2017 Spring Recipients

African and African American Studies

Rachel Klein, BFA '13

Rachel Klein graduated from Mason with a bachelor of fine arts in dance and a minor in African and African-American studies, and has launched a career that draws on both of these disciplines. She has performed with ensembles in Denver, Colorado and New York City, while writing extensively about hip-hop, race, incarceration, and politics. Rachel completed a master’s degree in journalism and Africana studies at NYU in 2017 and is a staff writer at Salon.

Bachelor of Individualized Study

H. Mark Friese, BIS '15

Since receiving his Bachelor of Individualized Study degree from Mason, Mark Friese has made a significant impact locally and nationally – serving the community of families that include members with special needs.

Mark heads the Merrill Lynch Special Needs Group in Washington, D.C., where he helps clients negotiate the complex issues and choices that are encountered by people with special needs and their families. Mark and his team help them establish their priorities and make plans for their financial futures. They also work as advocates, testifying before Congress, educating the community, and serving as a resource for their clients’ particular circumstances.

Mark’s work on behalf of the special needs community goes beyond serving his clients, though. He is a frequent public speaker and has conducted seminars covering financial, education, tax, special needs, and estate planning for schools, institutions, corporations, associations, retirement communities, and professional groups.  Mark has appeared on local media, providing resources and information to the special needs community. He is a board member for many organizations that focus on helping the special needs community, including Shared Horizons, the Special Needs Pooled Trust in Washington D.C., the Autism Society of America’s Northern Virginia Chapter, and the Alexandria Commission on Persons with Disabilities.  Mark also serves as a committee member for Autism Speaks and he has worked with the National Disabilities Institute in marketing and planning.

Communication

Sunny Wonsun Kim, PhD '13

Dr. Sunny Wonsun Kim is currently an assistant professor in the College of Nursing and Health Innovation at Arizona State University and a research affiliate at the Mayo Clinic and at Maricopa Integrated Health System. She received a doctoral degree in communication from Mason in 2013, and her research examines health communication to improve supportive care, quality of life, and psychosocial outcomes in cancer patients and survivors.

Criminology, Law and Society

Commander Kevin M. Brown, BS '77

Since graduating from Mason with a bachelor of science in law enforcement, Kevin Brown has gone on to a distinguished career in law enforcement service on a local and a federal level.

His career includes twenty years as an officer with the Fairfax County Police Department, where he worked in special investigations, community and public relations, crime prevention units, and commercial and residential security risk assessments. He was responsible for establishing numerous Neighborhood Watch programs, and his efforts in the West Springfield and Franconia districts of Fairfax County significantly reduced the burglary and larceny rates in those areas and enhanced the relationship between the police and the public.

Kevin served for twelve years on active duty with the United States Coast Guard in the Office of Port Security. Previous to that, he served with the Office of Reserve Affairs, Mobilization and Readiness Division, as an Intelligence Officer, Inspections and Safety Officer, and as a Reserve Special Agent with the Coast Guard Investigative Service.

Currently, Kevin is the Division Director for Program Review and Evaluation in the Office of Compliance and Security, National Protection and Programs Directorate, at the Department of Homeland Security. Working for DHS since 2009, Kevin has served in the areas of infrastructure protection and regional resiliency, and now conducts audits, assessments, and special studies on the effectiveness of the directorate’s programs and policies.

Cultural Studies

Donna P. Hope, PhD '07

Dr. Donna Hope is a cultural analyst and senior lecturer at the University of the West Indies in Mona, Jamaica, and is currently on a research fellowship studying the global spread of Jamaican popular culture. She is the author of over forty publications, including four books, and has been a radio talk show host for more than a decade.

Economics

Christopher Coyne, MA '03 and PhD '05

We are very proud to include Christopher Coyne among our faculty members at George Mason University; he is an associate professor of economics, and is the director of graduate programs in the economics department.

Christopher serves as the Associate Director of the F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the Mercatus Center. He is the co-editor of the Review of Austrian Economics, The Independent Review, and Advances in Austrian Economics. He serves as the Book Review Editor for Public Choice. In 2008, Christopher was named the Hayek Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics, and in 2010 he was a Visiting Scholar at the Social Philosophy & Policy Center at Bowling Green State University. 

Christopher also is the author or co-author of four books, the co-editor on three more, and he has written numerous academic articles, book chapters, and policy studies.

In 2016, he was selected as the recipient of George Mason University’s University Teaching Excellence Award.

English

Melanie McCabe, MEd '02 and MFA '05

Melanie McCabe received her master in fine arts degree from Mason. She is the author of His Other Life: Searching For My Father, His First Wife, and Tennessee Williams, to be published this fall by the University of New Orleans Press. She is also the author of two poetry collections: History of the Body and What The Neighbors Know. Her essays and poems have appeared in Shenandoah, The Georgia Review, The Massachusetts Review, Best New Poets, and numerous other journals.

Melanie has been a finalist for Shenandoah's Graybeal-Gowan Award, Mid-American Review's poetry contest, the Bright Hill Press Book Prize, the Wabash Poetry Prize, the Pablo Neruda Prize, and the May Swenson Award.

