Political Science Featured Alumni
Graduates of the Department of Political Science have gone on to pursue meaningful careers across academia, public service, law, international affairs, the private sector, and more. We’re proud to recognize their achievements and the impact they continue to make in the world. This page highlights some recent alumni and their achievements and keeps our community connected beyond the classroom.
Kevin H. Butterfield '22
Director of Community Affairs
Kevin Butterfield is the Director of Community Affairs for Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. The Office of Community Affairs serves as a liaison between Suffolk County residents and the County Executive’s office. “My team and I serve as representatives, on behalf of the County Executive, to community groups, civic organizations, chambers of commerce, and government offices and work to ensure that the County Executive is informed about issues important to the communities these groups represent. The Office of Community Affairs works to establish and strengthen relationships with a broad range of community and business leaders. I graduated in May of 2022 from Stony Brook with a Master of Arts in Public Policy. The program helped me further develop my analysis and problem solving skills to better address the complex issues and challenges we face as a County Government.”
Nic Nogueira '19
Director of Communications and Policy
Nic Nogueira is the Director of Communications & Policy in an Assembly member's office. Some of his responsibilities include reviewing and making recommendations on bill sponsorship requests, tracking the Member's legislation, and developing and maintaining research files. He is also responsible for drafting, editing, and reviewing various types of documents, such as correspondence, press releases, and briefs. “ I shuffled through several majors before coming to SBU, where I originally came in as a Computer Science major. I switched to Journalism and Political Science after taking the School of Journalism's News Literacy course (which I recommend to everyone regardless of their major). From there, I became more obsessed with politics, history and philosophy, and enrolled in the Masters in Public Policy Program in my last year of undergrad. The program has an incredible group of administrators and faculty who helped shape my professional and academic pursuits. I'm in the NYS Assembly today because the Assembly's Graduate Scholar Internship was recommended to me by a professor in 2019. From there, I worked through several roles in the Assembly in Albany until I decided to come back down to Long Island for my new position. The major academic takeaways from the program that I think really prepared me for public service revolved around data analysis and the discussions about the philosophical foundations of public policy and development. The most important thing to remember is to take a critical thinking approach and try not to focus too much on brute-forcing memorization of material. I recommend that anyone who is seeking to pursue a graduate degree in political science take an interest in philosophy and epistemology in general; it was critical for me and helped set my mental foundation and development through my academic, professional and personal life into overdrive!”
John Huttie '17
Manager of Community Affairs
John Huttie is the Manager of Community Affairs for Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. As Manager of Community Affairs, Mr. Huttie briefs, advances, schedules and coordinates events for the County Executive. This would include working collaboratively with his team to coordinate the County Executive's yearly "State of the County" and the annual Suffolk County Marathon.
Dan Palino '16
Process Analyst at GCOM Software
Dan Palino is a Process Analyst at GCOM Software, providing operations support for the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) within the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Recovery Programs. Signed into law as a part of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan of 2021, this program provides capital and technical assistance funding for all states, territories, and tribal governments to develop small business support programs, bolster economic growth, and provide opportunities for socially and economically disadvantaged (SEDI) entrepreneurs. Prior to this position, Dan worked at the Bureau of Labor Statistics as a U.S. Department of Labor contractor, and in the nonprofit sector. Dan graduated from Stony Brook University in 2016 with a Master of Arts in Public Policy (MAPP). “Stony Brook University’s MAPP program was an important launchpad for my career in Washington DC. Much more than just a credential, MAPP provides a practical foundation for understanding policy implementation and public administration, with engaging courses taught by seasoned government professionals," Dan said, regarding the program. "I would recommend the program for any professional seeking to expand their knowledge and skillset within the realm of public policy or those seeking careers in government administration.”
Jennifer Eagen '12
Director of Sales Administration for IVCi LLC
Jennifer Eagen, M.A.P.P., is the Director of Sales Administration for IVCi LLC, a boutique Audio Visual Integration Company, that specializes in Video Conferencing, Unified Communications and Collaboration. Jennifer works very closely with Executive Management, including the COO, CTO, and VP of Sales Enablement to create, assess and enact administrative policy and adoption for the Sales Department at large. She manages daily activities of sales administration and support functions while gathering measurable data including reports, charts, and other statistics to analyze business processes for optimal efficiency. Jennifer graduated from Stony Brook University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and holds a Master of Arts degree in Public Policy from Stony Brook University, cum laude. She has also dedicated efforts to support the Public Policy Department as co-chair of the Stony Brook University Public Policy Alumni Network for many years. In addition to her role at IVCi, she owns a wellness company called Pop Up Prana Yoga, which offers all-inclusive yoga services while hosting events in varied spaces across Long Island. She has married her love of technology to develop and create innovative events and landscapes to promote well-being within the traditional yoga practice. Event offerings range from one-on-one to over 150 students. Her company specializes in teaming up with local small businesses and non-profit organizations to create awareness and recognition surrounding their organization.
