Alumni Updates

2010s

• Alexandra Sander (Political Science, ‘10) — After graduating from Cal Poly, I earned my master’s degree in international security from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. Recently, I moved back to California after living in Washington, D.C., where I was a research associate with the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. I am currently working for the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx), a DoD organization headquartered in Silicon Valley that is dedicated to rapidly prototyping and fielding commercial technology for the U.S. military.
• Bryan Podzius (Political Science, ‘12) — I recently joined Weil Gotshal and Manges LLP as an associate in their Business Finance and Restructuring Department.
• Lauren Feuerborn (Political Science, ‘13) — After Cal Poly, I attended the University of San Francisco and earned my master’s degree in public affairs in 2017. I now work as a political consultant at Muir Consulting in San Francisco where I work on political campaigns throughout the Bay Area.
• Emily Matthews (Political Science, ‘13) — I’ve been working in political consulting after I finished up traveling Asia in August. I worked at a digital strategy firm, and then switched jobs in January to work at one of California’s leading political strategy firms, SCN Strategies (its clients include Gov. Jerry Brown, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, among others). Much love to the POLS Department.
• Kayla Saadeh (Political Science, ‘13) — After getting my bachelor’s degree, I went on to get a Master of Public Health (MPH) in epidemiology at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. I now live in the Bay Area and work as an epidemiologist at the California Department of Public Health, specifically working on HPV surveillance in the STD control branch. I also volunteer as an HIV test counselor at Magnet, which is a nonprofit clinic providing free HIV and STI testing services in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco.
• Nikki Lanshaw (Political Science, ‘14) — I’m currently in the middle of the Master of Public Health program at UC Berkeley. My concentration is health and social behavior, and I’m specializing in maternal, child and adolescent health.
• Carlos Villacis (Political Science, ‘14) — Following my graduation from Cal Poly, I stayed in San Luis Obispo for a year, working with organizations including Stockman’s Water and Energy, SLO Clean Energy, and GRID Alternatives to increase my skill set in the energy field. I eventually moved to Washington, D.C., to earn a master’s in environmental policy and am now a contractor for the Department of Energy, working as an analyst in the Bioenergy Technologies Office. Since my time at Cal Poly, I have made efforts to improve my diet and routinely exercise, and now feel healthier than ever. One thing that has not changed is that I am still doing my best to enjoy as much time with friends and colleagues as possible.
• Chloe Czabaranek (Political Science, ‘15) — I am now attending Santa Clara University School of Law to pursue my passion and career in immigration law as a deportation defense attorney to keep families together. Now married to my husband, whom I met through Cal Poly’s marching band, and our family includes our newly adopted dog.
• Kennedy Poe (Political Science, ‘16) — I am a rising 3L at Pepperdine University School of Law and plan to take the California bar exam next July. I worked this summer at Santander Consumer, USA in Dallas, Texas, as a corporate regulatory legal intern and aspire to practice business law in some capacity after graduation. I am also the managing editor of the Journal for Entrepreneurship and the Law at Pepperdine. I am happy to be pursuing my dream of becoming a lawyer, which developed while at Cal Poly.
• Bryan Pride (MPP, ‘15) — After graduating from Cal Poly, I joined the U.S. Peace Corps, serving in Ghana at an Agriculture Extension Office. My work consisted of supporting rural farmers to improve crop yields and focused on helping communities become food secure. After my two years living in a rural community, I started working for a USAID project called RING, Resiliency In Northern Ghana. I help local government of officials develop and implement projects that support communities with sustainable agriculture techniques, approaches to improved nutrition and methods to establish local economies.
• Anelise Powers (Political Science, ‘17) — I decided to go to Pepperdine for law school and have absolutely loved it; my professors at Cal Poly definitely prepared me well. As a part of Pepperdine’s Global Justice Program, I have mostly been working as an intern to the Technical Advisor to the Judiciary in Uganda, but have also been able to go to several different prisons to help prisoners reach plea agreements alongside Ugandan lawyers and law students. Uganda has a Memorandum of Understanding with Pepperdine Law to help improve their rule of law, so the long-term goal right now is to help Uganda implement plea bargaining as a way to combat the massive case backlogs here. I am looking forward to starting my 2L year and competing on the school trial team when I get back to the U.S. Big thanks to the department and all my professors. I am so grateful for you all!
• Nicole Angelini (MPP, ‘17) — After graduation, I started at the Fortune 500 company Booz Allen Hamilton, and am proud to call the city of San Diego my new home. While exploring the large metropolitan setting, I have been invigorated to serve the nation’s largest defense divisions as a senior consultant. A majority of my projects fall in the confidential and national security category; several highlights have included project management of multi-divisional collaborations including: the Space and Warfare Systems Command and Systems Center Pacific.
• Kyle Libby (Political Science, ‘17) — After graduating I moved to Washington, D.C., for an internship with the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. After working for six months there, researching issues surrounding space security and air power, I started working with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments as a research assistant.

