News roundup: Foreign Policy Next Generation Leaders, alumni in climate change policy, and fun times in New Hampshire!

A bit of a smorgasbord today of interesting tidbits that haven’t quite fit in other posts in recent weeks. First, a big congratulations to our friend Monica Ruiz (F16) for her inclusion in the New America Foundation’s Latino National Security & Foreign Policy Next Generation Leaders list! Currently the Program Fellow for the Cyber Initiative and Special Projects at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Monica structured a cybersecurity-focused Fletcher experience just as the topic was starting to gain serious traction here. She spent considerable time in Estonia conducting research in cybersecurity policy, an area in which she continues to work today. Monica was also a great friend of Admissions during her Fletcher days, working part-time in our office, serving as a student member of the Admissions Committee for two years, and generally making herself available for any kind of panel, luncheon, open house, or whatever else we might ask of her. We’re thrilled by her success – congratulations, Monica!

With last week’s Global Climate Strike, and new Dean Rachel Kyte due to begin her tenure at Fletcher in a few days, climate change has been on our collective brain of late. I thought it worth highlighting some recent work of Fletcher alumni in various areas of climate change policy. There’s Dev Sanyal (F88), now a BP executive leading the company’s efforts toward less carbon-intensive fuels, Andy Darrell (F88), Chief of Strategy, Energy, and Finance for the Environmental Defense Fund, who played a leading role in the creation of New York City’s congestion pricing policy, and Barbara Kates-Garnick (F73, F84) and Kartikeya Singh (F16), working at the state level to advance clean energy policy.

Finally, speaking of the climate, a group of our mid-career MA students recently took advantage of some great late-summer weather for some boat-based bonding at Squam Lake in central New Hampshire. It’s important for Fletcher students to put the books down every now and then to take advantage of everything New England has to offer. This is especially true for our MA students, as their program only lasts a single academic year, which can seem to pass extremely quickly. It’s a nice chance for them to get to know the rest of their cohort a bit better, and to practice their kayak and canoeing skills!