopher Smith, MPA '86
• Sec. Henry Cisneros, PhD '76
• Elizabeth Craig, MPA '83
• Gen. John Vessry Jr.
• Natalie Flores Prim, MPA '03
• Rep. Gilbert Gude
• Cpt. Patrick Stillman, MPA '88