Twenty-six students graduated today from the Clinton School, where they earned Master of Public Service (MPS) degrees to prepare for careers in public service.
Out-going Clinton School associate dean Mike Hemphill served as the commencement speaker and charged the graduates to always remember their experiences in the Clinton School’s labor intensive program.
“No matter what happens in the future, we are going to draw on our experiences here at the Clinton School for the rest of our lives,” Hemphill said.
Hemphill will become the provost at Centenary College in Shreveport, La., this summer and used his speech to commemorate his five years with the Clinton School.
“I don’t want this moment to pass without letting all of you know how much the Clinton School family means to me,” he said.
The graduates hail from across the country and world, representing 10 states and five countries, including Brazil, Indonesia, Poland, Uganda and Ukraine.
The commencement ceremony was a culmination of two years of classroom study and three field service projects, which make up the MPS curriculum. Students completed team Practicum projects in local Arkansas communities, International Public Service Projects in locations throughout the world and final Capstone project in their particular areas of interest.
Class members completed projects on each of the world’s six inhabited continents, partnering with nonprofit organizations and NGOs to fight poverty, improve health care conditions, expand educational opportunities and combat hunger in the third world.
“In all aspects of your Clinton School experience you developed a strong fan base and there are many of those fans here today to celebrate your achievements,” Clinton School Dean Skip Rutherford told the graduates.
The Clinton School is the first school in the nation to offer an MPS degree, differing from the traditional schools of public policy, public affairs and public administration because of its unique approach to educating the next generation of public servants.
While learning valuable lessons in the classroom, Clinton School students earn 30 percent of their credits working in the field performing three hands-on public service projects for academic credit.
The graduates include:
Lindsey Barnett (Springdale, Ark.) – For her Practicum project, Barnett helped develop programming on hunger, poverty and environmental issues for Heifer International’s new education center. She completed her international project in Belize where she developed strategies for future water projects for Peacework’s clean water initiative. For her final Capstone, she worked with the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) to research strategies to improve senior citizen outreach for the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly the Food Stamp Program.) Barnett is a graduate of the University of Arkansas.
Beatrice Biira (Kasese District, Uganda) – Biira completed her Practicum project with the Arkansas Department of Human Services where she and her teammates helped identify policy initiatives to increase the capacity of Arkansas’s work force. She completed both her international and final Capstone projects in New York with the Millennium Promise School-to-School Initiative that promotes communication, understanding and cultural learning between children in Africa and partner schools in the United States. She helped develop and implement new partnerships between African and U.S. schools. Biira is a graduate of Connecticut College.
Sarah Clark (Little Rock, Ark.) – For her Practicum project, Clark and her teammates worked with the Arkansas Delta Rural Heritage Development Initiative to complete a feasibility study for a kitchen incubator facility for the food service industry in West Memphis, Ark. She did her international work on microenterprise development for Ayni RuWay, an NGO that supports prison inmates and their families in Bolivia. For her Capstone, Clark developed a strategic plan, marketing materials and a board of directors’ orientation packet for Green Valley Development, an organization focused on creating a business and technology cluster focused on sustainability. Clark will be the first student to complete the concurrent MBA/MPS program with the University of Arkansas Walton College of Business. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina.
Ashley Davis (Conifer, Colo.) – For her Practicum project, Davis helped develop programming on hunger, poverty and environmental issues for Heifer International’s new education center. She did her international project in Tallberg, Sweden, where she helped plan and implement workshops, presentations and group discussions for the 2009 Tallberg Forum, an annual gathering of 450 public- and private-sector leaders to address issues of global urgency. For her Capstone, she worked with the Clinton Foundation as part of a team developing an innovative energy efficiency program for low-income Arkansans which created the first employer-assisted energy benefit in the United States. Davis graduated from Boston University and studied abroad at Oxford.
