Alums

Alyssa Batchelor-Causey 2015

Alyssa Batchelor-Causey is the founder and CEO of the Democratic political consulting and opposition research firm, Hill and State Strategies. She has her Bachelors and Masters in Political Science, is a graduate of The Campaign School at Yale, and is a peer-reviewed author in the Journal of Advocacy, Research, and Education. Batchelor-Causey is a strong advocate of Marymount University Politics alumni relations and sits on the Marymount Alumni Board.

Isabella Blecha

Isabella Blecha currently serves as the Chief of Staff to the Bureau for Inclusive Growth, Partnerships, and Innovation (IPI) at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Prior to joining IPI, Isabella was Advisor and Special Assistant to USAID Administrator Samantha Power. While working with Administrator Power, she helped raise over $530M in commitments to mitigate child wasting and acute malnutrition in the Horn of Africa. Before coming to USAID, she joined the Biden-Harris Administration as Associate Director in The White House Office of Presidential Personnel after serving on President Biden’s Transition Team. Prior to government service, she worked for the 2020 Biden Presidential Campaign, Mina Malik’s campaign for Queens District Attorney, and Steve Dettelbach’s campaign for Ohio Attorney General. She is planning to attend Georgetown University in the fall to pursue a Masters in Business Administration.

Christopher Bowen 2010

Christopher Bowen currently serves as the Director of Policy at LA Family Housing in California. LA Family Housing helps people transition out of homelessness and poverty through a continuum of housing enriched with supportive services. Christopher’s career began on Capitol Hill under Senator Bernie Sanders asa legislative intern and has evolved to work as a communications deputy, lobbyist, organizer, and campaign consultant.

Bryan De Bruin 2011

Bryan De Bruin splits his time between VanRock Holdings, a private equity firm he co-founded, and De Bruin Law Firm, a transactional law firm in South Carolina. As an attorney, he specializes in building operations, real estate, and land entitlement. The companies he has represented range from international corporations to privately owned family businesses.

Derek Chouinard 2018

Derek Chouinard, Esq., works as an in-house Associate Counsel for Compass Group USA, Inc.; in-house counsel is different than a traditional law firm lawyer in that he serves one client: the company. Compass is a food service provider serving many hospitals, schools/universities, and sporting venues all over the United States. He serves the Corporate Transactions and Intellectual Property (IP) Legal team. For Derek’s job he reviews many brand agreements, which Compass uses for its many university and sporting venues, and files trademarks with the USPTO.

Carla Clavell 2020

Carla Clavell recently finished law school and is studying for the District of Columbia Bar Exam. Until recently, she worked as a paralegal in Place & Cano Law offices in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She also recently worked as a Student Legal Associate in the Legal office for the Community in San Juan, Puerto Rico where she had the opportunity to meet with clients, provide legal aid, and draft legal briefs. After taking the Bar Exam she will transfer to D.C. for employment.

Jeffery Dennis 1999

Jeffery Dennis is currently a senior executive at the U.S. Department of Energy, leading the agency’s work on expanding the electricity transmission grid to ensure the reliability and resilience of electricity service, reduce costs to consumers, and provide access to clean energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Dennis has been an energy and environmental lawyer and policy expert for over 20 years, serving stints in senior roles at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and at two national law firms, and as General Counsel and Managing Director for a clean energy and climate non-profit organization. Dennis is currently the Chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources, representing the interests of U.S. environment, energy, and resources lawyers at home and abroad.

