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The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM) and the Virginia Leadership Institute (VLI) launched the inaugural Trailblazers in Politics award Wednesday, honoring diverse GSPM students and alumni who have made significant contributions to the field of politics.

This year’s winners are DeJuana Thompson, M.P.S. ’17; Samantha Joy Fay, M.P.S. ’17; Keysha Brooks-Coley, M.A. ’00; and Jeanine Henderson Arnett, M.A. ’04. The four women have led drives for change inside and outside of local and federal government.

The Trailblazers in Politics award was born from the desire of GSPM and VLI to recognize and amplify the message that governments that reflect the diversity of their communities better serve society.

“Leadership is a collection of character traits, and it comes in all packages. If we’re going to have a country that represents all people, we need to recognize leadership in everyone that steps up to the plate,” said GSPM Director Lara Brown.

VLI founder Krysta Jones said the idea for her institute was born from a GSPM project. During a thesis discussion with a professor, Ms. Jones noted that Northern Virginia’s political culture was much more homogeneous than surrounding areas such as the District and Prince George’s County, Md. “My professor said instead of making a thesis why don’t you do something to solve the problem. VLI comes directly as a result of my GSPM education,” said Ms. Jones.

The organization currently has a goal to help elect 500 black officials in Virginia by 2026 by providing training and resources for candidates.

This year’s honorees were introduced during a ceremony at GW's City View Room by colleagues and mentors from the highest levels of government and advocacy.

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) was on hand to present the award to Ms. Fay, who serves as a legislative aide in his office. He said that in politics “it is easy to lose faith, but when I see young people and the people in this program…I am optimistic.”

Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall presented the Trailblazers award to Ms. Arnett, her former chief of staff who is now the executive director of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Ms. Randall said that the essence of politics is “working hard for the many people who need us the most. The ones who don’t know we’re even doing it.” She said that Ms. Henderson Arnett embodied that ethos through her work for the county and her role as a mentor.

A leadership and mentorship role was key in the success of honoree Ms. Brooks-Coley, director of Federal Relations at the American Cancer Society Action Network. “I have never seen her turn down a request for an informational interview. She leans in. She’s a connector,” said Dick Woodruff, the society’s vice president of Federal Relations.

Ms. Thompson gave back to her community through politics and public service, serving as a senior adviser for Public Engagement at the U.S. Small Business Administration and the national deputy director for Community Engagement at the Democratic National Committee. “She is one of the most tireless workers in the field to push for change to ensure that communities of color have a space, access, and opportunities,” said Stephanie Gidigbi, a former colleague and director at the National Resources Defense Council.

GSPM and the VLI have committed to working together to train and advocate for the next generation of political and advocacy leaders, and the first generation of Trailblazers in Politics award will be there to help lead the charge.

Colonials Weekend is a time to reconnect and celebrate the accomplishments of our alumni. The Graduate School of Political Management is proud to honor two alumni who are receiving awards this weekend. Their dedication to public service is an inspiration to us and we look forward to witnessing their future accomplishments.

Mindy Finn, Political Management 2010, winner of the GW Recent Alumni Achievement Award

Finn is an experienced digital politics operative, working in national campaigns, party headquarters, and in the private sector.

Finn established the first new media division at the Republican National Committee in 2005 after leading similar efforts for President George W. Bush’s re-election campaign, and went on to become a senior digital strategist for the 2008 Mitt Romney presidential campaign.

She later founded Empowered Women, a non-profit working to give “voice to a bold new generation of American women (and) identify emerging leaders and provide the resources to promote them into civic life.”

Sensing a need for a conservative alternative to the Donald Trump campaign for president in 2016, Finn became independent candidate Evan McMullin’s running mate. They continue their work to “lead Americans in the promotion of liberty, equality, and truth in America” through Stand Up Republic, a political non-profit.

The Recent Alumni Achievement Award is one of the highest forms of recognition given annually by the university and the George Washington Alumni Association to a graduate, and seeks to honor those that have achieved notable accomplishments in their field.

Lt. Col. Steven Coffee, USAF, Legislative Affairs 2008, winner of the GW IMPACT Award

Lt. Col. Coffee is the Manpower Analyst (J1 Human Capital Division) at the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In that role he serves as the chief human capitol expert for the heads of the armed forces.

