WENDY BREHM, JLC REPRESENTATIVE
Program: Master of Justice, Law, and Criminology

Wendy Brehm is a first-year Justice, Law and Criminology student, concentrating on Jurisprudence and Social Thought. She holds her Bachelor’s degree in Jurisprudence from the University of Baltimore.

Wendy is the Justice, Law and Criminology program Representative for the School of Public Affairs Graduate Student Council. Prior to coming to American University, Wendy interned at the National Association of the Deaf, a law firm based in Silver Spring Maryland, where she learned a lot about the role advocacy plays in the lives of disabled and non-disabled individuals.

She also worked for the American Institute of Physics as a Government Relations Assistant, where she connected constituents from various states to their representatives when issues regarding science education and scientific developments arose. This inspired Wendy to seek opportunities where she could do similar work, but in areas where she is more passionate, such as disabled youth, education, and social justice.

Wendy is truly excited to be a part of the SPA Graduate Student Council and is looking forward to getting to know, and advocating for, her constituents!

M. SHEA LAMANNA , GOV REPRESENTATIVE
Program: Master of Political Science

Shea is a first year Political Science student studying Comparative Politics. She is interested in migration, citizenship, and concepts of belonging. She has focused primarily on the European reaction to the Syrian refugee crisis.

No stranger to DC, Shea grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland before attending West Virginia University for her Bachelor’s degree. She graduated in May 2017 with a BA in History and Political Science. Shea served in West Virginia as an

AmeriCorps VISTA, developing service-learning programming and highlighting community-based research throughout the state. Following her year of service, she spent the summer in Germany before returning home to the district and joining the AU community.

Shea has served as a program assistant for the Washington Institute for Public Affairs Research in SPA. She also enjoys her role on campus as the Graduate Assistant for Community-Based Learning and Research in the Center for Community Engagement and Service. She’s excited to be a Team Leader on an Alternative Break to India this May. She is also an intern for the Foreign Policy Research Institute.

Shea has visited 22 countries so far (and counting) and believes in the power good research has to change the world. .

JOSE SAENZ CRESPO, INTERNATIONAL STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE
Program: Master of Public Administration

José Sáenz Crespo is a first-year student pursuing a Master’s of Public Administration, focusing on Science and Technology Policy. José was born and raised in Ecuador, where his family lives, but in 2005 he moved to Argentina where he studied Political Sciences as an undergraduate in Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina.

He lived in Buenos Aires for 13 years, he became an Argentinian citizen and got married. His professional background includes 8 years of experience working in Buenos Aires City Government, as a start-up project specialist, working in different areas like Human Rights, Community Policing, Police Cultural Change and citizens communication initiatives.

He moved to the US for grad school and decided to run for International Students representative because he wants to help other international students to make the best of their experience at AU and SPA. He hopes he can bring a more international perspective to SPA by engaging students in current international events, and public policy issues arising from international students home countries.

He is a confessed Star Wars fan, loves soccer and politics and political and historical movies.

JOSHUA EWIG, THSP REPRESENTATIVE
Program: Master of Terrorism and Homeland Security Policy

Joshua Ewig is a first year student pursing a Master’s in Terrorism and Homeland Security Policy. Joshua is the Terrorism and Homeland Security Policy representative for the School of Public Affairs Graduate Student Council.

Joshua currently holds as Congressional Internship in the House of Representatives where he supports the legislative staff by attending briefings and composing memos on matters of homeland security, defense and veterans affairs.

Prior to attending American University, Joshua served for four years in the United States Marine Corps. Serving as an Infantryman, Joshua served in in the Washington, D.C. area first as an infantryman in Alpha Company at Marine Barracks Washington, conducting raids, patrols and other security-related training at Quantico, Virginia.

In this role, Joshua also conducted over two hundred full honor funerals at Arlington National Cemetery. Joshua was then selected to be a Personal Escort for the Secretary of Defense, Secretary Ashton Carter and later Secretary James Mattis. In this position, Joshua developed strong personnel relationships with foreign diplomats from countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, China, Israel, Japan, Australia, Great Britain, and Germany.

Following the completion of this role, Joshua became a Non-Commissioned Officer and served as the Training Non-Commissioned Officer at Marine Barracks Washington. Joshua communicated and correlated with 32 different sections containing over 300 personnel making a cohesive team while also conducting, leading, and managing security-related training as well as training assistance programs.

Throughout his time in the Marine Corps, Joshua received the Office of Secretary of Defense Badge, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Medal, and the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal.

KRISHANA JACKSON, MPA REPRESENTATIVE
Program: Master of Public Administration

Krishana Routt-Jackson is a current Master of Public Administration student at American University focusing on social inequality, social programs, and social policy. Krishana is a May 2015 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in Political Science with a minor in Urban Youth and Communities.

Krishana began her career in public service as an intern in the City of Charlotte. In her full-time capacity with the City of Charlotte, Krishana managed the non-profit and public sector internship development and placement for the City’s high school workforce development program. Through this work Krishana determined that her passion for public service is suited in administration and policy analysis and implementation—studying social inequality and how to propel the nation forward into a renewed state of justice and equity.

Krishana enjoys dialoguing and reading about race and equity issues, exploring urban spaces, and has a love-hate relationship with coffee.

