Diplomats Forever

We're proud of our amazing alumni!

The strength of Franklin & Marshall College is rooted in the far-reaching impact of its 29,000-plus alumni, who strive every day to make a positive impact on the world in a wide variety of industries, nonprofits, and government agencies.

To show our tremendous pride in our many distinguished and accomplished Diplomats, we are spotlighting them in a variety of ways — on social media, in print, on our website, and through a series of banners adorning the heart of campus.

The theme of this campaign is Diplomats Forever, a simple yet appropriate message that summarizes the lifelong connection between F&M and its alumni, as well as the connections our alumni form with one another — as friends, mentors and cheerleaders committed to seeing each other succeed and thrive.

 

Cheering crowd in Shadek Stadium

Behind the Banners: Our Distinguished Alumni

Wanda Austin ’75

Portrait of Wanda Austin

First African American & First Woman President & CEO, The Aerospace Corp.

Dr. Wanda M. Austin is an American businesswoman who is internationally recognized for her work in aeronautics and systems engineering. She is co-founder of MakingSpace Inc, a systems engineering and leadership development consultant and motivational speaker. She served as interim president of the University of Southern California for the 2018-2019 academic year, and led the institution through a crucial transition period. She is the former president and CEO of The Aerospace Corp., an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to the application of science and technology toward critical issues affecting the nation's space program. From January 2008 until October 2016, Austin led the organization's 3,600 employees and managed annual revenues of $950 million at 17 U.S. locations. She was the first woman and the first African American to lead the organization. 

Austin served on the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology until January 2017, advising the President of the United States in areas where an understanding of science, technology and innovation was key to forming effective U.S. policy. Austin is a member of the Defense Science Board and the NASA Advisory Council. She is an honorary fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), a counselor of the National Academy of Engineering, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is a trustee for the University of Southern California and on the Board of Directors for the Chevron Corporation and Amgen.

Austin attended The Bronx High School of Science, earned a B.A. in mathematics from Franklin & Marshall College, master's degrees in systems engineering and mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Ph.D. in systems engineering from the University of Southern California.

Austin is committed to inspiring the next generation to STEM disciplines. She is the author of Making Space: Strategic Leadership for a Complex World.

Source

Read more about Wanda:

2017 F&M Commencement Address

Chevron bio

NASA bio

LA Times Profile

Veronica Beard ’94

Portrait of Wanda Austin

Founder, Veronica Beard

Veronica talks about her experience at F&M and how Joel Eigen, Emeritus Charles A. Dana Professor of Sociology, affected her worldviews and helped her discover her path to success in the world of fashion.

Read more about Veronica:

Vanity Fair Profile

Stanley M. Brand, Esq. ’70

Portrait of Stan Brand

Counsel to U.S. House and VP of Minor League Baseball

Stan Brand’s practice covers all levels of state and federal courts, with an emphasis on defending the rights of witnesses involved in government investigations.

Brand has represented numerous individuals and organizations investigated by and/or called to testify before the U.S. Congress. He has a recognized expertise in the application of the separation-of-powers doctrine. And his diverse litigation and counseling practice also includes the representation of corporations, trade associations, labor unions and individuals in major Department of Justice, grand jury, and independent counsel investigations and trial proceedings, including Whitewater, Housing and Urban Development, the savings and loan crisis, and the campaign finance task force investigations. He also have represented individuals and entities involved in contested election proceedings.

From 1976 to 1983, Brand served as general counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives under Speaker Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill, Jr. and was the House’s chief legal officer responsible for representing the House, its members, officers and employees in connection with legal procedures and litigation arising from the conduct of their official activities. After leaving the House, Brand had a succession of high-profile, political and public corruption cases and clients, including former White House aide George Stephanopoulos in the Whitewater investigation, former congressman and Gore 2000 campaign manager Tony Coelho, former House Majority Whip Bill Gray, congressmen Dan Rostenkowski and Joe McDade, and former executive agency officials.

Most recently, Brand spent more than five years with the Global AmLaw firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. Before which, Brand was the founding partner of Brand Law Group, a Washington, D.C.-based law firm specializing in matters at the intersection of politics and criminal law. As Vice President of Minor League Baseball, he handles the organization’s government relations activities

Brand has been featured in The Washingtonian magazine’s survey of the 75 best lawyers in Washington. And Brand has been named by the Legal Times as a White Collar Crime “Top Gun” for knowing “when to fight and when not to fight.” 

Brand widely appear on network, public and cable television, including ABC News and ABC’s “Nightline,” NBC News, CBS News, Fox News, Court TV, NPR’s “All Things Considered,” CNN’s “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” MSNBC’s “Hardball,” John McLaughlin’s “One on One,” and ESPN’s “SportsCenter” and “Mike and Mike in the Morning” on the subject of corporate, public and political ethics, congressional procedure and criminal law. Brand was also a paid consultant and commentator to ABC News during the Bush/Gore 2000 election dispute.

Stan also serves as a distinguished fellow in law and government at Penn State University’s Dickinson School of Law and the on-site coordinator of the Washington semester program.

