601 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20004
Registration: $5
RSVP here
Navigating life after Vassar can sometimes be a daunting task. Don’t worry, we’re here to help. The Vassar Club of Washington, D.C. invites you to spend an evening with a handful of grads who will share the tales behind their professional development since graduation.
The evening will begin with a special networking exercise facilitated by Vanessa J. Bridges ’83. If your networking skills need sharpening, you’ll definitely want to be on time.
Vanessa J. Bridges is a professional meeting and event planner and a consummate “people” person. She currently does freelance work under the name Bridges & Planners, a meeting and event planning company targeting companies, professional associations, community groups, and private events. Vanessa’s love of organizing developed from her 20+-year career as a transaction real estate paralegal in the commercial real estate industry, working for Marriott Corporation, The JBG Companies, and Boston Properties, Inc., and her work as Director of Business Development with Hickok Cole Architects. She is a skilled liaison with the ability to successfully relate to, work with, motivate, connect and build enduring relationships for her clients. Most of her current clients come from referrals and networking. Vanessa holds an undergraduate degree in English from Vassar College, a Certificate for Public Speaking from the Dale Carnegie Institute, a Certificate in Meeting Planning from Goucher College, and certificates in Event Management from Montgomery College. Vanessa has been a member of PMPI for several years.
Special guest, Roberta Shaffer ’74, will host the group. Shaffer serves as Associate Librarian for the Library of Congress and has had a distinguished career as a practicing librarian in various settings and as a library-science educator. Prior to her tenure as Law Librarian, Shaffer served as executive director of the Federal Library and Information Center Committee (FLICC) and the Federal Library and Information Network (FEDLINK) in the Library of Congress. A former Fulbright Senior Scholar, Shaffer has been an active member of the American Bar Association, the American Association of Law Libraries, ARMA International (Records Management) and the World Future Society. She is the current president of the International Council of Scientific and Technical Information, serves as the Library of Congress official representative to the council and is the former chair of its Information Policy Committee.
Panelists
Adam Mausner ’03 is currently serving as a Country Director for Afghanistan at the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy. He focuses on the development of the Afghan military and police forces, Afghan women’s rights, and strategic communications. He is also a Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Arleigh A Burke Chair in strategy. Mausner has also served as an independent analyst with the Department of Defense, and as an editor at Columbia International Affairs Online. Adam majored in political science at Vassar College and obtained a master’s degree in national security studies at Georgetown University.
Elizabeth Shook Torres ’05 is the Co-Founder of Washington Global Public Charter School, a newly approved public charter middle school in the District of Columbia. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Education at The George Washington University. Prior to founding Washington Global, Elizabeth was as an education program specialist and policy analyst at the U.S. Department of Education. Elizabeth began her career in education as a D.C. Teaching Fellow and served as a special education teacher and administrator in the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). Elizabeth holds an A.B. in History from Vassar College, an M.A. in Education from The George Washington University, and an Ed.D. in education and Neuroscience from The George Washington University.
Marcelo Buitron ’09 serves as Governance and Public Sector Management Specialist at The World Bank. In his position, Buitron supports The World Bank efforts in the areas of transparency, accountability and governance. For the past two years, Buitron has worked in the Latin America region of the World Bank on several initiatives related to public sector management and governance in Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. Buitron majored in Economics and Political Science at Vassar College, obtained a master’s degree in governance from Georgetown University, and currently serves as Admissions Co-Chair for the Vassar Club of Washington, D.C.
Judy Lem ’03 serves as Associate Account Director at Discovery Education, a division of Discovery Communications, the world’s foremost non-fiction media company. As part of Discovery Education’s Corporate Education Partnerships team, Lem is responsible for the development of strategic, community-based partner programs with Fortune 500 companies, trade associations, non-profits, foundations, and government agencies to transform teaching & learning. Prior to Discovery Education, Lem served as Manager of Special Projects at KaBOOM!, a national non-profit dedicated to saving play for America’s children, to develop its innovative play products initiative. Lem majored in political science at Vassar College, obtained her master’s degree in communications from American University, and currently serves as board chair of the Vassar Club of Washington, D.C.
Seats are limited. RSVP today! For more information, please contact [email protected] or call (978) 600-8124.
The venue is metro accessible via the Archives/Naval Memorial and Judiciary Square Metro stops. Garage parking is available at 6th Street NW bet. Indiana and Pennsylvania Avenues NW. Street parking also available. Enter the building on Indiana Avenue between Cosi and PNC Bank.