The Clinton School will welcome a new class of 38 students this fall into its unique Master of Public Service (MPS) degree program.
Representing 16 states and four countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Portugal and Thailand, the class is the largest and most diverse in the history of the Clinton School. The international students will be joining returning students from Canada, Kenya, Nepal, South Africa and the Ukraine.
The students range in age from 22 to 50 and come from a variety of public service backgrounds including those who have served in AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, City Year and Teach for America. Members of the class have led voter registration drives, volunteered with the Red Cross in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and promoted sustainable business practices, among other service activities.
“These students have each demonstrated a strong commitment to public service,” said Clinton School Dean Skip Rutherford. “During the next two years, they will gain the knowledge and skills to make a difference in the world and in support of the public good. We are excited to have them as part of the Clinton School and look forward to experiencing the great work they will do.”
They have studied at some of the country’s top colleges and universities including Connecticut College, New York University, Tulane University, the University of Miami, the University of North Carolina and Washington University in St. Louis.
Several members of the class are graduates of Arkansas institutions including Arkansas State University, Arkansas Tech University, Hendrix College, Ouachita Baptist University, Philander Smith College, the University of Arkansas and the University of Central Arkansas.
“We had a number of applicants with strong academic qualifications,” said Alex Thomas, director of admissions at the Clinton School. “The quality and diversity of this new class is a testament to the success of our program.”
The Clinton School is the first school in the nation to offer the MPS degree. The two-year program differs from traditional programs in public policy and public affairs because Clinton School students complete three for-credit field service projects, partnering with government, non-government and non-profit organizations in Arkansas and around the world.
This summer, the Class of 2012 is completing 31 international projects in 19 countries. This fall, the new Clinton School students will begin group public service projects in partnership with organizations in communities across Arkansas.
In the classroom, the students complete core courses in the areas of social change, decision-making, conflict resolution, ethics and professionalism. Along with elective courses, the field service projects allow students to tailor their Clinton School experiences to fit their public service interests.
Meet the Class of 2013:
Mitchell Adams (Morrilton, Ark.) – Adams is a graduate of the University of Central Arkansas where he earned a degree in international studies with a minor in interdisciplinary studies. During his undergraduate career, he served as president of the campus chapter of the national political science honors society Pi Sigma Alpha and was chair of the security counsel of the Arkansas Model United Nations.
Todun Afolabi (Osun State, Nigeria) – Afolabi studied at Obafemi Awolowo University and completed her law degree at the Nigerian Law School. She has recently worked for Nigerian law firm on personnel law. Her volunteer experience includes supervising food and clothing distribution to the homeless at a Little Rock-based nonprofit and managing public outreach and fundraising for a welfare coordinator in Lagos, Nigeria.
Jordan Aibel (Miami, Fla.) – A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis with a degree in political science, Aibel recently helped lead a strategic planning effort for the Shearwater Education Foundation, a leading charter school and education foundation. He also worked at the Gephardt Institute for Public Service as coordinator of Washington University’s 2008 voter registration effort.
Nuno Solano de Almeida (Lisbon, Portugal) – Almeida earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in international relations at Lusiada University of Lisbon and completed a master’s in European studies at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. He recently served as a research and youth project organizer for Three Rivers Community Foundation in Pittsburgh, Pa. Previously, he worked in the advancement offices at the University of Baltimore and Johns Hopkins University.
Stephen Bailey (Charlotte, N.C.) – Bailey is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis with a degree in German. He has worked with the Gephardt Institute for Public Service on a voter registration drive and helped develop a fundraising plan for the Taylor Community Consulting Program, a grant-giving nonprofit in St. Louis. His public service experience includes working with Rhythm of Hope, a nonprofit that supports grassroots organizations in Salvador, Brazil.
Dylan Buffalo (Las Vegas, Nevada) – Buffalo is a graduate of Tulane University where he majored in philosophy and communications. He has worked as an investigator for the Orleans Public Defenders Office in New Orleans and helped manage a large shelter in Mississippi in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as a volunteer for the American Red Cross.
Russell Carey (Jacksonville, Ark.) – A graduate of the University of Central Arkansas with a degree in business administration, Carey recently worked as a corporate buyer for Dillards, Inc., in Little Rock. He has served as a volunteer with Arkansas Children’s Hospital and has completed community service projects with M-Fuge, a Mobile, Ala., summer camp for children and families.
Maggie Carroll (Little Rock, Ark.) – A graduate of the University of Arkansas, Carroll studied for a summer at Universidad Interamericana in Heredia, Costa Rica. She has served as an intern with both the Clinton Foundation and Amnesty International, where she worked on Tibetan-Chinese relations. She has also worked as a photojournalist and op-ed columnist for her college newspaper.
