Community Partners

FedWriters strengthens ties with Costello College of Business by joining Corporate Partners Program

Greg Johnson — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 19:48:26 +0000

FedWriters strengthens ties with Costello College of Business by joining Corporate Partners Program Greg Johnson Fri, 10/25/2024 - 15:48

Though they have offices and staff members across the United States, FedWriters’ headquarters is conveniently located just down the road from ��AV’s Fairfax Campus. FedWriters is a professional writing, research, and communications company serving more than 80 federal agencies across the scope of the federal government, including the Department of Transportation, every branch of the United States military, and science agencies such as NASA, NIST, and NOAA.

FedWriters team at headquarters with CEO Mitchell Cho (far right). Photo provided

CEO and George Mason alum Mitchell Cho founded FedWriters at the Mason Enterprise Center in 2010 as a one-person company, which today boasts $40 million in annual revenue with more than 375 employees.

The company was recently recognized as NOAA’s Small Business of the Year, Washington Post’s Best Places to Work, Inc. 5000's fastest growing companies in America, Washington Business Journal's Fast75, and more.

Cho sits on the board as chair for the Fairfax Economic Development Authority, where he first learned of the Costello Corporate Partners Program from Patrick Soleymani, associate dean for outreach and strategic engagement at the Costello College of Business.

“I thought it was an ideal opportunity for us to expand our profile and really market the company to the student body as an exceptional place to start their careers,” says Cho. “We really see George Mason as the perfect kind of platform to hire people and help them grow because that’s what we’re all about.”

The FedWriters team was already an engaged partner with George Mason, conducting mock interview sessions, reviewing resumes, and participating in career day events. “When this opportunity popped up to be a corporate partner, we jumped on it,” says Cho.

Moreover, much of their engagement focused specifically on the Costello College of Business, including supporting a student team in the Patriot Pitch Competition and speaking with business students about career opportunities in government contracting. In addition, they worked with a few different groups of students from the Professional Readiness Experiential Program (PREP) taught by Brian Ngac, instructor in information systems and operations management at the Costello College of Business. “I think I've personally done two letters of recommendation and validated work experience for three of those students out of PREP,” says Marc Fain, chief revenue officer.

Becoming an official corporate partner has strengthened FedWriters’ ties with the business college, as they support recruitment, internship opportunities, scholarships, student activities, faculty awards, and the Dean’s Excellence Fund as part of the program. In return, FedWriters receives high visibility, increased student recruitment, special invitations, and named scholarships, among other benefits.

Having graduated from George Mason with a BA in political science in 1999, Cho estimates that he has close to 60 George Mason alumni employed in their Fairfax office. “We love having that kind of network and pool of really great candidates that we can pull from, and we also love to hire people directly who are early in their careers and help them grow,” he says.

As FedWriters continues to grow rapidly—hiring about 100 new employees so far this year—they typically first look at George Mason via career fairs and Handshake, George Mason’s platform for students seeking jobs and employers.

A few of the publications from FedWriters. Photo provided

Since its inception, FedWriters has only gathered more steam growing both their staffing and client list and earning remarkable accolades along the way. “The employee’s experience matters to us, making sure that they know that we support them when things happen in their lives,” says Susan Parr, chief operations officer. “When you take care of people, they perform. Our customers are happy, and the company grows.”

With the constant growth and acquisition of new contracts, and because government contracts are finite, employees are provided with new opportunities to work for causes that they are passionate about.

Housing the Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting, the first-in-the-nation university center to address the business, policy, and regulatory issues in government contracting, the Costello College of Business continues to build connections with the top minds in government contracting, many of whom directly share their expertise with students in the classroom. These well-prepared Costello students can look forward to entering into a stable industry.

Student Alejandra Villanueva sits down for
one-on-one coaching during FedWriters
Takeover Day. Photo by Greg Johnson

“Government services are always needed, and they play a big role in keeping our society running," says Cho. "Government contracting helps make sure these services are provided, and there will always be opportunities for people to work in various fields, such as defense, science, environmental, and finance.”

With their mission of “communicating the business of government,” FedWriters has embraced the innovative business collaboration at the top business school in the region by joining the Corporate Partners Program, and they look forward to preparing and recruiting many George Mason students.