She will be a speaker at this year's Tennessee Williams Literary Festival.

Closer to home, Melanie has read at Mason’s Fall for the Book festival, and takes part in other Mason-hosted or related events as an alumni representative. She is an active part of the virtual and real community of Mason MFA alums, helping foster a sense of connection and mutual support for students and alumni of the program.

Global Affairs

Daniel Velasquez, BA '13

Daniel Velasquez earned a degree in global affairs with a concentration in international development, as well as a minor in business. Combining these studies, he began his own small business, Campesino Specialty Coffee, during his senior year at Mason.

Campesino connects coffee farmers in Latin America directly with roasters around the world. Embodying Mason’s entrepreneurial spirit, Daniel has established an LLC in the United States for importing coffee and another in Medellin [Med-a-YEEN], Colombia, to handle the export side. This gives him the ability to work the entire cycle, ensuring complete transparency and traceability.

He has personally described this model extensively as a favorite guest lecturer in Global Affairs classrooms, where he discusses how coffee commodity chains work globally, what fair trade looks like on the ground, and the importance of ethical business practices.

Daniel has recently relocated to Colombia and by the end of 2017, Campesino plans to purchase its own coffee farm to plant and produce exotic coffees for its client roasters. 

Closer to home, I understand that you can purchase Campesino Specialty Coffee at the Whole Foods store in Fair Lakes.

Higher Education

Barbara Saperstone, DA '94

From 2002 until her retirement in 2015, Barbara Saperstone served as provost of the Annandale Campus of Northern Virginia Community College, the second largest multi-campus community college in the United States. As provost, she was the chief academic officer and chief administrative officer of the campus.  

Barbara served at NOVA’s Annandale Campus for 35 years, beginning her professional career at the college as an adjunct instructor of physical education. She served as the assistant chair of physical education until 1995 when she became the dean of the Division of Communications and Humanities on the Annandale Campus. In addition to her provost responsibilities, she supervised the Pathway to the Baccalaureate Program, a college access and student success initiative serving more than 7,000 students from 48 high schools. She also supervised the college Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. During her tenure at the college, Barbara served on multiple campus and college committees and participated in community activities.  

Under her leadership and over a five-year period, NOVA’s Annandale Campus grew by over 3,000 additional students, increased its retention rate by ten percentage points, and more than doubled its graduates, helping NOVA become the nation’s top two-year college awarding Associate Degrees.

In retirement, Barbara is learning about and engaging in family genealogy research, enjoys knitting for charity, volunteers in her community, and especially relishes spending time with her family. 

History and Art History

Matthew Salter, BA '01

Matt Slater received his bachelor’s degree in history from George Mason University, and, like many Mason alumni in the Washington, DC, area, he has distinguished himself in the consulting field. 

For 10 years he has worked for Noblis, a non-profit science, technology, and strategy firm, where he currently serves as their Director of Business Development for the Transportation Systems and Earth Observations Mission Area. At Noblis, Matt’s clients include the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 

Previously, Matt served as a Senior Program Manager leading multiple technical teams to modernize the FAA’s I.T. infrastructure and data management practices. He credits his degree in history for giving him the communication, critical thinking, and research skills required to be a high performing consultant in the public sector. He explains that “a technical solution, while complex, is often clear and straightforward.  However, understanding how to implement that solution so there is minimal impact to an agency’s mission, politics, and culture is what defines success.” He credits his history courses with giving him the tools to engage in this sort of problem-solving.

Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies

Paul Gilbert, MAIS '03

Paul Gilbert is the Executive-in-Residence for the Recreation Management Program within the College of Education and Human Development here at Mason.

For a decade, Paul has been the Executive Director of NOVA Parks, that is, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, a destination park agency with operations in three counties and three cities in Northern Virginia. Paul has helped NOVA Parks grow its enterprise revenues by 70% and its parklands by nearly 20%. Before his work with NOVA Parks, Paul ran a land conservation non-profit and worked in the private sector doing marketing and corporate acquisitions.

He has written two well-received books and numerous articles. He was a founding board member of both the Virginia Recycling Association and Virginia United Land Trusts. He served as a regent and board chairman of the National Recreation and Park Association’s Revenue Development and Management School.  He is a board member and past Chairman of Visit Fairfax, Fairfax County’s destination marketing organization. He serves on the Virginia Outdoors Plan Technical Advisory Committee, and he previously served on the Governor’s Natural Resource Partnership, and as Regional Co-Chair of a State Park and Natural Areas Bond Campaign.

Modern and Classical Languages

Rigoberto Guevara, BA '96 and MA '99

Dr. Rigoberto Guevara is an associate professor of Spanish at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, and his research areas include Latin American Modernism, Latin American Poetry of Human Rights, and Latin American Civilization and Culture.

Philosophy

Dominique Lamb, MA '10

Dominique Lamb’s master’s degree in philosophy with a concentration in professional ethics is one of two graduate degrees she has earned; she also holds a degree in Digital Media, Digitization and Intellectual Property from the University of Maryland University College. Dominique is the author of What Happens In This House, and currently co-teaches a Healthy Relationships course at George Mason University. 

