Mitchell Scholars lend a hand in New Orleans - US

2009
2800 Clarendon Boulevard
Suite 502
Arlington, Virginia 22201
Phone 703.841.5843
Web www.us-irelandalliance.org
Year in Review
Mitchell Scholars lend a hand in New Orleans
Twenty-seven Mitchell Scholars gathered in New
Orleans at the end of the year to learn about recovery
efforts in the city and to spend a day helping out.
Traveling from the airport to center city takes you past
the Superdome, which inevitably evokes memories of
the place where 20,000 took refuge from Hurricane
Katrina. The August 2005 disaster claimed over 1800
lives and left a path of destruction and dislocation in
Trina Vargo
President
[email protected]
its wake. But on this sunny day, all was back to normal
at the Superdome where the Saints were playing the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Well, not quite normal, as the
Saints suffered a rare loss in overtime.
The Mitchells were interested in New Orleans for
a variety of reasons. Many are in medicine so were
interested in the health care situation. Engineers were
interested in infrastructure reconstruction. Others were
Jennie LaMonte
Managing Director, Mitchell Scholarships
[email protected]
2009
Year in Review
interested in city management, poverty, and
education. Many were living abroad when
Katrina occurred and said they had always felt
a step removed from a national event that they
could only observe from a distance. Class of
’03 Mitchell, Mark Tosso, felt right at home as
he has, over the years, led groups on more than
10 trips from New Jersey to New Orleans to
help with the recovery.
The group gathering began with a night at
the legendary Tipitina’s for the Cajun/Zydeco
Dance Fest.
The first day began with a meeting at the Jackson Square home of Walter Isaacson, CEO of
the Aspen Institute and Vice Chairman of the
Louisiana Recovery Authority. A New Orleans
native, he is the author of several books and
previously served as Chairman and CEO of
CNN and as Editor of Time Magazine. He was
able offer his unique insights into the recovery efforts. He discussed how, unlike many
east coast cities, New Orleans has a history of
being an integrated city (economically as well
as racially) and emphasized the importance of
retaining that character as the city rebuilds.
He discussed the controversies over deciding
what should and should not be rebuilt and the
upsides and downsides of the Authority’s work.
On the one hand, they were concerned with
the city’s reputation of corruption and wanted
to assure that monies disbursed would be free
of the taint of corruption. That was achieved.
The downside was that this decision resulted in
an inevitably slow pace of spending. Instead of
telling people where they could not live, incentives were offered to encourage people to move
from devastated areas. Those in the Lower 9th
Ward, for example, would receive the preKatrina market value of their homes plus 20%
if they moved to higher ground. Walter favored
a neighborhood-by-neighborhood approach to
rebuilding – as opposed to a city-wide plan –
and that is what has come to pass. Except for
the Lower 9th Ward and Gentilly, 90% of the
city is back.
Health care delivery remains a problem. During the years that Huey Long was Governor
(late 1920s, early 1930s), the city built public
hospitals, which provided excellent care for all,
regardless of one’s ability to pay. Charity Hospital was destroyed by the storm and its aftermath, and current health care discussions will
have an impact on public hospitals. Walter also
discussed the opportunities to create environmentally friendly buildings and the trade-offs
David Cody
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Mitchells at Wilson School
Eileen Zander and LaToya Cantrell
involved in making something LEED compliant
versus preservation. He felt there is a balance
to be struck and would not want to just tear
everything down to rebuild LEED compliant
buildings at the loss of New Orleans traditional and unique architecture. He discussed
innovations in public education that offer a
silver lining. New Orleans no longer has one
central school system – 66% of public schools
are charter schools – this requires schools to be
pioneering in order to attract students. School
days run from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., 11 months of
the year; this is a proven method of increasing
student successes. One of every three New Orleans students are taught by Teach for America
corps members, and there have been 10-12
point gains in reading and math scores.
When he talked about some of the problems
arising where housing was constructed on
marshland, it reminded me of similar problems
in Ireland with recent flooding there. There was
housing blight pre-Katrina. A typical problem is
that when someone dies, successive generations
never bother to get a clear title to the property, so when it comes to tearing down derelict
dwellings, it may be a challenge to identify the
true owner. Also, many homes are built on
concrete slabs. It will cost a developer $5000
just to break up the foundation after razing a
property for redevelopment.
David Cody, formerly with the Office of Recovery Management, took the group on a tour
of the city’s neighborhoods. First stop was the
city’s oldest cemetery, founded in 1798. People
are buried in crypts above ground, in part a
remnant of European tradition and also because the water table doesn’t permit in-ground
burials. New Orleans, unlike much of the rest
of America, is a place where death is freely and
easily discussed and signs of voodoo influences
could be seen in the cemetery.
Many homes in the city are still shuttered and
the doors are marked with “FEMA crosses”
— numbers which indicate when rescuers got
to the house, who the rescuers were, and how
many were found dead in the house. The Lower
9th Ward was the most devastated — previously populated by 19,000, there are now only
2,000 inhabitants. The neighborhood was
predominantly African American, and owneroccupied. Land was cheap, and hence affordable, for buyers.
Thanks to The Edge of U2 for some early
2009
Year in Review
Jennie and Bernadette
Monica Bell
planning advice for our trip. He introduced us
to Quint Davis, the producer and director of
the New Orleans Jazz Festival. The Edge has
made his own contributions to the recovery.
He co-founded a charity to restore the region’s
musical culture by replacing instruments that
had been lost to the disaster. Initial plans were
just to provide replacement instruments to
those professional musicians who had been affected by the storms but the mission expanded
to provide instruments to churches and schools.
The Mitchells visited the New Orleans Jazz and
Heritage Festival and Foundation offices where
Executive Director Don Marshall discussed arts
as part of the city’s economic development – an
issue regularly discussed now with regards to
Ireland. The festival attracts over 450,000 visitors over seven days and pumps $300 million
into the local economy. Don talked about music
education in the community, efforts to return
music to the schools and carrying on the musical tradition of the city.
Later that day, the group met with LaToya
Cantrell, the inspiring president of the Broadmoor Improvement Association (BIA). The
Mitchells would spend the next day helping
unpack supplies so the newly built Broadmoor
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2009
Year in Review
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Wilson School would be ready for students to
move into in January. Broadmoor is a diverse
neighborhood in New Orleans with 7232
residents – 68% are African American, 25%
white, 3% Latino and .6% Asian. Following
Katrina, there were recommendations made to
Mayor Ray Nagin that seven neighborhoods
should not restored. Broadmoor was on that
list. Cantrell and her neighbors objected and set
to work to revive their neighborhood and have
it removed from that list. Today, about 60% of
redevelopment in the neighborhood has been
achieved through many public/private partnerships. Pre-Katrina, Broadmoor educational performance was low and now it is above average.
Andrew H. Wilson Elementary School, which
underwent major renovations since Katrina.
The entire day was spent unpacking all the
boxes for the classrooms so the students may
return in January. It was a rewarding day spent
with LaToya and Principal Sheila Thomas. We
have no doubt that the students are going to
be blown away by their new school, we were.
With the kind of community commitment we
saw in Broadmoor, we’re confident it will only
go from strength to strength.
The evening, seems every evening, included
the consumption of beignets and café au lait at
Café du Monde.
On our second day, the Mitchells went to
work to help the BIA prepare to re-open the
The few days provided a great way for Mitchells to reconnect, meet other Mitchells who
were in Ireland in different years, and participate in a service project that fits in with the
ethos of the scholarship program. We hope to
have many more such gatherings in future.
Home with FEMA markings
Jen Lambert
Tommy Vitolo and Walter Isaacson
Winnie and Jennifer
The final evening was spent at Jacques-Imo’s
café, followed by great music by the Rebirth
Brass Band at the Maple Leaf.