Learn more about the Costello Corporate Partners Program

In This Story

Patrick Soleymani

Brian Ngac

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Costello College of Business News

Community Partners

experiential learning

Alumni

Mason Enterprise

Strategic Direction

George Mason College of Public Health Professor Rebecca Sutter awarded $3 million Services to Afghan Survivors Impacted by Combat Program grant

Taylor Thomas — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 14:41:04 +0000

George Mason College of Public Health Professor Rebecca Sutter awarded $3 million Services to Afghan Survivors Impacted by Combat Program grant Taylor Thomas Fri, 09/13/2024 - 10:41

Afghan victims of combat arrive in the United States as refugees with unique health care needs. Rebecca Sutter, professor in the School of Nursing at ��AV, has been awarded a $3 million Services to Afghan Survivors Impacted by Combat (SASIC) grant to develop health service delivery infrastructure for Afghan survivors, refugees, and immigrants impacted by combat trauma and violence. The program, titled Healing and Educating Afghans for Resiliency-Virginia (HEAR-VA), will serve Afghan refugees residing in Northern and Central Virginia, where an estimated 95% of Afghans resettled in 2022.

HEAR-VA seeks to screen 500 individuals for eligibility and enroll 305 participants in care services.

Photo provided

“We are implementing a care coordination model where individuals, regardless of which HEAR-VA partner they interact with first, will receive screenings, and be connected with services that address their individualized care needs,” Sutter said. "What’s especially important is this program will be built not just for, but in partnership with actual Afghan survivors of combat and other refugees who are impacted by trauma and violence."

The SASIC grant was awarded from the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families, Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). The mission of ORR is to provide newly arrived refugees from Afghanistan with resources to begin healing combat-related trauma and facilitate sustainable physical, emotional, social, and economic well-being.

This interdisciplinary HEAR-VA initiative will be managed by the Mason and Partners Clinic in partnership with Virginia Department of Social Services Office of New Americans (DSS-ONA), the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services Office of Behavioral Health Wellness (DBHDS-OBHW), Health Brigade, Northern Virginia Family Services, and additional community partners. The program went into effect July 2024 and will extend through February 2026.

“This collection of partners is dedicated to creating an innovative program that will be community-based, community-driven, and community-led. We are building local capacity to serve vulnerable populations, not just for the duration of the grant, but long after we as the implementers have departed,” Sutter said.

In addition to her role as a professor in the School of Nursing, Sutter is the director of the Mason and Partners (MAP) Clinics. She is a credentialed Family Nurse Practitioner with expertise in community health care access and navigation to improve care and promote collaboration between public health, public safety, and health to ensure that evidence-based treatment is available for at-risk and marginalized individuals, families, communities, and populations.

Discover the nursing program at George Mason

In This Story

Rebecca Sutter, DNP, APRN, BC-FNP

Topics

Refugees

immigrants and refugee communities

Access to Health Services

Community Partners

Mason and Partners Clinic

Mason researcher prepares vulnerable communities for wildfire impact

Colleen Rich — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 19:18:20 +0000

Mason researcher prepares vulnerable communities for wildfire impact Colleen Rich Tue, 03/05/2024 - 14:18

��AV scientist Alireza Ermagun is leading collaboration to establish disaster resilience prototype using an interactive map to protect vulnerable regions in California.

Alireza Ermagun. Photo by Robert Ritchie

Ermagun, assistant professor in the Department of Geography and Geoinformation Science in Mason's College of Science, leads a National Science Foundation (NSF)-supported project titled “Snuff It Out: Extinguishing the Disparity of Access to Shelters for Disadvantaged Communities in Wildfire-Prone Areas” to optimize response to the growing menace of wildfires.

The project will address shelter access when wildfires occur and has the potential to revolutionize disaster preparedness and response strategies, serving as a blueprint for fostering resilience in communities facing the escalating threat.

This collaboration, supported by a $397,365 NSF grant, focuses on disaster resilience in Lake County, California, which grapples with persistent wildfires. The comprehensive examination of shelter access differences, in a broader sense, also seeks to better comprehend the challenges faced by marginalized communities in California.

