Harris Names 2025 Alumni Award Winners

Three accomplished alumni of the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy will be recognized Friday, May 2nd at the Alumni Awards Dinner at Chicago Theological Seminary, part of Harris Reunion Weekend 2025. Ethan Bueno de Mesquita, dean and Sydney Stein Professor, and the Harris Alumni Council Awards Chair Heather George, AM'19, will present Ashlee B. Gabrysch, AB'07 MPP’13, with the CC DuBois Alumni Service Award; John Peller, MPP’00, with the Career Achievement Award; and Roberto Velasco Álvarez , MPP’17, with the Rising Star Award.

CC Dubois Alumni Service Award

Ashlee B. Gabrysch, AB'07 MPP’13

This distinction is awarded to an alumnus who has demonstrated a strong commitment to the school through their service and work to enhance the life of students, fellow alumni, and the welfare of the school, and it is named for the late Cynthia “CC” DuBois, MPP’10. For more information about CC DuBois and the legacy she leaves behind, click here. 

Ashlee B. Gabrysch is a Director and the Midwest Regional Manager in Fitch Rating’s U.S. Public Finance Local Government Team. In this role, Ashlee rates the credit of municipal issuers, publishes associated research and manages a team of analysts covering cities, counties, and K-12 public school districts in the Midwest region. She serves as the Global Chair for the Fitch Women’s Network employee resource group, with over 1,000 members worldwide. She is currently the Vice President of the Chicago Chapter of Women in Public Finance and on the board of directors for the Chicago Summer Business Institute. She received her B.A. with honors in Interdisciplinary Slavic Studies from the College as well as Master of Public Policy degree from the Harris School of Public Policy. In 2023, Ashlee was named a Rising Star by the dominant municipal finance industry publication, the Bond Buyer. Prior to Fitch, Ashlee worked for the State of Illinois, Cook County and the City of Chicago.

Rising Star Award

Roberto Velasco Álvarez, MPP’17

The Rising Star Award acknowledges a recent alumnus (within 15 years of graduation) who distinguished themselves early in their career, creating a positive impact in the execution of public policy.

Roberto Velasco Álvarez holds a Master's degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago. In 2013, he graduated with a law degree from the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. Since June 2020, Roberto Velasco has coordinated North American policy at Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE), leading multiple high-level bilateral and trilateral negotiations on security, human mobility, economy, border, and water, among others. Between December 2018 and May 2020, he served as Director General for Public Affairs at the SRE.

While in Chicago, he was editor-in-chief of the Chicago Policy Review, a magazine published by students at University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy and collaborated in the office of the city's mayor. Velasco Álvarez also has extensive experience in federal, state and local government in Mexico, including positions in the Mexico City Legislative Assembly, the Miguel Hidalgo delegation, and Mexico’s Ministry of Economy.

Additionally, he has held several party positions since 2006, always in support of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's political movement. He now works with Mexico’s first female President, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo.

Career Achievement Award

John Peller, MPP’08

The Career Achievement Award is presented to an alumnus who has served as a significant leader in the public, private, or nonprofit sector, creating meaningful positive change within their institution and society.

An innovative national and local leader in the HIV/AIDS field, John has served as AIDS Foundation Chicago’s President and CEO since 2014.  He previously led AFC’s advocacy and policy work at the city, state and national levels as vice president of policy. Peller is an accomplished nonprofit leader with particular expertise in policy, advocacy, programs, board development, grant management and operations.

At AFC, John is credited with launching and co-leading the Getting to Zero Illinois strategy, which aims to end the HIV epidemic in the state by 2030. Since becoming CEO, John has led development of three strategic plans and AFC’s first racial equity plan, which together drive the organization’s growth and expand AFC’s impact. Today, AFC improves the lives of over 8,000 people living with HIV a year through case management and provides housing to over 1,100 people living with HIV annually.

John started at AFC in 2005 as AFC’s state lobbyist. He worked in Springfield to enact sound HIV/AIDS public policy, defend the rights of people with HIV/AIDS, and advocate for increased services and prevention for people living and at risk for HIV/AIDS. 

Before coming to AFC, John worked at the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center, National Association of State Medicaid Directors, and American Public Human Services Association. He has a Bachelor’s degree from the Johns Hopkins University and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago. John was born and raised in New York City, and lives in Chicago with his husband, David Jablonowski and rescue dog Penny.