Hylda Queally, Brendan Gleeson and Jonathan
Rhys Meyers Honored at Oscar Wilde Event
In February in Los Angeles, the Alliance honored talent agent Hylda Queally and actors
Brendan Gleeson and Jonathan Rhys Meyers at
the fourth annual “Oscar Wilde: Honoring the
Irish in Film.” Kate Winslet, a client of Queally,
was on hand to present her with the award.
Kate went on a few nights later to win the other
Oscar. Desperate Housewives star and Emmy
Award winner Dana Delany presented Jonathan
Rhys Meyers’ award to Morgan O’Sullivan, who
accepted on his behalf. Golden Globe nominated
actress Rose Byrne, who worked with Brendan
Gleeson in Troy, accepted the award for Brendan who was unable to attend for family reasons
but sent a video acceptance from Dublin. Irish
musicians Gemma Hayes, Laura Izibor and Republic of Loose entertained guests at the popular
party which brings together people in the entertainment industries in the US and Ireland.
Grammy Award nominated singer Maura
O’Connell sang a Clare song for Hylda, who
also hails from County Clare. Other Queally
clients in attendance to celebrate their agent
included Freida Pinto, Marion Cotillard, Rose
Byrne, Abbie Cornish, and Jamie Dornan.
Former publisher of Variety and head of Rockmore Media, Charlie Koones, served as emcee
of the event.
2009
Year in Review
In addition to Winslet and Pinto (who was in
Slumdog Millionaire, which was nominated for
best picture), 2009 Oscar nominees in attendance were Robin Swicord, Redmond Morris,
Nathan Crowley, Stephanie Green, and Tamara
Anghie. Also on hand were Harvey Weinstein,
Tracey Ullman and Allan McKeown, Lions Gate
Vice Chairman Michael Burns, CAA uber-agents
Kevin Huvane and Bryan Lourd, producers Ron
Yerxa, Alan Moloney and numerous A&R and
film company execs, writers, directors, casting
directors, agents and publicists.
Photos by
Alberto Rodriguez,
Getty Images
Brad Starling, Kate Winslet, Ryan Starling, Hylda Queally, Myles
Starling, Charlotte Starling, Stephanie O’Halloran, and Raymond
Queally
Kate Winslet and Hylda Queally
Dana Delany
Kate Winslet and Harvey Weinstein
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2009
Year in Review
Laura Izibor, Gemma Hayes and Maura O’Connell
Redmond Morris and Hylda Queally
Abbie Cornish
Republic of Loose
Tamara Anghie, Stephanie Green, Norma Sheehan and
Byron Kumbula
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Freida Pinto and Marion Cotillard
Tracey Ullman, Allan McKeown, Morgan O’Sullivan and Trina Vargo
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Year in Review
Rose Byrne
Marion Cotillard
Hollywood Event Leads To Collaborations
The Hollywood event has led to collaboration
among artists and business for both countries.
After being honored nearly two years ago, Jim
Brooks created an episode of “The Simpsons”
about the closing of an Irish pub. He visited
Ireland in March to premiere the episode, which
featured his co-honoree Colm Meaney, and
performers Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova.
Fiona Shaw, who was honored along with
Brooks and Meaney, saw singer Duke Special
perform that evening. That led to the Belfast
The Simpson’s and Cal Hayes
singer-songwriter joining the cast of Mother
Courage and Her Children, which starred Shaw
and was directed by Deborah Warner at the
National Theatre of London.
A concert has become part of the night’s activities, and has included performances by Van
Morrison, Hansard and Irglova, Duke Special,
Laura Izibor, Gemma Hayes and the Republic
of Loose. Singers Paddy Casey and S.J. McArdle
performed at the first Oscar Wilde event and
subsequently received US recording contracts.
We’re delighted that this event has fostered
these kinds of partnerships as that was the hope
for the event.
Photo by Anthony Luvera,
Mother Courage and Her
Children
Duke Special and Fiona Shaw
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2009
Year in Review
In Memoriam — Senator Edward M. Kennedy
In August, the death of Senator Edward M. Kennedy was a sad loss for the US-Ireland Alliance.
Senator Kennedy had been an inspiration in the very creation of the Alliance as well as a strong
supporter of annual congressional funding for the Mitchell Scholarship program. The following is
a statement Alliance President Trina Vargo, Senator Kennedy’s former foreign policy adviser and
friend of more than 20 years, released on the day of his death:
“Senator Kennedy’s commitment to Ireland and Northern Ireland spanned forty years and no one
has contributed more to the strengthening of the relationship between the US and the island of Ireland. He encouraged me to create
the US-Ireland Alliance and everyone at the Alliance is grateful for the continuous support he gave to the organization and the Mitchell
Scholarship program. Personally, he gave me, at a very young age, an incredible opportunity to be a part of making a difference in a
way that few people get. I told him when I left his employ that, no matter what I did with the rest of my life, the way that I see things
would, to a very great extent, be shaped by the way that I learned to see things by working with him. And for that I feel honored and
privileged — but most of all I feel incredibly lucky — that he allowed me to be a part of his work.”
Alliance And EMPG Team Up To Teach American
High School Students About Ireland
Prominent Individuals On Advisory Committee
The US-Ireland Alliance and Educational Media & Publishing Group (EMPG) are teaming up to
bring to life our vision for teaching American
high school students about Ireland. EMPG
Chairman, Barry O’Callaghan, pledged his
company’s expertise, product, technology, content, and market access to the online project. In
2006, Mr. O’Callaghan merged his e-learning
company, Riverdeep, with Houghton Mifflin
and later Harcourt, making EMPG the largest
US educational publisher for elementary and
high schools. Trina welcomed Barry’s involvement saying, “Barry and EMPG’s commitment
to educating young Americans about Ireland is
a huge boost to the project given the company’s
resources, expertise and understanding of the
market.” Barry said, “EMPG is delighted to
participate in this worthwhile project that will
allow future generations to learn about this
island, and hopefully visit.”
While EMPG’s commitment will cut the cash
costs of the project, the Alliance will still raise
funds to create additional, original content for
the program. And an advisory committee is
being formed that will include a combination of
American and Irish visionaries, creative artists,
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academic experts, and business/media expertise.
Those on the committee thus far include writer
Roddy Doyle; Geraldine Kennedy, Editor of the
Irish Times; Declan Kiberd, Chair of AngloIrish Literature and Drama at University College Dublin; actress and director Fiona Shaw;
Oxford historian Roy Foster; Joe Lee, Professor
of History at NYU; The London Independent’s
Ireland correspondent, David McKittrick; and
Maureen Murphy, Professor of Curriculum and
Teaching at Hofstra University.
RTE will also be involved in the project. We
envision involving Irish American organizations and individuals who will want to see these
materials in their local schools. We also plan
to work with a travel company to design trips
that allow and encourage high school teachers to take students to Ireland. While the main
objective of the project is to educate young
Americans about Irish history and culture and
Ireland’s impact on America, it can also create a new generation of American tourists for
Ireland.
Senator Mitchell Meets With Mitchell Scholars
Despite a grueling schedule as President
Obama’s Special Envoy for the Middle East,
Senator Mitchell still made time to drop into
Dublin to meet with the class of 2009. Always
following what the Scholars are up to, the
Senator asked former Naval Academy, standout runner Victoria Moore if she was still running while in Dublin; he asked Andrea Laidman about her work in the area of immigrant
integration in Ireland, an internship arranged
by Minister of State Conor Lenihan; he told
fellow Maine resident, Erin Rhoda, that he
knows of another Maine family with the same
last name that he suspects may be relatives she
didn’t even know she had; he told Albion College grad Catherine Fontana that he owes Albion a visit (he had a to cancel a planned visit
after being appointed to his current role) and
told Catherine that she was to report back to
the college that he would like her to introduce
him when he can reschedule the appearance.