“Access to shelters is indispensable in transforming wildfires from potential tragedies into manageable emergencies,” said Ermagun. "The project involves the development of an interactive map, serving as a platform for both public officials and community members to plan and implement disaster resilience strategies.”

Since 2015, wildfires have consumed more than 60% of the county, disproportionately impacting its disadvantaged residents. With wildfires increasing in severity and frequency, Ermagun stresses the urgency of this research, which unfolds in three phases: assessing disparities of access, optimizing equity through preparedness strategies, and developing an interactive model to reduce the vulnerability of marginalized communities to wildfires and the cascading hazards such as debris flows and flooding.

The “Snuff It Out” project employs an interdisciplinary approach, collaborating with Farshid Vahedifard from Tufts University, Chief of Police Kathy Lester of the Sacramento Police Department, Leah Sautelet from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, and Nick Widmer and Gabriela Perez Albarracin from the American Red Cross.

Vahedifard emphasized the importance of community collaboration in addressing natural hazards, stating, “Having been fortunate to have very supportive community partners in the study area, we aim to work closely with the community to co-develop and implement a methodological framework to improve access to shelters during natural hazards and extreme events for all communities while prioritizing marginalized communities to account for their lower risk threshold and adaptive capacity.”

Echoing the commitment to community collaboration, Sautelet, serving as the emergency services manager for Lake County, articulated the synergy between the project’s aims and local emergency management objectives. “Utilizing this innovative interdisciplinary approach, the project has the potential to strengthen both public welfare and emergency management endeavors," she said. "Rooted in Lake County’s steadfast dedication to protecting public safety, the project seamlessly aligns with our overarching objective of enhancing community resilience as a whole. By providing crucial data for comprehensive planning and preparation, it seeks to reinforce our ability to respond effectively during times of crisis.”

Lester, expressing support for the initiative, highlighted its potential to make a significant societal impact. “This research project has potential widespread benefits to society by improving the resilience of disadvantaged communities and helping first responders with science-based tools to improve outcomes.” Lester’s enthusiasm underscores the project’s aim to empower both communities and first responders through evidence-based strategies.

Adding to the collective vision, Ermagun focused on the project’s commitment to addressing social inequalities, “We aim to address equity discrepancies and enhance community resilience faced by the residents during these ongoing challenges,” underscoring the project’s community-centered methodology.

Support the Mason Nation

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Research

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Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE)

National Science Foundation

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@DCSpot recommends off-campus eats for Patriots in Downtown Fairfax—a short walk or quick bus ride

Shayla Brown — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 16:21:14 +0000

@DCSpot recommends off-campus eats for Patriots in Downtown Fairfax—a short walk or quick bus ride Shayla Brown Thu, 10/26/2023 - 12:21

��AV alum Alex Hussein, BS Information Systems and Operations Management ’21, who is also known as @DC Spot, shares his recommendations for a few must-go-restaurants in local Fairfax. Alex is a food influencer with more than 215,000 Instagram followers. His videos feature eateries throughout the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area. Read more about Alex in the recent news feature: Eating with an Entrepreneur, and watch his reviews here: @dcspot.

Downtown Fairfax is just a few miles from the Fairfax Campus for walking or jump on one of the bus systems around town—the Mason Shuttles, Fairfax CUE Bus, and Fairfax Connector.

First Watch

Location: 9600 Main St Suite S
Distance from the Fairfax Campus: 8 minutes, 2.4 miles

Breakfast/brunch dishes from First Watch in Fairfax, Virginia. Photo by Office of University Branding.

First up, First Watch! First Watch serves breakfast, brunch, and lunch with options of sweet or savory, and coffee served iced or hot (an entire pot’s worth for the table is made fresh every morning), Fall is upon us, and it’s a great time to check out First Watch’s seasonal menu which includes flavorful juices and pancakes. They also have a “Healthier Side” section that includes avocado toast, egg white omelets, and more. First Watch doesn’t take reservations, but customers can order online for pickup until 2:30 p.m. or delivery until 2:15pm.