Jake Coffey (Nashville, Tenn.) – Coffey studied English and film at Connecticut College and completed a program in modern history at Queen’s University in Belfast. He has spent the last two years working in the Office of Community-Based Public Health at the College of Public Health at UAMS. His volunteer experience includes a 10-month stint with a hurricane relief organization in post-Katrina New Orleans.
Laura Crosby (Boca Raton, Fla.) – Crosby earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami where she majored in international studies, religion and history. For the last two years, she has worked in government relations for Best Buddies International, a nonprofit that serves people with developmental disabilities. She previously served as an AmeriCorps member coordinating a volunteer program for HandsOn New Orleans.
Mark Eastham (McLean, Va.) – A graduate of Elon University with majors in history and international studies, Eastham helped promote eco-tourism as an intern with the Wildlife Conservation Society in the Republic of Congo. His public service experience includes teaching English and renovating local schools with the Boy Scouts in Lilongwe, Malawi.
Trish Flanagan (St. Louis, Mo.) – A graduate of Northern Arizona University where she studied anthropology and Spanish, Flanagan recently served as assistant director of a K-10 school in Roatan, Honduras. She completed a stint as a social studies teacher with Teach for America in Brownsville, Texas, and has coordinated an afterschool program in San Francisco.
Kelly Ford (Little Rock, Ark.) – Ford earned her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Arkansas and a master’s degree in business administration from Southern Methodist University. She has worked as director of development and marketing at the Arkansas Repertory Theater and as assistant director of marketing and communications at Heifer International.
Leslie Miller Harris (Clarksville, Ark.) – A graduate of Arkansas Tech University with a degree in journalism, Harris will participate in the concurrent JD/MPS program with the UALR Bowen School of Law. During college, she served as student government president and chaired the Arkansas Tech Volunteer Action Council. She spent the last two years teaching oral communication at Alma (Ark.) High School.
Francennett Herrera (Chicago, Ill.) – A graduate of Philander Smith College with a degree in political science, Herrera has served on the board of Justice for Our Neighbors and as a volunteer mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters. She has volunteered with a number of other organizations including Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Our Town Teenage Camp and Harmony Health Clinic.
Burt Hicks (Hot Springs, Ark.) – A graduate of the University of Arkansas with a degree in finance, Hicks will participate in the concurrent JD/MPS program with the UALR Bowen School of Law. He has worked as an investment banking analyst for Merrill Lynch in New York and as a corporate finance analyst for Simmons First Bank in Little Rock. He’s also served as a finance and economic literacy volunteer with Arkansas Jump$tart.
Will Hunter (Pine Bluff, Ark.) – A graduate of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff with a bachelor’s degree in history, Hunter has worked the past year as a substitute teacher in the Pine Bluff School District. His volunteer experience includes mentoring students through the Pine Bluff Arsenal Youth Enrichment Program and encouraging students to attend educational events through the UAPB Behavioral Science Program.
Nathan Jesson (St. Paul, Minn.) – A graduate of Hendrix College, Jesson has worked on several political campaigns including the 2010 Minnesota Congressional campaign of Tarryl Clark and the 2008 U.S. Senate campaign of Al Franken. He has served as an intern in the Washington D.C. office of Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and in the Minnesota City Attorney’s Office.
Gina Lopez (New Orleans, La.) – A graduate of Loyola University with a degree in political science and communications, Lopez has recently worked as an advisor for the City of Los Angeles Housing Authority. Her volunteer experience includes working as a grant writer for Mama’s International Tamale Association, which works to empower community members to start their own catering businesses.
Katie Longino (Lufkin, Texas) – A graduate of Ouachita Baptist University with a degree in Christian studies, Longino recently served as an AmeriCorps member with Habitat for Humanity in Fort Worth, Texas. Previously, she served as a cultural exchange coordinator and English teacher with International Mission Board in Marseille, France.
Stan Luker (Wynne, Ark.) – A graduate of the University of Arkansas with a degree in business administration, Luker completed a stint as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Kingdom of Tonga. He has also worked as a staff assistant for Arkansas Senator Mark Pryor and as a legislative correspondent and constituent relations specialist for former Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln.
Matt Lyon (Mobile, Ala.) – A graduate of Spring Hill College with a degree in philosophy, Lyon recently worked for a consulting firm researching the Gulf oil spill. He has worked as a travel advisor and a direct caregiver for mentally and physically challenged individuals. He lived for a year in Prague, Czech Republic, where he worked as an English teacher and actor for an educational theater.
