Event Marks GSPIA Alumni Accomplishments
11/05/2009
The Graduate School of Public and International Affairs' 2009 Homecoming & Awards Reception was held Friday evening, October 23. GSPIA alumni, joined by current students, faculty, administrators and staff, gathered to honor fellow graduates in recognition of their professional achievements and contributions to the school.
The evening began with Dean John Keeler presenting the Distinguished Alumnus/a award, which recognizes individuals whose outstanding professional accomplishments bring honor to the school and make them inspired role models for its students. To date, only 29 of the 7,000 GSPIA alumni worldwide have received the designation.
This year’s Distinguished Alumnus/a Awards were presented to:
Marshall Bond (MPA ’69), manager of the Municipality of Monroeville, PA for the past 22 years. Bond is an International City/County Management Association Credentialed Manager, past president of both the Association of Pennsylvania Municipal Managers Association and the Monroeville Rotary Club, an alumnus of Leadership Pittsburgh, and a US Army veteran. Bond serves as GSPIA’s representative to the Pitt Alumni Association Board of Directors and is a member of the school’s Board of Visitors.
Cheryle Campbell (MPA ’76), director of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Pittsburgh Field Office. Campbell has served as chair of the Federal Executive Board of Greater Pittsburgh and has been honored by her peers in the federal community as a three-time recipient of Excellent in Government Award and Woman of the Year for 1997. In 2008 she was granted honorary membership in the University of Pittsburgh chapter of Pi Alpha Alpha, the national honor society for public administration, and was appointed to GSPIA’s Board of Visitors in 2009.
Other 2009-10 alumni honorees, Dr. Sofian Effendi (MPIA ’75, PhD ’78) and Dr. Shin-Bok Kim (MPIA ’72), (Distinguished Alumni) and 4 Under 40 recipient Ehaab Abdou (MPIA ’04), will receive their awards at later dates.
Dean Keeler presented The International Public Service Award to GSPIA alumni for their sustained contributions in public service. This year’s award winners were:
Anthony Accamando Jr. (MPIA ’71), retired communications executive, Vietnam veteran and dedicated activist for those affected by the Vietnam War. After honorable discharge from the US Army with the rank of First Lieutenant, he began a long career with Adelphia Communications Corporation, serving in several management positions, most recently, as vice president of public and community affairs. A return trip to Vietnam in 1997 prompted Accamando to organize Friends of Danang, a Pittsburgh-based volunteer organization that raises money to support humanitarian projects in the city of Danang, Vietnam. He is a founding member of several other associations, including Veterans’ Cable Services, to help vets find employment, and is an emeritus board member of the Vietnam Veteran Leadership Program.
Dr. Buba Misawa (MPIA ’85, PhD ’92), associate professor of political science at Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, PA. He is also faculty director of the Keystone Study Away Consortium (KSAC) and president of the Consortium for Educational Resources on Islamic Studies (CERIS), based at the University of Pittsburgh. Previously Misawa taught for Pitt’s Department of Africana Studies, the University of Maiduguri (Nigeria), and the Saint Mary's University (Canada) Extension Program in Banjul, Gambia. He is the author of several journal and newspaper articles, and is currently working on a book project dealing with West African conflicts and security.
The inaugural 4 Under 40 Award was presented to GSPIA alumni, 40 years of age or less, who, through public service, professional accomplishments or personal experience, demonstrate leadership in their chosen arena of public and international affairs.
The 4 Under 40 Awards were presented to:
David Coplan (MPA/MSW ’93), executive director of the Human Services Center Corporation and director of the Mon Valley Providers Council, Turtle Creek, PA. Coplan has worked for the United Jewish Federation and United Way and served as a consultant to several foundations and health and community agencies in the Pittsburgh region. He is a founding board member of New Century Careers and the Regional Business Alliance Foundation. In 1996, he helped launch the nonprofit Advancing Academics to assist low-income, high-achieving youth gain entry and financial assistance for college. Coplan teaches nonprofit management and fundraising at GSPIA and is a member of its Dean’s Pittsburgh Alumni Council.
Daniel Flaherty (MPIA ’99), who joined the US Department of State in 2002 and now serves as the Bureau of Intelligence and Research’s (INR) representative to the President's Daily Intelligence Brief (PDB), a summary and analysis of national security issues delivered to the president each morning by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. As a PDB staff member, Flaherty represents the interests of the State Department and the Department of Energy and works to promote community collaboration in support of the PDB production process. Previously Flaherty was a Russia specialist for INR and first entered the civil service as a Presidential Management Fellow with the Drug Enforcement Administration in 1999.
Cathleen Laporte (MPIA ’99), founder and president of Athletes for Charity, a nonprofit that supports foster care and other underprivileged youth through philanthropy and volunteerism of professional athletes. Along with the opportunity to attend sporting camps and events, the organization offers self-esteem and educational workshops, and an internship and mentoring program for teens. Based in New York City, Laporte recently launched Athletes for Charity Chicago to provide similar programming for its at-risk youth. In recognition of her contributions, Laporte was invited to preside over the closing bell at NASDAQ in May 2007.
The evening’s ceremonies reaffirmed GSPIA’s achievement in preparing leaders committed to improving the world. Through their accomplishments, GSPIA alumni provide inspiration for current and future students to realize GSPIA’s dedication to public and international affairs.
