Alumni Council

As Harris continues to grow, the Alumni Council serves as the bridge between Harris Public Policy, our global community of alumni and current students. With members spanning the globe and working across a broad array of sectors, the Alumni Council connects our global alumni base to the Keller Center, and current Harris students to the world.

The Council strives to:

• Provide resources for alumni networking, professional development, and career advancement

• Assist current students in career placement

• Facilitate communication between alumni and Harris

• Extend the resources of Harris Public Policy by engaging alumni

• Promote the common interests of alumni and Harris

In addition to working through the full Council, members contribute through our Committees and Task Forces:

• Alumni Awards Committee solicits nominations and applications, reviews and selects recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award, Rising Star Award, and Alumni Service Award

• Careers and Networks Committee supports career and professional development activities for students and alumni in the form of events, webinars, and volunteer opportunities that foster connection

• Development Committee expands alumni financial support for Harris, such as through the Alumni Fellowship Fund, Class Gifts, Harris Society and Irving Harris Fund

• Nominations and Membership Committee maintains the pipeline of Alumni Council members and administers yearly elections for officers

Join the Council

The Alumni Council seeks applications from potential new members who are invested in securing a strong future for Harris. Applications for new members will be accepted in Winter of 2027.

Contact the Council

The Alumni Council is here to serve you.

We encourage alumni to contact the Council with ideas or questions by reaching out to Alumni Council President, David Spearman, MPP'14.

Alumni Council Members

On this page:

• Saeb Ahsan
• Kai Andersen-Guterman
• Karolina Arias
• Dipak Bishwokarma
• Connor Christensen
• Poppy Coleman
• Nicholas Epstein
• Rachel Essel
• Ryan Fitzsimons
• Sonnet Frisbie
• Heather Ann George
• Christian Gaona
• William Horwath
• Dylan Jacovo
• Andrew Kim
• Anna Lee
• Joseph Lester
• Andrew Means
• Chris Morton
• Molly Murray
• Raphael Onwunali
• Yimeng (Edward) Qiu
• Alberto Ramos
• Stephen Sellick
• Urmi Sengupta
• Molly Smith
• David Spearman
• Fanmei Xia
• Yunsong Yu

Saeb Ahsan, MPP'18

West Bloomfield, MI

Saeb Ahsan is Portfolio Manager for AI and Automation at Henry Ford Health, where he leads a portfolio of AI and automation initiatives focused on measurable cost and revenue impact. He previously led enterprise data governance at the U.S. Department of Transportation and advised Medicaid and life sciences clients at Accenture and ZS Associates. A Fulbright Fellow and Harris MPP, Saeb builds open civic data tools, including AccessMI, that connect Michigan residents to local data and services. He co-leads AI Collective Detroit and co-founded the Center for Healthcare Innovation and Equity, a Chicago-based nonprofit. Based in Southeast Michigan, he works where policy, data, and community meet, helping institutions serve people better.

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Kai Andersen-Guterman, MPP'10, AM'10, Crown School

Seattle, WA

Kai Guterman is the Associate Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Knowledge Strategy at Akin based in Seattle. With 23 years of experience in child welfare and human services, his work has ranged from direct service, policy research, systems analysis, management consulting, and leadership roles, at local, state, and federal levels. His current work in knowledge management seeks to connect people to people, and people to knowledge in order to harness collective intelligence to solve complex problems. He believes that in these times of mounting problems, we need to rapidly develop and spread solutions that match the scale of these problems.

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Karolina Arias, MPP'05

Washington, DC

Karolina Arias is a policy professional with extensive bipartisan expertise across Capitol Hill and the federal government. Currently, she is at State Street, where she leverages her deep knowledge of financial services, economic policy, and strategic advocacy to shape impactful public policy and regulatory engagement.

Before moving to the private sector, Karolina served as a senior staffer in the U.S. Senate, working on complex legislative and oversight issues spanning financial regulation, economic growth, and governance reform. Her proven ability to bring together stakeholders across party lines has helped drive pragmatic policy solutions and industry insights.