Source

More about Stan:

Alumni Master Class

Penn State Dickinson Law Bio 

Rev. Dr. Louis A. Butcher Jr. '65

Portrait of Rev. Dr. Louis A. Butcher Jr. '65

Founding pastor, Brightside Baptist Church

The Rev. Louis A. Butcher Jr., a native of Lancaster, was educated in the Lancaster School System, graduated from Franklin & Marshall College with a B.A. in English Literature, from the Lancaster Bible College with a M.A. in Ministry, and from Lancaster Theological Seminary with a Doctor of Ministry degree. He has also received honorary doctorates from Franklin & Marshall and Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology. He has held various positions in the corporate world, including serving as a sales representative for Hamilton Watch Company and as Corporate Employment Manager for that firm. He worked in retailing for 10 years with John Wanamaker Department Stores, holding the positions of Branch Personnel Manager, Operations Manager and Divisional Merchandise Manager.  He spent nearly 20 years with the County of Lancaster as Executive Director of the County Human Relations Commission. He has also operated his own business.  After serving as Pastor at Bright Side Baptist Church for 37 years, he retired in June 2017.

The Rev. Butcher has served on numerous community boards, including the United Way, South East Lancaster Health Services, Lancaster Regional Medical Center, the Urban League, Leadership Lancaster, LIVE Green, and the Lancaster General Hospital. He is a past Moderator of the Central Baptist Association and a former Regional Vice President of the Pennsylvania Baptist State Convention. He is a former Chairman and current member of the Board of the Bright Side Opportunities Corporation, a nonprofit corporation that operates the Bright Side Opportunities Center.

The Rev. Butcher has been married to the former Katie A. Rogers for more than 52 years. They are the parents of four children, eight grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. They were also foster parents for 30 years, helping to raise more than 20 children.

Luis F. Clavijo ’08

Portrait of Luis F. Clavijo ’08

Director of Finance, Disney Television Studios

While at F&M, Luis majored in Business, Organizations & Society (BOS) and minored in Economics. He serves as a director of finance at Disney Television Studios, responsible for greenlight analysis of new TV series.  

Previously, Clavijo worked for NBC Universal and G.E. corporations. He resides in Los Angeles.

Jason Cone ’99

Portrait of Jason Cone '99

Chief Public Policy Officer at Robin Hood

Cone is an experienced nonprofit chief executive steeped in crisis management, policy advocacy, strategic communications, and fundraising knowledge. He is a former executive director, US affiliate of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), leading international medical humanitarian organization with over 200 staff and $370 million annual revenue. He also is the co-founder BlueCheck Ukraine, an initiative to identify, verify, and fund Ukrainian nongovernmental organizations providing lifesaving assistance.

Currently, he leads public policy and advocacy grantmaking for the largest poverty-fighting organization in New York City, Robin Hood. Cone oversees a $12 million grantmaking portfolios tackling issues such as criminal justice, affordable housing, early childhood, education, child care, food and tax policy reform. His work has supported policy change campaigns resulting in major reforms to the federal child tax credit, parole regulations, medical debt collection practices, unemployment insurance, and worker protections, among others.

Prior to joining Robin Hood, Cone led MSF-USA, one of the largest medical humanitarian organizations in the world, and was MSF-USA’s chief spokesperson and negotiator with cabinet-level officials in the Obama and Trump administrations on issues ranging from humanitarian aid to access to medicines, to immigration and counter-terrorism. Over 15 years with MSF-USA, he has conducted field assignments in Colombia, El Salvador, Gaza and the West Bank, Haiti, Jordan, Lebanon, Liberia, Mexico, Myanmar, South Sudan, Thailand, and Turkey.

Cone is an internationally recognized speaker on humanitarian issues, international humanitarian law, global health, crisis communications, non-profit ethics, and global migration.

Source

Jennifer Guinier Danielson ’95

Portrait of Jennifer Guinier Danielson ’95

Senior Vice President, Digital; Comedy Central, Paramount Network, TV Land

Paula T. Dow, Esq., ’77

Portrait of Paula T. Dow, Esq., ’77

Judge; First African-American Woman Attorney General of New Jersey

Paula T. Dow served as the 58th Attorney General of New Jersey, appointed by Gov. Chris Christie. Her nomination to a full term was confirmed by the New Jersey Senate in February 2010. She was the first African-American woman to be attorney general in state history.

After graduating from F&M  in 1977, Dow earned her juris doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1980.

She is a 2012 recipient of F&M’s Alumni Citation, has served on the African American Alumni Council, and is a Bridgett Medalist.

Kenneth M. Duberstein, LL.D. ’65, P’09, P’12

Portrait of Kenneth M. Duberstein, LL.D. ’65, P’09, P’12

White House Chief of Staff for President Reagan and Founder, The Duberstein Group Inc.

Kenneth M. Duberstein was chairman and CEO of The Duberstein Group from 1989-2022.  Duberstein served as a key member of the Reagan Administration during his various assignments as White House Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff and Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs. 

