A longtime city manager committed to cultivating future public servants. A retired managing director dedicated to volunteerism and philanthropy. A public health pioneer who has improved the lives of millions. An accomplished executive and entrepreneur committed to advancing sustainability.

In their varied pursuits, the four individuals above have represented the Maxwell School’s commitment to engaged citizenship and making the world better for all. For their efforts, Wally Bobkiewicz ’89, Cathy Daicoff ’79, Anuradha Gupta ’07 and Ken Pontarelli ’92 will be honored with centennial awards at the planned for Friday, May 31, in the Smithsonian Institution’s

The event will mark the Maxwell School’s 100th anniversary and serve as a gathering for alumni and friends to connect and celebrate. “We are thrilled to honor these four highly engaged and accomplished individuals who have, in a variety of ways and across sectors, demonstrated a commitment to Maxwell’s ideals,” says Dean David M. Van Slyke, who will serve as the event’s emcee.

The centennial celebration includes five additional honors: will go to alumni B. Ben Baldanza ’84, Carlisha Williams Bradley ’09, Mary Margaret Graham ’78, Lia Miller ’03 and Jessica Sun ’09.

The centennial award honorees are listed below.

Centennial Champion Award

Wally Bobkiewicz ’89

The Maxwell Centennial Champion Award recognizes dedicated volunteer engagement and philanthropy in support of the school, and there is no greater champion of the Maxwell School’s local government initiatives than Wally Bobkiewicz.

A career city manager who has worked in local government for more than 30 years, Bobkiewicz tirelessly channels his passion for public service to uplift communities as well as the careers of countless Maxwell students and alumni. For decades, Bobkiewicz has been a powerful force behind the scenes, working to nurture relationships, create professional opportunities and galvanize support among Maxwell alumni. He is de facto host and connector at annual local and city management conferences and networking events; and he inspires others to invest their time and money to support career development opportunities for students.

Since 2019, Bobkiewicz has served as city administrator of Issaquah, Washington. He was previously city manager of Evanston, Illinois, and Santa Paula, California, and worked in local government for Novato, California, and Long Beach, California. He is a former president of the Syracuse University Alumni Association and served on its board of directors from 2001-10. He is the recipient of the 2024 American Society for Public Administration National Public Service Award.

Centennial Steward Award

Cathy Daicoff ’79

For significant engagement, volunteer service and philanthropic support that have sustained the continued excellence of the school, Maxwell School Advisory Board Vice Chair Cathy Daicoff is the recipient of the Centennial Steward Award. A dedicated supporter of the school since earning an M.P.A. in 1979, Daicoff has served as a member of its advisory board for more than 25 years and maintained an increasingly generous level of giving throughout this time.

Daicoff’s gifts, including her $1.2 million endowment to establish the Marguerite Fisher Faculty Research Fund and a major gift for the creation of the Daicoff Faculty Scholars award, help the school attract and retain world-class faculty. In addition, she shares her expertise in domestic and international finance with the board and as a trusted career advisor to students and alumni interested in the field.

Daicoff retired in 2016 as a managing director at Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services after 38 years with the company. Her career spanned management responsibility in U.S. domestic operations, Canada, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and global positions. She was the company’s first senior policy officer and director of policy training for Ratings Services, and she served for more than 20 years on the firm’s Analytics Policy Board.

Centennial Luminary Award for Global Health Equity

Anuradha Gupta ’07

For her profound impact in spearheading global initiatives that improve public health and increase equitable access to vaccines, Anuradha Gupta is the recipient of the Centennial Luminary Award for Global Health Equity.

Gupta’s work has helped to save and improve millions of lives. Currently, she is president of global immunization at Sabin Vaccine Institute in Washington, D.C., an organization dedicated to strengthening immunization in communities most affected by infectious diseases, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Prior to this, she served as deputy CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (2014-22) in Geneva, where she oversaw programs across 73 countries and partnerships with WHO, UNICEF and The World Bank. She introduced the pivotal concept of zero-dose children, bringing inequities into global focus.

