Alumni News

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is proud to honor Casey Klemmer, MAIS '23, with the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award in women and gender studies. Klemmer is a humanitarian aid worker and LGBTQ rights advocate supporting refugees in Samos, Greece. Klemmer has worked across Europe and on the border in Greece, Serbia, and Morocco, providing psychosocial support and essential services to displaced communities.

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is proud to honor John Robinson, MA Sociology '10, with the Distinguished Alumni Award in sociology and anthropology. Robinson is an assistant professor of sociology, associated faculty in African American Studies, and the Richard Allen Lester University Preceptor at Princeton University.

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is proud to honor Mary Jo Lopez Duckwitz, BA Religious Studies '06, MAIS '09, with the Distinguished Alumni Award in religious studies. Lopez Duckwitz is a longtime adjunct instructor in Latin American politics, and serves on her staff council to foster institutional growth and cultural development.

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is proud to honor Christopher Michael Johnson, MAIS '11, with the Distinguished Alumni Award in interdisciplinary studies. Johnson was named president of the University of West Georgia, effective August 1, 2025. He leads a comprehensive regional public university, which offers more than 100 academic programs and serves more than 14,000 students across multiple Georgia locations.

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is proud to honor Mido Hajaji, BIS ’19, with the 2025 CHSS G.O.L.D. - Graduate of the Last Decade award. Hajaji is a technology executive and entrepreneur with nearly 20 years of experience driving IT modernization across public-sector and higher-education institutions. As founder and CEO of CloudAI Technologies, his company works to blend secure cloud, AI, and cybersecurity solutions for state, local, and education customers.

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is proud to honor Nena Rogers, MAIS ’19, with the 2025 Distinguished Staff Alumni Award. Rogers has dedicated nearly three decades to George Mason University Athletics. As deputy athletics director for student services and performance and the department’s senior woman administrator, she champions holistic student-athlete development.

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is proud to honor Eileen Kiely, MA Economics '96, with the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award in economics. Kiely is managing director at BlackRock, where she leads the firm’s counterparty, trading, and securities lending risk function.

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is proud to honor Laura Scott, MFA Creative Writing ’93, with the 2025 Distinguished Faculty Alumni Award. Scott has spent her career shaping the next generation of storytellers at George Mason University. After earning her degree, she joined the English department as an academic coordinator and instructor, where she now teaches fiction writing and guides students as they begin their journeys as novelists.

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is proud to honor Robert Vay, MA History ’99, with the 2025 Distinguished Staff Alumni Award. Vay has spent the majority of his professional life safeguarding the story of George Mason University. Since joining the George Mason Libraries in 1993, his work remains integral to the Special Collections Research Center, where he now serves as university archivist.