Among the Boards of Directors on which Duberstein served:  The Boeing Company (Lead Director, and Chairman of the Governance and Nominating Committee), The Travelers Companies (Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee), Conoco-Phillips (Presiding Director and Chairman of the Governance Committee), Dell, Inc., and Mack-Cali Realty Corporation. 

He was a Lifetime Trustee of Franklin & Marshall College, The Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, and served as well on the board of directors of the Brookings Institution, and the Colin L. Powell School of Civic and Global Leadership.  He also served as Chairman and longtime board member of The Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School. 

Duberstein was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, having served on its board for 10 years.  From 2003 to 2006, he was a consultant for storyline and accuracy for the Emmy award winning TV series West Wing.  He was married to the former Jacquelyn Fain.

Source

Watch and learn more about Ken:

Alumni Master Class: Ken Duberstein ’65 with Dr. G. Terry Madonna

Stanley J. Dudrick, M.D. ’57, P’88, G’10, G’19

Portrait of Stanley J. Dudrick, M.D. ’57, P’88, G’10, G’19

Pioneered Use of Intraveneous Feeding Technology

A medical science pioneer, Stanley Dudrick was innovative in the development of intravenous hyperalimentation, the technique of feeding a person intravenously—through their blood stream— that bypasses the normal process of eating and digestion. His work at the University of Pennsylvania in the 1960s revolutionized post-operative patient care, earning him accolades and worldwide recognition for his accomplishment and research. Dr. Dudrick passed away in January 2020.

The Journal of the American Medical Association characterized his efforts as “one of the four most significant accomplishments in the history of modern surgery.” The others were: discovery and development of asepsis and antisepsis, antibiotic therapy, and anesthesia.

Dudrick’s intravenous feeding system, known as Total Parenteral Nutrition, also has been recognized as one of the three most important advances in surgery, along with open-heart operations and organ transplantation. In receiving the Jacobson Innovation Award from the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Dudrick was cited as a “major contributor to science, medicine and education for the initial research and ongoing contributions to the field of nutritional support for surgical patients.”

Born in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, on April 9, 1935, Dudrick received his bachelor of science in biology with honors in 1957 from Franklin & Marshall College. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa honor fraternity and was awarded the Williamson Medal as the outstanding member of his graduating class.

His medical degree was conferred by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1961, followed by a rotating internship and residency training in general surgery at the hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where he served as chief resident in surgery under Dr. Jonathan Rhoads until 1967. After his training, he joined the faculty at Penn and within five years ascended in rank from instructor to professor of surgery at his alma mater.

In the ensuing years, Dudrick would serve hospitals and universities around the country, including the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, where in 1972 he was first professor and, later, founding chairman of the Department of Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, and chair of the department of surgery at Saint Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury, Connecticut.

When asked by an F&M writer a few years ago about the motivation behind his innovative work with intravenous feeding, Dudrick spoke simply, but eloquently. “I wanted to make my patients better,” he said.

Christopher S. Finch ’92

Portrait of Christopher S. Finch ’92

Head Coach, NBA Minnesota Timberwolves

Two-time F&M All-American Chris Finch is the Head Coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves. On Feb. 22, 2021, Finch became the 14th Head Coach in Timberwolves history.

Coach Finch joined the Timberwolves in the middle of the 2020-21 NBA Season. At the start of the 2020-2021 season, Coach Finch was an Assistant Coach for the Toronto Raptors and prior to his time in Toronto, Coach Finch was the Associate Head Coach for both the New Orleans Pelicans (2019-2020) and the Denver Nuggets (2016-2017). Coach Finch was also an Assistant Coach for Houston from 2011-2016. Before coaching in the NBA, Finch was the Head Coach of NBA D-League team, Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2009-2011) and won the D-League Championship (2010). For these efforts, Coach Finch won the Dennis Johnson Coach of the Year Award (2010).

Chris Finch was born on November 6, 1969, in Cambridge, Ohio. After graduating from Wilson High School, Finch attended Franklin & Marshall College and, upon graduation, played in England for the Sheffield Forgers/Sharks (1993-1997). Finch was inducted into the Franklin & Marshall Hall of Fame in 2002 and in 2019, Finch was also inducted into the Berks Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

Source

More about Chris:

Get To Know Head Coach Chris Finch

Franklin & Marshall alum Chris Finch named head coach of Timberwolves

Thomas M. Fishbein, M.D. ’85

Portrait of Thomas M. Fishbein, M.D. '85

Executive director of MedStar Georgetown Transplant Institute (MGTI); Director of Liver Diseases and Transplant Program; Professor, Departments of Surgery and Pediatrics

Dr. Fishbein is the executive director of MedStar Georgetown Transplant Institute (MGTI), director of Liver Diseases and Transplant Program and professor, Departments of Surgery and Pediatrics.

Board certified in Surgery, his special interests include small bowel/intestinal transplantation, pediatric liver transplantation, hepatobiliary surgery, liver transplant, portal hypertension surgery and pancreatic surgery. He oversees clinical research at MGTI and is the principal investigator of numerous clinical trials.