In the past, she has served as a project manager, instructor, and web editor for various domestic violence awareness organizations. Her work with leaders in the field raised her concern that many domestic violence organizations were not investing significant time and resources to effective prevention efforts. She became inspired to reshape perspectives from an early age through publicly funded education, and she is currently drafting legislation to support this process. Dominique also recently founded her own non-profit organization, Social Change Organization for Peacebuilding Education, or “SCOPE,” to promote social change around domestic violence and healthy relationships through education and awareness.  

While she builds on these efforts, she also works for the Office of Financial Research, an agency of the U.S. Department of Treasury, and as a Licensed Realtor. 

Psychology

Monica Oganes, BA '97

When Monica Oganes received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Mason, she graduated with highest honors and the Mellinger Award for being the most outstanding graduate in the major. She went on to obtain an educational specialist degree in school psychology and a master’s degree in school psychology, both of which serve her well as a licensed school psychologist in private practice with offices in Miami and in Orlando, Florida. Her work in the clinical psychology (neuropsychology track) PhD program at Fielding Graduate University allows her to combine the fields of school psychology and neuropsychology consultation into her practice, providing targeted services in English and Spanish.

In addition to her fifteen years of experience, Monica is Past-President of the Florida Association of School Psychologists, the Latino Co-Chair of the Multicultural Affairs Committee of the National Association of School Psychologists, the Chair of the Private Practice Committee, and previous Chair of the School Neuropsychology Committee of the Florida Association of School Psychologists. She serves on the Editorial Board of the School Psychology Forum: Research in Practice Journal and served on the Ethics Committee of the National Association of School Psychologists. Her experience in the field has made her an effective expert witness regarding children’s issues, and she has presented numerous workshops at both national and international levels on the subjects of mental health, the assessment of culturally and linguistically diverse children, traumatic brain injury, Down Syndrome, autism, ADHD, early childhood, parenting, learning disabilities, and school neuropsychology.

Monica is a member of the National Association of School Psychologists, Florida Association of School Psychologists, National Academy of Neuropsychology, Hispanic Neuropsychological Society, American Psychological Association, and Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. She is the recipient of the 2012 National Association of School Psychologists Government and Professional Relations Award for her work advocating for improved mental health and educational services for children. For three years in a row, Monica was nominated for School Psychologist of the Year in her school district. She was the recipient of the Don Quijote Award for Hispanic Business of the Year in 2014, the highest recognition given by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. In 2015 she was the recipient of the TUMI USA Award in the Category of Professional of the Year, which was bestowed in New York. In 2016, Monica was nominated for and will receive the Peruvian Pride Award, which will be bestowed in city of her birth, Lima, Peru, by congressional ceremony.

Religious Studies

Sehrish Khan-Williamson, BA '11

Sehrish Kahn-Williamson received two bachelor’s degrees from Mason, in English and in Religious Studies, and went on to receive her master in theological studies degree from Harvard University.

She is currently an editor on the website, The Tempest, and is active with the international educational organization, Children’s International Summer Village.

Sociology and Anthropology

Lt. Colonel Suzanne G. Devlin,
BA '82 and MS '85

Suzanne Devlin earned a bachelor of science degree in sociology from Mason, as well as a master’s of science degree in conflict management, and she did this while she was serving as one of the first female members of the Fairfax County Police Department. She served the department for 33 years, including as the Acting Chief of Police, joining only seven women in the United States who were chiefs of police of major cities. At the time of her retirement from the department in 2009, her rank was lieutenant colonel, and she was serving as the deputy chief of police in charge of special operations, major crimes, and the Northern Virginia Regional Intelligence Center.

Suzanne moved on to work as a senior principal intelligence analyst in the Global Analysis Division of BAE Systems, and as a senior law enforcement advisor at the Department of Homeland Security. Now, she is in her fifth year as the supervisor of safety and security for Loudoun County Public Schools, where she oversees emergency planning and physical infrastructure, supporting safety and security in schools. Most recently, she was selected by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to attend the Emergency Management Institute and work with senior leaders in emergency management.

And Suzanne is no stranger to the Mason campus, having worked for fifteen years as an adjunct instructor in the criminal justice program and more recently as a volunteer for the college’s mentor lunch program.

Women and Gender Studies

Mabinty Quarshie, BA '13

Mabinty Quarshie earned a degree in English from George Mason University, along with two minors: Women and Gender Studies and African and African American Studies.

Mabinty is currently a digital editor at USA Today, where she works primarily on the mobile social media stream, including the organization’s presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. Mabinty has also worked in social media for National Public Radio and the Meet the Press television news program, internship positions she held when she was earning her master’s degree in journalism from Georgetown University.

Born in Sierra Leone in West Africa, Mabinty moved to northern Virginia when she was 11 months old and has lived here ever since. She worked as a student staff member for the Women and Gender Studies program during her entire four years at Mason. As part of her work, she accomplished much, including single-handedly assembling the program’s 2500 volume library using the Library of Congress system. As a senior, she won many awards, including the Women and Gender Studies Outstanding Student Award and the Feminist Activism Award.