Charles Fox Jr. '11
Director of Diversity and Development
Charles Fox is the Director of Diversity & Development for the Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County, Inc. His focus is to ensure that as an organization we are incorporating Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) into the fabric of our mission and our work with clients and in the community. “My education at Stony Brook has been immensely valuable in my career thus far. Having worked in the non-profit field for almost two decades, I’ve been able to bring my policy and political knowledge to my work. Everything I learned in the graduate public policy program (as well as undergraduate poli-sci) has helped me to be able to work collaboratively with colleagues, write convincingly (particularly helpful on grant proposals) and speak with conviction on the issues that are affecting the equitable administration of justice in our country. The public policy program, from a policy/political standpoint taught me how to think critically about public policies, their pros and cons, and how to marry policy with the issues most important to me. This has been an invaluable asset as it has contributed to my ability to work with people of different perspectives and backgrounds with civility. With respect to DEI, navigating difficult conversations, for me, is made easier by my experiences at SBU in engaging with individuals who had a different perspective than I did and today that helps me to deliver information in a way that promotes thought and consideration rather than defensiveness and resentment. When I was taking statistics in graduate school, it was one of my least favorite courses. Now, I deal with data and statistics frequently as I try to connect the dots around disparities in criminal justice related to sentencing, unconscious bias, etc. I am proud to have attended Stony Brook University and will continue to use the skill-set I developed there to positively impact the community through my work.”
Marissa Trachtenberg '07
Director of Risk Management and Policy Compliance
Marrisa Trachtenberg, J.D., is the Associate Director of Policy, Compliance and Presidential Initiatives at Stony Brook University. Ms. Trachtenberg works with the University’s leadership team and provides advice on administrative policy and compliance matters. She also handles sensitive and confidential issues, conducts research on special projects, serves on a number of institutional committees and working groups, as well as coordinates and implements presidential initiatives. Ms. Trachtenberg graduated from Stony Brook University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Sociology, summa cum laude, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Public Policy from Stony Brook University and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from SUNY Buffalo Law School.
Diego Hernandez '23
Ph.D. Student, Stony Brook University
Diego Hernandez joined the MA in Political Science program in Fall of 2022 and graduated in the Spring. Diego’s research interests were in political psychology prior to joining our program; he holds a Master of Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). There he focused on belief in conspiracy theories as they relate to culture and global politics. Diego enjoyed completing the MA in Political Science, political psychology track, and is happy to speak to prospective students about his experience. Getting the MA enabled Diego to move on to doctoral work. In fact, Diego is now a PhD student in Stony Brook’s Department of Political Science.
Shuan Banh '22
After earning his M.A. in Political Science/Political Psychology from Stony Brook University, Shuan served as a San Jose State University lecturer for the Spring 2023 semester in the Political Science department. There, he taught two courses: Intro to Political Psychology and Writing Workshop. Currently, he is enrolled in the Political Science Ph.D. program at Northwestern University where he is in the American Politics field. More specifically, he is interested in political behavior, public opinion, and political psychology, as well as understanding the effects of social identities developed around geography, race, ethnicity, and others.
Alec Ewig '22
Ph.D. Candidate, Columbia University
Alec is currently a Political Science PhD candidate at Columbia University, where he is studying political behavior, political psychology, public opinion, survey research, and quantitative methodology. At Stony Brook, Alec had the opportunity to explore the topic of political psychology in great depth, code in R and Stata, and learn how applied statistical analysis improves our understanding of political behavior. For his Master’s thesis, he conducted a survey experiment of his own design and analyzed novel data, an experience which proved invaluable in preparing him for a PhD program. The connections Alec made with professors and students at the tight-knit Stony Brook community continue to serve him well today.
Rebecca Vogt '22
Senior Recruitment Manager
Rebecca (“Becca”) Vogt is the Senior Recruitment Manager at Immigrant Justice Corps. IJC’s mission is to recruit, train, and populate the immigration field with the highest quality legal advocates to create a new generation of leaders with a lifelong commitment to immigrant justice. As Senior Recruitment Manager, Becca leads strategic design and process for recruitment of IJC Fellows. She is also responsible for training recruitment managers in development and execution of innovative recruitment strategies and activities to engage new fellows in the immigration field to ensure that immigrant communities have access to quality counsel. Becca holds a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from Drury University (2013), a M.S. Ed. in Community and Social Change from University of Miami (2014) and a M.A. in Political Psychology from Stony Brook University (2022).