Dr. Fishbein is known as one of a handful of international experts on intestinal transplantation who has developed new immunosuppressive regimens, surgical techniques and other treatments to improve outcomes.

Source

Videos featuring Dr. Fishbein:

HPB Surgery in Children

Liver Transplantation

Lynn J. Greenberg ’14

Portrait of Lynn J. Greenberg ’14

Founder and CEO, Pivt

Lynn is the Founder and CEO of Pivt, the company social app designed to reduce turnover and improve the social well-being of relocated, mobile, remote employees, and their families.

Lynn is a Forbes 30 under 30 and Forbes Next 1000 honoree. Prior to founding Pivt, Lynn worked at Bloomberg LP in London and then at Autonomy Ventures, where she procured startup deal-flow, managed teams, and drove value creation for portfolio companies. She currently serves as the VP of Panels for the New York Venture Community (NYVC), and mentors/advises at Women in Business at Yeshiva University, Astia Angels, London & Partners, and Athletic Venture Advisors.

Lynn is a frequent panelist, startup judge, and speaker, including at: SXSW, Harvard University, NYU Stern Business School, Columbia University Business School, NY Venture Summit, and the University of Oxford. Lynn has been featured in publications such as: Forbes, The London Evening Standard, and Digital Trends. She has also been published in: Thrive Global, ERC Worldwide Mobility Magazine, Startup Magazine, and Entrepreneur Podcast Network.

More about Lynn:

Q&A with Global Mobility Insider

About Pivt

Patricia E. Harris ’77

Portrait of Patricia E. Harris ’77

CEO, Bloomberg Philanthropies; Former First Deputy Mayor, New York City

Patricia E. Harris is the chief executive officer of Bloomberg Philanthropies, which encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy, as well as Bloomberg Associates, a pro bono consultancy that works with mayors in cities around the world.

As CEO, Harris oversees Bloomberg Philanthropies’ programs focused on the arts, education, environment, government innovation, and public health, with the mission of ensuring better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. In 2021, Bloomberg Philanthropies invested $1.66 billion around the world, improving the lives of millions of people across 941 cities and 173 countries. Harris also serves on the board of directors of Bloomberg Philanthropies and on the management committee of Bloomberg L.P., the global financial technology, data, and media company founded by Mr. Bloomberg in 1981. The vast majority of the company’s profits are committed to support the work of Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Harris also serves as the vice chair of the board of trustees of Franklin & Marshall College, her alma mater; on the board of trustees of the National 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York City; and on the board of directors of the Public Art Fund in New York City.

Previously, Harris served in the Bloomberg Administration in New York City from 2002 through 2013, first as deputy mayor (2002–2005) and then as first deputy mayor (2006–2013). She is the first woman in New York City’s history to have served in this role, which is the city’s highest appointed position.

Before joining the Bloomberg Administration, Harris managed Bloomberg L.P.’s Corporate Communications Department, overseeing its Philanthropy, Public Relations, and Government Affairs divisions. Prior to that, she was vice president for public relations at Serino Coyne Advertising.

Harris began her career in public service in 1977 as an assistant to then-Congressman Ed Koch and, upon Koch’s election as mayor, served in his administration, including as executive director of the New York City Art Commission.

Harris is a lifelong New Yorker, mother, and an experienced scuba diver.

Source

Gabby She Hirata ’11

Portrait of Gabby She Hirata ’11

Global Brand President of Halara

Gabby Hirata is Global Brand President of Halara, an athleisure direct-to-consumer brand based in Singapore.

Before joining Halara in July 2023, Hirata was president and chief executive of DVF (Diane von Furstenberg) for just under three years. Prior to DVF, Gabby served as the chief strategy officer of Jill Stuart in 2019, and the managing director of Adeam, a New York-based Japanese luxury brand from 2014 to 2018.

Prior to these senior management roles, Gabby specialized in product development and supply chains at Ralph Lauren, managing the global sourcing of Blue Label and the launch of Polo for Women from 2009 to 2014.

Raised in China and educated in the U.S., Gabby is passionate about leveraging her multicultural and trilingual background to streamline and scale organizations through establishing international offices, standard operating procedures, and global go-to-market strategies with a focus on China.

Source

More about Gabby:

Diane Von Furstenberg’s CEO on Building a Career in Fashion

How the APAC Business Head at DVF Turned Virus Fear Into Strength

Gabby Hirata: Fashion Is Owning Who You Want to Become

Prominent Fashion Designer Internship is Perfect Fit for F&M Senior

Claudia E. Katz ’88

Portrait of Claudia E. Katz ’88

Executive Producer, Futurama and Star Wars: Clone Wars

Claudia Katz joined Rough Draft Studios in 1994 to produce The Maxx. Since then she has helped build Rough Draft into a top tier animation studio in film and television. In addition to overseeing production, and serving as a creative producer, she also heads in-house development. She is currently Executive Producing the return of Futurama for Hulu and Disenchantment for Netflix.. Other work includes; Tarantula Clash-A-Rama, Futurama, Napoleon Dynamite, Full English, Sit Down, Shut Up, The Simpsons Movie, Drawn Together, and Star Wars: Clone Wars I & II.

