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We wanted to let you know about a program happening tomorrow that may be of interest to you, titled Life After Politics (November 4 at noon, Student Health and Wellness Center Room 100A). A partnership between the UVA Career Center and the Politics Department, this event is a great opportunity to hear from some stellar UVA alumni about the variety of pathways that exists in public service and government, and the different ways that the Department of Politics can help you prepare for your career journey. Take a quick look at our panelists below:

• Jerry Rubin, Senior Counsel, Williams Kastner & Gibbs
• David Mrazik, Founder & Managing Partner of Merchant Investment Management
• Cameron Kilberg, Head of Government Relations and Legal Affairs at Swimply
• Sheryl Stolberg, Washington Correspondent, The New York Times 
• Ryan Anderson, MD, MPP, FACP, Vice President of Clinical Care Transformation for MedStar Health
• (Moderator), Jayme Swain, President & CEO of VPM and the Virginia Foundation for Public Media

This is a wonderful opportunity for upperclassmen to do some networking and for 1st and 2nd years to learn about potential major/career options.

There will also be free pizza so if you need something for lunch, swing on by! You do not need to attend the whole event, but if you are planning to swing by please register on Handshake.”

Schedule

April 30, 2021
1:00 - 3:00pm EDT on Zoom
Download the flyer

1:00 - 2:00 Alumni Panel

• Charlotte Suka, Foreign Affairs Officer--Bureau of South Central Asia Affairs, Office of Afghanistan Affairs
• Gabriel Noronha, Executive Director for two foreign policy initiatives based in Washington
• Virginia Chambers, Digital Assistant--Michigan Senate Democratic Caucus
• Michael Bluestein, Managing Partner--Grindstone Partners

2:00 - 3:00 Flash Mentoring

Life After Politics is sponsored by the Department of Politics Alumni Advisory Board and the UVa Career Center

Click here for more information and to register

Jason Steinbaum, Democratic Staff Director, House Of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs

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Jason Steinbaum serves as Democratic Staff Director of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Previously, he was Staff Director for the majority and minority of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere from 2006-2012. He has also served as Washington Chief of Staff and Legislative Director for Rep. Eliot L. Engel (D-NY), the Ranking Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. In the early 1990’s, Mr. Steinbaum worked for Senator Donald Riegle (D-MI), having served as his Legislative Assistant for foreign affairs and defense.

During his career in Congress, Mr. Steinbaum wrote the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003 and the law providing normal trade relations with Albania, has been a leader on policy toward the Balkans, and has monitored elections in numerous countries.

Mr. Steinbaum received a law degree and a Master’s in law and international affairs in 1993 from The American University in Washington, DC. He graduated with distinction from the University of Virginia in 1988. Mr. Steinbaum is a member of the bars of the States of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He and his family live in Northern Virginia.

David M. Mrazik, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Merchant

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David is a Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Merchant, a private partnership providing growth capital, management resources, strategic opportunities and direction to independent financial services companies, particularly those focused on wealth and asset management.  David leads a variety of Merchant’s strategic and financial initiatives, including mergers and acquisitions, structuring, transaction execution and risk management infrastructures.

Prior to Merchant, David was Managing Partner of MarketCounsel and the Hamburger Law Firm, a boutique consulting firm and law practice specializing in helping financial advisors transition to independence.  Previously, David served as Managing Director and General Counsel at Focus Financial Partners, LLC, a leading international partnership of independent wealth management firms.  In this role, David oversaw all of the company’s mergers and acquisitions, implemented risk management infrastructures and worked on the company’s inbound private equity investments and credit facilities.  David previously practiced as a corporate attorney at Willkie, Farr & Gallagher LLP and Vinson & Elkins LLP, specializing in mergers and acquisitions, private equity, venture capital and capital markets.

David holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. with High Distinction from the Distinguished Majors Program in Government and Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia.  In addition to being a member of the Benefactors Society Board, David is an active member of the Department of Politics Alumni Advisory Board, the Virginia Athletics Foundation and the UVA Club of Fairfield/Westchester.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times Congressional Correspondent

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Sheryl Gay Stolberg is a congressional correspondent. In 21 years at The Times, she has been a science correspondent, national correspondent, political features reporter and White House correspondent. Previously, at The Los Angeles Times, she shared in two Pulitzer Prizes won by that newspaper’s Metro staff.

Liz Thomas, Legislative Director for Congressman Andy Barr

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Liz Thomas is the legislative director for Congressman Andy Barr (R-KY) and where she manages the Congressman's policy operations and oversees the tax, trade, labor, and healthcare portfolios.

Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Liz graduated from the University of Virginia's Frank Batten School of Public Policy in 2015 with a Master's Degree in Public Policy and also earned a Bachelor of Arts in Government from UVA in 2014 as a Jefferson Scholar. At the University of Virginia, Liz served as president of UVA’s chapter of College Republicans and was elected a vice chairman to the College Republican National Committee in 2014.

Prior to assuming her role on Capitol Hill, Liz worked as an economic policy research associate at the American Enterprise Institute, focusing on health and labor economics. She also served as a policy contributor to Jeb Bush’s 2016 presidential campaign and Ed Gillespie's 2017 gubernatorial race.

Liz has appeared on media outlets including Fox News, Al Jazeera, and the BBC, and has been featured in news publications including the Economist, the Weekly Standard, and the Washington Post. She lives and works in Washington, DC with her husband Alec.

Haley Anderson

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Haley Anderson ’09 is a clinical speech-language pathologist, working with adults following brain injury in the acute rehabilitation setting. Prior to returning to school at Boston University for her MS-SLP, Haley worked in the legal field, with experience in government and nonprofit workplaces, and in the fundraising field, at Harvard College. Originally from Saint Louis, Missouri, Haley lives in the DC area with her husband, who is also a U.Va. Politics alumnus. Areas of interest in politics include issues of social justice and policy implementation, particularly in the complicated field of healthcare. Community involvement through mentorship and networking is a passion.

Michael Bluestein

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Mr. Bluestein is the Managing Partner of Grindstone Partners, a provider of direct private equity investment and corporate finance advisory services in Northern Virginia. He founded the firm in 2009 to address a lack of capital and expertise in the small and mid-cap markets and brings over 25 years of investing and financial advisory experience to the firm. Grindstone targets family run businesses for investment, always in partnership with great management teams.

Previously Mr. Bluestein co-founded Oakcrest Capital and was a partner in Winston Partners, both small cap private equity firms. His sectors of experience include outsourced business services, building infrastructure, niche manufacturing and healthcare services. Mr Bluestein’s early experience was in commercial and investment banking with First Union, PaineWebber and SunTrust Bank where he advised on M&A and capital markets transactions. Mr. Bluestein has served as Chairman or Director on nearly two dozen company boards and has advised many others. He currently serves on the five corporate boards including Fulcrum IT Services and SageWater Renew.

Mr. Bluestein received a BA degree in Political Science from the University of Virginia and earned an MBA in Strategic Management and Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He lives in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife of 25 years and two sons.

Kadeem Cooper

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Kadeem Cooper is a litigation associate at Covington & Burling LLP. Kadeem graduated from the University of Virginia in 2010 and New York University School of Law in 2014. During law school, he interned at Brooklyn Defender Services, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and the Criminal Law Reform Project of the American Civil Liberties Union. Kadeem has represented indigent defendants in a variety of criminal matters at both the trial and appellate level. 

Jason Steinbaum

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Jason Steinbaum serves as Democratic Staff Director of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Previously, he was Staff Director for the majority and minority of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere from 2006-2012. He has also served as Washington Chief of Staff and Legislative Director for Rep. Eliot L. Engel (D-NY), the Ranking Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. In the early 1990’s, Mr. Steinbaum worked for Senator Donald Riegle (D-MI), having served as his Legislative Assistant for foreign affairs and defense.

During his career in Congress, Mr. Steinbaum wrote the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003 and the law providing normal trade relations with Albania, has been a leader on policy toward the Balkans, and has monitored elections in numerous countries.

Mr. Steinbaum received a law degree and a Master’s in law and international affairs in 1993 from The American University in Washington, DC. He graduated with distinction from the University of Virginia in 1988. Mr. Steinbaum is a member of the bars of the States of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He and his family live in Northern Virginia.

Jayme Swain

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PBS, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Operations

In this role, she oversees human resources and facilities and leads strategic and operational planning. As a trusted advisor to the CEO and COO, Ms. Swain manages organization-wide projects and develops solutions on behalf of the entire public broadcasting system.

Ms. Swain joined PBS’ digital department in 2008 as the Senior Director of Strategic Growth. Her role included conceiving and implementing digital strategies for PBS and affiliated producers, increasing audience engagement and viewership on all digital platforms, focusing on content creation and distribution, and streamlining Web development operations. She developed the content strategy for the 2011 Webby award-winning iPad app and PBS.org, the 2011 Webby “People’s Choice” award-winning website, and launched the PBS Online Film Festival.

Prior to joining PBS, Ms. Swain developed multimedia content, consumer-focused digital products and social media strategies for top brands such as CNN, FOX, U.S. News & World Report and Revolution Health.

Ms. Swain is a graduate of the University of Virginia.