Matt Moog, BS ’92, has always been ambitious. The successful alumnus recently launched Viewpoints, a website created in the tradition of Wikipedia and YouTube that lets people review products and services of all kinds.

“Especially in college, I always had the entrepreneurial bug,” Moog said. During his freshman year at GW, he created a business that produced a directory for college students called the College Consumer Guide. “I did that for three years and it paid for school,” he said. By the time Moog graduated, the publication’s circulation had reached about 15,000.

During his years as an undergrad studying political science, Moog also worked in the U.S. Attorney's Office. Amazingly, he managed to squeeze in yet another part-time job with Temps and Company in D.C.

After graduation, Moog worked for Microsoft for four years, in D.C. and Chicago. Next he joined the staff of CoolSavings.com, a website that offers consumers a plethora of coupons and tips on savings. From 2001-2006, he served as the company’s CEO, and at one point was the youngest CEO of a publicly-traded company in the U.S.

Last year, Moog felt it was time for a change. “I decided to hit the reset button and do it all over again,” he said. And so Viewpoints.com was born.

The website not only allows people to air their opinions about any product or service, but also to read reviews from people like themselves. For example, Moog said, someone who is planning a trip to Florida with young children can read a review of a local hotel written by a father with three kids under eight.

“We’re bringing the reviewer’s personalities and passions to life, and we’re letting them review just about anything they want to,” he said. That includes schools, health care providers, electronics, movies, books, hotels, banks – even insurance companies and dating sites.

“I was very taken by the democratization of content generation – the idea that people could actually help write and create the news and information through participation and collaboration,” Moog said.

“Given my political bent, it struck me as a great business idea and a platform for people to be able to interact and co-collaborate and cooperate.”

Reviews on the site aren’t meant to be professionally written; rather, they present the everyman’s perspective. The company, which launched in May, already has more than 70,000 users.

Moog seems to breed success wherever he goes, and he’s confident that Viewpoints won’t be any different. “It has an awful lot of potential,” he said.

This fall, Moog will give a lecture on entrepreneurship through GW’s “How Do I Become A” series on September 19. For more information or to register for this program, please visit the Alumni Relations website.

Michael Ditkoff, MBA ’81, was recently promoted to senior budget analyst with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the successor agency to the Immigration and Naturalization Service. His responsibilities include costing the agency’s payroll for each fiscal year to ensure it is sufficiently funded from congressionally approved levels.

J. Russell Fugett, MS ’07, son of former Washington Redskin and Dallas Cowboy Jean Fugett Jr., was sworn in to the Sons of the American Revolution in July. Fugett follows in the footsteps of his father and grandfather to become the first third-generation African American member of SAR. The Fugetts are descendants of Henry Bakeman–a free African who fought under Colonel Willett in the Battle of Ontario, NY. SAR is working to increase African American membership through its research on the military service of Africans during the fight for Independence.

Jack Gilbert, Ed.D. ’04, has written an article, Strengthening Ethics Wisdom: Tools to Transform Your Healthcare Organization, which was published by the American Hospital Association Press in July.

President George W. Bush has appointed Paul Clinton Harris Sr., JD ’95, to serve as a member of the Advisory Committee of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). Harris is a partner with the Shook, Hardy & Bacon law firm in Washington. He is former senior counsel and director of enterprise compliance at Raytheon Company and was a deputy associate attorney general with the U.S. Department of Justice. He will represent the interests of the general public on the PBGC Advisory Committee until 2010.

Randy Hinds, Ed.D. ’95, has been promoted to vice president for operations at Kennesaw State University and will oversee the institution’s information technology and business organizations. With this promotion, Randy’s responsibilities include all business and fiscal matters, administrative and academic information IT support services, public safety, facilities design and operations, library services, security, safety, ID card services, human resources, and auxiliary services.

Gayle I. Horwitz, BA ’02, has been named Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Cleveland Jewish News. Horwitz, who joined the Board in 2006, is an associate in the law firm of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP in Cleveland, Ohio.

