Alumni Profile: Thomas Whamond, MPP’22

Although Thomas Whamond, MPP’22, grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he spent every summer going to his family’s farm in rural Argentina. “When my great- grandparents came from Europe, they started working the land. So, I developed a natural interest in agriculture,” he said.

Whamond went on to participate in the Youth Committee of the Argentine Rural Society, which develops policies to help the agriculture sector. “I was really interested in having a large impact on the agriculture sector. I thought working for the government would allow me to make the changes I wanted to see,” he said.

While earning a B.S. in Political Science from Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina, Whamond worked as an analyst for the Buenos Aires City Government and subsequently joined Fundación Pensar, a think tank run by the political party Propuesta Republicana (PRO). When PRO’s leader Mauricio Macri won the presidential election, Whamond joined the government, spending the next four years in various governmental roles.

When President Macri lost the 2019 election, Whamond took it in stride. “It was actually the perfect time for me to pause my career and get a degree to advance my quantitative skills.”

The Harris Master of Public Policy, he said, fit his needs. “I wanted a prestigious program where I could improve my quantitative skills and improve my ability to make data-driven policy decisions, and I found professors at Harris who I wouldn’t have found anywhere else.”

Whamond said that one of his favorite classes at Harris was International Trade: Theory, Evidence, and Policy taught by Francisco Espinosa. “My experience with the Argentinian government allowed me to contribute a different approach to some issues because I had experience with what we were talking about. Plus, a lot of other students had experience working in international trade for their governments and brought their perspectives to the table. I appreciate that Harris has students from around the world, especially Latin America, from whom I can learn a lot.”

While Whamond completed his MPP, his wife was also earning her Master of Laws (LLM) at the University of Chicago School of Law. “It was great being together at the University and living in Hyde Park,” he said. “We enjoyed having barbecues on Promontory Point and sharing a common group of University of Chicago friends across different programs.”

The summer after his first year, Whamond interned at the World Bank Agriculture Practice, where he worked on the Sustainable Recovery of Landscapes and Livelihoods Project. “I was able to apply all of the professional and academic skills I learned during my first year at Harris,” Whamond said. “Plus, when I was seeking my internship, Harris’ Career Development Office helped me navigate the networking process as an international student.”

Whamond currently works as a Principal Economist at S&P Global Commodities Insights. “I work on a team that forecasts agricultural commodity markets and prices. We specialize in forecasting long-term supply and demand to provide valuable insights for our clients.” Whamond said the skills he gained at Harris have had a direct impact on his ability to perform at a high level in his new role. “I apply a lot of what I learned in statistics on a daily basis, and the courses I took in R, Stata, and Python have proven to be a great value-add to my toolkit that is playing out in real time.”

For those considering studying at Harris, Whamond said, “Prepare for a rigorous environment, in a good way. Something is happening behind numbers that should be discovered. Harris helps you understand the story behind the numbers—and interpret it in a way that helps you solve problems. The school strikes a unique balance between quantitative analysis and qualitative policy theory that gives you a way to think through issues deeply and investigate potential solutions.”