Five New Members Selected for AU Alumni Board

The AU Alumni Board is proud to introduce its newest crop of at-large members.  These five alumni bring even more diversity to an already dynamic board.  Board representation encompasses all five schools and colleges, five decades of graduating classes, and eight states, plus the District of Columbia.

The new members will join the existing board, consisting of president Erin Fuller, SPA/BA '93, SPA/MPA '94, vice president Chip Griffin, SPA/BA '94, secretary Sandra Walter-Steinberg, KSB/BSBA '86, past president Brian Keane, SPA/BA '89, and at-large members Jean Accius II, SPA/PhD '08, Andrea Agathoklis, SPA/BA '98 (re-elected for another two-year term), Ed Faberman, SPA/BA '67 (re-elected for another two-year term), Krassi Genov, SOC/BA '96 (re-elected for another two-year term), Z. Selin Hur, SIS-CAS/BA '94 (re-elected for another two-year term), Bailey Kahn, SPA/BA '05 (re-elected for another two-year term), Jerry Malitz, CAS/BA '72, Judy Meritz, SPA/BA '73, Christopher Mohart, SPA/BA '99, Boots Nissenbaum, KSB/BS '68, Larry Pockers, SPA/BS '96, and Joe Vidulich, SPA/BA '08.

Without further ado, it is our pleasure to introduce your new Alumni Board members.

Andrew Block, SPA/BA '03, is the executive vice president of the Harry Walker Agency, a speakers' agency based out of New York.  Prior to joining the agency in 2005, Andrew was deputy director of advance for the Kerry/Edwards for President campaign.  A native Clevelander and current New York City resident, Andrew lives with his wife Carrie and continues to dream that one day his beloved Cleveland Browns will win the Super Bowl.

Robert Johnson, SPA/BS '81, is assistant chief attorney with Exxon Mobil Corporation in Houston, Tex.  His responsibilities include providing legal advice to production company clients operating in the United States and West Africa.  Robert serves on the advisory board of the Center for American and International Law's institute for Energy Law in Plano, Tex.  He received his JD from Georgetown University and enjoys spending time with his wife and two sons.

Amy Jones, SPA/BA '99, WCL/JD '03, is education policy counsel and senior advisor for the Committee on Education and the Workforce in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she is an expert in higher education policy.  Prior to this position, Amy was an attorney at Dean Blakey, a boutique law firm specializing in higher education and student loan policy, and she worked in the Office of Postsecondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education.  She also spent three years as an adjunct legal writing professor at the Washington College of Law.  An Alexandria, Va. resident, she enjoys reading, skiing, and spending time with friends and family in her free time.

J. Travis Lay, KSB/BSBA '08, implements financial management tools as a financial consultant and CPA candidate at SC&H Group.  Previously, he worked with children in a high functioning autism program and played professional basketball for two years, with stints in England and Australia.  An an undergraduate at AU, he captained the men's basketball team to its first ever NCAA basketball tournament in 2008 and graduated Magna Cum Laude.

Lisa Rosenthal, SPA-CAS/BA '97, KSB/MBA '01, co-founded her own consulting company, The Mayvin Consulting Group, Inc., in 2008.  The firm provides project management support services through the Department of Defense.  Prior to this, she worked extensively throughout the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy.  A Virginia resident, she is active in various charities throughout the area.

Rayneisha Watson, KSB/MBA '08, is currently providing healthcare and strategy consulting services on behalf of Deloitte Consulting Firm.  Prior to Deloitte, Rayneisha worked with a smaller consulting firm providing strategic services to government, military, and commercial clients, specifically in the areas of strategy, human capital, and technological studies.  Rayneisha also worked five years in the scientific industry where she managed a scientific laboratory, and she has also worked as a researcher in the areas of cancer, cardiovascular, and molecular studies.