Profiles of IDCE Graduates

IDCE is a professional program. Our alumni are using the skills they gained at Clark to promote sustainable development and community-based initiatives around the world. The following notes and profiles describe some of the challenging and dynamic work and research they have pursued, from post-conflict relief to empowering women, and environmental activism to social development.

IDCE Alumni and Friends gathered after the John Granville Memorial Tribute in Tilton Hall on March 14, 2008.

2007

Seung Hyung Lee (IDSC/MA ‘07) is the country director for Sri Lanka with Good Neighbors International (GNI), a development NGO which implemented relief and development work in over twenty developing countries since 1991. GNI dispatched an emergency relief team to Sri Lanka to treat the victims of the tsunami and set up Good Neighbor Sri Lanka with financial support from Korean International Cooperation Agency.

Maud Mabika (IDSC/MA ’07) works as the coordinator of programs and new business with Aid to Artisans, an organization that offers practical assistance to artisan groups worldwide. Her responsibilities include coordinating programs in Colombia and Afghanistan, budget management, supporting field offices, and writing proposals for new opportunities in Middle East and North Africa.

Tanya Palit (IDSC/MA ’07) is currently working at Akshaya Patra, a non-profit organization in Boston, which is a U.S.-based foundation for an Indian NGO that runs an innovative mid-day meal program for rural school children.

Bishnu Maya Pariyar (IDSC/MA ‘07) was recently awarded the Perdita Huston Activist Award, which recognizes the life and work of outstanding advocates for women’s rights in the Third World.

Darah Tappitake (IDSC/MA '07) was awarded a U.S. National Security Education Program Boren Fellowship, providing her with the opportunity to go to Uganda and conduct research on the use of School Feeding Programs within primary schools.

Emma Howard (CDP/MA '07) is working for the LA County Department of Regional Planning Advanced Studies Division as a Regional Assistant Planner.

Evan Wilson (CDP/MA ‘07) is currently working in Namibia with the Center for Global Education as the travel seminar and internship coordinator.

Aaron Osgood (CDP/MA '07) is conducting research for the Edward Street Child Services on supply/demand issues in an early childhood education center in Worcester.

Kathleen Collins (CDP/MA '07) is the evaluator on Worcester's Weed and Seed initiative.

Tim Dzurilla (CDP/MA '07) is working on a project called Dream Hunters, connecting immigrant youth in Main South, Worcester, Massachusetts to youth in Bello Oriente, Medellin, Colombia through images, teleconferences, and video.

Safaa Karaki Aldwaik (GISDE/MA ’07) was the guest speaker for the Brotherhood Breakfast at Congregation Beth Elohim in Acton, Massachusetts. She presented her research on using GIS to map potential passages between the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Read more about Safaa here.

Victor Hugo Gutierrez-Velez (GISDE/MA ’07) is lead author on “Quantifying the direct social and governmental costs of illegal logging in the Bolivian, Brazilian, and Peruvian Amazon” with Kenneth MacDicken (Winrock International), which was recently published in the journal Forest Policy and Economics. The article analyzes the relationships between the main impacts of illegal logging and estimates some of the most relevant economic consequences of these practices. He is currently in the Geography Ph.D. program at the University of Maryland.

Devon Winkler (ES&P/MA ‘07) is a shellfish biologist at the North Shore office of the Division of Marine Fisheries in Gloucester. She has been collecting mussels for red tide testing as well as taking water samples from bays and beaches around Gloucester and Rockport.

Melanie Sands (ES&P/MA ’07) is a grassroots community organizer for the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council. She helps connect and organize multiple stakeholders around conservation issues in southeast Alaska, primarily in the Tongass National Forest. Based in Juneau, she works with communities on Prince of Wales Island and Ketchikan.

Jia Liu (ES&P/MA '07) is a team member of Intertek Sustainability Solutions, working on issues of corporate social responsibility and climate change.

Marcia Davitt (ES&P/MA ’07) is pursuing her Ph.D. in science and technology studies at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. She is a research assistant with the engineering education dept., researching communication in global, virtual, multi-disciplinary, and multi-cultural teams. The teams are studying the impact on communication and the transfer of knowledge utilizing various digital communication media. She also received a grant from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture to engage in research on biofuels approached from a multidisciplinary perspective.

2006

Le Thi Quynh Trang (IDSC/MA ’06) is a Program Officer at Oxfam Great Britain for the “Right to be Heard” Programme.

