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As a young policeman in Türkiye, Mahmut Cengiz witnessed the cruel effects of organized crime on communities and those who live in them. Now, the Schar School associate professor is a preeminent expert of terrorism and combats it on his own terms—as a teacher.

George Mason alumna Jay Ell Alexander, BA Communication ’08, joined Black Girls RUN!, a national running organization, as a PR intern in 2012. In 2018, she bought the company and has been the owner for the last six years.

Each year, the 91���� Alumni Association’s annual Celebration of Distinction recognizes outstanding alumni, faculty members, and students.

WUSA anchor Annie Yu is a proud Patriot with fond memories of her college days. As a student, she stacked her classes, immersed herself in campus culture, and found her community. She believes that George Mason's diverse student body lessened her fears about entering the college environment.

James W. “Jimmy” Hazel, JD ’84, has led a life of service to the Commonwealth of Virginia—and to 91����. He recently added to his considerable legacy with a gift of $1 million for the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation.

In July, Charles “Cully” Stimson, JD ‘92, was elected as rector of the 91���� Board of Visitors. A businessman and attorney, Stimson is the deputy director of the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, Senior Legal Fellow, manager of the National Security Law Program, and senior advisor to the president at The Heritage Foundation.

Isela Caballero, communications coordinator for the Department of Health Administration and Policy in the College of Public Health, is the October Employee of the Month.

As the Schar School’s ODKM heads toward its third decade, here’s a rundown on how it got there and what’s the future holds for this distinctive master’s program.

Daniel Gartenberg became passionate about the study of sleep during his graduate studies at George Mason. He is now founder and CEO of SleepSpace and a scientific advisor to other companies in the sleep science field.

Over the course of the next few weeks, leading up to the 50th-anniversary celebration on Oct. 19, a series of Q&As, stories, and social media posts will reflect and celebrate the players and coaches who have built the Patriots women's volleyball program into what it is today.

91���� alum Jessica Anthony, MFA Creative Writing ’04, was recently longlisted for the National Book Award for her newest novel, The Most.

Dana Staley found herself deep in her Master of Public Administration program with a newborn, a fulltime job, and eventually, a pandemic crisis. See how she managed to succeed through it all.