Latest news from the American Foundation

Alexandre Chenesseau is a Managing Director at Evercore in New York, working in global mergers and acquisitions advisory, and a graduate of Sciences Po’s Master in Finance and Strategy. He describes having always wanting to pursue diverse fields early on in his life, including foreign affairs, diplomacy, and even journalism, for which he thought “Sciences Po was a pretty obvious choice.”

The Universities of Sciences Po, Princeton and Columbia are launching a major three-year research project on Muslim communities in India thanks to the generous support of the Henry Luce Foundation. The resulting research will offer new analysis and insights into the challenges faced by Muslim communities in India today.

Kayvan Noroozi is a trial lawyer based out of California, who spent an undergraduate year abroad studying at Sciences Po. For Noroozi, the time he spent at Sciences Po helped him develop a wide range of friendships and an international perspective, a valuable asset in his work in high stakes commercial litigation focusing on intellectual property. He remembers his year at Sciences Po as “one of [his] best years,” and has “nothing but positive memories.”

Krystal Wilson Azelton is a Director of Space Applications Programs at Secure World Foundation, an organization working internationally towards secure, sustainable, and peaceful uses of outer space.

Jennifer Famery-Mariani is an independent curator and the founder of Tribeca Art+Culture Night. Her career has spanned both the public and private sectors in Paris and New York. She believes that through Sciences Po, she was granted the exposure to different points of view, different student profiles, and different themes that prepared her to successfully navigate the professional world.

Michael Strauss became the General Counsel at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development at the beginning of 2020. He studied at Sciences Po in 1998 on an exchange program from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy and found that his time at Sciences Po prepared him well for his career in many ways.

Arnaud Tesson is a Sciences Po alumnus, who studied Economy and Finance, and the U.S. Asset Management Practice Leader at executive search firm Egon Zehnder.

The Sciences Po American Foundation welcomed alumna Camille François, in conversation with William G. Howell and alumna Delphine Halgand, to discuss disinformation and misinformation in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election.

The Sciences Po American Foundation welcomed Anastasia Colosimo, in conversation with Adam Gopnik, for a discussion on religion and democracy.

Up until September 2020, Anne-Claire Legendre served as the Consul General of France in the United States, tending to French citizens and promoting French influence abroad. Meeting with the Sciences Po American Foundation in New York, she explained that her education at Sciences Po gave her the skills she needed to become a diplomat.

The Sciences Po American Foundation welcomed alumna Maëlle Gavet, in conversation with Christophe Duthoit, for “The New Cold War is Coming – the Internet is the Battlefield,” the third installment of the Alumni Webinar Series. Hubert Joly, senior lecturer at the Harvard Business School and the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Best Buy Co., Inc concluded the session.

Hannah Cooper is the CEO & Co-Founder of Cooper/Smith, a professional services firm that uses data to improve global health and development programs, and a graduate of Sciences Po. She credits Sciences Po in her approach to problem solving that has served her throughout her multidimensional career.

Maud Leclair is a research assistant in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s department of Asian Art. Thanks to Sciences Po, she says, she gained the pragmatic and professional skills that give her confidence in her ability to one day take the helm of a cultural institution.

The Sciences Po American Foundation welcomed alumnus Mike Schmuhl, in conversation with Célia Belin, for “Behind the Scenes of the 2020 Presidential Campaign,” the second installment of the Alumni Webinar Series. Mike Schmuhl is a Director at Heartland Ventures, where he works on brand development and investor relations.

Michael Allegretti is the Chief Strategy Officer at Rubicon, a software company using technology to drive environmental innovation. Throughout his multi-faceted career in policy, he has concentrated on leadership and problem solving, and attributes his interests partly to his time at Sciences Po. “Sciences Po taught me that focus: how do you lead, whether it's the highest level of the French Presidency down to Parliament or city governments, in a way that solves problems for people?” Allegretti says. “That is ultimately what I believe good public policy is about, solving problems in a cost effective and fair way.”

Thierry Bernard is the CEO of QIAGEN, a life science and molecular diagnostic company currently at work producing COVID-19 tests. Bernard says that his entry into the healthcare industry was “purely coincidence,” but he has excelled thanks to “the mindset that Sciences Po gives you to always try to go the extra mile.”

On August 5, the Sciences Po American Foundation hosted the first installment of the Alumni Webinar Series, US-China Economic & Trade Relationship: An insight from Jamieson Greer in conversation with Emily de la Bruyère.

Evan Epstein is an expert in corporate governance, a field he describes as “like peeling an onion, once you get into this, there are all of these different layers that you have to dig into.” It is clear that Epstein’s journey has also been multilayered, and that his semester studying abroad at Sciences Po was just one of the many experiences that he has fully dug into.

We spoke with Abby Butkus, Program Manager at Catalyst Fund. Abby got her Master’s degree at Sciences Po before working in Rwanda and now in the United States. In this interview, Abby discusses her current career in fintech and her advice for connecting to the Sciences Po network.

Pauline Vermare, the Cultural Director for Magnum Photos New York, believes that “it's thanks to Sciences Po that I am what I am now.” After graduating with a Master of International Relations, Vermare embarked on a transatlantic career in photography and remains extremely thankful for what she received from Sciences Po.

We spoke with Benoist de Vimal, director at the Natixis New York branch. Benoist studied at Sciences Po and for his investment banking expertise in the aviation industry, was named in Airline Economics' 40 under 40 2019 list.

Delphine Halgand is the Executive Director of The Signals Network, a French American nonprofit “focusing on providing support to whistleblowers who have shared major information with the press.”

When he picks up the phone to discuss his time at Sciences Po, Larry M. Loeb is careful to clarify that he was a study abroad student, not a graduate of the school. Still, it is immediately clear that his year in Paris was a life-changing experience.

Nathalie Broadhurst’s resume checks all the boxes for a high level French diplomat. The current chargée d’affaires at the French embassy in Washington has also held postings at the embassy in Beijing and the Quai d’Orsay and worked on, among other things, international development, EU relations, and UN affairs.