Fletcher Donor Report 2020

Sources of Gifts to the Annual Fund

In the News

Kartik Misra, F12

In the field of finance, his Fletcher credentials are unusual, says Kartik Misra, F12, but the MALD program provided an excellent background in energy, including sustainable energy technology, on which he is now focused. In 2020, Misra established the Dr. Misra Endowment, a scholarship in memory of his grandfather, “a doctor and public health professional who helped establish vaccine manufacturing facilities in India in the 1960s,” he says. Misra hopes the scholarship will empower future MALD students from all parts of the globe who are striving—as his grandfather did—“to make a difference in people’s lives.”

A Hackathon for Policy Geeks

FSociety, a team of students playfully named for the hacker group from cult TV favorite Mr. Robot, is charting the course to a safer digital future. Since 2019, the team has beaten out the likes of Harvard and West Point at a trio of international competitions to find the best defenses against online dangers.

Like a hackathon for policy geeks, the competitions pit technical creativity and political strategy against simulations of foreign hacking, election interference, social media doxing, and other digital threats that increasingly dominate the news. At the same time, they allow students and startups the chance to test themselves in the “Wild West” of cyber conflict.

FSociety’s secret weapon, says faculty advisor Josephine Wolff, is the Tufts community’s diversity of perspectives and skills—as well as its focus on practical applications. “There are people at The Fletcher School studying technology and cybersecurity, but there’s also a much broader curriculum,” she says. “That often leaves them good at working in groups of people with very different skill sets.”

Expertise via TEDx Tufts

In a highly virtual year, three Fletcher alumni shared their expertise via TEDx Tufts, a platform for Tufts community members to spark conversation and create meaningful connections by spreading bold ideas, inspirational stories, and transformative experiences.

	Kudrat Dutta Chaudhary, F19, currently works in the field of gender-based violence asylum claims in San Francisco and gave the lecture “Patriarchy and Its Pillars: How We Can Crumble the System.”
	Justin Will, F20, a Navy veteran and entrepreneur living in Vermont, gave a presentation titled "Why Small Business Needs an Insurgency."
	Aparna Polavarapu, F10, shared her expertise as a law professor at the University of South Carolina and executive director and founder of the South Carolina Restorative Justice Initiative in "Leaving Punishment Behind: Embracing New Ideas of Justice."

Fletcher Alumni Serving in the Biden Administration

Robert Cowin, F09, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Engagement at the Department of Energy
Brionne Dawson, F15, Senior Advisor, Bureau for Economic and Business Affairs at the Department of State
Karen Donfried, F88, F91, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs (nominated)
Jeffrey Feltman, F83, U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa
David Greene, F96, Charge d’Affaires for the U.S. Embassy in Morocco
Roberta Jacobson, F86, A19P, Member of the National Security Council
Alexia Latortue, F97, Deputy CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation
Mary Catherine Phee, F89, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
E. Courtenay Rattray, F08, UN High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing States
Thomas Zimmerman, F17, Special Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel

Fink Distinguished Alumni Speakers Series, Academic Year 2020–2021

The Fink Distinguished Alumni Speakers Series invites alumni to campus to connect with students, share career advice, and discuss how The Fletcher School has impacted the trajectory of their work. This year, three speakers visited virtually to share their expertise.

	Sue Mi Terry, F98, F01, senior fellow and Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, shared her experiences from a career in academia and intelligence.
	A. Mitra Morgan, F94, an entrepreneur with experience in the B2B and B2C home furnishings space, spoke about how her Fletcher education influenced her career in the business world.
	David Sloan, A74, F75, a principal at Scowcroft Group, talked about the connection between his current career in political and commercial risk advising and his graduate education.