Senator Mitchell told Jose Canto (who was
attending UCD and would next attend Georgetown Law) that he too would be at Georgetown
in the fall as a Chair is being created in his
honor and he promised Jose that he could be
the first to sit in his ‘chair’. Senator Mitchell
has met each of the nine classes of Scholars and
takes genuine pride in their accomplishments
and interest in their careers. 2009
Year in Review
The class of ’09 also traveled to Belfast in
March for their annual mid-year retreat. While
there, they spent a day at Stormont, spending
more than an hour with a number of government ministers and representatives, including
Junior Minister Jeffrey Donaldson (DUP) and
Junior Minister Gerry Kelly (Sinn Fein). They
also met with David McClarty, MLA with the
UUP and deputy speaker of the Assembly, as
well as SDLP’s MLA, Alex Attwood. Later in
the week, the Scholars met with a panel of former paramilitaries, took a tour of the Crumlin
Gaol, dined with poet Michael Longley and his
wife, writer Edna Longley, and braved the gale
force winds and rain along the Antrim coast,
from Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge to Giant’s
Causeway. Before returning to Belfast, they
warmed themselves up with an Irish whiskey
tasting at Bushmills Distillery.
Photos by
Patrick Bolger
Senator and Mitchells
Senator and Class of ‘09
Senator Mitchell and Jose
Senator, Vicki, Tyler and Andrea
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2009
Year in Review
With Erin, Ryan, Andrea, Lara, Catherine and Adam
With Catherine
Jeffrey Donaldson with Mitchells
With Erin
Gerry Kelly with Mitchell Scholars
Adam and Tyler
Jose, Lara, Tyler and Travis at the U2 concert in Dublin
Vicki working at Gatoto Primary School in Nairobi
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Bipartisan Support Of Mitchell Scholarship
Program Continues
Bipartisan support for the George J. Mitchell
Scholarship remained strong as Capitol Hill
voted to provide $500,000 in continued funding for the scholarship program.
Under the strong leadership and backing of
Congressman Peter King (R-NY) and Joseph
Crowley (D-NY), a letter of support was initiated to Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY),
Chairwoman of the subcommittee responsible
for State Department appropriations. The
House members who support the successful
educational initiative were: Michael Capuano
(D-MA), William Delahunt (D-MA), Barney
Frank (D-MA), Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA),
James McGovern (D-MA), Michael E. McMahon (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Richard
Neal (D-MA), and Donald Payne (D-NJ).
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Year in Review
In the Senate, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
chairs the relevant subcommittee and Senator
Judd Gregg (R-NH) is the Ranking Member.
Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Senator
Olympia Snowe (R-ME) led the Senate effort.
They were joined by Democratic Senators
Sherrod Brown (OH), Chris Dodd (CT), John
Kerry (MA), Robert Menendez (NJ), Charles E.
Schumer (NY), Sheldon Whitehouse (RI), and
Independent Democrat Joseph Lieberman (CT).
Irish Prime Minister Honors Ninth Class of
Mitchell Scholars
In May, Taoiseach Brian Cowen was the guest
of honor at the convocation for the 2009 class
of George J. Mitchell Scholars, held at the
American Ambassador’s residence in Dublin.
In his remarks to the Scholars and the guests
in attendance, the Taoiseach recognized the
changing nature of the US-Ireland relationship.
He praised the Mitchell Scholarship program
and restated the Government’s commitment to
the program.
Trina cautioned that US-Ireland relations are
at a pivotal moment in history and that drastic
measures are required to solidify its future. She
reminded the audience that, despite the current global crisis, Ireland is one of the wealthy
nations of the world. She said that despite the
economic downturn, it is essential that Ireland
not lose sight of the long term objectives and
that the future of the US-Ireland relationship, if
there is to be one, will be built on arts, culture,
business and education.
Mitchell Scholarship Director Mary Lou HartPhotos by
Patrick Bolger
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Jose Canto and Katie Boyle
Amb. Dan Fried and Taoiseach Brian Cowen
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Year in Review
Catherine Fontana, Erin Rhoda and Noel Smyth
Andrew O’Rorke, Colin McCrea and Trina Vargo
Danny Lynch, Jose Canto and Travis Green
Emily Jeffers, Nick Johnson, Danny Lynch and Ryan McCartney
Erin Rhoda, Rob Faucher and Catherine Fontana
Frank Fenn and Mark Collins
John Hughes, Adrian O’Neill and Paul Arthur
John Morrissey and Clive Brownlee
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2009
Year in Review
Kasey Rosson, Tyler Dillard and Chris Rosson
Lara Janson and Vicki Moore
Martin Fraser and Ambassador Fried
Seamus McLoughlin and Frank Murray
Taoiseach Brian Cowen with 2009 Mitchell Scholars
Ted Pierce, Sean MacCarthaigh, Gerry and Margaret Hickey
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Trina Vargo and Paul and Margaret Ward
Turlough McNamara, Mary Lou Hartman, Mary Calpin, Jen
McNally and Paul Hayes
Board member and Cross Atlantic Capital Partners founder Gerry McCrory; Alburn founder
Noel Smyth and Anne Marie Smyth; artist
Charlie Whisker, and author Julia Kelly.
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Year in Review
Bernard McNamara and Trina
man, and the Taoiseach, presented the Scholars
with their class rings, an annual gift from Cross
Atlantic Capital Partners. Among the 100 guests
in attendance were Ambassador Dan Fried, the
US Special Envoy for Guantanamo Closure; US
Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Rob Faucher; advisor to the Taoiseach Martin Fraser;
NUI Maynooth president John Hughes; Abbey
Theater director Fiach Mac Conghail; Alliance
The reception capped a week of activities for
the Scholars, which began in Limerick with a
visit to Glenstal Abbey. The Abbot of the Abbey, Mark Patrick Hederman, welcomed the
Scholars and gave them a tour of the underground chapel devoted to antique icons. Brother
Anthony shared a detailed history of the Abbey
grounds, which was followed by afternoon tea
with a number of Glenstal monks. That evening, the Scholars visited the home of Irish musician Micheal O Suilleabhain and his sons and
fellow musicians Eoin and Micheal. Mitchell
Scholar Katie Boyle played the guitar and sang;
Adam Tart played the guitar, and Tyler Dillard
entertained all with a Beethoven piano concerto. The Scholars then traveled to Kenmare to
stay at Parknasilla where they went horseback
riding and took guided walks along the coast.
Staff Changes at the US-Ireland Alliance
the program, including serving on the Mitchell Scholarship selection committee, and she
and Cliff will continue to host their annual
bbq for the Scholars. Mary Lou presided over
many innovations and accomplishments of the
program, including an historic event marking
the 10th anniversary of the Belfast Agreement,
which brought together hundreds of young
leaders from across the island with the Mitchell
Scholars, and scholarship selection committees
with distinguished leaders such as award-winning television producer David Simon, current FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg,
award-winning novelist Alice McDermott, and
White House official and acclaimed human
rights activist Samantha Power.
Mary Lou Hartman and Steven Sifuentes
Jennie LaMonte previously served as the
Fellowship Advisor at NC State University
in Raleigh, North Carolina. In that capacity,
she planned and implemented the university’s
Fellowship Advising program and managed
the Fellowship Advising Office. In 2008, her
students won almost $4 million in domestic and
international scholarships. She was also a Lecturer in the university’s History Department.
Jennie served for four years as Assistant Senior
Tutor at Dudley House at Harvard, where she
was a member of nomination review committees for Harvard students applying for scholar-
Photo by Carol Clayton
Last summer, Mary Lou Hartman departed
as Director of the George J. Mitchell Scholarship program and Jennie LaMonte joined as
Managing Director.