A proud alumna of the Harris School, Karolina is committed to giving back, engaging with students, advising on policy research, and supporting the school’s mission.

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Dipak Bishwokarma, AM'20

Waterloo, Ontario 

Dipak is a researcher and international development practitioner across the areas of disaster risk reduction and management, climate change adaptation, community resilience, community-based natural resources management, and public policy, especially in the developing-country context. He is an interdisciplinary researcher with primary interests in climate change vulnerability and disaster risk reduction, the social capital-tourism-disaster management nexus, and natural resource management. Dipak completed his Ph.D. degree in Human Geography at the University of Waterloo, Canada, and is Teaching Undergraduate Students as a sessional lecturer.

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Connor Christensen, MPP'24

Cheyenne, WY

Connor Christensen is the Economic Policy & Research Advisor at the Wyoming Business Council, the state’s economic development agency. In this role, he leads data-driven research in partnership with the Harvard Growth Lab, advises rural communities on strategies to reverse economic decline, and collaborates with state legislators, industry leaders, and private developers to advance Wyoming’s long-term economic resilience. Before his current role, Connor served five years in the U.S. Navy, taught English in rural Turkey as a Fulbright Scholar, and directed international development projects across Colombia, Sierra Leone, and Ukraine as Director of Projects and Programs at the Corioli Institute.

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Poppy Coleman, MPP'14

Pittsburgh, PA

Poppy Coleman, MPP, is senior manager of the Government Products Encounter Team at UPMC Health Plan, a Medicaid managed care organization in Pennsylvania with over 700,000 Medicaid, CHIP, and LTSS participants. Poppy oversees daily operations to deliver compliant and timely medical encounter data to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. She has a passion for working collaboratively across teams to bring analytics and operations together. Poppy received her BA in anthropology from Macalester College and MPP from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy with a certificate in health administration and policy.

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Nicholas Epstein, MPP'13 

Chicago, IL

Nicholas Epstein is a public policy, government affairs, real estate, infrastructure and economic development professional. Nicholas is the founder and a Principal at FlatIron Investments. He delivers urban and economic development, infrastructure and commercial real estate, as well as government affairs and public policy solutions for private sector firms and state and local governments on developments and investments. Nicholas possesses expertise on site selection, land use, design, zoning and entitlements, housing policy and regulations, as well as as public private partnerships. 

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Rachel Essel, AM'22 

Chicago, IL

Rachel currently serves as a Senior Analyst at Valor Equity Partners, where she assists in the sourcing, analysis and tracking of all investment opportunities. Prior to joining Valor, Rachel was a Senior Research Analyst at the BCG, where she led cross-functional knowledge sharing efforts and helped develop BCG's perspectives on the global Industrial Goods sector alongside senior leaders and stakeholders. Rachel holds a B.A. ('18) from Northeastern University. In June 2023, Rachel graduated from with an M.A. in Public Policy from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.

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Ryan Fitzsimons, MPP'19 

Chicago, IL

Ryan Fitzsimons is the Deputy Director of Financial Operations for the Chicago Police Department, where he is responsible for aligning the Department’s budget with operational priorities and advancing reform efforts. Prior to joining CPD, he worked as a math teacher in Detroit and Washington, D.C. As a member of the alumni council, Ryan aims to inspire more students to explore careers in municipal government.  While at Harris, he was the recipient of the King Harris Scholarship.

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Sonnet Frisbie, MPP'21

Washington, DC

Sonnet Frisbie is co-founder of GeoLexis, a geopolitical data and advisory firm. Previously, she was Principal for Global Intelligence at Morning Consult, where she developed business intelligence products to help clients navigate complex geopolitical challenges. Before joining Morning Consult, she spent over a decade as a career Foreign Service Officer at the U.S. Department of State, specializing in the intersection of economics, commerce, and political risk across postings in Mexico, the Czech Republic, Iraq, Poland, and Washington, DC. Her work spanned trade and investment policy, commercial advocacy, emerging market debt, and digital assets. A fluent speaker of Czech, Spanish, German, and Polish, Sonnet brings a global perspective to her work, which has been featured in the New York Times, Financial Times, Axios, and Bloomberg. She is also an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University and an active member of the Harris DC alumni community.

