Featuring You

July 20, 2017 | By Sarah Pfledderer | GPS News

How Jeff Rector ’97, is making a point to involve GPS in a new venture erecting energy microgrids in off-grid communities of Sub-Saharan Africa. Read more.

May 18, 2017 | By Sarah Pfledderer | GPS News

As the class of 2017 hits the home stretch to graduation, we caught up with a few 2016 alumni to see where they wound up one year after earning their GPS degrees. Read more.

May 12, 2017 | By Anthony King | GPS News

Motivated by impactful internships of their own, GPS alumni rallied around a class fundraising competition that amassed more than $17,500 for the School’s Summer Internship Fund. Read more.

April 27, 2017 | By Sarah Pfledderer | UC San Diego News

As point person for San Diego’s Cleantech Initiative, UC San Diego alumnus Jacques Chirazi has steered city’s strides in sustainability. Read more.

Feb. 24, 2017 | By Sarah Pfledderer | GPS News

As part of an ongoing series to spotlight GPS’s top employers, we profile why GAO hires our graduates, plus why current alumni enjoy working there. Read more.

Feb. 8, 2017 | By Sarah Pfledderer | GPS News

In time for International Women’s Day on March 8, we spotlight five GPS alumnae and their professional achievements stemming from moments of being bold in their careers. Read more.

Feb. 6, 2017 | By Sarah Pfledderer | GPS News

Steven Buchsbaum ’97 attended GPS to discover what could be the next step in his science-centric career. What he received was so much more. Read more.

Feb. 3, 2017 | By Sarah Pfledderer | GPS News

Roughly 50 alumni returned to GPS for its annual Winter Connections event, meeting with and lending advice to the students soon to enter their alumni network. Read more.

Nov. 16, 2016 | By Sarah Pfledderer | GPS News

As part of an ongoing series to spotlight GPS’s top employers, we profile why Booz Allen Hamilton hires our graduates, plus why current alumni enjoy working there. Read more.

Nov. 1, 2016 | By Sarah Pfledderer | GPS News

How Jason Kim, MAS-IA ’12, helped to set the stage for foreign area officers to fulfill their graduate school requirements at GPS. Read more.

Oct. 17, 2016 | By Sarah Pfledderer | GPS News

George Eiskamp didn’t always conceive of a career in oil and gas but, as CEO and founder of GroundMetrics, the alumnus is an industry standout due in part to lesson learned at GPS. Read more.

Sept. 16, 2016 | By Sarah Pfledderer | GPS News

Joel Rabasco and Rich Abrom impart to GPS’s incoming students their wisdom gained in 20 years since attending the School. Read more.

July 15, 2016 | By Sarah Pfledderer | GPS News

The common interest in sustainability that brought together Lauren DeMates and Rosaly Byrd at GPS now is turning profits for the duo in that of a burgeoning blog and book deal. Read more.

June 9, 2016 | By Sarah Pfledderer | GPS News

As part of UC San Diego’s Alumni Weekend, GPS hosted its third annual Salsa Saturday on June 4. Read more.

May 25, 2016 | By Sarah Pfledderer | GPS News

While it wasn’t always her intent to end up in tech, Joyce Hodel ’08 wouldn’t have her career any other way. Read more.

May 6, 2016 | By Sarah Pfledderer | GPS News

GPS’s 2016 Outstanding Alumna details what it means to be honored by and why she is dedicated to giving back to her School. Read more.

April 20, 2016 | By Sarah Pfledderer | GPS News

As GPS’s class of 2016 gets closers to commencement, we connect with a few 2015 alumni to see where they wound up one year after earning their degrees. Read more.

Jan. 29, 2016 By Sarah Pfledderer | GPS News

School of Global Policy and Strategy alumni return to campus, strengthening networks with current students. Read more.

Jan. 28, 2016 By Sarah Pfledderer | GPS News

In time for Valentine’s Day, meet a few GPS alumni who found love in the long term before, during or after attending the School. Read more.

Jan. 27, 2016 By Sarah Pfledderer | GPS News

Named to the ‘Forbes’ 2016 30 under 30 list, Elena Lucas founded her own software company as a sure-fire way to have a global impact on climate change. Read more.

Jan. 13, 2016 By Sarah Pfledderer | GPS News

Jennifer Gee ’91 recounts how GPS’s cross-disciplinary strengths and Pacific focus have paid off, plus how she now pays it forward. Read more.

Nov. 9, 2015 By Sarah Pfledderer | GPS News

Peruse Kevin Watt’s resume, and one might note he isn’t the typical alum from the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS)—but he also couldn’t be happier about it. Watt, MPIA ’09,  is the founder of Early Bird Ranch in Pescadero, Calif. Read more.