Expertise via Tedx Tufts

	Kudrat Dutta Chaudhary, F19, currently works in the field of gender-based violence asylum claims in San Francisco and gave the lecture Patriarchy and Its Pillars: How We Can Crumble the System.
	Justin Will, F20, a Navy veteran and entrepreneur living in Vermont, gave a presentation titled Why Small Business Needs an Insurgency.
	Aparna Polavarapu, F10, shared her expertise as a law professor at the University of South Carolina and executive director and founder of the South Carolina Restorative Justice Initiative in Leaving Punishment Behind: Embracing New Ideas of Justice.

Master in Global Affairs (MGA)

In November 2020, Fletcher introduced the new Master in Global Affairs (MGA) degree program. The MGA embodies the interdisciplinary and flexible curriculum for which Fletcher has long been known, while providing a focus on subject area specialization and skill building in a particular field. A full-time MGA student can complete the program in an accelerated 16 months; a part-time option of up to 28 months is also available. Requirements include completion of an in-depth field of study, a complement of skills courses, and a practicum under the guidance of a faculty advisor.

A Hackathon for Policy Geeks

FSociety, a team of students playfully named for the hacker group from cult TV favorite Mr. Robot, is charting the course to a safer digital future. Since 2019, the team has beaten out the likes of Harvard and West Point at a trio of international competitions to find the best defenses against online dangers.

Kartik Misra, F12

In the field of finance, his Fletcher credentials are unusual, says Kartik Misra, F12, but the MALD program provided an excellent background in energy, including sustainable energy technology, on which he is now focused. In 2020, Misra established the Dr. Misra Endowment, a scholarship in memory of his grandfather, “a doctor and public health professional who helped establish vaccine manufacturing facilities in India in the 1960s,” he says. Misra hopes the scholarship will empower future MALD students from all parts of the globe who, like his grandfather, are striving “to make a difference in people’s lives.”

Nancy Taussig

For Nancy Taussig, philanthropy begins with two questions: “What do I care about most, and where can I make the greatest impact?” As a senior advisor for global philanthropy for Save the Children International, Taussig has helped donors explore those questions for 25 years. As a member of The Fletcher School’s Board of Advisors and a Fletcher parent (Torrey Taussig, MALD 2014, PhD 2018), she is making an impact by supporting stipends for Fletcher doctoral students. Taussig and her husband, Tim, believe that “investing in these incredible young people and their careers is an excellent investment in the future of the world. We’re proud to be part of their story.”

Linda S. Yeung, F91

“When you walk into the Hall of Flags, you have a sense of the global community, a community that you want to be a part of, to make a difference in,” says Linda S. Yeung, F91, recently the unified commander of San Francisco’s COVID-19 Command Center and a loyal Fletcher Fund contributor. Born in Hong Kong and raised in California, Yeung credits her professional success to the diplomacy skills and interdisciplinary lessons learned at Fletcher. As a recipient of the Patricia Roberts Harris Public Service scholarship, she wants to support today’s students as she was supported. “That’s why I give back,” she says.

Fletcher alums in the fight against COVID-19

Christopher Spitters, F10, serves as the health officer for the Snohomish County Health District in Everett, Wash., the first county in the United States to report a COVID-19 case.

Christine Jost, V96, F03, works as a senior livestock technical advisor in the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) and serves as the technical coordinator for their COVID-19 response management team.

Thomas Pickering, F54, H90

Thomas Pickering, F54, H90, a loyal Fletcher alumnus, donor, and friend, returned to campus in October to deliver the opening plenary to the Military Intervention Conference. In conversation with Monica Toft, director of the Center for Strategic Studies, Pickering reflected on his career, highlighted the challenges military interventions can pose to diplomacy, and offered advice to students who intend to join the Foreign Service.

Querine Hanlon, F94, F99

Querine Hanlon, F94, F99, is a leader in an international effort to reform governments’ security sectors. Through her nonprofit organization, Strategic Capacity Group, Hanlon helps nations around the world develop more effective, transparent, and democratically accountable security forces and institutions. Her group’s recent projects include helping Tunisia, Mali, and the Central African Republic modernize training in their military and law enforcement academies and aiding Libya and Egypt with border security issues related to illicit trafficking.