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The University’s honored five of its alumni on April 30  ,  the school’s signature alumni recognition event. Held at the Syracuse University Washington, D.C., Center, the evening brought together members of the Maxwell community—alumni, faculty, advisory board members and friends of the school—for a lively, standing-room only celebration of careers that have spanned climate finance, diplomacy, food security, public administration and the law.

Dean David M. Van Slyke welcomed guests and set the tone for the evening with remarks that acknowledged both the weight of the current moment and the enduring relevance of Maxwell’s mission.

“We are gathering tonight at a moment when the ideals that animate this school—free inquiry, rigorous evidence, the willingness to engage across differences—remain under considerable pressure,” Van Slyke said. “Taken together, these five careers span climate, diplomacy, food security, equity and the law, but they share something more fundamental: a willingness to engage the hardest problems of our time with rigor, integrity and a genuine sense of public responsibility. That is what Maxwell prepares people to do, and these honorees have done it at the highest levels.”

Emily Fredenberg | Compass Award

The evening’s first honoree was Emily Fredenberg G’16, recipient of the Maxwell Compass Award, which recognizes an early-career alumna for professional accomplishments and impact. As senior officer of programs and advocacy at the Global Child Nutrition Foundation, Fredenberg has spent the decade since earning her M.P.A. degree and a master’s degree in international relations at Maxwell working to ensure that the world’s most vulnerable children have access to school meals—serving with the World Food Programme in Lebanon and Rwanda before moving to her current global role.

Reflecting on her time at Maxwell, Fredenberg credited not only her education but the community it gave her. She also offered a personal note: her husband, Sean Mills, a Syracuse University College of Law graduate, was at home in Alaska caring for their five-month-old son, Rhys.

“Becoming a new mom, this past year has made my work feel even more urgent,” Fredenberg said. “Holding my infant son, I feel the weight—and the hope—of the world he will grow up in which continues to motivate me. Maxwell helped shape my compass. It’s the place that taught me that service is not just a career path. It’s a lifelong journey.”

Susan T. Gooden | Charles V. Willie Advocate Award

Susan T. Gooden  G’95, G’96, who received a master’s degree and Ph.D. in political science from the Maxwell School, was awarded the Charles V. Willie Advocate Award, named for the late Maxwell scholar and community activist. The award honors individuals whose contributions reflect Maxwell’s commitment to an environment that is welcoming to all and oriented toward engaged citizenship. Gooden is dean of the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University, a founding editor of the Journal of Social Equity and Public Administration, and a past president of the American Society for Public Administration.

Accepting the award, Gooden reflected on what the honor meant in the context of its namesake’s legacy—and of what citizenship demands.

“Maxwell instilled in me the belief that scholarship must engage the world it seeks to improve, and that it must inform policy, strengthen institutions and expand opportunity,” she said. “I accept this award with gratitude and with a continued commitment to advancing a public service that is thoughtful, engaged, grounded in equity and worthy of the communities it serves.”

Jeff Eckel | Bridge Award

Jeff Eckel G’82, founder and longtime CEO of HASI, received the Maxwell Bridge Award, which honors outstanding, transformative leadership in business with a commitment to advancing the public good. Eckel, who earned an M.P.A. from Maxwell, pioneered the use of finance as a tool for accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy, including overseeing HASI’s 2013 public offering as the first dedicated climate solutions investor and developing CarbonCount, a tool for measuring how efficiently capital investments reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In his remarks, Eckel drew a direct line from his Maxwell education to the investment philosophy that has guided his career.

“The Maxwell School instilled in me the idea that the public and private sectors do not have to be opposing forces,” he said. “Our investment thesis is that in a world increasingly defined by climate change, we will make superior returns investing in climate solutions—that you can do well by doing good, and that capital can be a powerful tool in the transition to a low-carbon economy.”