Katie Milligan (Searcy, Ark.) – A graduate of the University of Mississippi with a degree in political science, Milligan recently worked as researcher for the U.S. Department of Agriculture studying the causes of obesity in the Arkansas Delta region. Her volunteer experience includes serving with Habitat for Humanity and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Papy Lucien Muntumosi (Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo) – Muntumosi studied English as a second language and earned an associate’s degree at Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College before completing his bachelor’s degree in finance at the University of Arkansas. He has worked as a procurement assistant for USAID in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Eakpot Nimkulrat (Bangkok, Thailand) – A graduate of Siriraj Hospital Medical School at Mahidol University, Nimkulrat has worked as a neurologist at public and private hospitals in Bankok. His public service experience includes working as a medical volunteer in the aftermath of the 2004 Asian Tsunami in Thailand and volunteering with His Majesty the King Foundation.
Dylan Perry (Memphis, Tenn.) – A graduate of Christian Brothers University where he studied religion and philosophy, Perry recently volunteered as an academic counselor at West Philadelphia Catholic High School. He has also served as an intern with GrowMemphis a community gardening project led by the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center.
Andrea Price (Monticello, Ark.) – Price earned her bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports science at Texas Tech University and her master’s of sports science from the U.S. Sports Academy. She is the founder of FitWellConnect, a nonprofit that provides health and fitness programming in Phillips County and Drew County, Ark. She has worked as a science teacher, basketball coach and track coach in inner-city Tampa and Gainesville, Fla.
Veena Rangaswami (Memphis, Tenn.) – A graduate of Rhodes College with a degree in history, Rangaswami has worked the past four years as program manager for Peace Child India, a nonprofit that promotes health and education in Bangalore, India. Her volunteer experience includes leading service trips to Kingston, Jamaica for students at a Memphis elementary school.
Rebecca Scissors (Ellicott City, Md.) – A graduate of Earlham College with a degree in human development and social relations, Scissors has served as and AmeriCorps member with Our House and SOAR Network, two organizations dedicated to serving the homeless community in Central Arkansas. She is a former corps member of City Year Little Rock/North Little Rock and has volunteered with the Arkansas School for the Deaf.
Yana-Janell Scott (Little Rock, Ark.) – A graduate of Arkansas State University with a degree in journalism, Scott has worked for the City of Little Rock as a 2010 Census coordinator and as a producer for the city’s government access channel. Her volunteer experience includes service with the Racial and Cultural Diversity Commission in Little Rock and the Little Rock School District Dream Team, a mentoring program.
Sydney Shearer (Nashville, Tenn.) – Shearer is a graduate of Rhodes College where she was a Bonner Service Scholar, a national service fellowship program that allows students to attend school while completing 10 hours of weekly community service. She has interned in the youth department at BRIDGES, USA, a community development program in Memphis, and with Volunteer Tennessee, the state office that coordinates volunteerism and service learning.
Britney Sink (High Point, N.C.) – A graduate of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where she majored in international studies and Spanish, Sink has completed two years as an AmeriCorps member serving with the United Way of the Midlands in Columbia, S.C.. During this time, she served as a volunteer coordinator and managed over 10 AmeriCorps sites in the community.
Christine Sumner (Shreveport, La.) – A graduate of New York University with a degree in anthropology, Sumner has worked as a zookeeper at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago where she focused on management of gorillas, chimpanzees and farm animals. She has also worked as an animal care coordinator with Chimp Haven, Inc., a sanctuary for chimpanzees retired from biomedical research and the entertainment industry.
Billie Thomas (Little Rock, Ark.) – Thomas is a graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana and the Saint Louis University School of Law. She has worked for the Arkansas Coalition for Excellence, an association of Arkansas nonprofits. She has also volunteered with Walnut Street Works, a community organization in Helena-West Helena, Ark., and with Heifer International.
Jillian Underwood ( Topeka, Kan.) – A graduate of Washburn University with a degree in sociology, Underwood has spent six months assisting the organizer of the Kansas Coalition Against the Death Penalty. She served as an AmeriCorps volunteer at Washburn University where she worked with area community organizations. She also completed an AmeriCorps assignment with the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom School, where she worked on childhood literacy.
Kellen Utecht (Underwood, N.D.) – A graduate of the University of North Dakota with a degree in business economics, Utecht will participate in the concurrent MBA/MPS program with the UA Walton College of Business. He has worked as a consultant with the North Dakota Small Business Development Center and as a graduate assistant with the Sustainability Consortium at the Walton College. He also completed a two-year stint with the Peace Corps in Bulgaria.
Jamal Williams (Detroit, Mich.) – A graduate of Philander Smith College with a degree in business administration, Williams has worked four years for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the areas of equal employment opportunity, safety occupational health and real estate. He has volunteered with organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, the U.S. Justice Department Community Impact Grant and the Arkansas Civil Rights Working Group.
John Vollertsen (Parthenon, Ark.) – Vollertsen earned his bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Central Arkansas. He spent 10 months studying Mandarin in Ningbo, China, while serving as an instructor of English as a Second Language. He interned in the office of former Arkansas Congressman Vic Snyder and volunteered with the Red Cross in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
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