George Mason The Pulse

ALUMNI NEWS

ALUM JASON SMART IS A WELCOME GUEST IN UKRAINIAN MEDIA—NOT SO IN MUCH IN RUSSIA I t’s not every day you meet someone who is officially persona non grata in Russia, but that’s the case for Schar School 2007 graduate Jason Jay Smart . In 2009, as a recently minted 24-year-old George Mason graduate working for the International Republican Institute (IRI), a U.S.-financed nonprofit promoting democracy, Smart found his visa to Russia declined (most likely because the IRI’s chairman was U.S. Senator John McCain). The lifetime banishment from Russia hasn’t slowed down him down. He is a Kyiv-based consultant on international relations, national security, and politics in which he helps clients navigate particularly treacherous and difficult negotiations across the post-Soviet space and Latin America. At George Mason, Smart was a double major, in government and international politics at the Schar School and Russian studies in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences; he also earned a doctorate from Moldova State University in Chișinǎu (’19). “I’m probably the most televised American in Ukraine,” he said of his popularity in Ukrainian media. “Last year, I probably gave 300, 400 television interviews there. I published more than 300 articles in English, and more in Russian and Ukrainian.” The high media exposure, he said with a laugh, “doesn’t necessarily mean I’m really good at it. It’s just there’s not a lot of other people who feel comfortable in four languages to go on TV or up on a stage to discuss geopolitics with somebody—but I do.” —Buzz McClain

ALUM BILAL WAHAB NAMED PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF IRAQ, SULAIMANI B ilal Wahab , a 2015 graduate of the Schar School’s PhD program, is the president of the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS). The not-for-profit university, founded in 2007, is among the top-ranked private universities in the Kurdistan region. Wahab took the reins this spring of the 1,400-student campus from AUIS president Bruce Walker Ferguson, who announced his departure in July. The school teaches primarily in English and focuses on liberal arts, critical thinking, and leadership skills in graduate and undergraduate studies. “I am equally honored and humbled,” Wahab said of the AUIS board of trustees’ unanimous vote for his appointment. As a AUIS faculty member from 2012 to 2016, Wahab taught courses on the petroleum industry, public policy, and international politics and founded the school’s Center for the Development of Natural Resources. His Schar School dissertation focused on oil federalism in Iraq. “It is my sincere and heartfelt thanks for the unwavering support extended to me by the Schar School and the many scholars I studied under,” he said after his appointment. “It has been a journey, but here I am, embarking on a new personal and professional chapter.” —Buzz McClain

GRADUATE STUDENT REAPS REWARDS OF GLOBAL COMMERCE AND POLICY PROGRAM A fter taking international studies as an undergraduate, Amber Pittman didn’t immediately pursue a graduate degree. She soon realized that without additional education, finding a fulfilling job might prove elusive. She explored graduate programs near her hometown of Woodbridge, Virginia, and decided on the Master of Global Commerce and Policy Program at the Schar School. “George Mason is right here in the area and the program seemed to be a perfect fusion of everything I wanted to learn about,” she said. One area Pittman knew she needed to investigate further was the economics portion of the program, she admits, initially not her favorite.

“I was willing to explore that a little bit more and I’m really proud that I did,” she said. “I enjoy it more than I thought I would.”

“ “I joined this program because I wanted to know what I didn’t know. I can’t imagine spending my time any other way at this point.” Pittman attributes her enjoyment of all of her courses to her professors, who make sure students truly understand the concepts they teach. She also took advantage of networking opportunities available. She attended numerous events and worked with the Career Development Office to polish her resume and interview skills. That, combined with recommendations from her professors, enabled her to secure an internship with the Federal Reserve Board. With one year of graduate school in the books, Pittman feels confident in her decision to enroll in the Global Commerce and Policy program. “I joined this program because I wanted to know what I didn’t know,” she said. “I can’t imagine spending my time any other way at this point.” —Erin Egan

BILAL WAHAB

DAVID HART BECOMES SENIOR FELLOW AT COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS P rofessor David M. Hart has been appointed Senior Fellow for Climate and Energy at the Council on Foreign Relations. He will enhance research and outreach in CFR’s Energy Security and Climate Change Program and collaborate with Senior Fellow Varun Sivaram on a new climate change initiative. Hart will leverage his extensive research on clean energy and climate-tech innovation policy to explore the relationship between trade policy and climate change, as well as promote the global adoption of emerging technologies. —Schar School Staff

JASON JAY SMART

22 | The Pulse Winter 2024

The Pulse Winter 2024 | 23