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Mary Lou raised the national profile of the
program, introduced many new people to the
Alliance, and built strong relationships with the
universities of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the
United States. Most importantly, she has served
as an inspiring leader and mentor for our Scholars. A Peabody-award winning film-maker, she
is departing to make a documentary film about
Northern Ireland with her production company,
Half a Bap Productions. While we hated to see
Mary Lou formally leave the Alliance, we are
delighted that she will remain connected to
ships. She chaired the Graduate Board of the
Hasty Pudding Club. She previously served as instructor at New England College and the University of New Hampshire. Earlier in her career, she
was Associate Director of Annual Giving at Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts, as well
as a development officer with other educational
non-profits. Jennie is a History PhD candidate
at Harvard; she earned an undergraduate degree
in Art History at Wellesley, and Masters degrees
in History at Lehigh University and Harvard.
Jennie is also a professional sailor who has competed in local, regional and national regattas.
2009
Year in Review
Photo by Carol Clayton
Senator David Norris In San Francisco
Irish Senator David Norris, who was referred
to in the San Francisco press as ‘the Harvey
Milk of Ireland’, was the guest of honor at
a July event hosted by the Alliance at the Sir
Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco.
California State Senator Mark Leno, a leading
advocate of marriage equality in California,
presented Senator Norris with a proclamation
commending his commitment and dedication
to civil rights and his successful campaign to
decriminalize homosexuality in Ireland. The
proclamation read: “It is through the work
of individuals such as yourself that equality
becomes attainable for all.”
A diverse mix of people in the Irish community and leaders in the LGBT community in
San Francisco were some of the 150 people
in attendance to hear Senator Norris. The
guests included San Francisco’s Treasurer Jose
Cisneros; Rebecca Prozan, Assistant District
Photos by
Ross Pushinaitis
Brendan Walsh and Richard Mooney
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Senator Norris and Mitchell Scholars
Alex Randolph and Senator Norris
2009
Year in Review
Derek Gordon and Kevin Winston
Gerry Staunton, Mark Nagel, Debra Charleswoth, Ken Pasternak
and Aniko Pasternak
Jose Cisnerso and Mark Kelleher
Mark Nagel, Senator Leno and Reese Aaron Isbell
Attorney and LGBT Pride Director at Obama
for America; Kiva CEO Matt Flannery; the
Assistant District Attorney of San Francisco,
Michael Sullivan; and Ireland’s Consul General,
Gerry Staunton. Alex Rodriquez, on behalf of
Mayor Gavin Newsom, presented Senator Norris with an official certificate of welcome which
also recognized his work as a champion of civil
rights.
Trina recognized the many Mitchell Scholars
who were present. Several reside in the Bay
area and include two studying law at Stanford; one completing a Ph.D. in economics at
Stanford; two Berkeley Law School students;
the West Coast Regional Sales Manager for
YouTube; and the Chief Cardiology Fellow at
UCSF.
Robert Martin and Scott Ellingson
Susan Christian and
Kevin Shanahan
Senator Norris spoke of the struggle for human
rights on a broad scale – discussing a variety of
examples, from his own legal campaign in Ireland, to the work of an unemployed Dublin bus
conductor, Tom Hyland, who brought attention
to the suffering in East Timor. Norris described
himself as an ordinary person and encouraged
the audience by noting that ordinary people
can bring about change.
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Those who served on the event committee included San Francisco Supervisors Bevan Dufty
and Sean Elsbernd; Scott Ellingson of Baker
& McKenzie; Mark Kelleher of SFSU; Belfastborn private investor David Kirk; Tom McEnery, the former mayor of San Jose, member of
US-Ireland Alliance advisory board; Robert
Martin of Signal Demand; Mark Nagel, a member of the board of the US-Ireland Alliance;
Kevin Shanahan of 365 Main; Laela Sturdy of
YouTube; and Kevin Winston of Porter Novelli.
Abbey Theatre Director Speaks at
New York Event
Fiach Mac Conghail, Director of Ireland’s Abbey Theatre, was the guest of honor at an event
hosted by the Alliance in September at Y92
Tribeca in New York City. Among the guests
were leaders in the theater community including: Neil Pepe and Jeffrey Lawson, the Artistic
and Managing Directors of the Atlantic Theater
Company; Edgar Dobie, Managing Director of
Washington, D.C.’s Arena Stage; Mark Russell, producer of the Public Theater’s Under the
Radar festival; producer Tony Micocci; Heidi
Mathis of the Shubert Organization; George
Heslin, Artistic Director of Origin; Mara Isaacs,
Producing Director of the McCarter Theatre;
and Michael Rose, Managing Director of the
University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Center
for the Performing Arts. Also on hand were Ireland’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Anne
Anderson, Kate and Gerry Hathaway, and
Cormac O’Malley. The last time the US-Ireland
2009
Year in Review
Photos by
Shawn Mader/
PatrickMcMullan.com
Cormac O’Malley, Ambassador Anne Anderson and George Heslin
Edgar Dobie and Fiach MacConghail
Cassie Farrelly and Megan Riordan
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Fiach
Mark Russell, Mara Isaacs and Fiach MacConghail
2009
Year in Review
Trina Vargo
Kate and Gerry Hathaway
Niall Stanage and Belinda McKeon
Alliance hosted an event for Fiach in 2006, it
introduced him to Oskar Eustis, which led to
successful relationship between the Public Theater and the Abbey.
to raise funds for the Abbey. Fiach talked of
Sean O’Casey’s impact on Eugene O’Neill, and
Samuel Beckett’s influence on David Mamet
and Sam Shepard. He also thanked the many of
producers and directors in attendance responsible for bringing Irish plays to US audiences.
The next generation of the US-Ireland relationship was well-represented by a host of Mitchell
Scholars who have forged connections with
their contemporaries in Ireland, including with
Megan Riordan who was in New York for her
one woman show Luck at 59E59 at part of
First Irish, an annual September Irish theater
festival in the city.
Page 18
Fiach was in New York to finalize plans for
the American premier of Ages of the Moon at
the Atlantic Theater. In the fall, the Abbey’s
production of Mark O’Rowe’s TERMINUS
will be seen coast to coast in the US. Having just arrived in New York after celebrating
Brian Friel’s 80th birthday at the Abbey, Fiach
spoke of the ties between Irish and American
playwrights as well as the Abbey’s connection
to America, dating back to the early part of the
20th century when W.B. Yeats visited America
Under Fiach’s leadership, the Abbey made a
commitment to new writing – staging nine
World Premieres by Irish writers, two by Sam
Shepard and four Irish Premieres, including
Doubt. In introducing Fiach, Trina noted their
shared concern about cuts in arts funding, “theater, music, and writing are what make Ireland
attractive to tourists and, in places like the US,
Ireland’s creative industries are what sets Ireland apart.” Fiach talked about the current economic crisis in Ireland noting that, “In Ireland
we need theatre and the promotion of culture
more than ever. Our writers and poets have
yet to fail us.” He also noted the importance
of Ireland’s need for re-imaging its relationship
with the US, a theme regularly promoted by the
Alliance.
Tenth Class Of Mitchell Scholars Off To A
Busy Start
In September, the 10th class of Mitchell Scholars were welcomed to Ireland at a reception at
the residence of the US Ambassador to Ireland.
US Deputy Chief of Mission Robert Faucher
hosted the reception in the absence of Ambassador Dan Rooney who was attending the G-20
meeting in Pittsburgh with President Obama.
Jennie LaMonte introduced the twelve Scholars
who will be studying at various universities
across the island.