Leah Dual 1990

Leah Dual currently serves as a State Attorney for the 18th Judicial Circuit of Florida working in Seminole County Florida. As a juvenile attorney, Dual prosecutes juvenile defendants and works to obtain services and sanctions to address their delinquent conduct. Dual previously worked for the Department of Children and Families for approximately ten years as an Attorney prosecuting parents who abused, abandoned, or neglected their children. As a Guardian ad Litem (GAL) Attorney for over eight years, Dual works to advocate for the needs of children who were abused, abandoned, or neglected. Dual also serves as a GAL Program Director and manages both the operational and the programmatic functions of the GAL Program. This includes overseeing the intake, referral, and case management systems related to GAL cases. Dual has also written grant applications for dependency-related funding sources and maintained compliance with contracts for GAL services. Additionally, Dual manages GAL staffing and volunteer needs for a team of GAL staff attorneys, case coordinators, and support staff. Furthermore, Dual oversees litigation strategies and training for staff attorneys, volunteer attorney GALs, and non-lawyer volunteers. Lastly, Dual collaborates with other Juvenile Law professionals to shape dependency legislation, policy, and a representation model throughout the state. Dual has previously served as GAL Program Education Attorney and has specialized in mental health issues for youth and educational issues.

Kelley Gannon 1987

Kelley Gannon is a skilled public affairs and communications professional with more than 25 years of experience in the public and private sectors. At United States Steel Corporation, Ms. Gannon served as the Chief Communications Officer. In addition to her public affairs and communications experience, she has served as a senior strategic communications counselor and advisor to executives in organizations such as the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, MCI, Cable & Wireless, and the American Gaming Association.

In addition to her private sector work, Ms. Gannon has served three presidents of the United States – the late Ronald Reagan and George Bush as well as George W. Bush. Ms. Gannon has traveled extensively to all 50 states and throughout six continents, including the Americas, Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia, representing the presidents and the United States government.

John Goodwin 2000

John Goodwin currently serves as a co-founder and partner of Foxhound Advisors, a public relations and consulting firm. He also served on the board of the 97Percent Gun Safety Organization. His more than 20 years in public relations have allowed him to be a lobbyist for the NRA as well as a Press Secretary, Communications Director, and Chief of Staff on Capitol Hill.

(David) Ian Hopper 1996

Ian Hopper has been a U.S. Foreign Service Officer for over 20 years. A specialist in immigration matters and international affairs, he has served abroad for most of his career in the Philippines, Togo, India, Jordan, Germany, Iraq, and is currently the Consular Section Chief at the U.S. Consulate General in Toronto, Canada. He has also served in several domestic positions at the U.S. Department of State, including as the director of Iraqi Affairs. He speaks French and Arabic. In addition to his Marymount Political Science degree, he also holds a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the U.S. Army War College. Ian is a former adjunct professor of Political Science at Marymount.

Peter Hur 2008

Peter Hur is currently a litigation attorney with the law firm of Morgan & Morgan. Prior to law school Peter worked in the United States Congress for both Robert C. “Bobby” Scott of Virginia and John Sarbanes of Maryland. Peter graduated from the George Washington University Law School in 2014 and from Marymount University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics.

Paulina Ibarra 2000

Paulina Ibarra is an expert in gender policy, open government, and human rights, with a special emphasis on Latin America and the Caribbean, and has more than 20 years of professional experience in her field. She worked at the World Bank on communication and development and in the Open Government Partnership launched by President Barack Obama in 2011. She is currently a Vital Voices fellow, working to combat disinformation and political gender violence. Paulina has recently been appointed by the President of Chile, Gabriel Boric, to be part of the Commission Against Disinformation. Paulina graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Political Science from Marymount University and holds a Master’s in Communication from Georgetown University.

Catherine Maresca 2021

Catherine Maresca is a current 3L at Ave Maria School of Law in Naples, Florida. After graduation in May and the bar exam in July 2024, she will be moving to New York (likely NYC) to practice.

Kathiana LeJeune 2018

Kathiana LeJeune currently works for Ernest & Young as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Consultant. She also is the author of “The Power of the Palate” where she looks at the role of gastrodiplomacy in creating inclusive communities and conversations. She returned to Marymount to teach the “Politics of Food” in Spring 2024.