Don’t Miss Out Item: Bacado Omelet and Chocolate Chip Pancakes     

Taco Bamba

Location: University Mall, 10629 Braddock Rd, Suite B-8 
Distance from the Fairfax Campus: 4 minutes, 1 mile 

Taco Bamba was founded by Chef Victor Albisu, a Mason alum with more than 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry. He brings his Latin heritage and culinary education to the table, making for a delicious dining experience! Taco Bamba is a local chain with properties across the East Coast including 10 locations in Virginia. Taco Bamba has a colorful chalk wall menu, and carafes of water available to customers seated inside or outside. The best part about Taco Bamba? You and your family can enjoy some awesome Patriot Perks!

Don’t Miss Out Item: El Diablo 

De Clieu Coffee and Sandwiches 

Location: 10389 Main St B
Distance from the Fairfax Campus: 5 minutes, 1.3 miles

Baked goods from De Clieu Coffee and Sandwich shop. Photo by Office of University Branding.

De Clieu is a sandwich and coffee shop located in Old Town Fairfax just off University Drive. Breakfast and lunch sandwiches galore are topped only by the eclectic iced coffee options including gelatoccino, a gelato drink made with “award-winning flavor.” De Clieu partners with Intelligentsia Roasters to serve customers the best quality coffee beans from across the world. Their menu currently features seasonal specialty drinks and baked goods, some of which blend sweet and savory flavors! The restaurant offers upper and lower deck seating and has free parking and Wi-Fi.     

Don’t Miss Out Item: Spicy Swine Breakfast Sandwich 

Sisters Thai 

Location: 4004 University Drive 
Distance from the Fairfax Campus: 4 minutes, 1.3 miles

Sisters Thai in Fairfax, Virginia. Photo by Office of University Branding.

Sisters Thai offers an array of Asian dishes and desserts to customers. Nicknamed “The Living Room Café," Sisters Thai puts an emphasis on relaxing while you enjoy their cuisine and a drink or two. Be sure to check out the “Thai Street Food” and “Chef’s Recommendation” menu sections for some colorful dishes and unique flavors. The inside is picturesque with a decorative bookshelf lining a cozy booth area, and flowers hanging from above. If you don’t have time to dine-in, Sisters Thai offers online ordering for delivery or pickup. The local chain has three other locations throughout the region. 

Don’t Miss Out Item: Kana Moo Grob 

Fats Fairfax 

Location: 10673 Braddock Rd 
Distance from the Fairfax Campus: 4 minutes, 0.7 miles 

Fats describes themselves as a “N’awlins saloon offering great food” that gives off the vibe of Bourbon Street. Fats offers delicious seafood specials that include spiced shrimp, steamed mussels, and raw oysters. While customers enjoy their meals, they are serenaded with live entertainment. With Open Mic Night, Trivia Night, and Karaoke, Fats is more than just a restaurant, but the perfect place for a fun night out with friends.  

Don’t Miss Out Item: Hot Crab Dip 

Woody’s Ice Cream

Location: 10435 North St
Distance from the Fairfax Campus: 5 minutes, 1.4 miles

Woody's vanilla ice cream cone with sprinkles. Photo by Office of University Branding.

Another one for Patriot Perks! Woody’s is in the heart of downtown Fairfax and offers treats like waffle cones, milkshakes and everything in between, with 34 flavor options to choose from, four of which are only offered seasonally, so don’t miss out! The shop offers delicious non-dairy alternatives as well as weekly specials Monday through Thursday. Woody’s offers indoor seating and expanded patio space for customers to sit and enjoy their treats. And speaking of treats, Woody’s is dog-friendly, so bring your pup along for the ride. If you’re lucky, Woody and his granddaughter Danielle will be in-house. They love meeting new customers!

Don’t Miss Out Item: 2 Scoops of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough with Reese's Pieces Toppings (and Gummy Bears for a little razzle dazzle!)

Looking for more options? Remember to check out ��AV’s Patriot Perks program, which provides students and alumni with exclusive deals at local establishments and supports small business and alumni-owned businesses. Many of these locations also accept Mason Money. 