Jaimee Braun (IDSC/MA ‘06) works for GlobalCorps within USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives, based in Washington, D.C.

Hang Nguyen (IDSC/MA ‘06) is the national child protection coordinator for Plan Vietnam. Plan Vietnam works in partnership with local people, organizations, and government bodies at various levels to improve child rights in the area. Most project activities take place at the community level, with active participation of children, families and villages.

Rajesh Aryal (IDSC/MA '06) works with Project Harmony, a not-for-profit organization in Waitsfield, Vermont, which focuses on educational development, internet technology, and professional development.

Jennifer A. Keahey (IDSC/MA '06) is a Research Assistant for the Center for Fair and Alternative Trade Studies (CFATS).

Veena Sampathkumar (IDSC/MA '06) works in South Sudan for Mercy Corps.

Le Thi Quynh Trang (IDSC/MA ’06) is currently in Great Britain working for Oxfam as a “Right to be heard” program officer. She is responsible for improving government socio-economic planning for a poverty reduction program and enhancing local people’s participation in government policies and development activities program. She also manages program activities including supervision, monitors and evaluates the implementation and quality of program activities, and provides technical assistance in planning, budgeting, and developing implementation methodologies for activities.

Jimmy Royster (CDP/MA '06) is the program director for a leader in the financing and development of affordable housing across the U.S.

William Holbrook (CDP/MA '06) works with underprivileged youth in Uganda, volunteering for an NGO called Right To Play.

Matthew Wally (CDP/MA '06) is the director of Matthew 25, a non-profit affordable housing developer and president of Mayflower Development Strategies, a public subsidy consulting firm.

Sara Kilroy (CDP/MA '06) is an advisor for an alternative experiential education institute.

Kate Lowe (CDP/MA '06) participates in research and outreach efforts, coordinating a program's administration, developing a work plan and fundraising.

Matt Hertel (CDP/MA '06) is working as a redevelopment planner for the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, which is a joint powers agency of the City and County of Sacramento. He serves as the planner for the Oak Park Neighborhood, which is the most low-income and disadvantaged community in the area. His role is to develop housing and commercial development that will create a community that meets the needs of its residents, provides a unique and safe place for them, all while simultaneously maintaining affordability for all.

Yongming Cai (GISDE/MA ‘06) is currently pursuing his Ph.D. with a GIS Fellowship at the University of Cincinnati in Fall 2007. As part of his fellowship, he plans to work in the area of application research and development for the Cincinnati Area Geographic Information System (CAGIS).

Natalie Howlett (ES&P/MA ‘06) began working for the Massachusetts Division of Energy Resources, serving as the renewable energy project coordinator. Her work has focused on the Commonwealth Solar program as well as on wind and biomass projects.

Stella Capoccia (ES&P/MA '06) is pursuing wildlife management and doctoral studies at Rutgers University.

Maureen Shenberger (ES&P/MA ’06) is currently a contractor through the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation with the City of Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), the Pedestrian program. She is currently supporting existing projects as well as developing and launching the initial Safe Routes for Seniors program, which addresses pedestrian safety from both education and outreach, as well as planning and design.

Seema Parakh (ES&P/MA '06) is the India Program Manager, EMBARQ, World Resource Institute Center for Sustainable Transport.

Chris Bowser (ES&P/MA ’06) is the science education specialist for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Hudson River Estuary Program, and an adjunct instructor at Marist College.

Maatsi Angwafo (ES&P/MA '06) is a Junior Environmental Analyst for SRA (Systems, Research and Applications) International, Inc.

Jennifer Bowen (ES&P/MA '06) is currently living in San Francisco, CA and working at a non-profit organization called Communities for a Better Environment as the Development Associate and Grant Manager.

2005

Kamala Gurung (IDSC/MA ‘05) is pursuing her Ph.D. in marine biology at James Cook University in Australia.

Kendra Fehrer Ponniah (IDSC/MA ‘05) is a second year Ph.D. student in anthropology and development at Brown University. Her research focuses on community organization and public policy in Venezuela.

Brian Atkinson (IDSC/MA '05) works as a Mercy Corps Program Officer for Latin America.

William Bradley (IDSC/MA '05) is the Field Program Manager of Alternative Livelihoods/North, a $60 million program aimed at fostering area-based economic development as an alternative to poppy.