Coffee previously served as a Force Support, Squadron Commander, providing assistance and training to more than 1,100 active duty and reserve Air Force members. He has served in the White Houses of George W. Bush and Barack Obama as the White House Military Social Aide, which assists in the planning and executions of official events for the president and first lady.

Coffee is receiving the GW IMPACT Award, which is given by the George Washington Black Alumni Association (GWBAA), and is “the highest form of recognition bestowed on distinguished Black alumni by the GWBAA Executive Committee” to those who have cultivated a history of commitment to the university.

Additionally, GSPM grad Erin Houchin, currently serving as an Indiana State Senator for the 47^th District, will participate in the Sunday Political Discourse, which will provide insights on the latest developments in politics and governance.

We hope to see you all this weekend and if you can’t make it please take a moment to update your contact information with us. For a complete listing of Colonials Weekend activities click here.

 

The Graduate School of Political Management is proud to announce its newest fellows and Alumni Achievement Award winners.

Our fellows are leaders in politics and advocacy chosen by the school to serve 18 month terms contributing as adjunct professors, guest lecturers, panel speakers, and case study contributors. They serve an invaluable role in helping us give our students the best education in applied politics, communications, and advocacy. Previous fellows include U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., former U.S. Senator Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and Amy Walter, National Editor at the Cook Political Report.

Our current fellows:

Former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va.: Cantor’s career in politics has stretched over two decades, serving in the United States House of Representatives and the Virginia House of Delegates. Cantor was a member of the House Republican leadership team for 11 years, starting as Chief Deputy Whip and ending as House Majority Leader after the historic 2010 midterm election cycle. Cantor currently serves as Vice Chair and Managing Director at Moelis & Company, a leading global independent investment bank.

Sarah Chamberlain: Chamberlain serves as the President and CEO of the Republican Main Street Partnership, which she helped to establish and grow into a thriving organization with more than seventy members of Congress as part of its network. A leading advocate for women in politics, Chamberlain established the Women2Women Conversations Tour in 2014 to spark dialogue between legislators and everyday citizens. Chamberlain is the only woman in the country who serves as the CEO of a major Republican organization. Prior to joining the partnership she served as the first Executive Director of the John Quincy Adams Society.

Former Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA): Landrieu continued her family’s tradition of public service as a three-term United States Senator following terms as Louisiana State Treasurer and State Representative. Landrieu made history with her 1996 Senate election, becoming the first woman from Louisiana to serve a full term in the chamber. A strong advocate for her state, Sen. Landrieu played a key role in helping Louisiana recover from Hurricane Katrina and shepherded passage of the RESTORE Act, which was designed to help the Gulf Coast region recover from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Landrieu now serves as a Senior Policy Advisor at Van Ness Feldman.

Our Alumni Achievement Award winners represent the best of GSPM. They exemplify our values through their career accomplishments, contributions to their communities, GSPM, or GW.

Our 2017 Alumni Achievement Award winners:

Lindsey Schuh Cortés: Cortés is the CEO of BlueLabs, a data and analytics strategy consulting firm in Washington, DC. Prior to joining BlueLabs, she served as Director of Strategic Partnerships and Deputy Political Director at the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

Barrett Karr: Karr serves as Chief of Staff for House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. In addition to other legislative roles, Karr has extensive executive branch experience as well working as the Deputy Assistant for Legislative Affairs for President George W. Bush.

Liz Reicherts: Reicherts is the head of U.S. Government Affairs at Siemens, leading its strategy on U.S. policy and international affairs and managing the U.S. Government Affairs team. Prior to Siemens, Reicherts enjoyed a 22-year career at BP, with a decade spent advocating for its international businesses.

We thank both our fellows and our award winners for their contributions to the school and we look forward to their continued involvement and counsel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Obama White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest shared political and career advice with GSPM students.

Former White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told a group of students at George Washington University that taking a variety of jobs is key to career success in political communications.

During a recent appearance at the Graduate School of Political Management’s (GSPM) Ethical Standards in Public Relations course, Mr. Earnest told students that one of the key components of his professional career has been shifting from large organizations to smaller ones in order to learn and refine new skills.

