Matthew Fuhrmann, Ph.D., AB ’02, Ph.D. ‘08
Associate Professor and Rothrock ’77 Fellow, Texas A&M University
Matthew Fuhrmann is an associate professor of political science at Texas A&M University and has published numerous books and articles in top journals. He has won a variety of awards and major grants, and is Ray A. Rothrock ’77 Research Fellow. That fellowship is given to highly recommended associate professors to enable them to make significant contributions in research, teaching and service. He has previously held research fellowships at Harvard University and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Anisa Sullivan Jimenez, MPA ‘08
Director of Public Relations and Communications, Clarke County School District
Anisa Sullivan Jimenez is the director of public relations and communications for the Clarke County School District in Georgia. Jimenez has illustrated her commitment to the district and community through her implementation of the “Love You Neighborhood School” campaign and her facilitation of the “Seeing Is Believing Tour.” In 2013, the alumna received the Marie Wofford Professional Growth Award from the Georgia School Public Relations Association.

Jillian Puente, AB ’11, MPA ‘11
Marketing Manager, Google Fiber
Jillian Puente began her career as a recruiter for a social media marketing startup that was acquired by Google in 2012. She continued to work for Google as a recruiter, helping hire talent for Google’s marketing team. Puente is now a product marketing manager for Google Fiber, which develops fiber-optic, high-speed Internet across the country. The alumna volunteers with the Jeannette Rankin Foundation in her free time.

Deep J. Shah, M.D., AB ’08, BS ‘08
Primary Care Resident, Emory University Internal Medicine/Primary Care
Deep Shah was a Foundation Fellow at UGA who received both the Truman and Rhodes Scholarships and went on to study at Harvard Medical School on a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. He is now a resident at Emory University Internal Medicine, providing inpatient and outpatient care at Grady Memorial Hospital, Emory University Hospital, Emory Midtown Hospital, and the Atlanta VA Medical Center. In 2015, the alumnus was the inaugural recipient of the UGA Alumni Association’s Young Alumni Award.

Justin Shanken, AB ‘07
Counterintelligence Special Agent, Defense Security Service
Justin Shanken is a counterintelligence special agent with the U.S. Defense Security Service. He served in the Middle East during Operation Iraqi Freedom and then earned his UGA degree in 2007. In 2009, he was asked to establish the Atlanta Counterintelligence Office and within one year, it was the highest producing unit in the Southern Region. He has bee names the “Counterintelligence Agent of the Year from the Southern Region” and received the DSS Director’s Coin for identifying the most foreign intelligence threats to U.S. industry.

Arthur Tripp, Jr., AB ‘09
Senior Policy Advisor, Office of U.S. Congressman David Scott
Arthur Tripp is the senior policy advisor to U.S. Congressman David Scott. In this role, the alumnus oversees the direction of the congressman’s legislative portfolio as it relates to federal law and advises the congressman on international issues. He is the first African-American president of the State Society of Georgia, a nonprofit organization established in 1885 for Georgians and friends Georgians living in the Washington, D.C. area. Tripp serves on the SPIA Alumni Board of Directors.

David Werner, AB ‘05
Chief Operating Officer, Office of Georgia Governor Nathan Deal
When Georgia Governor Nathan deal first hired David Werner, his directive was clear: examine Georgia’s approach to incarceration. In 2012 and 2013, criminal justice reforms were signed into law, accomplishments largely due to Werner’s hard work and his serving as co-chairman of the Criminal Justice Reform Council. The alumnus is also co-chairman of the Legislative Affairs Committee of the Young Lawyers Division of the State Board of Georgia and a member of the Federalist Society.