Eating with an Entrepreneur
October 23, 2023

Topics

Costello College of Business

Dining and meal options

Around Mason (E-Files)

Joint postdoc program develops from partnership between Statistics Department, Inova Health

Teresa Donnellan — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 18:42:25 +0000

Joint postdoc program develops from partnership between Statistics Department, Inova Health Teresa Donnellan Thu, 09/28/2023 - 14:42

In This Story

Jiayang Sun

A partnership between ��AV’s Statistics Department and Inova Health Care Services has entered its fifth year and continues to grow. The partnership has motivated a new initiative: a postdoc program for Inova researchers interested in developing skills in statistics and data science, run jointly by George Mason’s statistics and global and community health departments. Mohamad Bahij Moumneh, MD, and Jason F. Goldberg, MD, are the program’s standing inaugural members.

“As a fresh Lebanese medical graduate interested in expanding his acquired skills in the field of research, especially cardiology, and academia, the joint program provided me with this golden opportunity,” said Moumneh. He added, “By maximizing the resources of each institute, enhancements in the overall picture and quality of research and healthcare education occur, and allow both institutions to keep, if not exceed, pace with novel technologies and healthcare advancements and institutions.”

The partnership between Mason Statistics and Inova Health was supported by a contract between the university and the healthcare system via a parent award from NIH to the iTHRIV partnership. It supported the experts in George Mason’s Statistics Collaboration Core (SCC) to work with colleagues from Inova Health Care Services on research projects involving statistics or data science. To initialize each new project, INOVA researchers visit statinova.gmu.edu.

“The Statistics Collaboration Core (SCC) is a collaboration platform that supports and facilitates statistical collaborations with internal and external investigators or seekers for evidenced-based research, or statistical, biostatistical, or data science support to decision-making,” explained Jiayang Sun of Mason’s statistics department. Sun is a Principal Investigator on the new grant establishing the postdoc program, alongside co-PI Carolyn Drews-Botsch, the chair of the department of global and community health in Mason’s School of Public Health.

“The partnership between Inova and Mason will help with our research efforts aimed at prolonging life after heart transplantation,” said Goldberg. He noted that, for his case, SCC has provided advanced analysis of mircoRNA clinical rejection scores and has used machine learning to evaluate risk modeling of adverse outcomes within the first year of heart transplantation.

“These collaborations will continue to produce meaningful cardiovascular research,” he said.

Of the five-year partnership between Mason Statistics and Inova Health, Sun noted the relationship has been fruitful, producing additional grants, publications in the health and medical sector, and new grant proposals. She added that it serves as a welcome opportunity for both tenure track and term faculty to perform original research and collaborate with colleagues dealing with real-world problems. Research projects from the partnership have covered such important topics as opioid use, sepsis, heart failure, and—before there were reliable tests—the spread of COVID-19 among children in northern Virginia.

Sun, Moumneh, and Goldberg are likewise optimistic about the new joint postdoc program.

“Researchers can collaborate on various projects that eventually might lead to medical breakthroughs. One could say that the joint program fosters an environment of innovation and growth. The joint program also allows the addressing of pressing healthcare dilemmas, an event that might encourage students to think of possible solutions and managements,” said Moumneh.

Topics

Statistics

Inova

Department of Statistics

College of Public Health

College of Engineering and Computing

School of Computing

Community Partners

Students

Envisioning a sustainability-oriented future for corporate governance

Jennifer Anzaldi — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 14:19:59 +0000

Envisioning a sustainability-oriented future for corporate governance Jennifer Anzaldi Thu, 12/01/2022 - 09:19

The “G” in “ESG”, which stands for governance, comes last, but not least. In fact, corporate governance may become the most important member of the trio, as mounting ESG awareness continues to enlarge the current conception of risk management. Soon, directors of publicly traded companies may be held increasingly responsible for heading off business risks related to the “E” and the “S”, such as the societal ramifications of carbon emissions and human capital flight due to less-than-living wages.

Cases in point: Boards of directors of Facebook and other high-profile companies have been sued by shareholders for breach of DEI pledges. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has broadened its regulatory agenda to include climate change, cyber risk governance, board diversity and human capital.

Given this context of change, it was an appropriate moment for the Business for a Better World Center (B4BW) to convene an in-person Stakeholder Roundtable on the subject of Corporate Governance. The half-day event took place at Point of View International Retreat & Research Center at Mason Neck in Lorton, VA on October 21.

Previous Stakeholder Roundtable events were held virtually with the stated mission of “engag[ing] tri-sector leadership, our faculty and students to ensure forward progress is made on business meeting the values and expectations of society as well as its various stakeholders and to drive stakeholder capitalism further into the mainstream.”