He said that system was essential to landing one of the most well-known communications jobs—White House press secretary.

Read more at GWToday.

On Twitter, Trump Moments Resembled a Series of Seinfeld Highlights

by Prof. Michael Cohen

We could discuss a more substantive analysis of Twitter conversation around these important issues (we will) but, let’s face it, most of us are exhausted from the 2016 campaign and the first few months of the Trump presidency. So let’s have some fun, instead. Let’s look at the trip’s moments that Twitter obsessed over, in chronological order, most of which will mean nothing long-term but were as entertaining as some of the best Seinfeld episodes.

I promise to honor the Seinfeld credo, in part, with no hugging but we will add some learning. Let’s see how much of an imprint each of the following 10 moments had on Twitter when they were connected to President Trump. For the purposes of our research, I’ll limit the time frame of our data to May 20 to 27, the length of the trip. I won’t restrict the tweets to the U.S. as the trip was international news.

Read the full post on Medium.

By Michael Cornfield

May 4, 2017

Last night’s presidential debate in France was full of personal invective and angry gesturing. Emmanuel Macron called Marine Le Pen a liar who says stupid things and “the high priestess of fear.”  “You are the France of submission,” Le Pen said to Macron, interrupting him to insist that he not lecture her.  She associated him with Islamic fundamentalists and Angela Merkel; he tied her to her father Jean-Marie and Vladimir Putin.

 

So it’s not just our debates that have turned nasty.  Three drivers seem at work: the fading of broadcast television standards and practices, the rise of women candidates and gendered confrontations, and the rumblings of a populist-cosmopolitan clash that cuts across the left-right spectrum.

 

I expect to see the debates in the Virginia gubernatorial race get more heated, even without a female candidate.

 

And I don’t regard this trend as a good or bad development.  In some exchanges between candidates, what’s lost in civility is compensated by a gain in substance.

 

 

 

On March 16 and 17, students in the Master’s in Strategic Public Relations (SPR) program, participated in the program’s annual trip to New York. Each year students meet with NYC-based leaders and peers in the industry from corporations, agencies and nonprofits.

Program Director Larry Parnell arranges the trip each year utilizing contacts and colleagues in New York and always tries to include a “special “stop to make the trip memorable.

In past years, SPR students have visited the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and rung the closing bell at the NASDAQ stock exchange in Times Square.

This year’s highlight was a visit to the United Nations to meet with the global communications team. However, this stop became more dramatic when they students received an unexpected invitation from the UN Communications Director!

Here are some student reactions and comments:

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Cynthia Proctor, an online SPR student from Albany, NY, reports: Eric Porterfield, U.N. Foundation Sr. Communications Director, greeted us inside the UN security area with exciting news, ‘You just got access to the noon UN press briefing!’ There we found Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General, sharing up-to-the-minute reports on over 30 U.N. activities with a group of international reporters. When he opened the floor to questions, we found ourselves in a Media Relations master class. Mr. Dujarric was direct, concise and consistent. It was global communications, unfolding in real time.

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For Daniela Sinner – a first semester on campus SPR student, meeting her online colleagues and industry leaders and peers in the PR field was a highlight – along with the UN visit.

“The NYC trip was an amazing experience. It allowed me to meet with peers that work at some great PR firms in NYC. This gave me insight on what to expect when I enter the field after I graduate next year,” she said. “I also felt like I had the chance to get to know my classmates through this experience. Plus, the visit to the UN and sitting in on the Press Briefing really blew my mind,” she concluded.

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For Shana Feggins – a first year student as well, the trip was special for three reasons: gaining valuable insights, sitting in on the UN press briefing, and meeting classmates from all over the US.

“Being able to meet and talk with Gary Sheffer, VP of Communications at GE, and visit with Shelley Spector at the Museum of PR were two of my favorite parts of the trip. This collective experience in New York City was amazing and memorable,” she concluded.

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“Each year we put together this trip to provide students with experiential learning in the center of the global PR industry. And each year something happens that is truly an “only at GW” moment,” commented Professor Larry Parnell, Program Director.

He added, “We appreciate the support of the GSPM administration and the CPS Dean’s Office in staging this trip and allowing us to provide a unique learning opportunity for our students.”