Alumni Profiles

Tom Haynes '94, News Anchor, Fox5, Atlanta

Moving from an Intro to American Politics or Political Theory course to TV, may not seem like an obvious step for political science majors. But that’s exactly what happened for Haynes. "Political Science laid a major foundation for me in my career,” he says. “It got me to start thinking critically about how our government works, how political campaigns strategize and operate, how geopolitical events around the world impact us here at home -- and, at the end of the day, how former Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill was right, that all politics is local.” Read more...

Emily Zimmerman ’09, Speechwriter and Public Affairs Specialist for the Environmental Protection Agency

Emily Zimmerman says that her experience at UMass has been invaluable, as “Some of my favorite memories are in classes where we tried to solve the world's problems, but ran into the road blocks of opposing perspectives. That is a real life thing.” She credits these classes and an internship as being critical to having her current position as a Speechwriter and Public Affairs Specialist for the US Environmental Protection Agency. Read More...

Former Student Government Reformer Excelling in Politics

A former SGA member, Derek Khanna has worked in a variety of political campaigns since graduation. More recently, he has been in the media as the author of a memo for the House Republican Study Committee outlining “Three Myths About Copyright Law” -- a memo which created so much controversy, that it had to be retracted. Read More...

Alum at Home in Front of Jury

A successful trial lawyer, Anderson says his success is built upon a strong work ethic learned from his parents; support from his family, friends, and colleagues; and, importantly, a great education from UMass: “I was a mediocre student in high school,” Anderson says. “UMass took a chance on me, and it changed my life.” Read More...

Extracurriculars Spark Singer's '06 Legal & Entrepreneurial Career

“I never intended to major in political science when I accepted my spot at UMass,” says Morris Singer ’06. “I went from taking one political science class to the next before discovering my passion for the subject matter and for the opportunities that exist to carry my education beyond the classroom.” Read more...

Janet (Rubinstein) Keller ’91 Receives NYC Division Chief Award for Law Work

“The greatest advice I can give is to gain legal experience, even if you have to do an unpaid internship,” says Keller. And once you get a foot-in-the-door, work hard. “Remember, a law firm is hiring because they have work that needs to get done. The sooner you are able to get the work done the sooner you will be an asset to the firm.” Read more...

Mark Papirio ’81 gives Voice to the Less Fortunate with Law

“I wanted to help those less fortunate once I actually acquired a bit of knowledge in my areas of practice,” says Papirio. Today, he has a solo law practice, focusing on Child Welfare Law, with much of his time spent in local juvenile courts. He credits the Legal Studies professors with assisting him in finding an internship and helping him for law school, adding that “UMass’ Legal Studies Program boasts some of the best legal minds anywhere.” Read More...

Joe Donovan ’92 is Lobbying for a Cause

“My career has been in business, press, and politics,” says Joe Donovan ’92 (political science), who recently joined the UMass Political Science Advisory Board. “It’s been about building relationships, making friends, taking risks, seizing opportunities and benefiting from the help of many generous people. That is what UMass taught me.” Read more...

Ashley Messenger ’91 Defends Freedom of Press at NPR

Ashley Messenger ’91 has a passion for the First Amendment. As a student, Messenger studied the constitution and engaged in general discussions about American politics, but not until she began working as a lawyer did she realize how “fun” the First Amendment can be. Read more...

Professional Volunteer’s Efforts Result in Effective Social Action for Bonnie Reid Martin ’70

“To whom much is given, much is expected,” says Bonnie Reid Martin ’70 (political science), a longtime volunteer and fundraiser in Vermont and New Hampshire. “Giving back is part of my family’s tradition. If you have the means and the opportunity, if you’re blessed with good health, income and a nice place to live, then you need to pitch in and give.” Read more...

Billy Kenoi ’93 is Mayor of Hawaii

David Falvey ’04 Becomes "Accidental Author" and Serves Army and Air Force

From October ’07 to June ’08, Capt. David Falvey ’04 of Billerica, MA, served a tour of duty in Iraq. During that period, he received a package of letters and drawings from a 4th-grade class in Long Island to which he responded. Later, with the encouragement of a family friend, he turned the letters into a children’s book, Letters to a Soldier, which is getting some great reviews. Read more...

Danielle F. (Bionda) Hughes ’91 is founder and CEO of Divine Capital Markets in NYC

Danielle F. (Bionda) Hughes '91 , founder and CEO of Divine Capital Markets in New York City, is one of the few women on Wall Street running a financial services firm. She began her Wall Street career in 1991, and has extensive proven experience in the areas of proprietary and agency trading as well as primary and secondary market capital formation. Read more...

