Welcome to the archive space of the montly e-mail newsletter, the Duke Sanford Memo. We hope you enjoy exploring news and stories from the Sanford School alumni community.
April Memo '24
April featured Alumni Profile: Madison Mastrangelo PPS'19
The beauty of Sanford is that the skills are incredibly transferable and can be applied across industries. I have friends from Sanford who work for congressional representatives on Capitol Hill, friends who work in finance in the auto industry, friends who are currently in law school, and friends who are in every career in between!
Read a note from Maggie Stroud, Associate Director of Alumni Relations.
Alumni notes and more.
March Memo '24
March featured Alumni Profile: Shanna Batten Aguirre PPS'92
From the courtrooms of Los Angeles to the halls of international diplomacy, Aguirre has forged a career path defined by her dynamic approach to justice and unwavering commitment to equity.
Read a note from Chad Sarchio PPS’92 P’25
Senior Counsel
Federal Law Enforcement Agency
Alumni notes and more.
February Memo '24
February featured Alumni Profile: Frank Emory PPS'79
First elected to Duke student body president in 1977, Frank has utilized the lessons he learned from his meetings with President Sanford and his public policy studies to build a career of leadership and service.
Read a note from Deondra Rose
Kevin D. Gorter Associate Professor of Public Policy, Political Science, and History
Director, Polis: Center for Politics
Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University
Alumni notes and more.
January Memo '24
January featured Alumni Profile: Kiera Vinson MPP'17
Kiera leads a global DEI team, orchestrating strategies for approximately 3000 employees. But it wasn’t global tech innovation that first drove her to champion change in her world; it was a middle school classroom and students that showed her the growing inequity in our world.
Read a note from Josh Bond G'08
Associate Dean for Development & Alumni Relations
Alumni notes and more.
December Memo '23
December featured Alumni Profile: Meirzhan Myrzaliyev MIDP'16
"Sanford significantly propelled both my professional and personal trajectories. The MIDP program gave me the knowledge, skills, and ethical foundation for navigating public policy. "- Meirzhan
Read the Dean’s Message: Policy - for People
Alumni notes and more.
November Memo '23
November featured Alumni Profile: Rob Howard PPS'99
"The energy and power industries are one of the clearest settings in which policymakers set the rules of the game, and then industry plays it. Through the history of the electric power industry, policymakers have shifted the objectives from access, to safety, to cost, to emissions, to all-of-the-above." - Rob
Hear from current Sanford undergraduate student Jessica On PPS'24 about her perspective as a future member of the Sanford alumni family.
Alumni notes and more.
October Memo '23
October featured Alumni Profile: Joanne Kim PPS’22
"The sphere of influence that Duke students have once they graduate is so great. We are tasked with carrying out that impact in a positive way. And, that kind of mindset, as well as the tools needed to action on that impact, comes from the thinking and training offered at Sanford." - Joanne.
Hear from David Hoffman L'93 P'23 Steed Family Professor of the Practice of Public Policy.
Alumni notes and more.
September Memo '23
September featured Alumni Profile: Owen Zighelboim PPS’20
"If public policy is a reflection of our society’s values, then I’m both scared and optimistic about what it says that I’m willing to live with. Sure, it has its issues, but I really can’t think of a more worthwhile goal of making policy a more accessible, more efficient means of change." - Owen.
Hear from Lori Cashman, PPS’94, P’27, P’27, Chair, Sanford Board of Visitors
Alumni notes and more.
August Memo '23
August featured Alumni Profile: Quauhtli Y. Olivieri Herrera MPP'17
“If there's one thing that I've learned since coming out of Duke and going through the pandemic is that putting energy and effort into building a community is one of the most important things we can do,” - Quauhtli.
Read the Dean’s Message: Back to Sanford School Quiz
Alumni notes and more.
June Memo '23
June featured Alumni Profile: Noorin Nazari MIDP'07
“I have had the ability to materialize what I learned in my MIDP professional studies at Duke. As a student, I had an opportunity to take pragmatic courses. More than 12 years later, I have been able to see where the skills were used. My degree benefited me to not only achieve dreams but to help others,” - Noorin Nazari.
Read the Dean’s Message: Sanford Welcomes New Alumni
Alumni notes and more.