Lina A. Al-Eryani (IDSC/MA '05) is working as a Program Manager for the Women in Technology Program (WIT)-YEMEN. This program is funded by the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) under the supervision of the Institute of International Education (IIE) in San Francisco. The program is implemented by SOUL for the Development of Women and Children, which is a local organization. The program provides scholarships for women to study basic and advanced computer skills. In the fall of 2006, Lina received a fellowship through the Netherlands Fellowships Program (sponsored by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation) to attend a four-week course in Program Management and Administration at the MDF training and consultancy, Ede, Holland. She is affiliated with the Yemen Center for Studies & Research and is currently conducting research on The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Women's Empowerment (A case study of Yemen).

Sara Krosch (IDSC/MA '05) is a Gender and HIV and AIDS Consultant for the INGO War Child-Holland (WC) and a Training Consultant for Windle Trust-UK in Juba and Yei in South Sudan.

Stephanie Daniels (IDSC/MA '05) is a consultant on sustainable cocoa issues. She is working with World Wildlife Fund Vietnam on developing best practices for sustainable cocoa cultivation and with Rainforest Alliance on establishing a certification program for cocoa and coffee in Venezuela.

Laura Miller (IDSC/MA '05) is a Mercy Corps Program Officer, Africa.

Aparna Nepal (IDSC/MA '05) will be working with the New Hampshire State Department of Health and Human Services in the tobacco control program. She has joined the program as a program planner level III.

Nathan Oetting (IDSC/MA ‘05) works as a program officer for Mercy Corps Africa, based in Portland, Oregon.

Dan Putnam (IDSC/MA '05) is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Geography, University of Minnesota.

Kate Driscoll Derickson (CDP/MA ’05) is at Penn State working on a dual Ph.D. in Geography and Women's Studies.

Heather Kamyck (CDP/MA '05) is the Brownfields Coordinator for the Economic Development Division of the City of Worcester.

Matt Scheer (CDP/MA ‘05) works as a development associate in the real estate development division at Westhab, Inc., which is a Westchester County based nonprofit that offers a variety of social services for youth and adults.

Sasha Hnatkovich (CDP/MA '05) is the Communications Coordinator at Trinity Church in Boston, MA.

Garrick Hamel (CDP/MA ’05) published “Rehabilitating Affordable Rural Housing,” in Rural Voice magazine. The article discusses utilizing green building strategies in rural housing in Oregon.

Sean Griffin (GISDE/MA '05) is applying GIS, remote sensing, and environmental modeling as a GIS researcher.

Aaron Dushku (GISDE/MA '05) works in Winrock International’s office in Turners Falls, MA. This office is the place where the Forest Management Services team is based. His title is Applications Management Specialist and his responsibilities range from GIS analysis, image processing, training, project development/management to aerial photography collection missions. He's been working primarily in Latin America, but has also done a lot of fieldwork in Asia and Africa over the past 5 years with Winrock, working in the DC office. Working so closely with foresters and forest ecologists, Aaron is often given the opportunity to go into the field for forestry-related measurement missions.

Boriana Pangelova (GISDE/MA '05) is a GIS analyst.

David Greene (ES&P/MA ’05) is the Sustainability Engineer with the Austin, Texas Water Utility.

Beth Roessler (ES&P/MA '05) is an Estuary Educator for the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.

Angela Mwandia (ES&P/MA '05) is the Programme Coordinator for WWF's Toxics Programme.

Christine Binueza Soliva (ES&P/MA '05) is part of the Ecosystems Team at Northeast-Midwest Institute.

Marissa Staples (ES&P/MA ’05) is working as a Project Manager/Environmental Analyst for an environmental consulting firm that specializes in helping federal agencies implement the National Environmental Protection Act through federal development projects. She is writing Comprehensive Conservation Plans for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for two National Wildlife Refuges on the southeast coast.

2004

Alexandra Dichter (IDSC/MA '04) is the GIS Coordinator for EPA Region 1 at the Environmental Protection Agency in Boston, MA

Nathan Oetting (IDSC/MA '04) is a  Program Officer for the Africa Desk at Mercy Corps in Portland, Oregon.

Elikem Tomety Archer (IDSC/MA '04) works with Americares, an organization based in Stamford, CT, which solicits donations of medicines, medical supplies and other relief materials from U.S. and international manufacturers, and delivers them quickly and efficiently to indigenous health care and welfare professionals around the world. Elikem heads their expanding Africa programs, focusing on efficient operations management and various corporate alliances.

