Anta (Gueye) James, MA ’04, recently won Lifetime Television’s national essay contest encouraging women to make their dreams a reality.

Contestants were asked to answer the question, “What is your life long dream and what steps must you take to achieve it?” In her winning essay, James shared how her experiences as a child in Senegal shaped her dream of becoming a doctor and inspired her to help others through her work.

“Growing up in Senegal, I saw poverty and sickness coexist with glamour and flashy cars. Images of sick children, ailing mothers and unemployed fathers have always haunted me,” James said.

A health program manager in Jacksonville, Florida, James said she looks forward to going to medical school to become a physician and work in preventive medicine to fight infectious diseases. “I would like to contribute my skills to international efforts to reduce global poverty and strengthen the health care and access of the most vulnerable people in developing nations, mainly in Africa,” James said.

Her prize included a trip to Los Angeles to attend the season finale of “American Idol®.”  The essay contest was launched in conjunction with the Lifetime Original Movie about “American Idol” winner Fantasia Barrino, The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life is Not a Fairy Tale. The contest was part of a public service initiative to raise awareness of the issues that Fantasia and many women experience—such as low self-esteem and low literacy skills—and to encourage viewers to make a difference in their own communities.

Randy Baldwin, MBA ’94, has been named an associate with Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C., where he will work with the firm’s electronics group. Previously, Baldwin worked for Northrop Grumman Information Technology where he was a database architect. Sterne, Kessler, et. al is a firm of strategists and advisors specializing in the protection, transfer, and enforcement of intellectual property rights.

Shilpa C. Balikai, BA ’01, graduated from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine with the Degree of Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine in May. She is interning at the Charleston Area Medical Center in Charleston, West Virginia.

Robert J. Ellis III, BBA ’05, has been promoted to 1st Lt. in the US Air Force. He is currently deployed to an undisclosed location in the Middle East as a Flight Commander. Ellis worked for Senator Max Cleland while attending GW.

Pam Jenoff,  BA ’92, has written a debut novel, The Kommandant’s Girl, which has been nominated for a Quill Award in the category of best romance. Publishers Weekly raved that this story of a young woman’s struggle in WWII Poland is “...[told with] luminous simplicity...a breathtaking debut. This is historical romance at its finest.”

Brian Kamoie, JD ’96, MPH ’97, has been appointed director of the office of policy and strategic planning, within the office of the assistant secretary of preparedness and response, at the Health and Human Services Department. In that capacity, he will create policy to protect the U.S. against bioterrorism and public health emergencies. Previously, Kamoie was a professor of health policy at GW.

L. Trenton Marsh, MA ’04, the current founder and president of GW’s Black Alumni Association, conducted several workshops and was invited to speak at GW and American University in spring 2007.

He served as a panelist during a discussion on moving from college to a career at the American University’s Kogod Business School and for “What’s Next: What Should I Do with My Graduate Degree?” a workshop for human resource development students at GSEHD. Additionally, Trenton spoke to the National Council for Education and Human Development at its spring 2007 dinner in Washington, D.C.

Marsh also spoke at a resume and interview strategy workshop for Diamonds in the Rough, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization that mentors at-risk teenage girls aged 13-19.

Lynn Shapiro Snyder, Law ’79, has been selected to be a 2007 Women to Watch honoree by Jewish Women International, for her noted work in the health care and life sciences industry.
Snyder is being honored for her roles as both a senior member of the law firm of Epstein Becker & Green, PC, and as the founder and president of the Women Business Leaders of the U.S. Health Care Industry Foundation. She is recognized as one of the most powerful people in the health care industry and for her legal work for health care and life sciences companies. Through her leadership at WBL, Lynn advances the role of business women in the health care industry and increases the number of those women who serve on the boards of directors of companies worldwide.

Anslie Stokes, BBA ’01, was selected as one of the top “30 Under 30” agents in 2007  by Realtor Magazine in the United States. Stokes is a sales associate with W.C.& A.N. Miller REALTORS, a Long & Foster Company. The annual “30 Under 30” awards reward business success, professional leadership, and community involvement.

Stokes organizes the annual Glover Park Renovation Tour, a showing of historic homes in Glover Park, a community in Washington, D.C., and the ticket sales revenue to a neighborhood elementary school.

Nancy Perlman Zivitz, BBA ’70, is the DC Chamber of Commerce’s new senior vice president of marketing and communications. Previously, Zivitz served as group vice president at National Bank of Washington, senior vice president for retail banking at City National Bank, and director of administration for Real Estate Investment Fund Managers.

In her new role, Zivitz will be in charge of the development, direction, and implementation of all marketing and communication initiatives within the DC Chamber of Commerce. She also plans to promote and expand membership, increase the value of member benefits, and improve the lines of communication between business, the community, and the local government.