Jonathan Dunkley (Kissimmee, Fla.) – For his Practicum, Dunkley and his teammates helped build sustainable fundraising efforts and programs on staff development, communication and constituency building for a Marvell, Ark., community center. He completed his international project with the Ministry of Youth & Sports in Belize City, Belize, where he implemented a sports and recreation program to address the lack of recreational activities available to youth during the summer months. For his Capstone, he worked with the Arkansas Minority Health Commission to develop a minority health resources website and a minority health conference. Dunkley completed his undergraduate work at Philander Smith College in Little Rock.
Julianne Dunn (San Diego, Calif.) – Dunn completed her Practicum project with the Arkansas Department of Human Services where she and her teammates helped identify policy initiatives to increase the capacity of Arkansas’ work force. She completed her international project with the Belize Family Life Council in Belize City, Belize, where she produced a policy report regarding the appropriate sexual health awareness methods for the Mayan and Garifuna communities of Southern Belize. Dunn is completing the concurrent MPS/MPH program with UAMS and will research the relationship between Planned Parenthood and Arkansas universities for her Capstone project.
Dimas Espinola (Lowell, Massachusetts) – Espinola completed his Practicum project with the Arkansas Department of Human Services where he and his teammates helped identify policy initiatives to increase the capacity of Arkansas’ work force. He completed his international project in Accra, Ghana, where he developed a patient database to track individuals who receive eye glasses from a Unite For Sight eye clinic. For his Capstone, he partnered with Arkansas Children’s Hospital to help with the third edition of Natural Wonders, a report which examines the state of children’s health in Arkansas. Espinola is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts and plans to attend medical school following graduation.
Kohl Fallin (Huntsville, Ala.) – For her Practicum project, Fallin and her teammates partnered with Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families to develop a “story bank” to raise awareness for child healthcare needs in the state. She completed her international project in Belize City, Belize, where she assisted with the implementation of an alternative and remedial education program with the Belize Ministry of Education. For her Capstone, she worked with Little Rock Preparatory Academy to develop recommendations for community outreach and build community support for the school’s mission. Fallin is a graduate of Hampton University in Hampton, Va.
Emily Fischer (Santa Monica, Calif.) – For her Practicum project, Fischer and her teammates worked with the Newport, Ark., Economic Development Commission to help lay the groundwork for the creation and implementation of a community arts center. She did her international work in Cochabamba, Bolivia, where she created an environmental education curriculum for La Colonia Ecologica, an environmentally conscious orphanage and after-school center. For her Capstone, she partnered with Central Arkansas Library System to gather stakeholder input, research best practices and write a grant for a new Children’s and Youth Library and Learning Center. Fischer is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.
Nicholas Hall (Genoa, Ohio) – For his Practicum project, Hall helped plan, design and implement effective and sustainable evaluation methods to gauge the success of Arkansas DeltaMade, an economic development and marketing initiative promoting products made in the Arkansas Delta region. He did his international work in Cochabamba, Bolivia, where he evaluated the educational component of a solar stove delivery and installation program for a nonprofit that promotes economic and environmental sustainability. For his Capstone, Hall launched Volunteer to See, a nonprofit that links service a travel in Little Rock. Hall is a graduate of Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C.
Harvell Howard (Conway, Ark.) – For his Practicum Project, Howard worked with the Arkansas Delta Rural Heritage Development Initiative to complete a feasibility study for a kitchen incubator facility for the food service industry in West Memphis, Ark. He did his international work in Nairobi, Kenya, where he produced needs and best-practices assessments for FURSA-Opportunity, an organization that seeks to eradicate youth poverty in Kenya by closing the unemployment gap. For his Capstone, he helped the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to develop an African-American Male Initiative at UALR to improve the retention and graduation rates of African-American males. Howard is a graduate of Hendrix College in Conway.
Tezira Jamwa (Iyolwa, Uganada) – For her Practicum project, Jamwa helped develop programming on hunger, poverty and environmental issues for Heifer International’s new education center. She did her international work with the UN Development Programme in New York where she worked on initiatives to promote gender equality in politics, public administration and law. For her Capstone, she worked with the Arkansas Coalition Against Domestic Violence to develop a best-practice manual to improve the effectiveness of service delivery by shelters and other service providers. Jamwa is a graduate of Uganda Christian University and a former country representative in the Parliament of Uganda.