She has received an Annecy Award for her work on The Maxx, Emmy and Hugo Awards for Futurama, Emmy Awards for Star Wars: Clone Wars I & II, and Annie Awards for the Bender's Big Score, Beast With A Billion Backs, and Into The Wild Green Yonder.

More about Claudia:

Emmy nominations and wins

Claudia's IMDB page

James E. Lapine '71

Portrait of James E. Lapine '71

Award-Winning Playwright and Director

James E. Lapine ’71 is an award-winning director, playwright and screenwriter. He has been nominated for 12 Tony Awards, winning on three occasions, and has received five Drama Desk Awards and the Pulitzer Prize. In 2011, he was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame and in 2015 was the recipient of the Mr. Abbott Award presented by the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers for a lifetime of exceptional achievement in the theatre.

Lapine was born in Mansfield, Ohio, and lived there until his early teens when his family moved to Stamford, Conn. He majored in history at Franklin & Marshall and went on to earn an MFA in design from the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, Calif.

He taught design at the Yale School of Drama, where his students urged him to direct the Gertrude Stein play "Photograph." The production was enthusiastically received by The New York Times and won an Obie award. Lapine eventually left the visual arts for a career in the theatre. He has written and directed the plays "Table Settings," "Luck, Pluck and Virtue," "The Moment When," "Fran's Bed," and "Act One," a stage adaptation of the famous Moss Hart autobiography.

On Broadway, Lapine has written the book for and directed Stephen Sondheim’s "Sunday in the Park with George," "Into the Woods," "Passion,"  and the multi-media revue "Sondheim on Sondheim." Among his many off-Broadway offerings were three Shakespeare productions for the Public Theatre.

Lapine is a member of the Dramatist Guild Council and for the last sixteen years has been a mentor for TDF's Open Doors Program. He currently divides his time between New York City and Martha’s Vineyard.

More about James:

The Lapine Endowment at F&M

The James Lapine Collection from F&M Libraries

Complete list of awards at Broadway World

Leo McFarland ’11

Portrait of Leo McFarland ’11

Threat Investigator, Meta: Facebook, Instagram

Leo McFarland is an experienced national security professional, former FBI Special Agent and current Threat Investigator at Meta.  

He is a former member of the Franklin & Marshall College Alumni Association Board of Directors and a frequent volunteer for the Office of Student and Post-Graduate Development (OSPGD).  He is also a frequent volunteer for the Office of Admission as a member of the FAN network.

More about Leo:

Inside FBI training: The art and science of a bomb investigation

The New FBI: Season 1, Episode 3

Becca Meyers ’21

Portrait of Becca Meyers ’21

Gold Medal Paralympian and Advocate

Becca Meyers is a three-time Paralympian (2012, 2016, 2021) who has won six medals across all competitions: three gold, two silver and a bronze. She withdrew from the games in Tokyo in 2021 to protest the Olympic Committee's decision to ban personal assistants from the event, which placed undue hardship on her and many others who rely on those human resources to navigate the massive Olympic Village.

Meyers began to swim in 2000 at age of 6 in Baltimore. She has Usher syndrome and has been deaf since birth. From a young age she has used a cochlear implant, an electronic device that allows her to hear. At the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, she was the only deaf athlete on the U.S. Paralympic swim team.

Meyers is the daughter of Wade Mark Meyers and Maria Dachille Meyers, and has two siblings, Timothy and Elizabeth. She has a seeing eye dog named Birdie who was always inspired joy when seen with Meyers on campus during her time at F&M.

She won the Best Female Athlete with a Disability ESPY Awards in 2015 and 2017.

Source

More about Becca:

F&M's Becca Meyers - 2016 Rio Paralympic Games Highlights

Blind Paralympic Swimmer Spreading Optimism | Becca Meyers | Beacon Story

How Becca Meyers is Making Waves - Speedo USA

You Have To Watch It! | World Record Holder Rebecca Meyers | Para Swimming | Paralympic Games

Deaf-blind Paralympic gold medalist heartbroken after pulling out of Tokyo Games because her mom can't be there as personal care assistant

Michael J. Mumma, Ph.D., ’63

Portrait of Michael J. Mumma, Ph.D., '63

Founding Director and Senior Scientist, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Michael J. Mumma. Ph.D., ’63 is a planetary scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, where he is a Senior Scientist in the Solar System Exploration Division, and founding Director of the Goddard Center for Astrobiology. He is also Professor of Astronomy (Adjunct), University of Maryland (College Park).  His work is largely directed towards understanding aspects of life’s origin and its distribution in the cosmos—in the first case, by evaluating the role of comets in delivering water and pre-biotic organic compounds to the young Earth and, in the second, by searching for possible biomarker gases on other planets.  