After encouraging opening remarks from Dean Ajay Vinzé, a keynote speech was given by Michael Sion, a partner at Bain & Company who also sits on B4BW’s Advisory Board. In his talk, Sion laid out four main stumbling blocks preventing corporate boards from pivoting from the doctrine of shareholder primacy to a more stakeholder-oriented view. Lack of information means that directors are often ill-equipped to understand trade-offs between stakeholder and business outcomes. Lack of representation results in board composition that is misaligned with the demographics – and thus the concerns – of the broader society. Lack of incentives lessens the motivation for directors to rethink how they make decisions, unless they are pressured to do so for core business reasons. Lack of transparency hinders corporate accountability for decisions incurring environmental and/or social risks.

B4BW Executive-in-Residence Rashed Hasan then described a solution that would address the aforementioned challenges. Currently in development, the Stakeholder Value Index uses a wealth of corporate data to quantify the value firms bring to their employees, communities, customer and suppliers as well as the planet, shareholders and the company itself.

Narrowing the focus to one key stakeholder – employees – Tannia Talento, regional director from the office of U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), spoke of the Senator’s efforts to advance legislation that would incentivize corporations to invest in worker training by offering a business-related tax credit. Warner also co-authored a letter to the SEC urging the agency to require labour-related corporate disclosures, including the percentage of workers classified as “independent contractors” and thus exempted from many protections.

The following speaker was Cambria Allen-Ratzlaff, managing director and head of investor strategies for JUST Capital, an independent non-profit whose rankings and indices are designed to “drive capital toward good corporate citizens.” Allen-Ratzlaff explained that JUST Capital derives its priorities by polling the American public on their priorities. Consistently, paying a fair and living wage and job creation in the U.S. come in first and second in the polls. In addition, she presented a data-driven case that fair and equitable human capital management was completely in line with business objectives. Better corporate citizens, she argued, are also better managers and can deliver higher shareholder returns on average.

Usman Ahmed, head of global public affairs and strategic research for PayPal, described how the digital-payments giant launched the Worker Financial Wellness Initiative. The purpose of the initiative was to increase workers’ Net Disposable Income (i.e. the amount left over after taxes and necessary expenses) from as low as four percent in some regions to 20 percent across the board. To achieve this, PayPal extended equity eligibility to all employees, reduced healthcare costs, reviewed and raised wages, and provided financial consulting services. Consequently, the minimum global NDI for PayPal employees reached an estimated 16 percent in 2021.

However, corporations must balance the feel-good factor and social mission of stakeholder capitalism against potential legal limitations, especially in our age of rising shareholder activism. Donald Kochan, a professor at ��AV’s Scalia School of Law and deputy executive director of the Law & Economics Center, cautioned the group that shareholder value maximization has been enshrined in the U.S. legal framework for corporate oversight. He zeroed in on the distinction between a “corporation”, which is owned by shareholders and holds a unique legal status, and a “business”, an entity with no prescribed ownership structure that has wider decision-making latitude. For corporations, shareholder value is the sole legally acknowledged criterion for measuring managerial performance. Adding other decision-making criteria – beneficial as they may be for society – would give shareholders actionable cause for complaint. Therefore, Kochan argued, boards of directors need to develop ways of driving business growth (and, by extension, shareholder returns) that also, as a secondary effect, benefit other stakeholders.

Other than the above-named speakers, attendees at the Roundtable included B4BW staff, Mason School of Business faculty, MBA students and law students. Rounding out the proceedings, participants engaged in breakout sessions on corporate information transparency and how boards can advocate on behalf of employees.

Rashed Hasan, who leads the Stakeholder Roundtable Series, observed at the end of the day, “This is very exciting to see everyone is opening up to meet in person and now we are able to convene a small group of tri-sector leaders, our faculty and our students to engage in open and frank discussion on some of the challenging issues facing business and society.” The next Roundtable is being planned for the later part of spring 2023.