Nov. 3, 2015 By Sarah Pfledderer | GPS News

Veronica Valdez, MPIA ’07, is unable to see past February 2017. Once the President Barack Obama administration concludes, she along with fellow political appointees at the Pentagon will draft up resignation letters to the president and make way for the next administration to fill in. Read more.

June 23, 2015 By Sarah Pfledderer | GPS News

Alumna addresses violence against women in Micronesia
May 27, 2015 By Sarah Pfledderer | GPS News

Carlued Leon spent almost half of last year in Micronesia. Before then, she didn’t even know where it was—let alone the statistics that beset the strand of islands and, more importantly, women on them. Now, she not only can pinpoint Micronesia on a map, but she knows the figures to shed light on violence against females there.

As the global research manager of Los Angeles-based MANAUS Consulting, Leon is the face for most all research consultancies relating to international development and corporate social responsibility.

The firm, founded by fellow alumna Tamar Benzaken Koosed ’09, landed the Micronesia consultancy through the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The Micronesia department of health implemented it on the ground from February to June 2014.

“The women were very touched by the project,” Leon recollected.

For some perspective, the study provided 42 percent of women in Micronesia experience both physical and sexual violence. On top of that, 89 percent of those women never sought help from formal services.

Still, the heavy conversations that ensued those findings don’t outweigh Leon’s positive memories of the trip.

The word “Micronesia” reminds her of the blue ocean, heat and rain, she recalled. Plus, she now laughs about her minor rabies scare from a dog bite, specifically when the women comforted her in that, per Micronesian customs, “When a dog bites you, you’re entitled to eat it.” (She didn’t.)

We tracked down the alumna to learn more about her role in the project and how the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, now the School of Global Policy and Strategy, prepared her for it.

Can you give us a quick overview of the Micronesia project?

CL: It was a mixed-method study that combined a quantitative component (household survey) with qualitative research elements (focus groups and interviews with key stakeholders). We worked closely with the department of health, the national gender coordinator, the statistics office, community-level health centers and women’s groups. Our enumerators were mostly nurses and women’s group members.

We also worked closely with UNFPA technical staff in Fiji, with statistical analysis consultants based in the U.S. and Tanzania and with a technical review committee (TRC). That committee consisted of subject-matter experts that reviewed the study to ensure it met international research standards. One of the members of that TRC was Mary Ellsberg, Ph.D., who is part of the team of experts that designed the World Health Organization survey on violence against women, which we used as basis for our household survey. Another TRC member was Lianne Urada, an assistant professor at UC San Diego in the division of Global Public Health.

What were the most startling and predictable facets of your findings?

CL: The most predictable was the high prevalence of women who experienced physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime at the hands of an intimate partner (33 percent nationwide and as high as 60 percent by state). Similar studies had been conducted in other Pacific islands, such as Kiribati and Vanuatu. We also expected to see a strong association between having experienced partner violence in childhood and experiencing it in adulthood, as violence in general is a learned behavior. Women who reported their partner’s mother was hit by a partner when the partner was a child were three times more likely to experience partner violence.

We also asked questions around circumstances in which it is acceptable for a husband to hit his wife. While older women did show high agreement with this statement (around 40 percent), an unexpected, larger proportion of younger women (particularly in the ages of 15-24) also agreed that a husband is justified to hit his wife if, for example, she disobeyed her husband (47 percent). We believe this responds to cultural norms.

Has violence against women always been of interest to you? What about the Micronesia region?

CL: I’ve always had an interest in understanding how specific socioeconomic issues and challenges affect women differently. For example, I worked in projects aimed at increasing women’s access to financial tools, women’s social and political empowerment, educational advancement and so on. In doing so, I naturally got involved in projects that touched on violence. In 2011, I got involved in a project on trafficking in women and girls in Nepal. The following year, I got involved in a gender-based violence project in El Salvador. In pursuing gender-centered projects, I also started accumulating experience not only in Latin America, where I am from, but also in Asia.

In what ways did GPS prepare you for this project and others throughout your career thus far?

CL: It gave me the technical skills. That is, thinking what your program or policy aims to accomplish, how to measure it, how to design instruments so that you collect the type of data and conduct the type of analysis you need in order to answer whether it works, how and how much. It also gave me access to resources and a network of people who work in the same field and have influenced what I do today.

Commencement is right around the corner. Any parting advice for GPS graduates?

CL: I would recommend two things.