Dr. Mumma pioneered the first detection of water in comets, and later extended the methodology to detections of ten additional gaseous species in nearly 40 comets to date, that form the basis for an emerging taxonomy based on volatile composition. He leads the Team that detected release of methane on Mars, and that now is searching for related trace gases to test whether their origin was biotic, abiotic, or both.  In 2015, his team released the first maps of normal- and deuterated-water on Mars, from which they inferred loss of an Arctic-sized ocean since Mars was young.  He is currently investigating methane and trace gases on Mars using an infrared spectrometer on the Trace Gas Orbiter spacecraft, which was placed in Mars orbit in 2017.  

An elected Fellow of the American Physical Society, Dr. Mumma was thrice recognized with NASA’s (rarely awarded) Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement, in 1988, in 1997, and again in 2009. He received the John C. Lindsay Memorial Prize for Science at Goddard Space Flight Center in 2009 for his discovery of Mars as an active planet, releasing methane today.  In 1999, the International Astronomical Union named asteroid 8340 “Michael J. Mumma."

Rahel Nardos, M.D. ’97

Portrait of Rahel Nardos, M.D. '97

Director of Global Women’s Health and Associate Professor at University of Minnesota Medical School

Early in her academic career at Franklin & Marshall College, Dr. Rahel Nardos realized her professional direction when one of her mentors, Professor of Psychology Michael Penn, invited her to co-author “Overcoming Violence Against Women and Girls: The International Campaign to Eradicate a Worldwide Problem,” published in 2003.

The research and writing opened her eyes to women’s issues, specifically one specialized field, and Dr. Nardos decided to set out and make a difference in the health and well-being of women.   

For Dr. Nardos, now director of global health for Oregon Health & Science University’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, this was her first step in a compelling journey that took the graduate with degrees in biology and psychology through Yale University School of Medicine and Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia in the capital of Addis Ababa, her hometown.

Dr. Nardos went to Hamlin Fistula during her residency, where L. Lewis Wall, a medical doctor and social anthropology scholar, encouraged her to consider urogynecology. The practice, a surgical subspecialty, addresses problems associated with the dysfunction of a woman’s pelvic floor and bladder. In countries like Ethiopia, availability of such procedures was rare, often non-existent. Nardos returned to the United States, trained in pelvic medicine and reconstructive pelvic surgery at OHSU, and learned to care for women with disorders caused by childbirth and aging.

Dr. Nardos’ dedication impressed Wall, the founder of the Worldwide Fistula Fund. At OHSU, Nardos founded Footsteps to Healing, a global women’s health initiative that provides surgical services to rural Ethiopian women with pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence. Her organization partners with the WFF, Hamlin Fistula Hospital and Mekelle University in Ethiopia to provide pelvic floor surgical care. The partners increased care in Sub-Saharan Africa by creating a Pelvic Floor Training program for local clinicians, nurses and physical therapists so that they can provide continued care of women. Wall invited Dr. Nardos to join the WFF, and in 2017, she was elected the organization’s secretary.

More about Rahel:

Finding Her Calling in Africa

Your Core is ‘The Source of Your Passion,’ Speaker Tells Graduates

F&M Commencement Address: Rahel Nardos, M.D., '97

Mary L. Schapiro, Esq. ’77 P’16 P’18

Portrait of Mary L. Schapiro, Esq. ’77 P’16 P’18

First Woman Chair, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; Vice Chair for Global Public Policy at Bloomberg

Mary L. Schapiro is the vice chair for global public policy of Bloomberg, the global financial technology company that was founded in 1981. She has been at Bloomberg since October 2018, and also serves as a special advisor to the founder and chairman.

Schapiro, who has had a distinguished career as a financial services regulator under four U.S. presidents from both political parties, oversees Bloomberg’s public policy and regulatory priorities globally. Her service as the 29th SEC Chair culminated decades of regulatory leadership. She was the first woman to serve as SEC Chair, and the only person to have served as chair of both the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). During her four years as SEC Chair, Schapiro presided over one of the busiest rulemaking agendas in the SEC’s history, during which the agency also executed a comprehensive restructuring program to improve protections for investors and pursued aggressive enforcement of the federal securities laws.

On behalf of Bloomberg, Schapiro leads the Financial Stability Board’s task force on climate-related financial disclosures which has developed and garnered widespread support for a voluntary framework for corporate disclosure of climate-related risk information to help investors, lenders, underwriters and others make informed financial decisions. She also leads the Climate Finance Leadership Initiative, which works to catalyze private finance in support of the transition to a low-carbon economy.

Before becoming SEC Chair and working for Bloomberg, Schapiro served as chief executive officer of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the largest nongovernmental regulator of securities firms.

Earlier, she was chair of the CFTC from 1994 to 1996, a commissioner of the SEC from 1988 to 1994, and general counsel of the Futures Industry Association. She serves on the board of both Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS), and CVS Health (NYSE: CVS). She is also a member of the governing board of the Center for Audit Quality and serves on advisory boards at the China Securities Regulatory Commission and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the board of trustees of Franklin and Marshall College.

