June 20, 2017: Polis ’96 Runs for Colo. Governor; D’Amato ’10 Covers Woody Guthrie; Bezos ’86 on Charity; and More

U.S. Rep. Jared Polis ’96, a Democrat from Colorado’s 2nd District, launched his campaign for governor of Colorado, pledging to focus on expanding renewable energy use, ensuring free pre-kindergarten, and encouraging companies to provide stock options to employees. — Denver Post
 
Singer Anthony D’Amato ’10’s new EP, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, features a cover of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land.” Proceeds from the EP will be donated the to International Rescue Committee. — Rolling Stone
 
Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos ’86 asked Twitter followers for suggestions on how he should use his fortune to fund charities “at the intersection of urgent need and lasting impact.” — Bloomberg
 
Leslie Brunetta ’82 explains how, after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, she turned to Charles Darwin’s theory on natural selection and evolution to help her cope with her treatments and recovery. — WBUR
 
Special Counsel for the Department of Justice Robert Mueller ’66 has hired former Enron prosecutor Andrew Weissmann ’80 to help in the investigation into Russia’s alleged involvement in the 2016 presidential election. — The Hill
 
Barclays named former hedge-fund founder Chris Leonard ’95 as its head of U.S. rates trading. Leonard has more than 20 years of experience in interest-rate swaps and bond trading. — Stockhouse
 
In a regular feature called “WorkZone,” Gary Giallonardo ’82 describes his career journey, from working for Hewlett Packard in California to a recent return to his hometown of Pittsburgh, where he leads an industrial consultancy. — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom elected Villanova University political science professor Daniel Mark ’03 *13 as its next chairman. — USCIRF.gov
 
Omar Saleh *03, a professor of materials science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, received the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for his research in soft and biological matter. — The UC Santa Barbara Current
 
Architect Brandon Haw *85, who oversaw the design of the Hearst Tower in New York and the Faena House in Miami, describes his experience running his own firm and reflects on his projects around the world. — Commercial Observer
 
Francis Allotey *66, a Ghanaian mathematician and scientists, was inducted as a fellow of the Nigerian Mathematical Society for his “outstanding contributions towards the advancement of mathematics, science and technology in Africa and across the globe.” —  Citi FM Online
 
Australian National University professor Martin Richardson *89 has been re-appointed to serve as a lay member of the High Court of New Zealand, where he assists the court in matters pertaining to New Zealand’s Commerce Act of 1986. — Voxy
 
University of Chicago professor of astrophysics Dan Fabrycky *07 received the inaugural Vera Rubin Early Career Prize from the American Astronomical Society for his work on the orbital properties of multiple stars and extrasolar planets. — SpaceRef
 
Princeton economist Janet Currie *88 is the co-author of a groundbreaking study that shows a causal link between children with high exposure to lead and an increased probability of getting suspended from school and getting placed in juvenile detention. — The American Prospect
 
Lambda Legal’s Hayley Gorenberg ’87 praised Oregon’s new rule that allows residents to mark their gender as “not specified” on their driver’s licenses and identity cards. — WPXI News
  
When faced with a career setback, Constantine Alexandrakis ’89 says, people should “embrace the unpleasant to become stronger and leap ahead.” — CNBC

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