2023 Awards

About the Award: Dr. Richard F. Southby was a faculty member at the George Washington University from 1979 to 2006, having served as department chair, associate dean, interim dean of the former School of Public Health and Health Services, distinguished professor of global health, and executive dean in the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Health Affairs. He was granted emeritus status by the Board of Trustees in 2006. Dr. Southby was the founding director of the Police Science Program in the College of Professional Studies.

The Dr. Richard F. Southby Police Science Prize is presented to an exceptional graduating student from the Bachelor of Professional Studies in Homeland Security/Police and Security Studies program. The prize was established by Dr. Southby’s wife, Dr. Janet R. Southby, Colonel, U.S. Army, Ret.

About the Awardee: Edward W. Olewinski III will earn a Bachelor of Professional Studies in Homeland Security from the College of Professional Studies with a perfect 4.0 GPA, summa cum laude, in May 2023. He also earned a Bachelor of Science in Supply Chain Management from the Driehaus College of Business at DePaul University in Chicago, IL, with a magna cum laude distinction. He holds an A.A.S. in Fire Science and Homeland Security from the College of DuPage.

Olewinski has gained practical experience in emergency management through his work as the current Director of Emergency Management for Maine Township, serving unincorporated Cook County, IL, and prior positions in the fire service and EMS. He is a certified Emergency Medical Technician, Firefighter I & II, and Hazardous Material Technician and has completed numerous professional development and continuing education courses. In addition to his work experience, Mr. Olewinski has volunteered his time to organizations such as the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, the American Red Cross, and Team Rubicon. 

About the Award: The Founding Dean Arterton Award is given to the graduating student who epitomizes professional distinction and ethical conduct in political management.  F. Christopher Arterton, who served as dean of the Graduate School of Political Management from its founding in 1987 to 2010, established this award to celebrate the core ideals valued by a school of professional politics.

Before joining the GSPM, Professor Arterton taught political science at Yale, MIT, and Wellesley, achieving national recognition as a scholar of American politics and as a professional pollster. As the founding dean of the GSPM, Arterton advanced his vision that, beyond teaching abstract theory, institutions of higher education have an affirmative obligation to prepare their students for practical participation in democratic governance and electoral politics. In the process, Dean Arterton created the new academic discipline of political management. Having led the merger of the school into the George Washington University, Arterton subsequently expanded the school’s curriculum of political management to include programs in legislative affairs, strategic public relations, and the politics of governance. During the 23 years of Dean Arterton’s leadership, the GSPM emerged as the foremost academic institution of applied democratic politics in the world.

About the Awardee: Jorge Alderete Rodriguez is currently enrolled in the Political Communication and Governance Master’s program within the Graduate School of Political Management at the George Washington University. Jorge previously completed the Advancement Management Program for Human Resources at Georgetown and earned his MBA in Business Management at Fundação Getúlio Vargas in Brazil. Jorge currently works at the Itaipu Binacional Entity where he has served as the Assistant to the Paraguayan General Director since 2018. 

About the Award: During his time leading the Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM) from 2013 to 2016, the Honorable Mark Kennedy encouraged students to devote themselves to expanding the reach of freedom around the globe with the goal of making democracy work more effectively. The Mark and Debbie Kennedy Frontiers of Freedom Award recognizes the GSPM graduating student who best exhibits actions or preparations to promote or protect the expansion of political and economic freedom beyond the borders of the United States.

About the Awardee: As a Brazilian political consultant, Victor Ramos de Carvalho has worked in several campaigns at all levels, from mayoral to presidential, in his home country and abroad, most recently as a communications director. He has also served in local and state governments, after finishing his undergraduate studies at Universidade Católica de Pernambuco in 2006. As a graduate student at GSPM, he has dedicated most of his academic efforts to the study of political communications, the dynamics of public opinion, and the strengthening of democratic values.

About the Award: The College of Professional Studies Undergraduate Distinguished Scholar Award recognizes the undergraduate student who best demonstrates the college’s core competencies of strategic thinking, communication, collaboration, leadership, and ethics.

About the Awardee: During her time at GW, Meili served in several leadership roles in student clubs, including the WiCyS GW Student Chapter as e-board communication chair and GW International Students Association as director of graduate students’ services. Her interest in technology, particularly cybersecurity, started when she joined the WiCyS community, Women Who Code and Cyversity. Her motivation for pursuing cybersecurity comes from her desire to protect people and help them adopt security-aware behaviors.

Meili has demonstrated her collaboration skills by working with the GW School of Business and the GW School of Engineering and Applied Science. She attended The Engineers' Council meetings and other workshops, webinars, and has actively participated in various cybersecurity-related events. Meili's enthusiasm for learning and sharing knowledge has led her to enroll in the WiCyS mentorship program as both a mentor and a mentee. She is committed to contributing to the program and making a positive impact on others, helping them grow their skills and build confidence in the cyber field.

In her spare time, Meili enjoys spending time with her dog Mochi and exploring new cities and countries with her friends. She also enjoys trying out new home-cooked recipes.

About the Award: The College of Professional Studies Graduate Distinguished Scholar Award recognizes the graduate student who best demonstrates the college’s core competencies of strategic thinking, communication, collaboration, leadership, and ethics.

About the Awardee: Isabella Greene earned her M.P.S. in Publishing at George Washington University while working as a project manager at Pubvendo. She earned her B.A. in English from Boston College and remained in the Greater Boston Area, working as an editor and studying managerial strategy.  She recently founded an accessibility consulting firm, AbiliTEAM Consulting LLC, after witnessing the need for improved transparency and advocacy for chronic and invisible illness in the workplace. In her free time, she runs a mobile bookstore and is dog-mom to two Australian Shepherds—Miles and August. 

About the Award: This honor is awarded to the part-time faculty member in the College of Professional Studies who has provided extraordinary service to the students and the college. The award recognizes both enlightened teaching and meritorious efforts to advance the college and its programs.

About the Awardee: Dean Smith is adjunct professor of publishing in the College of Professional Studies at George Washington University and the director of Duke University Press. He has served in leadership positions for scholarly, trade, professional and STM publishers and his career in the industry spans more than thirty years. Professor Smith is a published poet, author, and journalist. His books include two collections of poetry, Baltimore Sons (Stillhouse Press, 2021) and American Boy (WWPH, 2000). He is also the author of Never Easy, Never Pretty: A Fan, A City, A Championship Season (Temple University Press, 2013). A book inspired by a GW publishing student. Smith received an MFA in Poetry from Columbia University in 1989. One of his all-time favorite moments was doing a public talk with John Cleese.