Kathleen McHugh (IDSC/MA '04) is a Senior Management Support Specialist - Children in Emergencies and Crisis Department - for Save the Children.

Olufunmilayo Eniolorunfe Thontteh (GISDE/MA '04) is a lecturer on GIS, Spatial Data Infrastructure, and consultant on the application of GIS and remote sensing in African-centered geospatial projects.

McArd Joseph Mlotha (GISDE/MA '04) is a Senior GIS/RS Specialist & Interim Head-Environmental Unit, Geographic Information Systems & Remote Sensing Research and Training Centre (CGIS) National University of Rwanda, also teaches some courses in GIS and remote sensing applications.

Sarah Elliott (GISDE/MA '04) is currently a Senior GIS Analyst.

Scott Sweet (GISDE/MA '04) is a GIS Coordination Officer.

Robert Yao-Kumah (GISDE/MA ’04) recently published “Accuracy Assessment for a Simulation Model of Amazonian Deforestation,” with co-authors Robert Gilmore Pontius Jr, and five collaborators from Michigan State University, in the nation’s première Geography journal- Annals of the Association of American Geographers.

Jennifer Farley (ES&P/MA '04) analyzes environmental reports of collateral properties to determine potential risks.

2003

Kathleen (McHugh) Schneider (IDSC/MA ’03) is the Complex Operations Manager for Save the Children’s humanitarian emergency department.

Sehin Teferra (IDSC/MA '03) is currently working as the Community Participation and Gender Advisor for the Food Security Unit of Save the Children, US in Ethiopia. Basied in Addis Ababa but with frequent travel to Southeastern Ethiopia, Sehin works to ensure the participation of women in projects implemented in pastoral communities.

Chafi Bakari (IDSC/MA '03) is a human rights activist in Africa.

Ruth Allen (IDSC/M.A. '03) works for Mercy Corps Conflict Management group in Cambridge, MA.

Jeremy Casterson (IDSC/MA '03) is a Project Manager for the Resource Management Plan.

Robyn (Fink) Bertholon (IDSC/MA '03) is the Head of Mission for Première Urgence, a French NGO.

Josset Sky Gauley (IDSC/MA '03) is the state program coordinator for Learn and Serve Montana with the Montana Office of Public Instruction, independent contractor who provides training to Montana Americorps*VISTA members, a grant writer for the Federation of Fly Fishers and contractor who develops community connections for the Montana Independent Living Program.

Mia Davis (IDSC/MA '03) is the National Grassroots Coordinator of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

Annie Gorski (CDP/MA '03) is the Project Coordinator with the City of Salem in the Urban Development Department's Revitalization Section.

Kisco Sinvula (GISDE/MA '03) is pursiuing city and regional planning, Ph.D. studies.

Miguel Castrence (GISDE/MA '03) is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Geography, University of Hawai`i at Manoa, and remote sensing research assistant for the Hawai`i Biodiversity and Mapping Program.

Shalini Gupta (GISDE/MA '03)'s doctoral research includes work in various fields like economics, forestry, modeling, policymaking and climate change.

Boni Jiang (ES&P/MA ’03) and Katie Scott (ES&P/MA ’03) are working in China on an EPA funded project for Coal Mine Methane Recovery and Utilization, a program designed to utilize coal mine methane as a clean energy resource while reducing its direct emissions into the atmosphere.

2002

Lisa Meierotto (IDSC/MA ’02) is a Ph.D. Candidate in Environmental Anthropology at the University of Washington and Grants Coordinator at Arizona State University in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change.

Salifu-Samson Danse (IDSC/MA '02) is the Field Director for Oxfam Nigeria.

Jason Forauer (IDSC/MA '02) works as a program manager for First Voice International (FVI) in Silver Spring, Maryland. FVI seeks to ensure that people living in poverty and remote places get the information they need to improve their lives, have the means to communicate their needs and wants, and are able to share what they know with others in their own voice.

Jessica Cook (CDP/MA '02) is a Senior Manager with Aid to Artisans.

Stephen Ambagis (GISDE/MA ’02) is working with the US Geological Survey Biological Research Division based in Hawaii. “I was brought in to update their image analysis and vegetation mapping program. I have been leading research in using object based image analysis to map vegetation in the state using very high resolution satellite and aerial imagery. I am also starting a cooperative study with Dr. Greg Asner of the Carnegie Institute using their cutting edge combination hyperspectral and LIDAR imaging platform to asses its ability to map vegetation at the individual species level.”