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Heather Ann George, AM'19 

Wabash, IN

25-years of experience in wealth management for high net worth and ultra high net worth clients.  I support families through wealth transitions in areas such as family governance, education, and philanthropy as families seek guidance in developing cohesive strategies to bridge generations and build legacy.

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Christian Gaona, MPP'24

Chicago, IL

Christian A. Gaona is an industrialist and entrepreneur specializing in natural resources, energy, infrastructure, and trade policy. He holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago's Harris School and a Master of Science in Natural Resource & Energy Policy from the Colorado School of Mines. As owner of GGG Contracting and CEO of Texchange Unbrokered Inc., he has driven significant growth, secured investments, and forged partnerships. Christian also has extensive experience as a General Foreman and Contractor in the mining and construction sectors.

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Bill Horwath, MPP'01, MBA'01

Houston, TX

Bill Horwath is Managing Partner at Education First Consulting, a national education policy and consulting firm, where he leads senior staff and drives organization-wide strategy. His career in K-12 education reform spans more than two decades, including leadership roles as Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources at both Houston ISD and Boston Public Schools, where he created new teacher pathways, improved hiring practices, and launched leadership development programs. He also consulted on special education policy and funding at Deloitte Consulting. A double University of Chicago degree-holder with both an MBA and MPP, Bill has actively engaged with Harris in recent years as a mentor and speaker. He brings an extensive national network in the K-12 education space and a deep commitment to equity-centered reform.

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Dylan Jacovo, MPP'21

San Diego, CA

Dylan Jacovo serves as the Manager of Education Partnerships at Workforce Edge. In his role, Dylan manages Workforce Edge’s portfolio of education provider partnerships and leads strategic expansion and optimization efforts. Dylan has spent his career in policy, strategy, and tech consulting roles leveraging interdisciplinary skillsets to help leaders surface evidence-based insights to scale impact. His work prior has spanned organizations such as EAB, Education Strategy Group, and The Hunt Institute. In prior roles, he led a diverse array of projects and initiatives centered on promoting organizational transformation and driving the adoption of data-informed policy and change management solutions. Dylan graduated summa cum laude from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and holds a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Kansas School of Business.

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Andrew Kim, MPP'09

Chicago, IL

Andrew Kim is Vice President at Speer Financial, an independent, Chicago-based municipal advisory firm with a decades-long track record in Illinois public finance markets. He has worked in public finance since 2009 as both an investment banker and municipal advisor, structuring bond issues worth hundreds of millions of dollars in par amount for local government and nonprofit clients. Previously, he spent nearly over a decade at PMA Securities expanding the firm's public finance footprint across northern Illinois. Andrew holds a BA in Economics from Northwestern University and his MPP from Harris, along with FINRA Series 7, 50, and 63 licenses. He is an active member of the Illinois Government Finance Officers Association. At Harris, Andrew has given back generously as an HPIC and Mentor Program mentor, and guest speaker, driven by a desire to make public finance more accessible to the next generation of students and practitioners.

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Anna Lee, MPP/MDV'00

Chicago, IL 

As vice president of programs, Anna Lee leads Polk Bros. Foundation’s grantmaking strategy and guides the Foundation’s program team in advancing effective, community-informed grantmaking. Before joining Polk Bros. Foundation, she served as vice president of strategic initiatives at United Way of Metro Chicago, where she led cross-sector initiatives, including the launch of the 211 Metro Chicago helpline. Previously, she was senior director of community impact at The Chicago Community Trust, where she led grantmaking to address the region’s most urgent needs and co-managed the Chicago Community COVID-19 Response Fund. Earlier in her career, Anna held leadership roles with Year Up Chicago, the Chicago Housing Authority and the City of Chicago. She is a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow and a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.