Source

More About Mary: 

Profile by Forbes Magazine

F&M Alumni Spotlight Video

Franklin J. Schaffner ’42

Portrait of Franklin J. Schaffner ’42

Academy Award Winner; Best Director, Patton

Franklin J. Schaffner was an American director who worked on a number of well-regarded television programs before launching a successful film career that included such classics as Planet of the Apes (1968) and Patton (1970). He passed away in July 1989.

Schaffner, whose parents were Protestant missionaries, was raised in Japan until he was 5 years old, when his family returned to the United States. After attending F&M, he served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during World War II. In 1948 Schaffner began working for the CBS television network, and he went on to make important contributions to what became known as TV’s “golden age.” He made his directorial debut in 1949, helming episodes for the TV show Wesley.

He later directed more than 150 live dramas for such notable anthology series as The Ford Theatre Hour, Playhouse 90, and Studio One in Hollywood. For the latter program, he made more than 100 shows, including Twelve Angry Men (1954), which earned him an Emmy Award. He also won Emmys for directing and cowriting The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (1955), which aired on the Ford Star Jubilee, and for directing (1961–62) several episodes of the weekly series The Defenders.

Schaffner’s other notable television credits include Person to Person, a weekly show in which Edward R. Murrow interviewed various news makers. In the 1950s, Schaffner helmed nearly 250 episodes of the program. In 1962 he directed A Tour of the White House, a TV documentary that featured Jacqueline Kennedy as the host; it received a Peabody Award. During that time he also directed (1960–61) Advise and Consent on Broadway.

In 1963 Schaffner helmed his first feature film, The Stripper (1963), which was based on William Inge’s play A Loss of Roses. Joanne Woodward starred as a struggling actress who accepts a job as a striptease performer, and Richard Beymer was cast as the wide-eyed teenager who is initially infatuated with her. 

Schaffner’s first big commercial success was Planet of the Apes, which vies with Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey for the best science-fiction movie of 1968. The classic film, which combined action and social commentary, starred Heston as an astronaut who lands on a planet ruled by civilized apes. Immensely popular, the film spawned a number of sequels.

Schaffner’s gift for incorporating majestic scope and historical detail into his films was fully evident in Patton (1970), his most-lauded film. A box-office and critical hit, the biopic about Gen. George S. Patton received an Academy Award for best picture, and Schaffner earned an Oscar for his direction; George C. Scott was named best actor, but he declined the Oscar.

Additional credits include the opulent historical epic Nicholas and Alexandra,(1971); Papillon (1973), which was based on the autobiography of Henri Charrière, a French prisoner who escaped from Devils Island starring Steve McQueen; Islands in the Stream (1977); and The Boys from Brazil (1978), a thriller based on the Ira Levin best seller.

Source

More about Franklin:

F&M Library Franklin J. Schaffner Collection

New York Times Obituary: Franklin J. Schaffner Dies at 69; An Oscar-Winning Film Director

Roy Scheider ’55

Portrait of Roy Scheider ’55

Stage & film actor; Academy Award nominations: The French Connection, All That Jazz

Roy Richard Scheider was an American actor and amateur boxer. He gained fame for his leading and supporting roles in celebrated films from the 1970s through to the early to mid-1980s. He was nominated for two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Awared and a BAFTA Award.

His best-known roles include Chief Martin Brody in "Jaws" (1975) and its sequel, "Jaws 2" (1978), New York City Police Detective (NYPD) "Cloudy" Russo in "The French Connection" (1971); NYPD Detective "Buddy" in "The Seven-Ups" (1973); Doc Levy in "Marathon Man" (1976); choreographer and film director Joe Gideon in "All That Jazz" (1979); Officer Frank Murphy in "Blue Thunder" (1983); and Dr. Heywood R. Floyd in the 1984 film "2010," the sequel to "2001: A Space Odyssey."

Scheider was born in Orange, N.J., the son of Anna Crosson and auto mechanic Roy Bernhard Scheider. As a child, Scheider was an athlete, participating in organized baseball and boxing competitions.

He attended Columbia High School in Maplewood, N.,J. graduating in 1950, and was inducted into the school's hall of fame in 1985. He traded his boxing gloves for the stage, studying drama at both Rutgers University and Franklin & Marshall, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.

Scheider's extraordinary career started in the Green Room Theatre under the mentorship of Drama Professor Ed Brubaker.

Asawin Suebsaeng ’11

Portrait of Asawin Suebsaeng ’11

Senior Politics reporter, Rolling Stone Magazine; Political Author 

Asawin "Swin" Suebsaeng is a senior politics reporter at Rolling Stone magazine. He was previously a White House reporter for The Daily Beast, and prior to that, worked in the Mother Jones magazine's Washington, D.C., bureau covering the intersection of politics and pop culture.

Before that, he was a reporter at the Bangkok Post in Thailand, where he covered the summer of the Red Shirt crisis and military crackdown. He appears regularly on radio and TV, including on MSNBC, where he primarily discusses his reporting on the modern American right-wing, GOP, and Trumpism.