Amy Nelson (GISDE/MA '02) is a GIS Manager.

Takashi Tada (GISDE/MA '02) is a GIS-Environmental analyst.

2001

Kate Walton (IDSC/MA ’01) is the Assistant Director of Land Stewardship & GIS Manager for the Essex County Greenbelt Association in Essex, MA.

Kate Lazarus (IDSC/MA '01) is a Senior Program Officer and East Asia Coordinator, Water and Nature Initiative, Regional Water and Wetlands Program, for the The World Conservation Union.

Aditiya Agrawal (IDSC/MA '01) has been working with an international team of consultants on a National Spatial Data Infrastructure for Libya.

Thomas J. Christopher (ES&P/MA '01) is a Senior Project Manager at Resource Management, Inc.

Myriem Ouchen Noussairi (ES&P/MA '01) is a Programme Officer at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Rabat, Morocco.

2000

Katie Nye (IDSC/M.A. '00) is working at the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants as a program coordinator with ethnic community-based associations (Mutual Assistance Associations) and continuing her work with US-Africa community linkage programs.

Timothy LeDoux (IDSC/BA ‘98/MA ’00) is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Geography at Michigan State University.

Paul Burgess (IDSC/MA '00) is a Manager/Research Analyst.

Paula Agnes Akompong (IDSC/MA '00) is Executive Director for Habitat for Humanity San Bernardino Area, an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International.

Pam Kavaleski (GISDE/MA '00) is a GIS Specialist.

Andrew Alspach (GISDE/MA ‘00) works as the information management officer in the Field Information Services Unit of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva.

Danel (Francoeur) Eitel (ES&P/BA ‘99/MA ’00) is currently an Environmental Earth Science teacher at South Windsor High School in South Windsor, CT. “We cover many environmental subjects including sustainable development, energy resources, and a variety of environmental impacts. My education in the ES&P program at Clark really gave me the fundamental understanding of many of these issues to teach them to the next generation.

1990s

Hellen Amuguni (IDSC/MA '99) is a veterinarian and gender consultant in Kenya.

Andrew Alspach (GISDE/MA '99) is an Information Management Officer with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Barbara Seekins (GISDE/MA '99) is a Geographer and GIS Coordinator for NMFS' Northwest Region, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in Portland, Oregon.

Anne-Marie Urban (IDSC/MA '98) is working at the Inter-American Development Bank as a social development and gender specialist.

Tricia Matthews (IDSC/MA '98) is Deputy Director in Liberia for Mercy Corps.

Agueda Marin (IDSC/MA '98) won a 2005 International Organization for Migration Award recognizing her dedication and innovative programming in countering human trafficking in Central America while at the IMO's Regional Office in San José

Seta Iskandarian (IDSC/BA (minor) ‘98) was appointed executive director of Armenian Volunteer Corps.

Timothy Abbott (IDSC/MA '97) is the Director of The Litchfield Hill Greenprint Project in northwest Connecticut, sponsored by The Trust for Public Land.

Milan Shrestha (IDSC/MA ‘97) completed her Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Georgia.

Genese Sodikoff (IDSC/MA '96) is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology.

Andrea Lemerise (ES&P/MA '94) is an environmental analyst.

Jo Anne Shatkin (ETS/MA ‘90/PhD ‘94) recently joined CLF Ventures, Inc, helping organizations successfully launch, operate, and sunset operations with economic as well as environmental benefits. As managing director, she brings technical expertise in health and environmental risk analysis for addressing complex and emerging contaminant concerns.

Alphonse Bigirimana (IDSC/MA ‘93) is the director of planning and monitoring with Chemonics, an international development consulting firm which promotes meaningful change to help people live healthier, more productive, and increasingly independent lives.

Denise Child (Geography & ETS/MA ‘92) works at the Massachusetts DEP Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup as a branch chief in the Audits program. She audits hazardous waste disposal sites to make sure that the assessment and cleanup of contaminated soil and groundwater is being conducted as required by law, and where cleanup is not being done properly or is lacking, she helps to conduct enforcement.

Juliette Monet (IDSC/BA ‘85/MA ’90) is the Associate Director of Off-Campus Study at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. “While a departure from my past experiences in the local and international non-profit sector, I am enjoying working in international education in an exciting higher education environment. I particularly enjoy helping young students to chart explore study abroad as a culturally and professionally broadening experience. This passion for international and intercultural learning has been a big part of my life ever since my days at Clark.”

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