Lisa Noble ’76, President of Farmhouse Foods, Leads Company to New Heights

Since 2006 when Lisa Noble '76 (political science) purchased Farmhouse Foods Company from the J.M. Smucker Company, she has engineered its growth threefold to the number two share of prepared rice and pasta side dish brand in the West. Noble came into the company with her eyes wide open. From 1990 to 1999 she had been vice president of marketing, guiding Farmhouse Foods' growth to a $42 million West Coast brand of all natural prepared side dishes. Read More...

William Ramsey, ’97, Chief Administrative Law Judge for the Social Security Administration Office of Disability Adjudication and Review’s Boston Office

William C. Ramsey ’97, was recently appointed to be the Chief Administrative Law Judge for the Social Security Administration Office of Disability Adjudication and Review at their Boston Office.  Ramsey, a summa cum laude graduate, says that his time at UMass Amherst played a major role in making him who he is today. Read More...

Peter Trovato ’05, Founder of the Massachusetts Soldiers Legacy Fund

Peter Trovato '05, who created the Massachusetts Soldiers Legacy Fund for the children of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, has promised college grants to each of the 62 Massachusetts children who have lost parents in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Read More...

Henry Barr ’68, Senior Partner of Barr & Cole

“Some would say that success is a matter of good luck,” says Henry Barr ’68, senior partner of Barr & Cole in Newton, Massachusetts, concentrating in real estate and business law, and president and CEO for DUCO Associates, Inc., a real estate investment firm. “My definition of luck is the intersection of opportunity and preparation. No one is an overnight success. It takes engagement and education: long hours of dedication, a willingness to overcome a natural reluctance Read More...

Anthony Barsamian ’86, Managing Partner of Hutchings, Barsamian, Mandelcorn & Zeytoonian, LLP

“Being a lawyer is a tool,” says Anthony Barsamian ’86 (legal studies), managing partner of Hutchings, Barsamian, Mandelcorn & Zeytoonian, LLP in Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts. “It needs to be applied to something relevant. Using that tool to advocate for others—both individuals and the community—is what brought me to where I am today.”Where Barsamian stands today includes making sure all clients of his firm are properly served Read More...

Christine M. Roach ’76, Founding Member of Kern, Sosman, Hagerty, Roach & Carpenter, P.C

When Christine M. Roach graduated magna cum laude in Legal Studies from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1976, she had no way of knowing where she’d be professionally nearly 30 years later. She couldn’t have foreseen that she would be a founding member of her own law firm, or a recognized bar leader through her many public service appointments. But Roach had always been told that she was smart Read More...

Evandro C. Carvalho ’04, Assistant District Attorney in the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office

Evandro C. Carvalho spent much of his childhood herding goats, building a chicken farm, and serving as a shepherd to cattle on his grandfather’s farm in Cape Verde. “Whenever I could, I'd use the ‘I have to study’ excuse,” Carvalho reflects. “That, of course, was a bullet-proof reason to get out of doing chores because there was nothing my grandfather believed in more than education.”  All this studying paid off for Carvalho, who graduated from UMass as a Shep Shepard Scholar, with degrees in Legal Studies and Sociology.  Today, Carvalho spends his days in the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office as an Assistant District Attorney. These opportunities are what make UMass special, Carvalho says. Read More...

Emily Tarr ’00, International Special Advisor in the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina

When asked about her career success-stories, Emily Tarr says she obtained her current position through a combination of “patience and perseverance.” She credits UMass with introducing her to the field of international criminal law and war crimes prosecutions. “If I hadn’t been at UMass, I would not have the career that I have today,” she says.  In fact, Tarr remembers the specific moment she decided her livelihood would revolve around international criminal law: in 1998 in a war crimes class with Professor Judy Holmes. Read More...

Philip McNamara ’97, Executive Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security

After graduating from UMass Amherst, Philip McNamara joined the Democratic National Committee (DNC) as the assistant to the director of party affairs and delegate selection.  In 2009, McNamara left the DNC to become the executive secretary for Janet Napolitano, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).  As executive secretary, McNamara works closely with scores of top DHS officials.  McNamara attributes his success in DC to his work ethic: “Staying at work until the job is done is not just a nice saying; you actually have to do it." Read More...

Jaime T. Zagami ’08, founder of UMass’ Veterans And Service Members Association (VASMA), and Operations Associate at American Corporate Partners (ACP)

After being a founder of UMass' Veterans and Service Members Association, it would be hard to imagine how much more of a professional and personal link to veterans Jaime Zagami could have. But she then went onto become an Operations Associate for American Corporate Partners, helping veterans transition into the workforce. Indeed, with VASMA helping veterans transition to academia, and her work at ACP, Jaime has a sustained and real interest in the field of Veteran Services. Read More...