Among those who attended the reception were
entrepreneur and Dragons’ Den dragon, Niall
O’Farrell; former PD Minister of State, Liz
O’Donnell; Finance Director the CIE Interconnector, Tom Byrne; Fergal Naughton, Executive
Director of Group Operations at Glen Dimplex; Tim O’Connor, Secretary General to the
President; Oonagh Desire and Aideen Howard,
the Development Director and Literary Director of the Abbey Theatre; Irish Times Educa-
2009
Year in Review
Photos by
Patrick Bolger
Class of ‘10
Declan Maher, Niall O’Farrell, Joe O’Malley and John Kearney
Denis Staunton, Tim O’Connor and Liz O’Donnell
Page 19
Eoin Sweeney and Christina Faust
Jonathan Brestoff and Karyn Posner-Mullen
2009
Year in Review
Tom Byrne, Niall O’Farrell and Jennie LaMonte
Vicki Moore, Ryan McCartney, Adam Harbison and Christina Faust
Matt Baum, Emer Deane and Bre Detwiler
Nick Johnson, Neil Ferron and Oonagh Desire
Neil Ferron, Jarlath Nally and Alec Schierenbeck
Shane Colvin and Marion McKeone
tion Editor Sean Flynn; Irish Times Foreign
Editor Denis Staunton; former Irish Times US
correspondent and author Conor O’Clery;
artist Charlie Whisker and novelist Julia Kelly;
several representatives from the various universities on the island; and several members of
the Alliance’s Young Irish Leaders program, a
program initiated by the Alliance six years ago
to connect Mitchell Scholars with their peers on
the island.
Page 20
Rebekah Emanuel and Rob Faucher
The next day the Scholars sat in on the morning news meeting at the Irish Times and had the
opportunity to ask editor Geraldine Kennedy
about the inner workings of the newspaper.
2009
Year in Review
Rebekah and Jennie at Kilmainham Jail
At the Irish Times
They learned about Irish life from Marion
McKeone, heard about the Irish economy from
Danny McCoy of IBEC, and about Irish theater
from NUIG professor Patrick Lonergan. They
attended a talk given by Enda Walsh at the Abbey Theatre as well as a performance of his The
New Electric Ballroom. They toured Kilmainham Gaol and the Yeats exhibit at the National
Library of Ireland.
Matt and Jon
Matt Baum and Jonathan Brestoff were the
guests of Sean Dorgan, Chairman of Ulster
Bank, at the All-Ireland final.
In October, the Mitchells attended a performance of the Beauty Queen of Leenane at the
Lyric Theatre, Belfast, and met with actress
Geraldine Hughes following the performance.
They also attended the Guinness Jazz Festival
in Cork. Mitchell Scholar, Jonathan Brestoff, hosted his classmates and put together a
weekend for them to learn about Ireland and
Page 21
With Geraldine Hughes
2009
Year in Review
Irish culture through meetings with local and
national leaders from Cork. Liam Donohoe,
Apple’s Country Manager for Ireland, met
with the Scholars and discussed Apple, which
had a record-breaking quarter despite the
current state of the economy. Liam showed
them Apple’s Cork site, their most important
With Liam O’Donohoe
center in Europe. Later that day, they met with
UCC President Michael Murphy and after that
visited The Franciscan Well Brewery for their
annual Beer Fest. Jonathan, who is studying for
the Public Health masters at UCC, arranged
on Saturday, for the Mitchell’s to have lunch
with Dave Roche, the Manager of the Cork
On Sunday, some of enjoyed the Jazz Festival
while others visited the Blarney Castle to kiss
the Blarney Stone. The evening included a performance by Grammy Award winner Pharaoh
Sanders, who started his career in the later
Coltrane ensembles.
The producer of The Tudors, Morgan
O’Sullivan, hosted the Mitchells on the set
as the fourth and final season of the reign of
Henry VIII was wrapping. They received a tour
of the studio, getting peeks at the Emmy award
winning costumes created by Joan Bergin and
her team. They even sat in on a scene shoot,
witnessing how the cast and crew worked to
bring the saga to life.
In October, Mitchell Scholars Adam Harbison
and Bre Detwiler got a taste of Irish football
when they attended a Linfield v. Glentoran
match at Windsor Park in Belfast. The guests of
Linfield fan Jonathan Burgess, Adam and Bre
learned about the history of football in Northern Ireland and about the sport itself, which
was unlike anything either of them had experienced. Despite a dazzling display of fireworks
and streamers from the Glentoran stands,
Linfield prevailed, winning the match 2 to 1.
The Mitchells also gathered in Derry to celebrate Halloween.
And Bre and Adam had the opportunity to
meet Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when
she visited Belfast.
With UCC President Michael Murphy
Page 22
Gay Community Development Company. Dave
talked about past and present issues affecting
the gay community and about sexuality and
gender issues in Ireland. They then learned
about refugee health issues from Dr. Yoga Velupillai, UCC’s MPH Co-ordinator and lecturer,
and about the health status of the Irish population from Dr. Ivan Perry, Professor and Chair
of UCC’s Department of Public Health and
Epidemiology. Ivan is an international leader on
salt consumption, self harm, and suicide, and
led the largest ever study of health determinants
in the Irish population.
Bre and Adam at Linfield match
The Mitchells gathered in Dublin for Thanksgiving. They were guests of Minister of Education Batt O’Keeffe in the Dail. The Minister
met with the Mitchells and asked them about
their experience in Ireland and talked about
Ireland’s interest in attracting more foreign students to its universities. The Scholars enjoyed
2009
Year in Review
Bre, Senator Clinton, Vice Chancellor Gregson and Adam
Celebrating Halloween in Derry
a tour of the Dail and Seanad and Labour T.D. Ruauri Quinn was their host for lunch.
Along the way they met several members including T.D.’s Fergal Quinn, Frank Fahey,
Timmy Dooley and Jimmy Deenihan as well as Senators David Norris and Mark Daly.
Entrepreneur Niall O’Farrell hosted the Mitchells at a dinner at his home. Trina, Paul
Hayes and Mary Calpin prepared Thanksgiving dinner for the Scholars, and they
ended the few days with a Laura Izibor concert at the Tripod.
Several of the class of ’10 have begun internships:
Jonathan Brestoff and three of his classmates are starting Project Cork Underwater, the
goals of which were 1) to build a website and automated cell center that consolidates
information on all of the resources currently available to County Cork flood victims,
2) to conduct a thorough county-wide general needs assessment using five complementary approaches, and 3) to generate solutions to address currently unrecognized needs
and to report findings to Irish authorities. Rebekah Emanuel is interning with the PPR
(Participation and the Practice of Rights Project) in North Belfast. Christina Faust is
helping the Science Gallery at Trinity in Dublin to organize a Climate Summit. Adam
Harbison begins an internship at DARD, the Department of Agriculture & Rural
Development at Stormont in Northern Ireland, where he’ll work in the Rural Policy
division. Lauren Parnell Marino will be working for Irish Aid Sarang Shah is a tutor at
Trinity College conducting tutorial sessions with 2 classes of 30 students each in calculus and linear algebra.
With Minister O’Keeffe
Thanksgiving
High Ranking Obama Administration Officials
Meet With Mitchell Scholars
Jim Steinberg, Deputy Secretary of State; Jane
Holl Lute, Deputy Secretary of the Department
of Homeland Security; and Lt. General Doug
Lute, Deputy National Security Adviser for
Iraq and Afghanistan, took time out of their
very busy schedules to spend time with Mitchell
Scholars in October.
Jim met with the Scholars at the Department
of State where he discussed the Obama Administration’s foreign policy goals and frustrations. As was the case with Northern Ireland,
he noted that change usually does not come
until the people on the ground demand it from
their leadership. He compared the differences
and similarities in working at State since his
last stint in the Department during the Clinton Administration. He also talked about the
Page 23
2009
Year in Review
Jim Steinberg and Mitchells
Lt. Gen. Lute and Kathleen Romig Krepps
Jennie LaMonte and John Kiess
Jane Holl Lute and Trina Vargo
honor of working with President Obama and
Secretary Clinton – as well as Senator Mitchell,
again — and how the positive feelings much of
the world has about this Administration create
great opportunities but also high expectations.
ing relationships around the world and how the
importance of programs such as these is one
thing everyone can agree on.