First, look for jobs and organizations whose values and work is aligned with your interests, even if it’s a small organization. These are the organizations where you can build relevant work experience that is meaningful to you and that you will be able to talk about to future employers.

Second, use the GPS network. Reach out to alumni or faculty. Ask for guidance. We are always happy to help out the same way our alumni helped us when we just graduated. Even today, we constantly reach out to the network to create project partnerships, get introduced to someone at the organization where they work or to get referrals for consultants we may need for our projects.

Awards are made for outstanding achievement in any of the following areas: professional achievement, volunteer work, humanitarianism, a single exceptional achievement and service to the School.

The 2014 Outstanding Award Winners are Jorge Blandon ‘01 and Kahori Matsui ‘99.

Jorge Blandon, MPIA ‘01
Blandon currently works for the Family Independence Initiative (FII) where he leads the data collection and analysis efforts. With data he is challenging stereotypes and showcasing the initiatives and progress working — poor families make on behalf of themselves and their communities. He takes those real insights and transforms them into resources that are tailored to the unique demands of families that are part of FII. Prior to joining FII, Blandon worked for seven years in the financial securitization sector, focusing on essential infrastructure projects in the U.S. and abroad as well as underwriting U.S. municipal bonds. 

Kahori Matsui, MPIA ‘99
Matsui joined SoftBank in 2010 after 10+ years of management consulting and new business development experiences at Accenture and Recruit. She has managed its strategic transactions including its acquisition of Sprint in 2012 – 2013, the largest overseas acquisition by a Japanese firm. She recently moved to San Francisco and is the vice president of strategy and business development of SoftBank Product Group to lead various projects involving SoftBank major assets in the U.S. market.

Nov. 6, 2014 By Jade Griffin | UC San Diego Communications

The next time you hear a news report of an impending hurricane or security threat, you can consider it a point of pride knowing that School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS) alumna Jenn Shin had a hand in ensuring that those who respond to the emergency will be as prepared as possible to help those in need.

Shin, who graduated from IR/PS in 2012 with her MPIA, is a senior analyst at Obsidian Analysis, a Washington, D.C.-based professional services firm that provides analytical and policy consulting for homeland security, national security and intelligence decision makers. The company serves clients including Amtrak and FEMA, for which Obsidian now provides regular training, following the federal agency’s widely-criticized response to Hurricane Katrina.

Shin has helped create curricula and simulations to train first responders to better handle national incidents ranging from hurricanes and earthquakes to terrorist attacks.  Before joining Obsidian, Shin worked for several years at defense giant, SAIC, as a nuclear policy analyst.

Shin credits her IR/PS education — the unique pairing of policy analysis with strategy in the international community — for giving her the tools to make an impact in the growing national preparedness industry. A Triton through and through, Shin also earned her bachelor’s degree from UC San Diego in international relations and political science. She then worked at the University of California’s Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC), which is housed at IR/PS, before enrolling in the school as a graduate student.

Though Shin now resides on the East Coast, she has kept her connection to UC San Diego strong by volunteering her time and insight as a member of the IR/PS Alumni board’s development subcommittee. She also returned to campus in April to interview IR/PS students as part of a Career Connections event.

“When you look at my resume, UC San Diego is everywhere,” said Shin. “UCSD gave so much to me. I feel I owe it to the campus to give back. It is the best way that I can maintain my impact from so far away.”

Since graduation, Shin has given regularly to IR/PS Annual Fund, which supports the graduate school’s most urgent needs. She likens her giving to building a retirement fund. “It might not seem like a lot now, but it will go a long way over time. Young alums might think their gift needs to be large, but gifts of all sizes make an impact.”

As Shin looks to the future of IR/PS, she is dedicated to helping the school continue to advance its global reputation for research, teaching and impact in a wide range of fields. “The value of IR/PS doesn’t end at graduation,” said Shin. “It is the start of a process where alumni can help steer the dialogue and future of the school. IR/PS is at the forefront of international policy, research and assessment. Based on what it has given us, we should all want to be a part of its bright future.”

May 7, 2014 By Anthony King | GPS News
 
What was your initial reason for choosing the School?
 
Paul Lamb: I was interested in pursuing my passion for U.S.-China relations but in a more balanced way, and IR/PS was one of the few schools which offered a holistic curriculum and professional degree including studies in business, international development and international relations.
 
If you could name one or two lessons you took away, what would they be?
 
PL: IR/PS taught me to think more keenly about international relations and business, and to integrate the academic and the hands-on, which has become my M.O. moving forward. Another lessons was to do my best to surround myself with culturally diverse individuals who can provide multiple perspectives on issues.

Do you have any fun memories from your time at the School?
 