FRANKLIN ZYRIEK, MPP REPRESENTATIVE
Program: Master of Public Policy

Franklin Zyriek is the MPP representative on the Graduate Student Council (GSC) for the 2018-2019 academic year. He graduated this past spring from AU with a BA in Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government (CLEG). During his senior year, he completed 15 credits toward his MPP through SPA’s BA/MA program.

He has interned for his local congressman, Kyrsten Sinema, in D.C. and in the district, as well as on her campaign office for U.S. Senate. He is currently interning at a boutique fundraising firm that specializes in national fundraising for Democratic Senate candidates.

Franklin still considers Tempe, AZ, where he was born and raised, to be home. Being from Arizona, he has yet to find a Mexican food restaurant in D.C. that measures up to the local places back home. However, he does enjoy the change of seasons in D.C. since Tempe mostly goes from super-hot to lukewarm throughout the year.

When he’s on campus, you can find him in class or doing schoolwork on the second floor of the library. You may also see him with some of his close friends, who by and large are seniors this year. (He finished undergrad in three years, so they started at AU together).

In his free time, he enjoys going for walks through the Spring Valley neighborhood behind campus and cheering on the Alabama Crimson Tide (his father’s side is originally from Alabama). Even if Alabama isn’t playing, he’s watching whatever football game is on TV.

RACHEL MARIE PAQUIN, SOCIAL EVENTS CHAIR
Program: Master of Public Administration

Rachel Marie Paquin is a first-year MPA student with a concentration in nonprofit management with an arts focus. Rachel Marie currently works for the School of Public Affairs in the Office of the Dean as the Senior Administrative Assistant to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education and the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. She moved to Washington, DC in August 2017.

Prior to moving to DC, Rachel Marie lived in Sacramento, CA for 3.5 years where she worked in public affairs, media relations, and communications. She served as the Media Relations and Events Coordinator of St. John’s Lutheran Church for 2 years where she conducted the organization’s first communications audit and drafted its first communications plan. She also worked for Dewey Square Group, a public affairs firm, in their Sacramento office where she focused on social media management, media relations, and government relations.

Rachel Marie went to Iona College in New Rochelle, NY for her undergraduate degree. She double majored in Political Science and Mass Communication with a concentration in TV/Video Production. She is originally from Rhode Island.

FRANCESCA D’ANDREA, FINANCE DIRECTOR
Program: Master of Public Administration
Email: None Submitted

Francesca D’Andrea (MPA ’19) moved to Washington, D.C. to pursue a graduate degree of Public Administration with a concentration in nonprofit management in August 2017. Francesca grew up in Rhode Island, where she attended college for a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

After graduating, Francesca spent two years serving her community as an educator through the AmeriCorps program. Through the federally funded volunteer program, Francesca spent two terms of service working in a coalition of bilingual charter schools as an after-school Spanish teacher and at an environmental nonprofit where she led children to search the waters of RI for interesting critters and teachable moments. Continuing her focus on community service, Francesca spent the last three years working as a Case Manager for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

Francesca finds civil service and community building crucial elements to her personal and professional life and is excited to work together with the GSC members to serve her fellow graduate student community in the School of Public Affairs as Finance Director.

TANAR WRIGHT-SACKEY, DEPUTY FINANCE DIRECTOR
Program: Master of Public Administration
Email: None Submitted

Tanar is a second year MPA student with a concentration in public management graduating in May 2019. She completed her undergrad degree at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Criminal Justice and Homeland Security . Her professional background is mainly in criminal justice and law enforcement.

Tanar is a Girl Scout troop leader of the Nations Capital troop #5852. Her favorite color is pink and she has a dog named Star who is 10 years old (she’s had her since the dog was 8 weeks old). She own a Harley Davidson motorcycle that she enjoys riding when the weather allows. One of the things Tanar is truly passionate about is serving people and she believes that is apart of her purpose in life.

ANNALIESE JOHNSON, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
Program: Master of Public Policy
Email: None Submitted

Annaliese Johnson is pursuing a Master’s of Public Policy, with a concentration in social policy. She is the Director of Communications for the School of Public Affairs Graduate Student Council. Before joining the AU community, Annaliese graduated summa cum laude from Rutgers University, with a Bachelor’s of Arts and Sciences in Cultural Anthropology and History.

Her studies sparked an interest in US political and social movements, particularly past feminist and reproductive rights and justice movements. Her honors thesis on New Jersey women’s unique abortion access before and immediately following Roe v. Wade earned her the Margaret Atwood Judson Prize for best history honors thesis written by a woman.

Upon graduating, Annaliese worked as a Community Organizer for NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland. Among her other duties at NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland, Annaliese managed the Emergency Contraceptive (EC) Access Project, which sought to improve access to over-thecounter EC products in public colleges and universities in Maryland.

In this capacity, she implemented a state-wide survey of over 350 pharmacies to document barriers to over-the-counter EC products and inform lobbying efforts in the Maryland General Assembly. Her team’s efforts paid off, with the University of Maryland, College Park implementing 24/7 EC access in their campus stores, though the bill she helped draft did not make it to the floor of the MD General Assembly.

Outside of classes, Annaliese can be found running on the Capital Crescent Trail, baking tasty treats, or rewatching Parks and Rec episodes. Annaliese is passionate about advancing reproductive justice and freedom, and looks forward to advocating for SPA students and the AU community.