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Joseph Lester, MPP/MBA'19

Atlanta, GA

Joseph Lester is currently Director of Enterprise Transformation and Strategy at Visa, where he leads large-scale, cross-functional initiatives to drive organizational change and business growth. Previously, he held strategy roles at Visa and Walmart, partnering with C-suite leaders on transformative workforce initiatives. Earlier in his career, Joseph led education and civic engagement efforts in the nonprofit and tech sectors. He holds a B.A. and M.A. from Stanford and an MBA/MPP from The University of Chicago.

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Andrew Means, MPP'11

Austin, TX

Andrew Means is a serial social entrepreneur leading organizations that use data and technology to create impact. He currently works with foundations and nonprofits on the use of emerging technology to drive impact. He co-founded data governance firm BrightHive and is founder and host of Good Tech Fest. He has previously held leadership positions at Salesforce.org, Uptake.org, The University of Chicago’s Center for Data Science & Public Policy, and the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago. He holds a Master in Public Policy from the Harris School at the University of Chicago and is currently at UC Berkeley for his Executive MBA. Andrew is a member of the Board of Directors at Everfree.

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Chris Morton, MPP'98

Washington, DC

Chris Morton is CEO of the American Land Title Association (ALTA), the national trade association representing title insurance companies, title and settlement agents, independent abstracters, title searchers and real estate attorneys who protect real property owners and mortgage lenders against losses from defects in titles. Morton leads an organization focused on improving the skills and knowledge of providers in the real property transaction, effectively advocating for member concerns and standardizing products for industry use. Previously, Morton served as the Chief Advocacy Officer and Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for the association.

A seasoned professional with over 25 years of experience in the financial services arena, Morton has demonstrated success in numerous legislative and regulatory affairs leadership roles over his career. He has been recognized as a Top Lobbyist by The Hill newspaper and named as one of the 500 Most Influential People Shaping Policy by Washingtonian magazine.

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Molly Murray, AM'20 

Chicago, IL

Molly Murray serves as President and CEO of the Autoimmune Association were she leads efforts to improve the lives of those living with autoimmune disease by advancing the organization’s four pillars: Advocacy, Awareness, Education and Research. She is a career nonprofit and trade association professional who holds a Master of Arts in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, as well as the CAE credential. In her spare time she enjoys staying active outdoors, fostering dogs, traveling and checking out the culinary scene wherever she is.

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Raphael Onwunali, MPP'24

London, United Kingdom

Raphael Onwunali is a Senior Trading Policy Associate at the Financial Conduct Authority, focusing on secondary markets and market structure. He serves on the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) Committee 2 on Secondary Markets, working with international regulators to strengthen market integrity and standards. His career spans financial regulation and policy, with experience across Regtech, trade associations, and law. Based in London, he brings a transatlantic perspective shaped by his experience across Europe and the US.Raphael earned an MPP from the University of Chicago as an Irish Fulbright Scholar (Frederick Douglass Award) and Andrew W. Mellon Scholar. At Harris, he served on the Student Government Executive Board as Fundraising Chair. He holds an LL.M. in Corporate Law from University College London and a B.A. in Law and International Languages from Dublin City University. Passionate about economic empowerment, education equity, self-development, and mentoring, he supports these through the LdVI.

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Alberto Ramos, MPP'12

Washington, DC

Alberto Ramos is the CEO of Veterans for All Voters, a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on political reform, and a passionate advocate at the intersection of public service and civic engagement. A U.S. Navy veteran, he served twelve years as a submarine officer, completing multiple deployments aboard the USS City of Corpus Christi and later serving as speechwriter and flag aide to the Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy. Following his military career, he completed a nonpartisan White House Fellowship at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, advising on Indo-Pacific and Central Asia foreign policy. He led candidate recruitment at New Politics, supporting veterans and national service alumni in transitioning to public office, and served as a Presidential appointee at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. A volunteer with numerous veterans' and underserved-community organizations, Alberto brings a deep network in Washington, DC, and a track record as an enthusiastic Harris ambassador, speaker, and student mentor.

