Michelle Strucke '07 graduated from the School of Humanities & Sciences with a degree in sociology, concentration in race and ethnic relations, and a minor in politics. In 2021, Michelle was appointed by President Biden to serve in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Policy, initially as Principal Director for Stability and Humanitarian Affairs, and then as the first Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Partnerships. As a lifelong humanitarian and human rights advocate thrust into the Defense space, appointed as the senior most official at the Pentagon focused on human rights and humanitarian affairs, she both learned new perspectives on the most pressing issues of the time and brought a human-centered lens to DOD’s policies, including COVID-19 and other disaster responses, atrocity prevention; women, peace, and security; civilian protection and peacekeeping and stability operations.
Our Graduates Are Making a Difference
Jusan Hamilton ’13 earned a dual degree in Sociology and Integrated Marketing Communications. In his short career, Jusan has had several barrier-breaking moments which set historical milestones in the growth of NASCAR. In 2017, Hamilton took command of the race control tower for a NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana California for the first time becoming the youngest and the first black Race Director in NASCAR dating back to 1948. In 2018 Hamilton became the first Black Race Director in NASCAR Cup Series History at Pocono Raceway, in Long Pond Pennsylvania. "To be the first just means that things are going in the right direction for NASCAR as a whole," Jusan said in an interview with NBC Sports. "The sport's more open and accessible to a wider demographic to come to a track, experience a race for themselves as fan, live the same thrill that I did as a kid sparking my passion, and in the end, join a similar journey."
Samantha Schrell ’12 earned her BS in chemistry in 2012, and her Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry in 2015 from Florida State University. In 2015, she was awarded the Innovations in Fuel Cycle Research Award for her work with californium. In 2016, she joined Los Alamos National Laboratory as an Agnew National Security postdoctoral fellow under the guidance of Dr. Stosh A. Kozimor. In January 2017, she received the Marie Curie distinguished postdoctoral fellowship, where her research efforts could be broadly described in terms of actinide intermetallics, coordination chemistry, solid-state synthesis, separations, and superconductivity. In July 2018, she converted to a staff scientist in the metal production group at Los Alamos National Laboratory. In the fall of 2019, she joined Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the isotope applications research group where she continues to study and find improvements for californium production.
Ryan A. Jefferis '12 earned his B.A. in Physics. He is currently an Aerospace Systems Engineer, building a road to space in Blue Origin’s human spaceflight program, where he has been integrating avionics into rockets since 2019. In 2015, Ryan completed his Masters’ degree in Biomedical Engineering at Cornell, culminating in the design of an orthopedic joint replacement prosthesis. He then supported a team of biologists in Japan working to grow kidneysin vitro. After that, he spent 3 years developing PPE for orthopedic surgeons, and is now lead inventor on 5 patents.
Nate Harnett '13 earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. He then earned his PhD in Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and completed postdoctoral training at McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Nate is now an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School where he leads the Neurobiology of Affective and Traumatic Experiences Laboratory. His laboratory works to uncover the brain basis for why people develop trauma and stress-related disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He and his team use multimodal neuroimaging, psychophysiology, and behavioral assessments to probe cognitive-affective function in individuals recently exposed to trauma. The laboratory also seeks to understand how pre-traumatic influences like deprivation and childhood trauma affect how people respond to later stressful events. Nate’s research program receives funding through several federal and private agencies including the National Institutes of Health, The Brain and Behavioral Research Foundation, The Ford Foundation, and the Department of Defense. His team’s research has been published in major psychiatry journals such as The American Journal of Psychiatry, JAMA Psychiatry, Biological Psychiatry, and Molecular Psychiatry, with press recognition from outlets such as CNN, PBS, and TODAY.
Annie Cooney '19 earned a BS in Physics. Afterward, she obtained her M.S. in Medical Physics from Hofstra University. Presently, she is the Head of Brachytherapy Physics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, one of the nation's top biomedical research programs as measured by competitive research funding from the National Institutes of Health and other sources. While at Ithaca College, she gained valuable research experience working with Dr. Kelley Sullivan using high speed imagery to "accurately calculate the coefficient of restitution of a ball bouncing on a horizontal surface."
Brendan Casey '08 earned a BA in Environmental Sciences. Presently, he serves as the Deputy Director of Federal Fleet Sustainability at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, a council that advises the President and develops policies on climate change, environmental justice, federal sustainability, public lands, oceans, and wildlife conservation, among other areas. Prior to this role, he was a program manager for the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC). Since graduating from Ithaca College, Brendan has demonstrated a history of enabling efficiency improvements through technology integration in the mobility and energy sectors.
Politics / TVR major Rob Flaherty '13 served as Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Digital Strategy, and is currently Deputy Campaign Manager for President Biden. Although he initially wanted to work in television radio, his interests shifted early in his studies after watching "The West Wing," which led him to also pursue a degree in poltiics. While at IC, he worked as communications director for Myrick for Ithaca, helping a then 24-year-old Svante Myrick become the city of Ithaca’s youngest mayor and first mayor of color. He also worked as communications coordinator for New York State Assembly woman Barbara Lifton. These experiences cemented his desire to work in politics. "I think we're living in a moment that calls out for Ithaca College graduates. I think the special sauce at IC is how you go out and do stuff, while learning how to think about it critically.”