Previously, Gupta served in the Indian Administrative Service for 30 years, holding leadership positions in a wide range of areas including health, education, nutrition and finance. As mission director of the National Health Mission of India (2010-14), she ran the largest public health program in the world, achieving several public health feats which include polio eradication and a steep reduction of maternal and child deaths in India.

Centennial Luminary Award for Sustainability

Ken Pontarelli ’92

For his leadership and dedication to developing solutions that balance the economic need for growth with environmental sustainability, Ken Pontarelli is the recipient of the Centennial Luminary Award for Sustainability.

As a Syracuse University trustee, Pontarelli lends his deep expertise in financial markets and sustainability investing, earned over a 30-year career at Goldman Sachs, to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, resulting in environmental policy research that is grounded in a realistic understanding of markets and financial mechanisms. Together with his spouse, Tracey, he established the Pontarelli Professorship of Environmental Sustainability and Finance at the Maxwell School, currently held by Professor Jay Golden, founder and director of the Dynamic Sustainability Lab.

Pontarelli graduated from Syracuse University with a dual degree in economics, from Maxwell, and finance, from the Whitman School of Management, where he now serves on the advisory board. In 2018, Pontarelli founded Mission Driven Capital Partners, a New York City-based firm focused on sustainability investing. Two years later, he returned to Goldman Sachs, where he serves as partner and managing director and leads its sustainable investing group.

Syracuse University thought leaders, events and research news were showcased in the following news outlets this week:

• , director of the Goldring Arts Journalism and Communications program at Newhouse, was quoted in the Associated Press story “.”
• , associate professor of law, was interviewed for The New York Times story ““
• , a professor in the history department at Maxwell, was featured in the Al Jazeera article “‘.”
• , chief operating officer at the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families, was for the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
• , professor of environmental systems in the College of Engineering, spoke with Salon for the story ““
• , an assistant professor of biology in the College of Arts and Sciences, was in the EcoWatch article “.”
• , professor at the College of Law and director of the Syracuse Intellectual Property Law Institute, was interviewed for the Bloomberg Law story “.”
• , professor of practice & chair, music industry & technologies at the Setnor School of Music, was quoted in the Lifewire story “.”
• , vice president of community engagement and government relations, was on discussing Syracuse’s partnership with the Salvation Army.
• , teaching professor at the College of Law, was in the Fortune story “”
  
• , Esther M. Larsen faculty fellow in the humanities and assistant professor, was quoted in and
• , head of digital stewardship and the digital library program at the Libraries, was featured in Yahoo Finance’s story “.”
• , associate teaching professor in Falk College, was quoted in the Better Homes and Gardens story “”
• Carrie Mae Weems, Syracuse University artist in residence, was featured in the New York Times for the article “.”
• , professor of political science in the Maxwell School was interviewed by Inside Higher Ed for the article
• , Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, was quoted in the in Senior Executive story “ ”
• , associate professor in the iSchool, was interviewed by Agence France-Presse for the story “.”
• , founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture and a Trustee Professor of Television and Popular Culture at Newhouse, was quoted in , , , , , , (Dallas), and (Los Angeles).

To get in touch and learn more about Syracuse University faculty members available for interviews, please contact��media@syr.edu.

was among a trio of researchers who looked at voting patterns in communities of shuttered newspapers in 2018 and found evidence that the decline in local print media has contributed to political polarization in the United States.

Published in the Journal of Communication, their work caught the attention of a Florida daily newspaper, resulting in its decision to take a break from publishing national politics on its editorial pages. The aftermath of the paper’s decision created additional data for Dunaway and her counterparts to explore, ultimately fueling their co-authored book, “Home Style Opinion: How Local Newspapers Can Slow Polarization” (Cambridge University Press, 2021).