Topics

Costello College of Business News

Costello College of Business Faculty Research

Management Faculty Research

Costello College of Business

Community Partners

Business for a Better World Center

Point of View

Campus News

Business for a Better World Center News

Mason researchers partner with Indigenous nations to promote environmental resilience

Mariam Aburdeineh — Fri, 02 Sep 2022 20:29:47 +0000

Mason researchers partner with Indigenous nations to promote environmental resilience Mariam Aburdeineh Fri, 09/02/2022 - 16:29

In This Story

Thomas Wood

It’s common to think of Indigenous peoples as living in the past. We may think of them around Thanksgiving or in old films and books. But Native Americans are very much here and now, said Jeremy Campbell, and after decades of struggle, that’s starting to be recognized.

Dancing at an Upper Mattaponi Powwow in May 2022.

In 2018, U.S. legislation granted federal recognition to six tribes in Virginia. A ��AV team has been partnering with two of them, the Upper Mattaponi and Chickahominy nations, as they embark on being sovereign nations.

“What really has been an honor to be a part of is building the capacity and the sovereignty of native tribes,” said Campbell, a College of Science professor co-leading the Mason team with School of Integrated Studies professor Tom Wood. “This is a wonderful opportunity for us, as a university, to build a sustainable and respectful relationship that has the potential to last for decades.”

Supporting Tribal Sovereignty

When tribes become sovereign nations, they must set up governments and structures to communicate with the U.S. government, said Campbell, associate director for strategic engagement at Mason’s Institute for a Sustainable Earth. That includes a department of environmental management, which both tribes are setting up.

That’s where Mason comes in.

Over the summer, Campbell and Wood led a multidisciplinary team of 10 undergraduates and two graduate researchers to collect environmental data in partnership with tribal governments as part of a Summer Impact Project. Their research will support tribes in making informed decisions for their communities when it comes to conservation, restoration, and environmental matters.

Chickahominy Connections

George Mason student Sara Jefferson is a member of the Chickahominy Tribe. Photo provided.

For junior psychology major Sara Jefferson, the project hits home.

“My favorite part about working on this project is being able to teach others about my culture and my people, while also learning about the natural world around me,” said Jefferson, a member of the Chickahominy Tribe and of Mason’s Native American and Indigenous Alliance.

Jefferson is part of three groups supporting the Chickahominy tribe in food security, wildlife assessment, and digital mapping.

“In the food security group, we’re researching the accessibility to different food sources in the surrounding Charles City area, and assisting the beginning process of community gardens within the tribe,” she said.

Jefferson is also part of a wildlife assessment group that’s identifying wildlife commonly found in the area and declining species. This involves expeditions along the Powhatan (James) River at dawn—when animals are most likely to be out—and recording where and when animals are discovered.

“This project has been very valuable to the Chickahominy Tribe, as it’s helped us establish a baseline of information about our tribal lands and waters that will help us as we make decisions going forward,” said Dana Adkins, tribal environmental director of the Chickahominy Indian Tribe. “As we work to strengthen our community’s role as stewards of our ancestral lands, it’s been great to partner with the students and learn from them as they learn from us.”

The team during a wildlife assessment. From left to right: Brian Jiménez, Olga Cheltsova, Maiya Justice, Dominique Hannon, Dana Adkins (Chickahominy Tribal Environmental Director), Dr. Tom Wood, Guadalupe Meza-Negrete.

Uncovering What Was Lost

In the wildlife assessments, the teams are also tracking what they didn’t find, such as native plant species being pushed out by invasives, Campbell said. Talking with their Indigenous partners helps them understand what the ecosystem should look like.

Collaborating with the tribes is of utmost importance for upholding tribal sovereignty, and for expanding students’ understanding.

“Leading with humility is really important, especially when you’re working with a group that’s been historically marginalized,” said senior sociology major James Condo. “Understanding that you’re going to be a student of everyone else around you is really important to keep in mind for research and in life.”

That mindset can be powerful, Campbell said, especially as the system most people are used to has ignored or marginalized Indigenous ways of knowing.

“If we connect with those ways of knowing and relationships, it can enrich our personal lives, and our ability to perceive and interact with nonhumans, and other communities, in a way that leads to more profound awareness.”

Prof. Tom Wood, Brian Jiménez and Mason team members using a spotting scope during a wildlife assessment.