Joanna Klak (Srem, Poland) – For her Practicum project, Klak and her teammates worked with the Newport, Ark., Economic Development Commission to help lay the groundwork for the creation and implementation of a community arts center. She completed her international project in Singapore City, Singapore, where she conducted focus groups, interviews and online surveys to produce a needs assessment for Dreams @ Kolam Ayer, a youth development program. For her Capstone, she worked with the Clinton School Center on Community Philanthropy to foster collaboration between nonprofits and private donors to help community-based organizations leverage funds from the private sector. Klak holds a master’s degree from the School of Humanities and Journalism in Poznan, Poland.
John Memmer (Houston, Texas) – For his Practicum project, Memmer helped develop programming on hunger, poverty and environmental issues for Heifer International’s new education center. He did his international work in San Miguel, Argentina, where he developed a sustainability plan for La Casita del Quirquincho, an after-school program and soup kitchen in the small village of San Miguel. For his Capstone, he partnered with Arkansas Department of Human Services, Family and Youth Assistance Network (FYAN) to help build networks of families seeking assistance and determine barriers to service. Memmer is a graduate of the University of Houston.
Todd Moore (Junction City, Kansas) – For his Practicum project, Moore and his teammates worked with the Newport, Ark., Economic Development Commission to help lay the groundwork for the creation and implementation of a community arts center. He completed his international project in Shanghai, China, where he developed a set of guidelines for corporate service initiatives for members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. For his Capstone, he developed a standards evaluation plan to audit the operations of the Kansas Volunteer Commission. Moore is a graduate of the University of Kansas.
Yuriy Nesterov (Kyiv, Ukraine) – For his Practicum project, Nesterov helped develop programming on hunger, poverty and environmental issues for Heifer International’s new education center. He completed his international work with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, Italy, where he facilitated implementation of a Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources as part of FAO’s Animal Production Service team. He continued his work with UNFAO for his final Capstone project, supporting the creation and operation of national Animal Genetic Resources. Nesterov is a graduate of National Agriculture University in Kyiv, Ukraine, and holds a master’s degree from Ohio University.
Adam Penman (Pottsville, Ark.) – Penman completed his Practicum project with the Arkansas Department of Human Services where he and his teammates helped identify policy initiatives to increase the capacity of Arkansas’ work force. For his international project, he assisted the Czech Development Agency in Prague with strategic planning for its international aid to the Balkan nation of Serbia, one of eight priority countries listed under the agency’s current mandate. For his Capstone, he worked with the Little Rock Sister Cities Commission to prepare itineraries and budgets for a visit of a delegation from Pachuca, Mexico, and developed a how-to manual for the commission to use when hosting delegations in the future. Penman is a graduate of Lyon College in Batesville, Ark.
Lisa Porterfield-Thompson (Atlanta, Texas) – Porterfield-Thompson completed her Practicum project with the Arkansas Department of Human Services where she and her teammates helped identify policy initiatives to increase the capacity of Arkansas’ work force. She did her international work with the Belize Family Life Association in Belize City, Belize, where she developed a community outreach initiative with a curriculum specifically geared for those who suffer from sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies. For her Capstone, she worked with the Atlanta, Texas, Chamber of Commerce to conduct a needs assessment on community perceptions of the chamber and created a comprehensive marketing campaign. Porterfield-Thompson is a graduate of the University of Central Arkansas.
Viviane Rossi (Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerias, Brazil) – For her Practicum project, Rossi worked with the Arkansas Delta Rural Heritage Development Initiative to complete a feasibility study for a kitchen incubator facility for the food service industry in West Memphis, Ark. She completed her international project with READ (Rural Education and Development) in Kathmandu, Nepal, where she conducted marketing and communication training for staff of the initiative which empowers rural communities through community development. For her Capstone, she helped develop an expansion plan for Bahia Street, a Brazilian non-profit that provides educational opportunities for impoverished young women and girls. Rossi holds bachelor’s degrees from two Brazilian universities.
