REBECCA GEHRING ('05)
Peace Corp Volunteer (Morocco)
In March 2008, Rebecca Gehring ('05) helped out with a school's field day in Outerbate, Morocco. She led a session on animal care and how to treat animals. A teacher from the local town gave the lesson in Tamazight to the kids, and then Rebecca implemented a game called "put the dog in the house." As Rebecca says, "It was sort of like pin the tail on the donkey, but the other kids were able to help the person playing the game, to represent how we should help animals when needed."

JINNY AMUNDSON ('00) has been asked to represent the McDonough Leadership Center at the National Association for Student Personnel Administrators Convention. The conference will be held on March 13, 2006 in Washington D.C.

Amundson is Associate Director of the Master of Policy Management (MPM) program at Georgetown University. Jinny joined the Georgetown Public Policy Institute in 2001 and took over her current position in 2003. As associate director, Jinny manages the day-to-day operation of the MPM program, including the admissions process and course planning and scheduling. Jinny also serves as the primary advisor to the 80+ MPM students.

"At Marietta, we were doing things for Good, not for recognition, not for money, not for grades-we volunteered because it's what everyone did. McDonough was able to make helping others and being involved in the community, "cool."  It was a part of our routine.  I learned a lot of things in the classroom-the difference between communities and social enclaves, the strengths and weaknesses of common organizational structures, the successes and failures of individual leaders-but what I learned outside the classroom became habit.  McDonough encouraged me, all of us, to take responsibility
and to be citizens of action."

Congratulations to SUSAN BRADY ('92)! She won the "Outstanding Young Alumna Award" given by the MC Alumni Association to the alumna who has graduated no more than 15 years ago and who has made significant accomplishments in business or professional life and/or has rendered outstanding service to Marietta College.

LAUREL DRAUDT ('97) is Career Counselor in the Office of Professional Development at The Ohio State University. She lives in Columbus, and her email address is draudt.5@osu.edu.

ERIN BARBER ('99) is currently the Medical Coding Supervisor at a company in MD that staffs and runs the emergency departments at seven area hospitals (in MD and northern VA). Erin says that her leadership training has been invaluable in her current position, and she is constantly learning new leadership concepts while working in the industry. She loves her job and would not have felt as comfortable in her managerial job had it not been for the foundation she received going through the McDonough program at Marietta. Erin lives in Frederick, MD and her email is erinnbarber@yahoo.com.

MICHAEL TEMPLEMAN ('00) and AMY JANTZ TEMPLEMAN ('00) spent two years serving as Peace Corps Volunteers on the HIV/AIDS project in the country of Malawi, in Southeastern Africa. They have devoted the majority of their time to building up a "Life Skills" program at the secondary schools and working with teachers in both the secondary and primary schools who lead youth clubs and "anti-aids" clubs. Amy says that she and Mike have taken some time to reflect on how their Peace Corps experience has benefited from their time in the McDonough Leadership Program. As Amy and Mike relayed in an email, "The skills we obtained as early as LEAD 101 and 102 are helpful to our role as volunteers in many ways. In our technical, health-related work, our leadership training assisted us in facilitating group discussions nearly everyday. Perhaps more importantly, our job also focuses on cross-cultural exchange, which I remember to be a core of the first-year curriculum. From understanding how organizations work in our ongoing effort to encourage collaboration among NGOs, to spontaneously recalling a useful 'icebreaker' to help a group communicate more effectively, we find ourselves to be better-equipped volunteers thanks to the McDonough Program."

MEGAN RIVNAK BRIGHT ('01) received her Master's degree in Secondary Education from Widener University. Currently, she is in her third year of teaching Spanish. This year, she had 9-11th grade students. Next spring, she plans to lead a group of 24 junior and senior year students to Spain. She and husband, John, recently celebrated their first year anniversary in the purchase of their first home and in May, celebrated their 2nd year wedding anniversary. They are living in Kennett Square, PA. Her email is axdmeganbright@yahoo.com.

LIA JOHNSON-HOLTZ ('01) is currently working at Indiana University of PA as the Assistant Director for OnStage Arts and Entertainment. She also runs her own wedding business: www.thejohnsonestate.com. Her email address is liaholtz@yahoo.com.

GINA LUZIUS ('01) is working as a Sales Executive for a publishing company in Cleveland, OH, where she has resided since graduation. Her email is luziusg@yahoo.com.

BRIAN DOBIS ('03) and Abby Wurtzbacher were married on September 15, 2004 in a private ceremony on Catalina Island, California. There was a celebration of the marriage held in Marietta on October 2nd. Our congratulations to Brian and Abby!

JESSICA ECHARD ('03) was promoted to Executive Director of Eagle Forum, a conservative public policy grassroots organization in Washington, D.C., on January 1, 2005. Before being promoted, Jessica served as National Collegians Director and Legislative Assistant for Eagle Forum. Jessica oversees all public policy action on the federal level. From tracking legislation and writing alerts, to working with pro-family groups and lobbying Congress, she promotes conservative values on issues such as abortion, marriage, and immigration. She received the Distinguished Service Award conferred by Senator Rick Santorum for her participation in the historic 39 hour "Justice for Judges Marathon" and has been published in WorldNetDaily and often speaks to high school and college students about political activism. Her email is jessica@mail.eagleforum.org.

JEN STEIGER ('03) is living in California and loving it! She has lived in San Francisco, San Jose, and now San Diego. Her email is jensteiger@hotmail.com.