MIIS@work

Four Middlebury Institute graduates received the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Graduate Fellowship Program (NGFP) award this year, which includes the offer of full-time, one-year salaried positions with the NNSA beginning this summer. Ryan Genzoli, Anthony Musa, Kyle Pilutti, and Thais Ramo, all MANPTS ’17, each received the fellowship award, which promises specialized, on-the-job training and the chance to tackle real-world challenges in one of the agency’s program offices, not to mention a head start on future career opportunities within the agency.

“The fellowship is the perfect springboard for what I want to do in my career,” said Pilutti. “I hope to work on US nuclear nonproliferation policy or diplomacy and starting off in a federal policy position will be a great way for me to become familiar with that world.”

In a typical year, one to three Institute graduates receive the NGFP award; four is the highest number of awards the school’s graduates have received since 2011. This year’s cohort heard about the fellowships in a variety of ways. “I found out about the NNSA Graduate Fellowship through the Middlebury in DC Mentorship Program,” says Ramo, “where I was paired with a foreign affairs specialist at the NNSA who told me about the fellowship and encouraged me to apply.” Pilutti had two friends who are currently NGFP fellows and said faculty members at MIIS also recommended it as a potential next step.

The NNSA fellows program has often been a launching pad for careers in nuclear security. The agency considers the program an “integral” element of its recruitment efforts, noting that fellows benefit from hands-on experience for a full year while “NNSA gets the opportunity to benefit from their skills and ideas… Many former NNSA NGFP students have made, and continue to make, tremendous contributions across the Nuclear Security Enterprise by joining the NNSA team, labs, and other government organizations.”

“I hope to be exposed to many different policy areas regarding nuclear security and nonproliferation as well as learn new technical skills,” said Ramo. “In the future, I would love to apply my legal background to nonproliferation and nuclear issues.” 

Genzoli, Pilutti, and Ramo are expected to start their positions at NNSA in July. Musa has declined the fellowship offer in order to accept a position in the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Last fall NNSA graduate fellow and recent alumna Ruby Russell MANPTS ’16 was profiled on the agency’s website, as noted in a recent news story.

Alumnus Clint Watts MAIPS '05 knows a thing or two about Russia's attempts to disrupt the political process in the United States. A U.S. Army veteran whose résumé includes service as an FBI special agent on a Joint Terrorism Task Force and as the executive officer of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, Watts appeared before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in March, where he testified that the Russian regime has in many respects taken the old Soviet active measures strategy and tactics and applied them to the digital age. Watts, currently the Robert A. Fox Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Insitute (FPRI), spoke with us from his home in New Jersey.

Why are Russians doing this and what is their end goal?

First, it is important to note that this is not just about us. The Russians have been using these tactics in connection with other elections, such as the Brexit vote and the recent elections in France and Germany. The main goal is to undermine democracy and erode confidence in institutions in the West. Russian security interests are to break up and weaken alliances that challenge their foreign policy. Breaking alliances, NATO, the EU, is in Russia’s interest. They can envision going up against countries militarily, economically or diplomatically on a one-to-one basis, but strong alliances between democracies pose a challenge. The fact that their actions in Ukraine and Syria have not been met with any consequences has emboldened them to act more aggressively. The ultimate objective is to destroy democracies from the inside out, to discredit elected officials and shape opinions. Here in the U.S. it began as an effort to make sure Hillary Clinton, a long time opponent of Russia, did not get elected and then when Trump became the nominee for the Republican Party, they shifted their support to his campaign. The idea in each of these information campaigns is to sow confusion inside Russia’s enemies so that they are fighting amongst themselves. It worked so well that we are still fighting amongst ourselves a year later.

Did the Trump campaign play into Russian hands?

Our political system with its two parties makes us especially vulnerable to this sort of action. These tactics can really bring forward political, social and economic divisions. At times, the Trump campaign amplified the effectiveness of Russian Active Measures by discussing hacked materials or repeating Russian narratives regarding voter fraud and election rigging. The important thing to keep in mind here is that this is by and large an opportunistic strategy. It is not all about Trump. The Russians will amplify anything that is anti-government, anti-immigration, anti-establishment and use it to their advantage.

When you told the Senate Intelligence Committee to follow “the trail of dead bodies” as part of the Russia investigation, what did you mean? 

My response was meant to point out a pattern that is worth looking into. It is a good idea to follow the money during any investigation, but in this case there is also a trail of dead bodies. Over the last year or two there has been an incredible number of deaths of people who are potentially tied to this investigation. Russian intelligence officers, diplomats, – a string of senior Russian officials who are dropping dead, even in Western countries. Some of them have died from natural causes, but other deaths are suspicious. These are people who could have provided information in the investigations, possible sources.

