Travis M. Poteat (BA 2003) graduated from USC with a BA in Political Science and a BA in English. He then attended University of Colorado Law School, where he attained his Juris Doctor in 2006. After graduating from law school, he sat for the July 2006 California Bar Exam and was sworn-in as a licensed attorney in February 2007. For the next several years, he worked as a contract attorney for a myriad of law firms including: Courteau & Associates; Law Offices of Larry D. Lewellyn; Law Offices of Randy Alexander; and the Sanders Firm LLP. In February 2011, Travis joined the law firm of Stone Busailah, LLP as the Senior Associate for its Appeals and Writs practice group. Presently, he is the Chair of the State and Local Taxation Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association.
Jinee Lokaneeta (PhD 2006) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Drew University. Her book, Transnational Torture: Law, Violence, and State Power in the United States and India (NYU Press), has been published. Prior to USC, she taught political science at Kirori Mal College, Delhi University, India. Her research areas include law and violence, public law, political theory, jurisprudence, and cultural studies. On 9/26/2011 Drew published a profile of Professor Lokaneeta and her research. In November 2011, Dr. Lokaneeta was interviewed by Sonali Kolhatkar of Uprising Radio, exploring her book in great detail. To hear the complete interview, click on this link: Uprising Radio interview.
Wexia Chen (PhD 2008) is an Assistant Professor of International Studies and Integrative Studies at New Century College, George Mason University. Her book Compliance and Compromise: The Jurisprudence of Gender Pay Equity (Martinus Nijhoff/Brill) will be published later this year.
Sanghamitra Padhy (PhD 2008), after teaching in the Department of Political Science and Environmental Studies at Davidson College, has taken a tenure track position at Ramapo College. She will be an Assistant Professor of Law and Society and Sustainabiliity.
In August Linda Veazey (PhD 2008) will be joining the Department of Political Science at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas as an Assistant Professor (tenure track) of Political Science. She will be teaching public law as well as gender studies and minority politics. Midwestern State University is newly designated as the public liberal arts institution of Texas. In addition, she was just elected to the Board of Directors of Amnesty International USA.
Maya Sabatello (PhD 2006, LLB Hebrew University of Jersusalem) will be appointed a Research Fellow in Medical Ethics at Harvard Medical School for the year of 2011-2012. She will work with an interdisciplinary group to explore ethical issues that arise in the everyday practice of contemporary medicine, including in particular doctor-patient communication, children as active participants in medical decision-making, and the ethics and social dimensions of new medical technologies not least in lieu of disability rights. Fellows are expected to take leadership roles in the further development of bioethics programs at their home institution upon their completion of the Fellowship. And, a note about Kai. Kai has joint the Sabatello-Chalfen clan - mom, Maya Sabatello; dad, Daniel J. Chalfen; and big brother Tomo on March 29, 2011, at 7:50 am. He weighed in at 5 lbs 11 ozs, 19 inches. The family is doing well and Tomo is already teaching him the important things in life (i.e., buzz lightyear and super heroes).
After 2 1/2 years at the White House, Gary Lee (BA 2007, minor in Political Organizing in the Digital Age) is leaving to conduct research in Korea via a Fulbright full research grant. His project is to examine the Korean legislature's role in the Korea-United States Free Trade Agreement. He will be based out of Seoul.
Gary joined Obama for America in April 2007, a month before he graduated from USC. After working remotely from Los Angeles, he moved to Chicago in June to the campaign headquarters.
While at USC, Gary was involved in various areas of campus life. He served as president of the Korean Student Association, Orientation Advisor and Orientation Coordinator, worked for ITS and was a contributing writer for the Daily Trojan. He was active in APASA, as a representative and board member, and APASS, where he was a member of the leadership council. Additionally, he was a mentor for USC LEAD and the College's Learning Communities program as well as webmaster for the Political Science Department, the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics and the Political Science Undergraduate Association.
Nina Weiler-Harwell (PhD 2008), Associate State Director of Advocacy, AARP California, has published her book, Discrimination Against Atheists: A New Legal Hierarchy Among Religious Beliefs. Her book examines continuing legal discrimination against atheists.
Marcella Marlowe (PhD 2008) has published her book, Jurisprudential Regimes: The Supreme Court, Civil Rights, and the Life Cycle of Judicial Doctrine. Her work draws on institutional-based Supreme Court literature, American Political Development literature, and emerging jurisprudential regime literature to argue that Court doctrine in caselaw.
Michael A. Genovese (PhD 1979), Professor of political science at Loyola Marymount University and Director, Institute for Leadership Studies, has published Presidential Prerogative: Imperial Power in an Age of Terrorism.
Lucas Foletta (BA 2002) was appointed by Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval as his general counsel. Foletta is a former assistant United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.
Leslie Galerne-Smith (BA 2002) was named public relations and communications manager for the Los Angeles County Fair Association.