Josh Stokes (Huntsville, Ala.) – Stokes completed his Practicum project with the Arkansas Department of Human Services where he and his teammates helped identify policy initiatives to increase the capacity of Arkansas’ work force. He completed his international work in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, where he developed a best practices model of aide delivery for 1Well, an NGO that provides basic access to sanitation, clean water, sustainable lighting and village safety for impoverished areas in India. For his Capstone, he coordinated health screenings, attained media attention and secured funding for HEARTS, a program that provides cardiac screenings for at-risk youth in Houston, Texas. Stokes is a graduate of the University of Alabama.
Spirit Trickey (Little Rock, Ark.) – For her Practicum, Trickey and her teammates helped build sustainable fundraising efforts and programs on staff development, communication and constituency building for a Marvell, Ark., community center. She did her international project with the South African Education and Environment Project in Cape Town, South Africa, where she developed an oral history project to chronicle the stories of pre-school principals and students from historically disadvantaged townships. For her Capstone, she worked with the Little Rock Central High National Historic Site to develop a sustainability plan, curriculum and step-by-step manual for its youth leadership pilot program. Trickey is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Alison Turro (Rutland, Vt.) – Turro completed her Practicum project with the Arkansas Department of Human Services where she and her teammates helped identify policy initiatives to increase the capacity of Arkansas’ work force. She did her international work with the Nyaka AIDS Orphans School in Nyakagyezi, Uganda, where she developed an organizational model and project expansion initiatives for educational services for the children there. For her Capstone, she partnered with the Little Rock Preparatory Academy to develop a service-learning resource guide and design a series of parent engagement communication tools. Turro is a graduate of Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Faisal Umar (Banda Aceh, Indonesia) – Umar completed his Practicum project with the Arkansas Department of Human Services where he and his teammates helped identify policy initiatives to increase the capacity of Arkansas’ work force. He completed his international work with the San Antonio (Texas) Housing Authority where he determined best practices for a program that equips low-income families with skills and experiences to gain employment and earn a living wage. For his Capstone, he worked with the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department to conduct a user survey of a series of local parks. Umar is a graduate of the University of Indonesia.
Regina Wilkerson (Little Rock, Ark.) – For her Practicum project, Wilkerson helped plan, design and implement effective and sustainable evaluation methods to gauge the success of Arkansas DeltaMade, an economic development and marketing initiative promoting products made in the Arkansas Delta region. She completed her international project in Zanzibar, Tanzania, where she worked with Creative Solutions Resource Systems, a sustainable development and poverty reduction organization, to evaluate its services for citizens and educational programs for students in the Mangapwani Village. For her Capstone, she created an audit reporting system for the Arkansas Minority Health Commission. Wilkerson is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
Chad Williamson (Tampa, Fla.) – For his Practicum project, Williamson and his teammates partnered with Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families to develop a “story bank” to raise awareness for child healthcare needs in the state. He completed his international project in Mayange, Rwanda, where he worked with Federation Rwanda de Basketball to revitalize a youth basketball program through the development of resources and the establishment of a summer basketball camp. For his Capstone, he worked with the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute in Arkansas to develop a template to apply to the recruitment of national conferences and worked to increase the visibility of the institute in the state. Williamson is a former member of the U.S. Air Force.
Olivia Wilmot (Memphis, Tenn.) – For her Practicum project, Wilmot helped plan, design and implement effective and sustainable evaluation methods to gauge the success of Arkansas DeltaMade, an economic development and marketing initiative promoting products made in the Arkansas Delta region. She did her international work with Youth Business Trust Belize, a sustainable business and economic development organization in Belize City, Belize, where she evaluated services and worked to improve recruitment efforts. For her Capstone, she designed a method to document and track the impact of Project Green Fork, which works with restaurants to implement sustainable practices in Memphis, Tenn. Wilmot is a graduate of the University of Memphis.