May Memo '23
May featured Alumni Profile: Craig Cohen PPS’96
"My best advice would be to try to put yourself in interesting situations surrounded by interesting people. I think that's when we learn the most, especially early in our careers." - Craig Cohen
Read the Dean’s Message: Milestones for Sanford Faculty.
Alumni notes and more.
April Memo '23
April featured Alumni Profile: Estuardo Pineda Delgado MIDP’17
“Even if things don’t always happen as we want, [my wife and I] try to follow the path of our vision and purpose. Every decision we’ve made and are going to make in the future is based on that purpose.”
Read the Dean’s Message: Making the world better one policy idea at a time
Alumni notes and more.
March Memo '23
March featured Alumni Profile: Jainey Bavishi PPS’03
“I've been in the climate resilience space for almost 20 years. My goal is to continue preparing communities for the effects of climate change that we can't avoid and, in particular, ensure that data, resources and technical assistance reach the communities most in need.”
Read the Dean’s Message: Public Policy Everywhere
Alumni notes and more.
February Memo '23
February featured Alumni Profile: Melissa Lan PPS'01
“We (the State Department) believe in government service. We believe in the values that America stands for. I don’t mean to be at these historical points, but I’ve always been globally focused.”
Read the Dean’s Message: Progress on Sanford’s Strategic Priorities
Alumni notes and more.
January Memo '23
The Duke Sanford Annual Report covers the past academic year highlighting year 3 of Sanford's strategic priorities and looking to the future of public policy.
Sanford students, alumni, faculty, and staff are committed to making the world a better place. This report shows how we are delivering on our mission: to improve lives and communities by researching the most pressing public policy issues and preparing students for lives of leadership, civic engagement and public service.
Read the Dean’s Message: Building on Strengths in the New Year.
Alumni notes and more.
November Memo '22
November featured Alumni Profile: Lindsey Kurnath MPP '08
"We have to think in the moment to protect the park from hurricanes or other disasters, but we also have to think 50 years into the future" Deputy Superintendent of the Fire Island National Seashore Lindsey Kurnath.
Read the Dean’s Message: Gratitude for Community.
Alumni notes and more.
October Memo '22
Read the Dean’s Message: Our Commitment to Climate.
At the end of September, Sanford hosted the Board of Visitors on campus. This group of stellar alumni and advocates helps guide and support the school.
MPP Class Reunions
Alumni notes
Alumni notes and more.
September Memo '22
September featured Alumni Profile: Terrence Neal PPS'15
Advancing rule of law on the international stage, “I appreciated developing a strong set of critical thinking, analytical writing, and quantitative skills that I could apply to real-world issues.”
Read the Dean’s Message: The Sanford Student Experience
Alumni notes and more.
August Memo '22
August featured Alumni Profile: Chasity Boyce PPS'06
Many people credit college with saving them, but Duke actually saved Chasity Boyce's life when she was a baby. “I grew up always, like, I’m going to Duke. It wasn’t even a question in my mind.” She set her goal to do something with her life and then be able to give back to the university.
Read the Dean’s Message: Bold Beginnings.
Alumni notes and more.
June Memo '22
June featured Alumni Profile: Jennifer Yam PPS'14
As part of the Office of the Mayor of the City of New York, Jen worked to expand opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses to win contracts from the city.
Read the Dean’s Message: An Anniversary of Impact and Ambitions.
Alumni notes and more.
May Memo '22
May featured Alumni Profile: Sonia Sekhar MPP'14
Sonia Sekhar currently serves as Deputy Director of the NY State of Health, New York’s official health plan marketplace. At NY State of Health, Sekhar leads the eligibility and enrollment data collection and reporting and serves as policy lead for the technical implementation of state and federal changes to Qualified Health Plans and the Basic Health Program in New York.
Read the Dean’s Message: Congratulations to the Sanford Class of 2022.
Alumni notes and more.
April Memo '22
April featured Alumni Profile: Felix Li PPS'07
Li has been involved with social justice and race relations since high school. His classes with Sanford Professors Tony Brown and Robert Korstad led him to a career in education
Read the Dean’s Message: Spring is a time of renewal.
Alumni notes and more.
March Memo '22
March featured Dual Alumni Profile: Lisa Lawson PPS’89 & Campbell Lawson PPS’24
Like mother, like daughter. This family boasts five Blue Devils across three generations, two of them public policy majors.
Read the Dean’s Message: Sending Support to our Community and World.
Alumni notes and more.