Linda Lopez (PhD 1999, MA 1995) has returned to USC and is currently Associate Dean for Diversity and Strategic Initiatives. Associate Dean Lopez works with Vice Dean George Sanchez in overseeing diversity programs throughout the Dornsife College. Dr. Lopez was former Program Director for Cross-Directorate Activities, Division of Social Behavioral and Economic Sciences, National Science Foundat; and Director, Education & Professional Programs, American Political Science Association.
Julia McGinnis (BA 2003, Magna Cum Laude with Honors in Political Science; MPA, 2006). “At age 29, Julia McGinnis is one of the youngest managers of the U.S. Department of Interior. She serves as chief of the bureau’s Enterprise Program Management Office and oversees the project’s IT portfolio of $80 million. A graduate of The University of Southern California, McGinnis deals with issues such as drought, population growth and climate change,” City Chronicles, March 11, 2011. Read a professional profile of Julia in Black Enterprise from December 2010.
Divinity Barkley graduated in May 2008 (Honors in Political Science, Magna Cum Laude) with a double major in Political Science and American Studies and Ethnicity, African American Studies (ASAF). Divinity has won one of 20 Glamour Magazine Women of the Year "Amazing Young Women Who Are Already Changing the World" Awards for 2010. She is the second POSC major to have won this award (Pauline Yang was a previous recipient). The Power of Change is an article that chronicles Divinity's many trials and accomplishments.
Frederick G. Gordon (PhD 2005) has accepted a tenure-track assistant professorship in political science at Columbus State University to support their new degree option focus on environmental policy. Cudos Fred!
David Bridge (PhD 2010) has accepted a tenure-track assistant professor position in the Department of Political Science at Baylor University. Congrats Dave! UPDATE: Professor Bridge hosted a "real-world learning" discussion at his apartment on election night. As the article states, Dr. David Bridge is a real ". . .Class Act. . ."
Yujen Kuo (PhD 2010) has accepted a full-time tenure track assistant professor position at the Graduate Institute of China and Asia-Pacific Studies in National Sun Yat-sen University. In addition, he has accepted a part-time teaching position at the Department of East Asian Culture and Development in National Taiwan Normal University and a part-time associate research fellow at Taiwan’s National Science Council. Congratulations Yujen!!
Ronald Osborn's (Phd expected 2011) first book, Anarchy and Apocalypse: Essays on Faith, Violence, and Theodicy (Cascade Books, a division of Wipf and Stock), has published. Congratulations Ronald!
Jillian Medeiros (PhD 2009) is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for Health Policy Postdoctoral Fellow and assistant professor of political science at the University of New Mexico. She plans to conduct more qualitative research on the Native American and Latino populations in New Mexico. Cudos Jillian!
Jason Enia - in August 2010, jason joined the Department of Political Science at Sam Houston State University as an assistant professor of international relatios. Congratulations!
Sangay Mishra (Phd 2009) has been awarded one of the USC College Distinguished Postdoctoral Teaching Fellowships. He will be joining us next year (2011) and will be teaching and doing research under the mentorship of Jane Junn. We are very fortunate to receive one of these fellowships as there were very few awarded throughout the entire College.
Jarrod Hayes (PhD 2009) has accepted a tenure-track position at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs,Georgia Tech, Jarrod has an individually-authored article accepted for publication in the International Studies Quarterly.
Amy Below (PhD 2008) is assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at Oregon State University. Amy (with Professor Sheldon Kamieniecki) has published Practice in Apportioning Water Among Places and Values, Helen Ingram and Richard Perry, eds (MIT Press, 2008).
Nicholas Buccola (PhD 2007) has accepted an assistant professorship in the Department of Political Science at Linfield College. On another note, Nick is a newly-wed (less than a month now -- July 2009). Congratulations to you!!
Joseph F. Montes (BA 1991). Taking leave from the LAPD to complete his education at USC, he Joseph spent 1996 as a Fulbright scholar at the London School of Economics. After completing his education, he began his career with the banking and investment industry -- Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, HSBC, Morgan Stanley, and Union Bank of California. He was appointed Commissioner to the Industrial Development Authority of the City of Los Angeles’s Community Development Department in November 2007 and currently chairs the Authority.
Congratulations to Jason McDaniel (PhD 2007)! Jason has accepted a tenure-track position in the Department of Political Science at San Francisco State University.
Jeanette Barbieri (PhD 2007) has accepted an assistant professorship in the Department of Political Science at Hollins University, Roanoke, VA. Her research interests include political theories of culture and communication, identity politics, visual culture and contemporary China. Congratulations Jeanette!
Maya Sabatello (PhD 2006, LLB Hebrew University of Jersusalem) has published her book Children's Bioethics. She currently is an Adjunct Instructor at the Center for Global Affairs, New York University. Dr. Sabatello is a permanent Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) representative to the United Nations. Congratulations Maya!
Sharon Nazarian Baradaran (PhD, 1999) is the President of Y & S Nazarian Family Foundation, with a branch in Israel named Ima Foundation. The primary goal of the foundation is to promote and support educational causes in various fields throughout the United States and Israel."