“The newspaper experiment we conducted in Palm Springs was fascinating,” says Dunaway, who was interviewed about her research for an that aired in early August. “Our findings added to the list of important societal consequences from declining local journalism. There is so much more research to be done on the democratic consequences emerging from changes in the digital media landscape; we need to better understand the effects of declining local news as well as how people get their information and decide what’s credible, and the impact on discourse and democracy more generally.”

This fall, Dunaway joins the University’s Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship as the research director, a role that will empower her to expand on her work, guide student research and mentor the next generation of journalists and policy makers.

She will also serve as a tenured professor of political science, teaching courses in American politics, political communication, public opinion and mass media for the Maxwell School.

“Johanna Dunaway’s research and insights into the relationships between news, communications and political polarization is crucial to our work,” says Margaret Talev, veteran journalist and Kramer Director of the institute. “In addition to her scholarship, she shares in our commitment to the ideals of the institute. We’re excited for her to join us.”

Dunaway’s position is supported by a gift from alumna and Maxwell School Advisory Board Vice Chair Cathy L. Daicoff ’79 M.P.A. Her $1.2 million endowment last year established the Marguerite Fisher Faculty Research Fund, named for the Maxwell School’s first woman to have been promoted to full professor.

“I’ve no doubt that Johanna Dunaway will be an invaluable asset to Syracuse University, positioning the institute to be a leader in research that advances our understanding and promotes civil discourse and mutual understanding at this crucial time in our nation’s history,” says Daicoff, who retired as a managing director at Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services.

Based in Washington, D.C., the institute is an initiative of the Maxwell School and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. It will promote nonpartisan, evidence-based research and dialogue in the public interest and support the work of faculty and students in the center of American democracy.

Dunaway earned a Ph.D. in political science from Rice University in 2006. Her research spans several subfields of political science—communication, public opinion, political psychology and political behavior—as well as media effects, media institutions and emerging communications.

She joins Syracuse University from Texas A&M University’s Department of Political Science, where she was a professor. Her previous roles also include serving as the Joan Shorenstein Fellow at Harvard University’s Shorenstein Center for Media, Politics and Public Policy, and serving as an associate and assistant professor in Louisiana State University’s Department of Political Science and Manship School of Mass Communication. She began her academic teaching career on the faculty of�� Sam Houston State University’s Department of Political Science.

In addition to “Home Style Opinion” she is the co-author of “News and Democratic Citizens in a Mobile Era” (Oxford University Press, 2022) and a forthcoming book with Cambridge University Press, “The House that Fox News Built? Representation, Political Accountability and the Rise of Partisan Cable News.” She also co-wrote the 11th edition of a popular textbook for political communication courses, “Mass Media and American Politics.” (CQ Press, 2022).

“Professor Dunaway’s research, teaching, extramural funding and public impact make her an excellent fit with the goals of the institute,” says Maxwell Dean David M. Van Slyke. “Her values align with the institute’s mission and are core to an educated and engaged citizenry which is necessary for a stronger and thriving democracy. I am excited by the leadership she’ll provide in partnership with institute Director Margaret Talev and the broader Syracuse University community.“

Dunaway says she is excited about launching research projects and partnering with news outlets, nonprofits and other organizations to “figure out what’s working and what isn’t; what’s reaching the audience; what’s adding to political rancor and various forms of partisan polarization.”

She hopes to further examine the decline of print media and explore financial models—some of her past work has focused on the impact of media ownership. She’s especially interested in gathering data to show the impact of declining local news and the rise of partisan and national news on the behavior of elected officials.

Dunaway also looks forward to having an opportunity to collaborate again with Josh P. Darr, one of two scholars she partnered with on the local newspaper and polarization project five years ago. Darr joins Newhouse this fall as an associate professor of communications. He will also hold a courtesy appointment in the Maxwell School’s political science department and will serve as a senior research associate at the institute.

“I’m excited to build on our prior findings,” says Dunaway.

She adds, “If nothing else, sharp declines in public trust in the media and government institutions suggest an urgent need to understand the extent to which these changes are fueling political corruption and a general lack of political accountability. I’m excited to get to work.”