Horwitz practices with the litigation group, where she represents corporations, non-profits and government entities in a variety of contract and employment disputes. She is also the President of the Northeast Ohio Chapter of the American Constitution Society, a member of the Hon. William K. Thomas Inn of Court ,and a participant in the Cleveland Bar Association’s 3Rs Program. Horwitz served on the National Advisory Committee of Equal Justice Works from 2003–2005.

Ashby C. Kilgore, Ed.D. ’97, was recently appointed superintendent of Newport News City Schools in Newport News, Va. Kilgore has served in the Newport News Public Schools for 11 years and was a member of the first doctoral cohort in educational administration to graduate from GW’s Hampton Roads Center. She has been serving as the school system's interim chief since October and began her tenure as superintendent on June 1st.

An article by Catherine Lombardozzi, Ed.D. ’04, was accepted for publication in HRD Review. Avoiding Malpractice in HRD is part of her contribution as an active member of the AHRD scholar-practitioner committee, which is currently headed by Martin Kormanik, Ed.D. ’05. Dr. Lombardozzi also was a lead presenter in the On Becoming a Scholar-Practitioner pre-conference workshop at the AHRD 2006 Conference in February.

Patricia A. McNeill, MAT ’80, was named vice president for development by Sonoma State University in California. McNeill has served as the senior director of development at San Jose State University since 2005 and as a director of development and a planned giving officer since 2002 and helped that institution raise its level of annual giving from $9 million to $50 million a year. She joined Sonoma State in July.

Bryan Miller, BA ’97, JD ’00, has been named an “Up and Coming Legal Elite” by Florida Trend magazine. Miller is a litigation attorney in the West Palm Beach office of Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart, P.A. Recognized as one of the rising stars of the Democratic Party, Miller is a candidate for State House in District 83, and is the founder and chair of the Democratic Professionals Council, one of the state’s largest Democratic groups in Florida. He concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial and corporate litigation and defamation law.

Elizabeth K. Needleman, MPA ’79, has joined the law firm of Miller Canfield as director of human resources. Needleman will work in the firm’s headquarters in Detroit.

Needleman is a member of the Society of Human Resources Management, the Human Resources Association of Greater Detroit, WorldatWork, and the national and local chapters of the Association of Legal Administrators. Prior to joining Miller Canfield, she was human resources director at the Pierce Atwood LLP law firm in Portland, Maine, one of New England’s largest law firms.

Charles A. Perkins, Ph.D. ’89, has been named Provost of Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pa. Previously, he held several positions at Alvernia College in Reading, Pa., including provost and executive vice president. Perkins served as Chair of the Department of Business and Economics and Dean of the Division of Professional Studies at Missouri Western State College from 1991-97.

At the United States Military Academy, Perkins was Acting Dean for Faculty and Finance, Financial Manager for the Division of Mathematics and Science, and Associate Chairperson of the Economics Department from 1982–85. He completed a 20-year military career as a Naval Supply Officer in 1991, retiring at the rank of Commander.

James J. Rizzi, BBA ’03, is managing director and principal of Joseph Merrill Capital (originally PAR Capital Directors), an investment banking firm he founded in January of 2006 with a partner. The firm specializes in structured equity investments, in addition to CMBS, Portfolio, and Construction Debt for commercial real estate assets and projects in excess of $10 Million. Previously, Rizzi worked at JPMorgan Chase bank for 3 years.

Victoria A. Sardi, MA ’96, Ph.D. ’03, was just elected president of the American Mental Health Counselors Association for a one-year term. She also has been recommended by District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty to chair the DC Counselor Licensure Board. Sardi also serves as a part-time faculty member in the Department of Counseling/Human and Organizational Studies.

Kristin S. Williams, Ed.D. ’96, received the 2007 National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals (NAGAP) Award for Distinguished Service in recognition of over 25 years of service to the field. Williams has served for twelve years on the NAGAP Governing Board, including four years as president and past president, and has been a frequent presenter and panelist at NAGAP’s annual conference and Professional Development Institutes, as well as at several other professional conferences.

Also, she has presented overviews of graduate admissions and education to prospective students in Mexico City, New Delhi, and Mumbai and has been instrumental in building bridges of communication with the international advising community. She currently serves as executive director of graduate enrollment management at GW.