PL: I remember the first ever IR/PS Olympics, which we launched back in 1995. If I recall correctly, much to our dismay one of the professor-stacked basketball teams actually beat us students in one game. Despite the loss, it was great to see that our professors could ‘bring it,’ both inside and outside of the classroom.
 
Fortunately, I think the students ultimately saved face by beating them for the gold.
 
How did the School prepare you for your work after graduation and your current position?
 
PL: Beyond help with Chinese and providing a more in-depth understanding of China, IR/PS helped me to hone my business skills. As a consultant, I work with a broad range of nonprofit and private-sector clients, and simple things like the ability to read and develop financial spreadsheets has proven to be extremely important in my work. Even though I am not a numbers person, I actually teach financials to social entrepreneurs on occasion. IR/PS made this possible.
 
Are there any professors who stood out for you? Who and how?
 
PL: Barry Naughton and Susan Shirk were wonderful instructors and are just great people. Not only were they brilliant in peeling away the layers of the onion in Chinese economics and politics, but they were also very supportive and helpful in advancing my career. Susan Shirk was directly responsible for helping me to land a position with the U.S. China Business Council right out of IR/PS.
 
What are some important projects you are working on now in your career?
 
PL: Right now I have the pleasure of helping to launch a new nonprofit which, if its programs take off, could change the game on how giving is done in the U.S. I also am lucky enough to be working with a large foundation on a series of technology innovation projects.
 
Do you have suggestions or tips that you would give our students in order for them to enjoy and maximize their time at the School?
 
PL: One of the best aspects of IR/PS was the people, particularly my fellow students. They are some the smartest, gifted and genuinely good people I have ever met. A decade and a half after leaving IR/PS, many of us still stay in touch and find opportunities to play together, not to mention helping each other to find work opportunities.

Oct. 21, 2013 By UC San Diego Alumni News (read original story here)

Richard Boly is a career U.S. diplomat and currently the director of the Office of eDiplomacy, an applied technology think tank for the U.S. Department of State. Previously, he was a National Security Affairs Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, where he launched the Global Entrepreneurship Program. He recently served in the U.S. Embassy in Rome, where he developed and ran a program to promote entrepreneurship in Italy. Richard is a graduate of Stanford University and received his MPIA in 1992.
 
Q: What was your favorite subject outside of your major at UC San Diego?
A: Filmmaking. I enjoyed the collaborative team creativity. I wish I had a copy of our team’s film, El Cigaron!
 
Q: What course or faculty made the biggest impression on you?
A: Professor Wayne Cornelius was inspirational and tremendously supportive of my field research on migrant remittance. I brought that passion to my first diplomatic posting in the Dominican Republic, where I designed and completed a definitive study of the money sent back to the Dominican Republic by expat Dominicans. This side project resulted in a change in Dominican Central Bank methodology.
 
Q: What was your favorite place to hang out?
A: The cove. I miss open water swimming.
 
Q: What book did you last read (or are currently reading) and who is your favorite author?
A: Sebastian Rotella’s Triple Crossing. I loved that it took place in San Diego and the tri-border region of South America, which I visited often while working at our Embassy in Paraguay. My favorite author is the Peruvian Nobel prize-winner, Mario Vargas Llosa. I’ve read most of his books in Spanish and was lucky enough to have dinner with him in Milan while working at our Embassy in Rome.
 
Q: What is your “X Factor“ – the key trait or quality that has helped you succeed in your career and/or life?
A: Being an innovator in risk-averse environments. Even traditional organizations need to innovate and doing so is especially challenging. I like to think that all innovators embrace constraints. If you are in a tech startup, you might wish that you had another awesome coder or more time before launching ahead of the competition, but you need to work within existing constraints. A big company may wish it could be as nimble as a startup.  Well, in government, the constraints include slow decision and budget cycles, but given those constraints, I would match our team in eDiplomacy against any other.
 
Q: What do you know now, that you wish you knew then?
A: Follow your bliss and never just settle for something that you are not passionate about. Even in a tough job environment, do what you love. You will find a way to pay the bills and by following your passion, you will find fewer days when you need to drag yourself out of bed to do a job that doesn’t thrill you.

Q: Do you give back to UC San Diego? If so, how and why (time, talent or treasure)?
A: Yes, yes and yes! I am where I am in a large part due to the life pivot that my time at UC San Diego made possible. I mentor current students, evangelize and contribute to the University. I strongly believe that UC graduates should be giving back even more than alumni from Ivy League universities. We are building a tradition every bit as strong and influential and owe it to ourselves and those who follow us to support every way we can.