Latest news from the American Foundation

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.

Sam Miles is an expert in decarbonized energy solutions, with experience working, writing, and teaching in more than 30 countries. He is a graduate of Sciences Po’s Masters degree in International Energy and a 2011 recipient of the Michel David-Weill Scholarship. In this interview he discusses his time at Sciences Po and provides advice to recent graduates.

We spoke with Adam Romanov, vice president of the Global RE Group. A native of Toronto, he studied at Sciences Po during a year on exchange. In this interview he discusses his time in Paris, reflects on a career that has allowed him to explore different fields, and offers advice to Sciences Po students.

December marked 20 years at the Hudson Institute for its president and CEO, Ken Weinstein. To celebrate, the Washington-based think tank sent out a newsletter highlighting his accomplishments, featuring photos of Weinstein with top American and foreign government officials—Henry Kissinger, Nicolas Sarkozy, and Shinzo Abe, among others.

For much of her time in academia and the workforce, Ariane Ville has been at the intersection of contrasting fields.

When Scott Wilson matriculated into the joint LLM program between Columbia University and Sciences Po he had a clear idea of what he wanted to do. Even as an undergraduate at Harvard, he was an aspiring lawyer with an eye toward working internationally.

After graduating from a Sciences Po dual degree, Noelle Pourrat joined the Carnegie Corporation of New York as a program analyst in the international peace and security program. In this interview, she shares her memories of Sciences Po and Paris, insight into her work in international security, and her passion for dialogue across differences.

Sciences Po is a wonderful school and offers a tremendous network of alumni. Use the 3A year, Master’s years or a gap year to study or work abroad, join the alumni network after you graduate, and keep in touch with one another. I have made some of my greatest friends and some of my greatest work connection thanks to Sciences Po.