What can we do about this?

There is a lot we can do and could be doing but we are not doing it. We could have official responses to fake news, connect hacking with the goals of hackers so that we can anticipate how they intend to use this information, educate private businesses, and work with media companies and social media providers. What if mainstream media did not share ill begotten information such as Wikileaks publishes? Then the story would die quickly. This has to be a whole of government approach but at this point it is not clear at all if there is an appetite for that in the current administration.  

This interview was published in the Fall 2017 Communiqué. 

“Don’t ask me what I am doing,” says Maame Afon Yelbert-Sai MAIPS ’05, “ask me what I am being. I am a human being, not a human doing.” Yelbert-Sai directs programs and partnerships for Moremi Initiative for Women’s Leadership in Africa, sits on the board of the African Women’s Development Fund – USA, We Care Solar, Ghana Bamboo Bikes, Cocoa 360, and provides support to many other organizations. A mentor, mother of three, wife and musician, she is passionate about being what she calls a “whole woman” – bringing all of who she is to everything she does.

Finding my voice

In 2009, I was working at the Global Fund for Women in San Francisco, my first job in the field after graduating from the Institute, when I was invited to participate in the “Women Leaders for the World” leadership program in Santa Clara. At the time I had three young kids—twin girls and a son, and was still learning the ropes of motherhood, of being a wife. As part of the leadership program I was asked to think about my passions and my voice. I realized that I had been putting my life into silos, and bringing only a part of me to my different roles. As I went through the program I got more clarity on this. The capstone was to come up with a project that would make a difference for women in leadership.

Bringing it all together

My hope is that when I show up, what people see is the complete picture of who I am. You will find that when you show up in your fullness, you open up to new experiences. What does this mean in real life? Three things stick out. First, you do the things you love with passion. Secondly, find your calling. Ask yourself, why are you here? Live your life with purpose. And thirdly, look at what your experiences have equipped you to do.

Starting with yourself

What you should know about me is that I am proudly African, unapologetically feminist and boldly Christian. Leadership is at its roots for me simple—it starts with self-understanding. Why are you taking up real estate on this earth? If you do not know that, you cannot lead anyone. In the end when you embrace bringing all of who you are to everything you do, you thrive and others around you also thrive because your experiences become useful and serve a higher purpose.

Making music

Bringing my voice through music and humor into my work has opened new dimensions. When music shows up, there is a shift in the atmosphere. It can bring out emotions, become a rallying cry and catalyst for change. I am blessed to be able to team up with my husband to create and share wholesome music that inspires and uplifts. Showing up in the fullness of who you are gives you the freedom, joy and liberty to embrace different ideas. 

Paying it forward

Mentorship is also a big part of me. My work and mentoring relationship with MasterCard Foundation Scholars and MILEAD Fellows is vital to me. I learned a lot about mentoring and supporting others from my mother. She raised us as a single mom in Ghana for most of my life, but she also took care of everyone else, a true matriarch. She was so resourceful and visionary in her thinking. One of her best qualities was her ability to call out the good and see the “gold” in people. When I was growing up she kept helping a man in our neighborhood whom most people had written off. I never understood why. With her coaching, mentoring and persistence, today this man is a successful business owner. Lesson—look beyond what you cannot see yet. That for me is bold and visionary leadership! I choose to show up guided by my purpose and calling to “inspire and support young leaders, especially African women and girls to enjoy a fulfilling leadership experience.”

Finding forgiveness

After my mother passed in 2013, I made a deliberate decision to reconnect and invest in my relationship with my dad. The decision and process taught me a lot about forgiveness, and made me a better Christian, leader and parent. I continue to learn a lot about myself as I learn more about my dad—my love for music; my faith in God; some of my leadership qualities; my love for sports and languages; and some of my personal attributes. As you grow older you understand what is important in life. In August 2016, my father passed away. I am thankful for the peace and closure I feel, especially knowing that I received my father’s blessings as he would always speak them over and into my life. 

Picking battles

As a leader it is important to give yourself time to rest and reflect – and sometimes that means saying no. Learn to win wars and lose battles. Keep your eye on the big picture and preserve your energy for what really matters! 

Being bold and daring

Be bold, daring and intentional about the choices you make. Recognize that your leadership is a journey and process that continues to be refined as you go through life. 

Yelbert-Sai was featured in the Fall 2017 Communiqué alumni newsletter.