In February 2020, the Penguin Random House imprint of Viking published his book, which Swin co-authored with investigative reporter Lachlan Markay, Sinking in the Swamp: How Trump's Minions and Misfits Poisoned Washington, which Kirkus Reviews called "a dishy takedown of the mediocrities, charlatans, and grifters populating the corridors of power in D.C."

Swin and his wife — Reason magazine senior editor Elizabeth Nolan Brown — are lecturers and professional affiliates at the University of Cincinnati's journalism department.

More about Swin:

Rolling Stone article collection

'Sinking in the Swamp' on Penguin Random House

Jonathan Teklit ’20

Portrait of Jonathan Teklit ’20

Award-winning Poet Featured in The New Yorker

Jonny Teklit is a winner of the 2019 Academy of American Poets College Poetry Prize as well as the recipient of the 2019 Aliki Perroti and Seth Young Most Promising Young Poet Award. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Adroit Journal, Catapult, Alien Magazine, Glass Poetry Press, Mixed Mag, Dishsoap Quarterly, The Susquehanna Review, and elsewhere.

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More about Johnny:

The Atlantic publication of “Black Flamingo, a Poem for Wednesday” by Jonny Teklit

The 2019 Academy of American Poets Poetry Prize

F&M Senior Named ‘Most Promising’ by Academy of American Poets

Randy L. Wilkins ’01

Portrait of Randy L. Wilkins ’01

Emmy Award-Winning Filmmaker 

Randy Wilkins is a three-time Emmy Award-winning director, and editor from the Bronx, N.Y.

As a director, Randy helmed the ESPN 30 for 30/Lil’ Spike Joint
86-32, chronicling the controversial decision between Roy Jones Jr. and Park Si-Hun in the Light Middle Heavyweight gold medal match at the 1988 Summer Olympics. In addition, Randy has directed the series premiere episode of Dear ... featuring Spike Lee for Apple+.

Wilkins’ latest efforts are directing the Jackie Robinson Day spot for Major League Baseball and helming the Pepsi Holiday Give Back ad.

Outside of directing, Randy has served as Lead Editor on numerous Spike Lee joints, including She’s Gotta Have It and Rodney King for Netflix. He is currently in development for his feature script Pray For A Little More Spring while also in co-development for the miniseries Forward Ever.

Source

More about Randy:

Charming, engaging, intense: 'The Captain' director Randy Wilkins on working with Derek Jeter

Franklin and Marshall Alumni Podcast

Austin D. Williams, M.D. ’07

Portrait of Austin D. Williams, M.D. ’07

Breast Surgical Oncologist; Assistant Professor,
Fox Chase Cancer Center

Dr. Austin Williams earned his undergraduate degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from Franklin & Marshall College and holds a master’s of science in education from the University of Pennsylvania. He received his medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine in 2013.

Prior to joining Fox Chase, Williams was a breast surgery oncology fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He also completed a general surgery residency at Lankenau Medical Center and served as administrative chief resident. In addition, he completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, where he focused on breast surgical oncology.

Over the course of his career, Williams has achieved multiple honors, including the Outstanding Scientific Presentation Award from the American Society of Breast Surgeons and the Owen H. Wangasteen Excellence in Research Award from the American College of Surgeons. In addition to presenting his research nationally and internationally, Williams has published nearly 40 peer-reviewed articles, multiple book chapters, and a book titled Surgery Morning Report: Beyond the Pearls, released in 2019.

Williams has extensive leadership experience with various scientific and medical organizations. He has served as a chair of the Philadelphia Chapter of the American College of Surgeons’ Resident Subcommittee and is a member of the Society of Surgical Oncology Fellows and Young Attendings Subcommittee. He also sits on the Franklin & Marshall College Alumni Association’s Board of Directors.

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More aboutt Austin: 

Alumni on the Front Lines

Surgeon Researcher Alum Offers New Clinical Perspectives on Breast Cancer

Reflections of the Class of 2007

Maribel Vasquez Molina ’09

Maribel Vasquez Molina '09

United States Diplomat, U.S. Department of State

Maribel Vasquez Molina is a tenured Public Diplomacy career officer with the U.S. Department of State. She currently serves as a Public Diplomacy Officer for the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, supporting U.S. policy at the United Nations and other multilateral organizations. Her prior tours include China, India, and most recently, Mexico City, where she served as Deputy Press Attaché.

Prior to joining the Department, Maribel was a Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellow, a Fulbright Scholar to Venezuela, and a Humanity in Action Fellow to Denmark. Maribel holds a Bachelor of Arts from Franklin & Marshall College as a 2009 graduate of F&M Posse 1, where she was a government major and a Master of Arts in International Affairs from American University’s School of International Studies.

She joined the Department of State in 2014 and is fluent in Spanish and has basic knowledge of Mandarin and Hindi. She hails from The Bronx, NY, and currently resides in Mexico City with her husband, a fellow foreign service officer, and their twin daughters.