Frederick G. Gordon's (PhD, 2005) book, Freshwater Resources and Interstate Cooperation (SUNY Press, 2008) has been published. The book examines state cooperation over increasingly scarce water resources. Congratulations to Fred!
James Lance Taylor (PhD 1999) is Associate Professor in the Politics Department at the University of San Francisco. James was elected the 2009-2011 president of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists
Funeral services are set for Court of Appeal Justice Thomas A. Harris (BA 1951). He was appointed to the Fresno Municipal Court in 1985 by then-Governor Deukmejian -- filling a vacancy created by Presiding Justice James A. Ardaiz's elevation to the Fresno Superior Court -- and was elevated to the Superior Court two years later. In 1990, Harris was appointed to the Fifth District Court of Appeal to succeed Justice Marvin R. Baxter, who had been elevated to the Supreme Court by Governor Deukmejian. Justice Harris was also a USC football fan, and Ardaiz said, if you wanted to jerk his chain, just talk to him about when Fresno State beat USC. (Fall 2008)
John T.S. Keeler (BA 1972, MA 1975) is Dean of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) at the University of Pittsburgh. Previously, he was professor of political science and chairman of the division of French and Italian studies at the University of Washington; Chairman of the European Union Studies Assn; and on the editorial boards of Comparative Political Studies, Comparative European Politics and French Politics. Professional honors include the American Political Science Association's Gabriel A. Almond Award and honors from three different French ministries. (Fall 2008)
Chien-peng (C.P.) Chung (PhD 1999) is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Lingnan University in Hong Kong. His teaching responsibilities at Lingnan University include courses on introduction to internatichungonal politics, contemporary Asian-Pacific affairs, China's international relations, and international law. (Fall 2008)
Ann Gordon (PhD 1999) is Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the Ludie and David C. Henley Research Lab at Chapman University. She specializes in research methods, women and politics, political communication, voting behavior and public opinion. She is co-editor of Anticipating Madam President (Lynne Rienner, 2002), author of Playing Politics: An Active Learning Approach to American National Government (McGraw-Hill, 2004) and co-author of When Stereotypes Collide: Race, Gender, and Videostyle in Congressional Campaigns (Peter Lang, 2005). (Fall 2008)
David Shafie (PhD 2002) is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Chapman University. His research and teaching interests include public policy, environmental politics, urban politics, and state politics. Dr. Shafie is co-author of Rethinking California: Politics and Policy in the Golden State (Prentice Hall, 2nd ed. forthcoming) and has published articles in American Behavioral Scientist and the Southeastern Political Review. His current research project, titled Regulatory Agenda-Setting and Environmental Risk, has received funding from the Morris K. Udall Foundation. (Spring 2008)
Congratulations to Hovann Simonian (PhD candidate). His book titled The Hemshin: History, Society and Identity in the Highlands of Northeast Turkey was published by Routledge Taylor & Francis Group in December 2006.
Yooil Bae (PhD 2007) has accepted an assistant professorship in political science at the Singapore Management University beginning July 1, 2008. Congratulations Yooil! (Spring 2008)
Andrew and Michael Ritter (BA 2005), identical twins, have scads in common. They have developed and sell Lactagen, a nutritional supplement that counteracts lactose intolerance. Details. (Fall 2007)
Kirsten D. Levingston (BA, magna cum laude, 1987) is a Program Officer at the Ford Foundation (since 2008). Kirsten served on President Bill Clinton's transition team in 1992 and in the U.S. Department of Justice as Special Assistant to the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division. She is admitted to practice law in California, the District of Columbia, and in the U.S. Supreme Court. (Fall 2007)
Charles T. Lee (PhD. 2006) has accepted an Assistant Professorship in the School of Justice and Social Inquiry at Arizona State University.
Jason Whitehead (PhD 2007) is Assistant Professor of Political Science at California State University, Long Beach. He also the pre-law advisor for the Department. Congrats Jason!
Boris Ricks (PhD 2003) is Assistant Professor of Political Science, California State University. In 2005, Professor Ricks was selected to present his work on deracialization to the prestigious Oxford University Roundtable.
Matthew O'Gara (PhD 2000, MA 1996) was selected the "2005 Professor of the Year for the District of Columbia." The prestigious achievment was bestowed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Professor O'Gara is an Associate Professorial Lecturer in the Elliot School of International Affairs at The George Washington University.
Judson Lance Jeffries (PhD 1998) accepted a Full Professorship in the Department of African American and African Studies at The Ohio State University. He is also Director of OSU's African American and African Studies Community Extension Center. Prior to this appointment, he was Associate Professor of Political Science and Homeland Security Studies at Purdue University.
Lori Cox Han (PhD 1997) is Full Professor in Department of Political Science at Chapman College. She is the author of Governing From Center Stage: White House Communication Strategies During the Television Age of Politics, and Women and American Politics: The Challenges of Political Leadership. She is also co-editor of In the Public Domain: Presidents and the Challenge of Public Leadership, and The Presidency and the Challenge of Democracy. In addition, Dr. Han is past-President of the Presidency Research Group, an organized section of the American Political Science Association devoted to the study of the presidency.