In addition to addressing the Middle East,
Afghanistan and Pakistan, Jim fielded the
Mitchells’ questions about Bosnia, uranium
enrichment efforts, rendition, and North Korea.
He also talked about the difficulties involved
in communication when translation is required
and the importance of language – he gave an
example of something that doesn’t translate
easily into Chinese and how it is important to
take the time to find the right words to best
convey what you intend to convey.
Jim, who sat on the committee to select the
sixth class of Mitchell Scholars, said that he has
a special fondness for the program. He noted
the role such programs play in positively build-
That evening, Jane Holl Lute and Doug Lute
joined the Scholars for drinks at the Dupont
Hotel. Jane helped select the first class of
Mitchell Scholars ten years ago. Before moving to the Department of Homeland Security,
she served as Assistant Secretary-General of the
United Nations for Peacekeeping Operations,
managing operational support for the secondlargest deployed military presence in the world.
Jane and Trina worked together during the
Clinton Administration when Jane worked on
the Northern Ireland issue as a member of the
National Security Council staff and Trina was
Senator Kennedy’s foreign policy adviser. Trina
later accompanied Jane to meet leaders of Ireland and Northern Ireland when Jane headed
the Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly
Conflict.
Class of 2011 Mitchell Scholars Selected
In November, we selected the class of 2011 Mitchell Scholars. Interviews were preceded by a
reception for 100 guests the night before at the Irish Embassy, hosted by the Embassy, the Northern Ireland Bureau, and the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Remarks were made by Ambassador Michael Collins, Northern Ireland Bureau Director Norman
Houston, and Jennie LaMonte introduced the finalists.
Page 24
The Scholars were selected after a rigorous application process that drew almost 300 applica-
tions from over 150 colleges and universities across the country. The process culminated in a final
interview before a selection committee composed of leaders from many fields. This year’s selection
committee included:
• Ireland’s Ambassador to the US, Michael Collins;
• Desha Girod, Mitchell Scholar ’01, faculty at Georgetown University
• Mary Lou Hartman, president of Half-a-Bap Productions
• Matt Korn, computer industry veteran and internet innovator
• Maureen Murphy, Interim Dean of the School of Education and Allied Human Services at
Hofstra University;
• David Pyott, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Allergan;
• Rachel Rebouché, Mitchell Scholar ’01, a leader at the National Partnership for Women &
Families, and
• Christopher Schroeder, an internet pioneer who is CEO of an influential network of health
web sites.
Ambassador Michael Collins and Fagan Harris
2009
Year in Review
Bob Muse, Peter Frosch and Anne Parker Frosh
Cassie Farrelly, Noah Purcell and Jan Karon
Page 25
Ellen Bork and Jeremy Woodrum
Deirdre Mask
2009
Year in Review
Jameca Bailey, Mariyam Cementwala, and Rebecca
Reichert Aslakson
Jeff Kendall, Sarah Wappett, Lorin Jones and John Velasco
Jennie LaMonte, Yongjun Heo and Kyle Englund-Krieger
Jose Canto, Rodolfo Perez and Joey Graziano
Laurence Simms and Matt Korn
Page 26
Kathleen Romig Krepps and Stephen Dorner
Ibrahim Elshamy and David Pyott
2009
Year in Review
Oakley Brooks, Norman Houston and Robert Clarke
Ryan Merola and Maureen Murphy
The program links future leaders from the US with the island of Ireland. With Congressional leadership from the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Senator Olympia Snowe, Congressman Joe Crowley
and Congressman Peter King, the scholarships are funded by the Department of State’s Educational
and Cultural Affairs Bureau; the Northern Ireland Department for Employment and Learning; Becton
Dickinson, Bombardier Aerospace [NI] Foundation, Cross Atlantic Capital Partners, and all of the
universities on the island.
Stephen Dorner, Alpharetta,
GA; University of Georgia;
Trinity College Dublin, Global
Health. Stephen studies Microbiology and Environmental
Health in the Honors Program
at the University of Georgia.
He plans to attend medical school in preparation for a career as a physician-policy maker
connecting public health research with policy
implementation. His passion for elevating the
global baseline of health led him to Costa Rica
and Nicaragua to work in health clinics and
perform community needs assessments. In the
summer of 2008, he spent three months in the
Peruvian Andes studying the efficacy of the
Peruvian National Stove Intervention Program
in reducing women’s exposure to harmful
indoor air pollutants and improving health. His
international experiences inspired him to found
UGA Without Borders, an organization that
facilitates engagement in the global community
through service and advocacy. As a congressional intern in the office of U.S. Congressman
Hank Johnson, Stephen wrote an amendment
to the health reform bill passed by the House
of Representatives to direct attention to the
neglected diseases of poverty – diseases that
comprise 90% of the global disease burden yet
receive 10% of health funding. Stephen is the
recipient of several awards from the University
of Georgia, including the William Moore Crane
Leadership Scholarship in recognition of his
outstanding leadership and community service. Ibrahim Elshamy, Manchester, NH; Dartmouth College;
Ulster University, Peace and
Conflict Studies. Ibrahim, a
senior at Dartmouth, is majoring in Native American Studies
and Middle Eastern Studies,
is a Presidential Research Scholar and Truman
Scholar. He studied in Morocco and Egypt
on a Gilman Scholarship, and speaks Arabic.
Through Dartmouth’s global service organization, the Tucker Foundation, Ibrahim tutored
underachieving elementary school students in a
rural Vermont school district, served as director of education outreach, and is now serving
as the Foundation’s student director. He was
president of the college’s Muslim student group
during a conflict-ridden national lecture tour,
and played a leading role in a collaborative,
peaceful response that won a campus award.
In 2006, Ibrahim met with the city school
board in his hometown of Manchester, NH, to
reexamine public policies, and drew the greater
community into dynamic discussion via the Internet. This summer, Ibrahim lived and worked
in the south-side Chicago neighborhoods with
IMAN, a non-profit devoted to comprehensive
community organizing, personal empowerment,
and development. During a semester abroad,
Ibrahim taught classes at a Cairo refugee organization and started a successful partnership
between this organization and other concerned
students. Ibrahim was recently awarded the
Dean’s Prize as the student who “has contributed most significantly throughout four years to
the quality of life on Dartmouth’s campus.”
Page 27
2009
Year in Review
Page 28
Kyle Englund-Krieger,
Hummelstown, PA; U.S. Naval
Academy; Dublin City University, International Security &
Conflict Studies. Kyle is a Physics major and a Trident Scholar
at the United States Naval
Academy. In a quest for greater understanding,
he researches high energy particle physics and a
state of matter that existed at the beginning of
the universe called “Quark-Gluon Plasma.” At
the International Conference on Strangeness in
Quark Matter, his work was chosen as the best
experimental results. Kyle also pushes the limits
as a member and former Co-Captain of the
Navy’s Cycling Team. Last year, he was selected
by U.S.A. Cycling as the top collegiate cyclist
in the United States. At the Naval Academy
he was the Executive Officer for Plebe Summer, the second person in charge of training of
1200 new midshipmen. He was selected as the
Brigade Midshipman of the Semester in 2007
for his leadership and mentoring skills. After
graduation, Kyle will serve onboard submarines. In preparation for military service he has
trained on three nuclear submarines and earned
the Strategic Nuclear Deterrence Medal. He
has studied development in Malaysia and has
served on humanitarian efforts in Peru, Malawi, and Uganda.