Brandan McCammitt 2017

Brandan McCammitt currently serves as the District Constitute Outreach Specialist for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He also serves as the Eelected Committee Member for the Philadelphia Republican Ward 58 Executive Committee where he assists in elections operations. His main responsibilities at the House of Representatives include assisting the public in obtaining government services and occasionally working on legislative ideas.

Vincent Nicosia 2015

Vincent Nicosia currently works as a contractor supporting federal law enforcement efforts. In this role, he helps to facilitate collaboration with foreign partners. After completing his Bachelor of Arts in Politics at Marymount University, he obtained a Master’s degree in Public Policy from George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government.

Basil Al-Qaneh 2016

Basil Al-Qaneh currently is an Associate Attorney at Ali & Partners Consulting LLC in Washington D.C. which is an anti-corruption and fraud litigation firm focusing on Europe and the Middle East. One accomplishment Basil cites in his first year of practicing includes an amicus letter to the US District Court of Maryland focused on making public records more friendly to journalists which was signed off on by the Washington Post and Baltimore Press.

Wail Saher 2020

Following graduation, Saher had the privilege of serving as a research assistant for Dr. Lahcen Haddad, a Member of Parliament in Morocco and an esteemed international consultant. This experience spanned a year, during which they worked on numerous projects, ranging from devising COVID-19 recovery packages to consulting on tourism development projects in the Middle East. Saher completed a master’s degree in 2023 at the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He then joined Targa Aide in Morocco, a non-profit organization known for its impactful development projects, with a particular emphasis on rural areas. Saher has been proudly serving this organization ever since, contributing to its mission of fostering sustainable development and reducing socio-economic inequalities.

Ellie Sennett 2017

Ellie Sennett is a US Correspondent with The National, a UAE-based newspaper. She reports on US-Middle East policy with a focus on Congress and the White House. While at Marymount University, she spent a semester at the University of Jordan studying the Arabic language and upper-level political science courses on Middle Eastern politics.

Leslie Siphers 2011

As the Senior Campaign Manager for Livable Communities at AARP, Leslie is responsible for creating a comprehensive strategy for federal and multi-state issue campaigns related to high-speed internet, housing, transportation, and utilities. Leslie ensures that key messages, information, and calls to action reach AARP members, activists, and national and state influencers, including elected officials, political leaders, community leaders, and media. Previously, Leslie spent over five years working in the AARP Louisiana and AARP Massachusetts state offices and seven years in AARP’s Caregiving and Health Programs.

Justin Srsic 2021

Justin Srsic currently serves as the Finance Director for the Karrie Delaney for Delegate Campaign in Virginia. Before this role, Srsic worked for the Vermont Democratic Party both while in office and during the August 2022 campaign. Srsic credits his career success to the support of fellow Marymount University alumni who have introduced him to many opportunities.

Edward Taylor 2022

At the moment, Edward Taylor currently works as a contractor for the Security and Exchange Commission assisting a quadriplegic lawyer with research, writing, and data analysis/entry. Taylor’s goal in this job is to assist the corporate finance team with any preliminary research and data needed to fulfill the SEC’s mission. This involves researching in SEC databases and then formulating PowerPoint and Word documents presenting this information in readable formats for others in the organization to understand.

Sabren Wahdan 2019

Sabren Wahdan currently serves as the in-house legal counsel for a trade association, CropLife America. Following her recent graduation from George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia School of Law, Sabren is now licensed to practice law in DC, Virginia, and New York. Advocacy, problem-solving, and negotiation are skills that Sabren is proud to use in her career.

Elyssa Webber 2014

Elyssa Webber is currently the Senior Manager of Special Projects for State Policy Network, where she supports different think tanks and organizations who pitch their potential innovative solutions to community problems, specifically education and poverty. A few organizations she is proud to have worked with include Dad Saves America, Let Grow, and Black Minds Matter. Elyssa has been named to the SaveJersey.com’s Women to Watch list from 2020-2024. In 2024, Elyssa joined the New Jersey Policy Institute board.