Going Digital

The Mason team is also training tribal members in how to create geospatial information systems (GIS) databases. These include information about landscape changes, and air and water quality.

“We pull it into a system like ArcGIS, and overlay culturally significant points,” Campbell said. “We’re working with the tribes to train them, so that, if we’re successful, we can stand back and just stand ready for the new kinds of questions and challenges that might come up.”

Students also benefit.

“This has started to get me versed in GIS, and geospatial data is on the cutting edge of a lot of social science fields,” Condo said. “It’s really a great access point for a lot of interdisciplinary spaces.”

Mason students working with Chickahominy participants in a GIS skills building workshop.

Protecting Indigenous Data

“Tribal sovereignty is at the heart of this partnership, which is necessary and important,” said Leigh Mitchell, environmental and cultural protection director of the Upper Mattaponi Indian tribe. “Indigenous priorities have led the way in this research.”

For the Upper Mattaponi, who recently took land into trust, one of those priorities includes documenting how their landscape—which borders on the edge of urban expansion—has changed over the past 50 years, and how people are interacting with the land.

The Mason team is also constructing protocols to ensure that Indigenous people have control of their data in accordance with the principles of Indigenous Data Sovereignty—the right of a tribal nation to govern the collection, ownership, and application of its own data.

“[Indigenous Data Sovereignty] encourages us to think of data as another kind of valuable resource that people need, use and care for, the way we might think of natural resources,” Campbell said. “As Virginia’s tribal nations reassert their sovereignty, it is important that their control over information pertaining to their communities, landscapes, and waterways be securely and affirmatively under their control.”

One of the team’s next steps, Campbell said, is to create a digital environment where tribes can grant tiers of access to non-native collaborators.

Research in Dialogue

Learning directly with the tribes has been a major draw, Jefferson and Condo agreed.

In addition to providing tribes with information needed to make informed environmental decisions, relationship building has been at the project’s center.

“It’s very much a dialogue,” Campbell said.

From left to right: Adam Edwards, Olga Cheltsova, James Condo, Patricia Troup, Elizabeth Schierbeek, Dr. Jeremy Campbell, Upper Mattaponi Chief Frank Adams.

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Mason’s Center for Retail Transformation and Microsoft to showcase technological innovation

Melanie Balog — Thu, 10 Mar 2022 16:33:18 +0000

Mason’s Center for Retail Transformation and Microsoft to showcase technological innovation Melanie Balog Thu, 03/10/2022 - 11:33

��AV’s Center for Retail Transformation, part of the School of Business, is working with Microsoft to host a series of informational panels this spring and summer to help students understand how technological innovation is affecting retail businesses.

“A collaboration with Microsoft allows Mason and the center to emerge as thought leaders in the retail sector, showcasing how retail is changing and becoming more technology and data intensive,” said Gautham G. Vadakkepatt, director of the Center for Retail Transformation. “It’s also a great opportunity for Mason to provide students with an in-depth understanding of where technology is heading and how it is changing the retail landscape.”

Over the spring and summer semesters, Microsoft will sponsor and participate in a six-part series of panel discussions with retail and technology experts about the digital transformation of retail. Some of the panel discussions being planned include conversations around customer data and AI, sustainability, enabling frontline workers and best utilizing the metaverse. The next panel is scheduled for March 23. Register here.

“We are excited about sponsoring these discussions around how retail can work with emerging technologies,” said Ricardo Belmar, director of Microsoft’s partner marketing advisor for retail and consumer goods. “We are at the beginning of a longer term relationship with Mason and the Center for Retail Transformation.”

In addition to sponsoring the panels, Microsoft plans to work with Mason to support the development of retail industry-specific surveys to help with research. The center and Microsoft, with its partners, also expect to create opportunities and resources for retailers to better understand how businesses can benefit from emerging technologies.

Launched in 2020, the vision of Mason’s Center for Retail Transformation is to be the foremost academic institution to drive transformation in retail.

“Our center is dedicated to helping the retail sector, especially start-up, small- and medium-sized players, thrive in the new era,” said Vadakkepatt.

Belmar said that Microsoft is also trying to increase its focus on small- to mid-market-sized retailers.

“The mission of the center aligns with our mission of enabling retailers to better use the technology available to them,” Belmer said.