Tamer Ali, MA ’04, graduate of the Educational Technology Leadership Program, recently left his position as vice president of technology at VCampus to found Digital Ignite, a technology outsourcer that balances U.S.-based quality, management, and control with the benefits of off-shoring. To learn more about Digital Ignite, click here.

Charles Allen, MBA ’91, was recently named vice president of administrative services of Nu Skin Enterprises in Provo, Utah, as part of the company’s business transformation initiative. Allen will direct several of the company’s shared service functions including corporate communications, investor relations, and risk management.

Phyllis Brown, BS ’44, has won the 2006 EAS Award for Achievements in Separation Science, sponsored by Waters Corporation. Brown is a pioneer in the applications of HPLC and CE to biochemistry and medical research and is Professor Emerita at the University of Rhode Island.

Jamie L. Callahan, EdD ’99, assistant professor at Texas A&M University and an alumnus of the Human Resource Development (HRD) doctoral program, was awarded the Early Career Scholar Award by the Academy of Human Resource Development at the 2006 conference. The award goes to an outstanding HRD scholar in the early stages of his or her career who has made significant research contributions to the field.

Ahmed Elmi, MPH ’03, co-founder and president of Somali American Community
Association, was interviewed by Chicago National Public Radio about the recent takeover of the capital of Somalia by Islamic militia. Elmi is a community health educator with the Center for Cancer Surveillance and Control at the Maryland department of health and mental hygiene. To listen to the interview, click here.

Adam Greenman, BA ’04, recently announced his candidacy for the Camden, N.J., City Council. He was assigned to the Camden City schools during his stint with Teach for America, and now teaches 8th grade history. Greenman served on the 2004 Senior Class Gift Committee and raised the highest number of pledges of all the committee members. He was also the student speaker at his commencement.

Ximena Hartsock, EdD ’04, assistant principal at Harriet Tubman Elementary School in Washington, D.C., presented at the American Educational Research Association’s Annual Meeting and at the annual conference of International Networking for Educational Transformation this spring. She also published an article in the book Home, School and Community Partnerships and traveled to 10 conferences in the past year, including the International Conference of Parent Involvement Research in Spain.

Martin B. Kormanik, EdD ’05, president and CEO of O.D. Systems Inc., was awarded the Malcolm S. Knowles Dissertation of the Year Award by the Academy of Human Resource Development at the 2006 AHRD International Research Conference.

Kathleen Rooney, BA ’02, wrote an essay, “Live Nude Girl, My Life as an Object,” that was selected from numerous entries to be included in a soon-to-be-published Random House anthology, Twentysomething Essays by Twentysomething Writers. Rooney’s essay reflects on her experiences posing as a nude model for art classes, painters, and sculptors. For more information, please click here.

Harvey Snyder, EdD ’78, retired in May after spending 35 years at GW as both a student and an employee in human resource services. Snyder began working as an education specialist for the College of General Studies and ultimately became an administrator of special programs, a position he held for the last decade. Along the way, he remained an active and supportive alumnus of the Graduate School of Education and Human Development, serving as president of the Alumni Association in 1987-1988, chairing telethons, helping plan the annual New Directions conference for many years, and maintaining a consistent presence at GSEHD events.

Mabel Thng, MA ’85, EdD ’05, and Heijia Lee Wheeler, BA ’64, have joined the GSEHD’s National Council for Education and Human Development, the primary advisory body to Dean Futrell. Thng is dean of the School of Human Development and Social Services at the Singapore Institute of Management University, where GSEHD’s Human Resource Development Program administers a highly successful degree program. Wheeler retired from serving as the vice president of academic affairs at Pensacola Junior College in 2003 and currently edits a journal for the American Chemical Society with her husband.

Billy Vigdor, JD ’90, is the editor and author of a new book from the American Bar Association’s antitrust section called Premerger Coordination: The Emerging Law of Gun Jumping and Information Exchange. The book discusses a comprehensive effort to assist in-house corporate counsel and antitrust practitioners in examining existing regulatory and case law regarding what they can and cannot do prior to closing the transaction. Vigdor is a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Vinson & Elkins and the former deputy assistant director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Competition. For more information, please click here.

Mark Weaver, MA ’86, has served as director of the Export Assistance Center of the U.S. Department of Commerce in Fort Worth, Tex., since 2003. He also serves as the senior international aerospace and defense specialist for the Dallas-Forth Worth metropolitan area and handles tourism and travel for the department.

Gail Wright, MA ’99, graduate of the Educational Technology Leadership Program, achieved certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in 2005. She joined an elite group of 7,200+ board-certified teachers nationwide and one percent of teachers in her state of Illinois. Gail is a media specialist and director of media services in Prophetstown, IL, and teaches undergraduate and graduate classes for the University of Phoenix and Argosy University.

David Zimmerman, MA ’92, authored the book Panic! Markets, Crises, and Crowds in American Fiction, published by The University of North Carolina Press. He discusses how American novelists and their readers perceived and influenced stock market crashes and panic about American finances during the economic depression of the 1890s and early 1900s. Zimmerman is an associate professor of English at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. For more information, please click here.