Joseph Graziano, New
York, NY; Georgetown Law
School; National University
of Ireland, Galway, Political
Science & Sociology. Joey is
a 2007 Summa Cum Laude
and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Georgetown with a major in sociology
and a minor in government. Joey is currently
attending law school at Georgetown where he
is a Public Interest Law Scholar. Driven by a
blue-collar, service-oriented background and
his father’s involvement in 9-11 as a New York
City firefighter, Joey is dedicated to ensuring
that the U.S. government honors its commitment to veterans by ensuring they are provided
the federal benefits they earned through their
service. Joey’s undergraduate thesis anticipated
that soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan would experience high levels of negative
stressors. To counter that, Joey began working
with retired Lieutenant Colonel John Sharp
to represent veterans before the US Court of
Appeals for Veteran’s Claims. Joey has since
founded the Academy for Veterans and has
worked as law clerk at the National Veterans
Legal Services Program. While at Georgetown,
he was the starting third baseman on the baseball team, a four time Big East Academic AllStar, and the team’s Most Valuable Teammate.
After graduating, Joey moved to a Dominican
Republic barrio to run the non-profit Beisbol
y Libros, which uses baseball to incentivize
literacy for children. After law school, Joey
anticipates being commissioned as an officer in
the United States Marine Corps.
Fagan Harris, Baltimore,
MD; Stanford University,
University of Limerick, Sociology. Fagan, a 2009 alumnus of
Stanford University, received
the Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel
Award, the highest honor
given to an undergraduate. As a ChappellLougee Scholar, Fagan researched the use of
social incentives to engage disadvantaged youth
in service while fostering academic achievement. Fagan studied social issues and education as a John Galbraith Fellow, and continued
that research in the townships of South Africa
as a Mellon Mays Fellow. While serving as
Student Body Vice President, Fagan founded a
campus-wide civil service system and brought
together disparate student interests to legislate
and implement a public finance program for
campus elections, opening the door for low
income students to run for office in student
government. Fagan also directed the University’s only disaster relief corps, raising thousands
of dollars for projects around the world, and
he was one of the principle organizers of the
largest phone bank in the “No On Proposition
8” campaign. Fagan is currently spearheading
an effort to design and implement a fellowship
and internship placement program at College
Track, a leading education nonprofit promoting college access for underserved youth. In the
future, Fagan plans to lead large-scale social
interventions that target low-income communities and to pursue a career in politics. Yongjun Heo, Newburgh, IN;
Swarthmore College; University
College Dublin, Public Health.
A 2009 graduate of Swarthmore with a double major
in Biology and Public Policy,
Yongjun is currently working
at the Institute for Population and Development
Studies in Hanoi, Vietnam as a Luce Scholar. After his second year at Swarthmore, he travelled
to Venezuela to assist a physician at a medical
clinic in the Pemon indigenous villages of Uriman. His experiences led to his founding Pemon
Health Inc., a public health organization committed to improving the health of the Pemon
people through a college internship program
that focuses on preventative measures to combat
the causes of adverse health conditions. Yongjun has been awarded grants from the Clinton
Global Initiative, Wal-mart Foundation, Project
Pericles Foundation, and Swarthmore College.
At the 2008 Clinton Global Initiative meeting,
he was awarded a Clinton Global Initiative
University Outstanding Commitment Award by
President Clinton. In his final year at Swarthmore, he served as Student Council President.
He was also a four-year sprinter for the Men’s
Varsity Track and Field team and three-year
counselor for a summer orientation program,
which focuses on fostering dialogue about issues
of race, gender, and class for incoming students.
Yongjun plans to obtain a medical degree as
well as a public health degree for his future
career in the global health field.
Deirdre Mask, Chapel Hill,
NC; Harvard Law School;
National University of Ireland
Galway, Writing. Deirdre graduated summa cum laude from
Harvard College with a degree
in Classics-Latin. She was an
editor of the Arts Section of the Harvard Crimson, taught writing to adult-education students,
and was head teacher of the Memorial Church
Sunday School. After a post-graduate year in
Oxford, Deirdre returned to Harvard for law
school. There, she assumed leadership positions
on the Harvard Law Review, taught a section
of a constitutional law course at Harvard College (for which she won a university teaching
award), and authored a prize-winning article
on a racially-charged murder case in 1970s
Boston. During this time, she was also a resident tutor of Adams House, where she served
as a student mentor and pre-law advisor. As
a law clerk for federal judges on the district
and appellate levels in New York, Deirdre has
worked on numerous cases involving national
security, immigration, criminal law, race and
gender discrimination, and prisoners’ rights. In
addition, Deirdre’s varied professional experience includes reporting on the war crimes trial
of Slobodan Milosevic on behalf of the United
States Department of State in the Hague, acting
as an in-house attorney for Yale University,
working pro bono for the ACLU Immigrants’
Rights Project, and helping a woman from
Cameroon to gain political asylum in the
United States. Ryan Merola, New York,
New York; CUNY, Brooklyn
College; Queen’s University,
Belfast, Violence, Terrorism
& Security. Ryan is an analyst
with the New York City Police
Department (NYPD) where
he has served since he began as a New York
City Urban Fellow in 2007. Prior to joining the
NYPD, Ryan served with Congressman Edolphus Towns (NY-10), handling immigration
and housing cases, and served as the Congressman’s representative in several neighborhoods
of his congressional district. Ryan graduated
from the Macaulay Honors College at Brooklyn College, majoring in political science and
philosophy. During his time at Brooklyn
College, Ryan focused his studies and work
on New York City, with an emphasis on the
operations of the City’s government and politics. He interned in various government offices
and volunteered in several local political clubs
while studying urban policy, New York City
history, and conducting independent studies
on the political debate surrounding the public referendums to revise the City’s charter, as
well as researching the changing nature of first
amendment rights in New York City, post-9/11. While at Brooklyn College, Ryan was awarded
the Harry S. Truman Scholarship and elected to
Phi Beta Kappa. In addition to his studies and
work in New York City, Ryan is a born and
raised fan of the New York Mets and spends as
much time as possible from the start of Spring
Training through the postseason watching and
attending Mets games.
Steven Sifuentes, Redmond,
WA; U.S. Naval Academy, National University, Maynooth;
Military History & Strategic
Studies. Steven was born and
raised on a Christmas tree farm
in Redmond, Washington, and
is a senior at the U.S. Naval Academy. In 2004,
before attending the Naval Academy, Steven
served a tour in Ramadi, Iraq as an infantry
Marine with 2nd Battalion 4th Marines. While
serving in Iraq, he was wounded by an Improvised Explosive Device and was later awarded
the Purple Heart for wounds received in combat. At the Naval Academy, Steven has held
many leadership positions within the Brigade
of Midshipman. As a Squad Leader, he took
2009
Year in Review
Page 29
2009
Year in Review
responsibility for the mental, moral, and physical welfare of the Midshipmen in his squad. In
addition to being an Honors History major, Steven is dedicated to serving his peers by sharing
his personal combat experiences. These efforts
help prepare others to address situations they
may encounter as future military officers. Building on his prior enlisted experiences, Steven will
be commissioned as a Marine officer following
his graduation in May 2010.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW
Because there are now nearly 120 Mitchell
Scholars, space prevents us giving updates on
each of them in this newsletter. However, you
can follow the careers of the Scholars in the
class notes section of our website at http://
www.us-irelandalliance.org/wm
spage.cfm?parm1=1086
Just to mention a couple….
Matt Alexander, class of ’03 (UU: Peace and
Conflict Studies) married Tatiana Cordoba in
April. After first visiting Machu Picchu, they
married at a collection of ruins named Tipón,
approximately one hour outside of Cusco. Tipón was a site of great agricultural importance to the Incas, and is known today for its
idyllic canals and fountains. The narrow canal
of water that irrigates the site comes from high
above in the mountains, and there is a sacred
point in which two sources of water unite. Matt,
who has been running his own non-profit in
Colombia to help displaced persons, will remain
on its board but has also just begun a new position as Mercy Corps’ Latin American Regional
Director and will begin Harvard’s Mid-Career
Master’s in Public Administration in the fall.