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Yimeng (Edward) Qiu (Secretary), MSCAPP'21

New York City, NY

Edward Qiu is a 2021 graduate of the MSCAPP program and an R&D Manager at the New York Stock Exchange, where his work focuses on quantitative indicators and index product development. He previously served as a Senior Researcher at FTSE Russell, part of the London Stock Exchange Group, working on index development and quantitative research. His public policy interests span financial market regulation and artificial intelligence governance, including research with Nova SBE in Portugal on regulatory frameworks for intelligent agents trading in financial markets.

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Stephen Sellick (Immediate Past President), AM'93

Chicago, IL

Steve Sellick is the Founder and Chairman of Gnarus Advisors, an economics consulting firm providing analytic and expert services to clients facing complex challenges arising from uncertainty, potential litigation, or disputes. He draws on over 30 years of multidisciplinary experience & training in economics, public policy, litigation, risk management, business development, entrepreneurship, and business transformation as a trusted advisor on complex, high-stakes issues in risk management, governance, corporate litigation, and public policy.

Steve is a board member at AVIVO Wines and the Sonoma County (CA) Regional Parks Foundation.  He is the Vice President of the San Francisco chapter of the Private Directors Association and Director of the PDA Governance Lab. He serves as a mentor to business founders with StartOUT and other organizations focused on promoting entrepreneurship in underrepresented communities. Steve is also a member of the Harris Council.

Steve earned a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an A.M. from Harris.

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Urmi Sengupta, MPP'04

Redlands, CA

Urmi Sengupta heads up the consulting firm Impact and Impact. She serves as the Chair of the Project Advisory Board of the global Catalytic Capital Consortium grantmaking initiative, which works with investors to increase the awareness, knowledge and use of patient and flexible capital. Previously, she was part of the Impact Investments team at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, where she was responsible for diverse impact investing and grantmaking activities. Previously, she worked with small business finance and microfinance institutions across emerging markets. Urmi has a management degree with a specialization in finance from the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore and a master’s degree (summa cum laude) from the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago, where she serves on the Alumni Council and mentors Harris students. Urmi has recently moved to California, where she is looking forward to building her native garden.

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Molly Smith, MPP'23

Lisle, IL

Molly Smith is Managing Director of Public Policy at IFF, a Chicago-based Community Development Financial Institution working to ensure capital reaches under-resourced communities across the Midwest. Her career bridges real estate strategy and community development finance, with daily work focused on directing investment into neighborhoods that have historically been left behind. At Harris, Molly served as Editor-in-Chief of the Chicago Policy Review and was nominated for the Certificate in Municipal Finance Student Leader of the Year award. She brings a distinctive blend of quantitative rigor and communications expertise, regularly translating complex policy data into accessible narratives for policymakers and the public. Active in the Midwest policy landscape, she maintains deep professional networks in the CDFI and community development sectors and is committed to positioning Harris as the premier training ground for mission-driven finance and policy leaders.

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 David Spearman (President), MPP'14

Chicago, IL

David currently leads Project Management at Community Tech Alliance, a group of technologists developing better data infrastructure for progressive political organizations. He previously led data product development and business strategy at BallotReady, a civic tech platform born out of the Harris School. He's driven to apply his policy and analytical skills from Harris to the start-up sector, looking for ways to drive positive change through data and tech solutions.

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Fanmei Xia, MPP'22

New Haven, CT

Fanmei Xia is a PhD student in Sociology at Yale University. Her research focuses on the sociocultural factors shaping reproductive decision-making and fertility intentions. Fanmei employs multi-method approaches in her work, situating individuals in complex social structures and seeking to unravel how policy, gender, culture, and socioeconomic disparities influence and interact with one’s reproduction processes. She also has ongoing work on focusing on education and migration.

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Yunsong Yu, AM'23

St Louis, MO

Yunsong is currently a doctoral student in Finance at the Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to beginning her PhD, she worked as a Data Management Assistant at the United Nations Resident Coordinator Office in Peru. During her postgraduate studies in the MACRM program at the University of Chicago, she served as a research assistant at the Booth School of Business, contributing to projects on venture capital and private equity in emerging markets.

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