2000s 

• Chris Collins (Political Science, ‘00) — I relocated to San Diego to continue my work with the Department of Veterans Affairs as a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist. Having enlisted and served in the U.S. Navy prior to attending Cal Poly, it has been a very rewarding to return and now serve my fellow veterans in the San Diego area.

1990s 

• Jim Malloy (Political Science, ’95) — Since 2003, I have been with Impac Mortgage Holdings Inc. as SVP, Capital Markets, managing a variety of activities in connection with the company’s residential mortgage origination and servicing platform, as well as its securitized portfolio of residential and small balance multifamily/commercial loans. Prior to that, I served in a variety of investment banking roles at rms including Salomon Brothers and Merrill Lynch, as well as a brief stint for a couple of years at the peak of the first dot-com era at a privately held tech company (an SRI spinoff) that, sadly, went kaput (although the company’s technology lives on: if you have digital cable and stream on-demand content, you can thank the company’s predecessor for inventing the technology, which interestingly dates back to the early days of the Cold War). I just read the recent Alumni Connection newsletter and saw with much surprise that Dr. Allen Settle is FERPing (Faculty Early Retirement Program). As the Dick Clark of Cal Poly’s POLS Department, I assumed he’d be there for at least another decade or two, inspiring tomorrow’s leaders and engaging in all manner of civic involvement. I especially, and very fondly, remember Drs. Settle, Culver, Kranzdorf and Lutrin for their rigorous academic standards and openness for debate across the political spectrum. I cherish my days in POLS classes and Cal Poly in general, and wish Dr. Settle (as well as all retired POLS professors) the best of health and happiness.
• James Lindholm (Political Science, ’91) — Current positions: James W. Rote Distinguished Professor of Marine Science and Policy and Director at the Institute for Applied Marine Ecology at CSU Monterey Bay. Recent activities: Published first novel, “Into a Canyon Deep” (Synergebooks). Working on sequel, “Blood Cold.”

1980s 

• Bill Mabie (Political Science, ’85) — After graduating from Cal Poly and serving in the Peace Corps (at the suggestion of Cal Poly Professor Richard Kranzdorf), I returned to California and spent most of my career in the California Senate. I am now completing my fourth year as Chief Deputy Secretary State of California and look forward to retiring in December.
• Marcia Godwin (Political Science, ’86) — I was recently promoted to Professor of Public Administration at the University of La Verne, where I am also serving as director of our MPA program. Upcoming publications include co-editor of “The Roads to Congress 2016: American Elections in a Divided Landscape” (Palgrave MacMillan). I am also part of a research team that has surveyed U.S. mayors about psychological violence (bullying, threats, harassment). I’m looking forward to visiting Wales and Ireland soon and continue to enjoy coming to the Central Coast.
• Todd L. Cramer (Political Science, ’87) — My daughter, Kristen Cramer, just graduated high school and will be attending Cal Poly this fall (Chemistry). I am looking forward to visiting and getting back involved with Cal Poly over the next four to five years.

1970s 

• Robert Sly (Political Science, ’72)— I was a member of the first graduates in political science at Cal Poly. Just saw that Dr. Settle is still teaching after 45 years. How wonderful to know there is still one last familiar name from my years at the university. Please wish him well; I still fondly remember Constitutional Law class. We were so lucky to have some of the best instructors in those years.
• Richard Krum (Political Science, ’77) — After graduating, I attended law school at Santa Clara, and my first job was at the D.A.’s office in Fresno. After four years as a prosecutor, I went to work for a large Worker’s Compensation Defense firm in Fresno where I have been for the last 33 years. I wanted to come back to the San Luis Obispo area ever since graduation. Finally, dreams are realized! My wife and I just bought a house in Arroyo Grande. I will be handling workers comp defense in the Central Coast. Things have gone full circle. I’m currently starting to handle litigated workers compensation claims on behalf of Cal Poly! Strange how things work out!
• Patrick Hale (Political Science,’78) — Since my last update, I’ve started a venture capital company, purchased several vineyards, bought two wineries (seemed like the logical extension of the aforementioned vineyard acquisitions), started a charity, been a guest lecturer at a multitude of universities, provided assistance to the executive teams of several companies, published another book (“Damocles Dilemma”), opened two offices in Europe (London and Paris, with Berlin and Rome in the final planning stages), worked on cyber security issues with national government entities, and earned my rotary wing and multi-engine jet certifications, complete with IFR. Things are very busy, but I wouldn't have it any other way. If I ever get a chance to take a vacation, I know I’m going to enjoy it!
• Debbie (Atkinson) Livingston (Political Science, ’79) — I have retired from a 30-plus-year career as a teacher and administrator and am moving back to San Luis Obispo. My husband, Jim, and I have been married 39 years, so it is exciting to be able to move back to where it all began ... and be close to our grandchildren.

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IN MEMORIAM

Over the course of the last academic year, the Political Science Department and the Cal Poly community lost three of its esteemed former faculty: David L. George, Richard Kranzdorf and Carl Lutrin. Professors George, Kranzdorf and Lutrin had lengthy careers at Cal Poly, influencing generations of students and challenging them to think deeply about the world, politics and their places in it. Our department, university and communities were better places because of their work and their lives.