Page 30
First Lieutenant Erin Stevens, class of ’08
(UCD: Cultural Policy and Arts Management)
has spent the past eight months in Sadr City,
Iraq. She is the Tactical Intelligence Officer for
her battalion within the 1st Brigade Combat
Team of the 1st Cavalry Division based out of
Fort Hood, Texas, and spends her days providing analysis on enemy activity and assisting in
the arrest of wanted individuals in the greater
Sadr City area. When she isn’t building awesome charts in Powerpoint, she can be found
on patrol with the battalion’s Scout Platoon as
they conduct reconnaissance and engage local
Sheikhs and political leaders. The shopping isn’t
quite as good as Grafton Street, but Erin still
managed to purchase a teapot in the Jamilla
Market while on patrol so she wouldn’t go into
retail withdrawal. She looks forward to returning to America so that she can fully prove that it
is possible to survive as the only female officer in
an 850 man battalion.
Kesav Mohan, class of ’05 (DCU: International Relations) visited Antarctica because,
well, because its there. Antarctica was the continent he hadn’t visited. He had lived at least two
months or more on the other six continents. He
had always wanted to visit, something about the
desolation attracted him. You have to book the
trip nearly two years in advance and he put a lot
of planning into it. He said it was the best trip
he ever took. He found it incredibly peaceful
and beautiful and he got to see loads of whales,
penguins and seals. He said it is a real trek to get
there (1.5 flying days and 2.5 days at sea), but
well worth it.
SCHOLARSHIP SPONSORS
THE
GOVERNMENT
OF IRELAND
US
DEPARTMENT
OF STATE
Bureau of Educational
and Cultural Affairs
The NORTHERN
IRELAND
DEPARTMENT FOR
EMPLOYMENT
BD (BECTON,
DICKINSON &
COMPANY)
AND LEARNING
BOMBARDIER
AEROSPACE
(NI)
FOUNDATION
CROSS
ATLANTIC
CAPITAL
PARTNERS
UNIVERSITY Sponsors
Dublin City University / Trinity College Dublin / Queen’s University Belfast
University College Cork / University College Dublin / University of Limerick
University of Ulster / National University of Ireland Galway
National University of Ireland Maynooth
In addition to those listed elsewhere in this newsletter,
we are very grateful to the following for their In-kind support
Abbey Theatre
American Airlines
Arnold & Porter
Caste Leslie
Castletroy Hotel
CDG Solutions
Chester Beatty Library
CIE
DCC
Doonbeg Golf Club
Glenstal Abbey
Paul Hayes & Mary Calpin
Hayes Solicitors
Irish Consulate in San Francisco
The Irish Embassy in Washington
Irish Pages
The Irish Times
Gerry McCrory
National Trust
The Northern Ireland Bureau
O’Connor Sheedy
Office of Public Works
Porter Novelli
Parknasilla
Ross Pushinaitis
The Royal Irish Academy
Solas Nua
Ulster Bank
In addition to those listed elsewhere in this newsletter, the US-Ireland Alliance
wishes to thank the following for their contributions of $1,000 or more:
Sean Darragh/BIO
Scott Ellingson
John Gardiner
Google
Martha Humphries
David Kirk
Tom McEnery
Bobby Mulcare
Mark Nagel
Kevin Shanahan
Laela Sturdy
NEXT GENERATION GIVING
Alumni giving reached 100% once again! We are grateful to the Mitchell Scholars for their continued support
of the program and their participation in ongoing activities, as well as mentoring those who follow them.
In addition to those listed below, we want to thank the young Irish Leaders who have also contributed:
Frank Kennedy, Michael McNamara, Jarlath Nally and Eoin O Suillebhain.
Class of ‘01
Ned Augenblick
Rebecca Blustein
Erin Breeze
Traci Donovan
Mikela French
Desha Girod
Winnie Li
Gabe Paquette
Rachel Rebouche
Rebecca Reichert Aslakson
Laela Sturdy
Tom Vitolo
Class of ‘02
Peter Frosch
Dawn Hewett
Bryanna Hocking
Matt Huenerfauth
Ehrin (Johnson) Armstrong
Jen Lambert
Kathleen Long
Michelle Miles
Kathleen Romig Krepps
Julia Rosenbloom
Ben Trachtenberg
Lisa Yu
Class of ‘03
Matt Alexander
Mariyam Cementwala
Hal Frampton
Jeannie Huh
Emily Mark
Georgia Miller Mjartan
Joanna Pearson
Seena Perumal Carrington
Davin Quinn
Mark Tosso
Sarah Wagner-McCoy
Amanda Wetzel
Class of ‘04
Dariush Afshar
Alexandra Chirinos O’Rourke
Cassie Farrelly
Moira Herbst
John Kiess
Jana Kiser
Robbie Majzner
Michael Osofsky
Simon Rodberg
Arsalan Suleman
Jasmin Weaver
Class of ‘05
Monica Bell
David Buckley
Michael Gale
Ryan Hanley
Nick Johnson
Frank Smith Lilley
Kesav Mohan
Robert Mulcare
Paul Musgrave
Cynthia Romero
Brandon Thibodeaux
Class of ‘06
Liza Anderson
Melissa Boteach
Ben Cote
Lily Jeng
Aaron Rabinowitz
Lt. Brittany Schick
Mike Solomon
Geoffrey Swenson
Richard Waters
Markus Weisner
Carie Windham Page
Class of 07
Karly Burke
Kathleen Claussen
Adar Cohen
Kara Cook
Matthew Haney
Aaron Kurman
Daniel Preysman
Sarah Sexton
Victoria Sprow Kelly
John Velasco
Sarah Wappett
Class of ‘08
Allison Barlow
Jeffrey Benedict
Art Chan
Sarah David
Brendan Hayes
Sean Healy
Bernadette McFadden
Franklin McMillan
Scot Miller
Jimmy Soni
Erin Stevens
Nate Wright
Class of ‘09
Katie Boyle
Jose Canto
Tyler Dillard
Catherine Fontana
Travis Green
Lara Janson
Andrea Laidman
Ryan McCartney
Victoria Moore
Erin Rhoda
Chris Rosson
Adam Tart
BENEFACTOR
The US-Ireland Alliance is
grateful to its Boards
and Sponsors
Honorary Board
Prime Minister Brian Cowen
Senator Susan Collins
Eamon Gilmore, T.D.
Mary Harney, T.D.
John Hume
CORPORATE SPONSOR
Senator Edward M. Kennedy
In Memoriam
Enda Kenny, T.D.
Senator George J. Mitchell
OSCAR WILDE: Honoring Irish in Film
Advisory Board
Brian Barrington
Laurence Crowley
John Gardiner
PREMIERE SPONSORS
Charlie Koones
Gerry McCrory
Tom McEnery
Jim Sheridan
Ruth Shipsey
Counsel
James F. Fitzpatrick
SUPPORTER
Richard Hubbard
Arnold & Porter
Joe O’Malley
Hayes Solicitors
FRIENDS
Space does not allow us
to thank individually each
of the numerous others who
CABOOM
JOHN GARDINER
CECELIA AHERN
HBO
INVEST NORTHERN IRELAND
PARALLEL FILMS
IRISH FILM BOARD
SHOWTIME
have offered their support
throughout the year.
We could not have done
it without you!
IN-KIND SPONSORS OF THE OSCAR WILDE EVENT
Boru Vodka
Laura Lee Designs
SIMON PEARCE
Food America
Kerrygold
SMITHWICK’S
Guinness,
KNAPPOGUE CASTLE WHISKWY
Sterling Vineyards
Harp
Lily O’Briens
Sunset Marquis
La Brea Bakery
River Films