Urbavore is an ag-tech startup that aims to market low-cost, highly efficient home garden systems that are designed to both improve food security and reduce the environmental impact of food production. Middlebury Institute alumni Kenji Tabery MAIEP ’16, Janna Ratzlaff MAIEP ’15, Hesham AlSaati MBA/MAIEP ’17, and Flynn Pollard MPA/MAIEP ’17 are the team behind Urbavore. Tabery recently spent a few minutes filling us in on the group’s fascinating venture. [This story is being republished from the recent winter issue of Communiqué.]

How quickly did the team realize that your class project might have a life beyond the classroom?

The focus of the class where Urbavore started was water conservation. Given that growing one tomato requires 3.3 gallons of water, and that California grows on average 90 percent of all U.S. staple fruits and vegetables—and recently experienced a major drought—we knew from the start that if we could figure out even one small solution to current cultivation methods, it could potentially have a huge impact.

As far as validating our business concept, the big milestone was the Ag Tech Summit in Salinas in spring 2016. The Salinas Valley is known as the “Salad Bowl of the World” and the Ag Tech summit gathers farmers and growers, agricultural specialists, non-profits, and everyone else in the ag landscape. We presented our concept to a group of 40 people and a panel of six judges, and were awarded Best Startup Idea of the conference.

Were there particular resources here at the Institute that you found especially helpful when you were first getting started?

Professor Jeff Langholz helped create a platform for students to launch and validate their ideas, and also encouraged students to pitch at the Monterey Bay Startup Competition, where we made it to the semifinal round. Those were critical first steps for refining our concept and assessing its viability and feasibility. We also had professors in different departments providing ad hoc advice and suggestions; having those experts and practitioners in the room giving us an hour of their time was invaluable at the onset. The staff at the Center for Social Impact Learning were also great cheerleaders and supporters.

Were there any particular keys to your success in moving the idea forward after graduation?

The biggest thing was communication. Once we’d all committed to keeping the project moving forward, we set up a virtual collaboration channel on Slack, which simplified the communication flow and helped us organize and collect those thoughts. We also tackled important conversations about decision-making up front that helped keep everyone on board and focused on reaching our goals every month.

As a startup enterprise, what do you feel like your biggest obstacles have been?

One is physical proximity—we’re now predominantly a virtual team, with two of us located here in the Monterey Bay/Santa Cruz area and the others remote. It presents inherent challenges, but also opportunities in the sense that it helps us in tackling another challenge—the need to expand our networks beyond the Monterey area.

The biggest barrier is financing. Some startup ideas, like software, have very low capital costs, but we’re a hardware startup. We were fortunate to be able to connect with folks at UCSC and we keep looking for those opportunities to fuel our operational growth as we move forward.

What are your goals for Urbavore for the next two years?

Part of the UCSC partnership is to beta-test our prototype system at two food access sites on that campus this year to be a consistent resource for students on food stamps. 

After we test these prototypes in the field, we’ll assess and make adjustments to the prototype by next spring and summer and hopefully launch a one-year pilot project either with UCSC or with the Food Bank for Monterey County. If the pilot is successful there, the Food Bank of Monterey County is part of a national network of food banks across the country called Feeding America where we hope to expand our services and impact.

In the meantime, we’ve been accepted into the Santa Cruz Works accelerator program, which is a six-month program for new tech startups that provides financing, executive mentorship, networking opportunities with investors and leaders in the field, and will help recalibrate our organizational business plan as we move forward. It’s another exciting step forward for us.

As we look forward to the new year, we also celebrate the achievements and major institutional stories of 2017. These stories are not intended to be all-inclusive, but rather to offer a brief glimpse of the Middlebury Institute‘s unique community and character.

All Eyes on North Korea

The world turns to the experts at the Institute's James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies to better understand the progress and capabilities of North Korea's nuclear weapons program

Professor Ed Laurance Reflects on 25 Years at the Institute

After a quarter century on the Institute faculty, Professor Ed Laurance retired from teaching this December. 

A Spring Commencement to Remember

“We don’t all need to be full time activists, but we all need to be active,” Spring Commencement speaker Bill McKibben told 287 Middlebury Institute graduates from 31 countries. 

Students Win Two of Six Student Prizes in UN Translation Contest

Students from the Middlebury Institute were awarded one third of the six available student prizes in the United Nations’ 12th annual St. Jerome Translation Contest. 

Syrian Student Wants to Help Her Homeland

Lama Ranjous says being a student at the Middlebury Institute has helped her gain a better understanding of the conflict in her homeland of Syria and focused her dreams for the future.