Day on the Hill Links Students with Alums
12 January 2018 Day on the Hill Links Students with Alums
As part of the 12th annual Day on the Hill program, a group of HWS students will travel to Washington, D.C., over winter break to connect with more than 30 alums, parents and friends of the Colleges representing a broad scope of political career pathways and organizations in the nation’s capital. The three-day trip organized by faculty in the political science department and the Salisbury Center for Career, Professional and Experiential Education provides an all-encompassing look at breaking into political careers as students participate in alum panel sessions, site visits and networking opportunities.
“In our 12th year, the Day on the Hill Program continues to serve as an important link between current students and alums interested in working in D.C. – whether that work is on the Hill, in federal government service or in the private sector,” says Interim Provost and Associate Professor of Political Science DeWayne Lucas, who is co-leading the trip with Professor of Political Science Iva Deutchman.
The second day of the trip kicks off with a visit to the U.S. Secret Service Headquarters where Stuart Hillenbrand ’04, of the Foreign Missions Branch of the Secret Service Academy James J. Rowley Training Center, will give the group an introduction to Secret Service operations.
Students will then break out into groups based on their interests. One group will visit with Distinguished Fellow in Conservative Thought Dr. Lee Edwards at the Heritage Foundation, and also travel to the Ripon Society hosted by Ripon Forum Magazine Editor Lou Zickar P’15.
A second group will visit the U.N. Foundation to meet Kelsey Carroll ’14, an associate at the foundation. They will also travel to the Washington Post, where they will connect with Jennifer Legat ’94, Director of Human Resources at the Washington Post.
A third group of students will visit Chemonics International, where they will hear from Ana Carolina Hoff ’15, new business associate, Latin America and the Caribbean; Sam Park ’00, director of network engineering; and Cary Marlette ’13, project management associate, supply chain solutions. They will then travel to the Grocery Manufacturers Association, where Senior Vice President and General Counsel Karin Moore ’89 will give students a glimpse into one of the nation’s leading trade associations.
Alum participants in this year’s panel discussions include:
Life off the Hill
Hadley Sosnoff ’06, partner, The Majority Group
Policy and Public Service
Meredith Ciaccia ’12, senior manager, government relations & program development, Special Olympics International; Brian Horn ’12, chief of staff, US Business Leadership Network; and Avery Share ’15, research analyst, Institute for Building Technology & Safety (IBTS)
Working on the Hill
Keith Castaldo ’04, general counsel, U.S. Senate, Offices of Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand; Kevin Gannon ’13, legislative correspondent, U.S. House of Representatives; and Denzel Singletary ’13, legislative assistant, U.S. Senate, Offices of Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand
Media & Communications
Nancy Amestoy ’12, Campus Programs Manager at RAINN; and Sarah Tompkins ’10, production coordinator, APCO Worldwide.
Sustainable Development
Annabel Cryan ’16, ORISE Fellow, Office of Air & Radiation at US EPA; Cole Judge ’05, director of research, International Downtown Association; and Caroline Spruill ’12, senior communications strategist, The Nature Conservancy; Meredith Trainor ’05, executive director, Southeast Alaska Conservation Council (SEACC)
Young Alums
August Savarese ’17, executive assistant, Freedom Partners Shared Services; and Barrett Percival ’16, staff assistant, US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs.