The Global Policy Institute at Loyola Marymount University is home to some of Los Angeles's top thinkers in global policy. Their expertise cover a wide range of interdisciplinary scholarship on the critical issues shaping today's global agenda.
-
Declan Tomlinson, Undergraduate Research Fellow
Declan Tomlinson is a fourth-year international relations and economics student. Declan currently works with the USAID Bureau for Resilience and Food Security. Prior to this, Declan worked on multiple award-winning documentary productions. With his experience in media, Declan believes blending political research in a visual medium is vital to sharing politics to the general public. Declan is passionate about the climate crisis and degrowth economics. He enjoys long runs, surfing and backpacking.
Matt Lamantia, Undergraduate Research Fellow
Matt Lamantia is a fourth-year international relations student. Matt has a passion for documentary filmmaking and has worked with musicians, artists, businesses and brands to create short form video content over the last four years. He transitioned to focus on political science and aims to find the nexus between his documentary interests and GPI research. Matt focuses on East Asian affairs and has a special interest in global security. In his spare time, Matt is the president of his fraternity, a tennis player and a musician.
Kevin Errasquin, Undergraduate Research Fellow
Kevin Errasquin is a third-year international relations student with minors in history and french. Kevin is from Mexico City, Mexico, and he has a passion to learn about other cultures and research in the field of comparative politics. GPI Fellowship is Kevin’s first internship, and he hopes to attain professional experience from being able to work with researchers and policy-makers from all around the world. Kevin hopes to pursue a career in either international business, international security, or international law after graduating from LMU. Kevin is also a member of Alpha Kappa Psi, a professional business fraternity where he combines his passion for business and international relations.
Angelina Lin, Undergraduate Research Fellow
Angelina Lin is a third-year political science major and public relations minor. Angelina has previously interned at the largest circulated financial and economic newspaper in Taiwan and written for a student-run publication. Having spent half her life abroad, her interests include issues surrounding state sovereignty and diplomacy between non-state actors. On campus, she is involved in Asian Pacific Islander clubs, the Service Organization Community, and the Center for Service and Action.
Jose Miguel Lopez Arroyo, Undergraduate Research Fellow
Jose Miguel is a senior majoring in Psychology with minors in Spanish and Political Science from Porterville, CA. His long-term career goal is to study forensic psychology to work with the court system providing adequate psychological services to those in need. He has interned with the Sociology Institute of Research and Tenant's Law Firm providing him experience with research skills and data management. On-campus he is affiliated with Latinx clubs and is the current president of Sigma Lambda Beta Inc. Fraternity. In his free time, he enjoys cycling, playing spike ball, and soccer.
Annika Lai, Undergraduate Research Fellow
Annika Lai is a second-year international relations student. Emboldened by her interests in international politics and economics, Annika is passionate about exploring policy avenues to resolving global challenges in the world today. As a GPI fellow, Annika has a special interest in global security and the forced migration of refugees. She is dedicated to upholding transparency, qualitative communication, and female empowerment as both a GPI fellow and aspiring lawyer. At LMU, Annika is also involved in service as a member of the service organization Gryphon Circle.
Christopher Yalda, Undergraduate Research Fellow
Christopher is a third-year philosophy and political science student. Christopher is interested in looking at the ways differing cultures interact with each other in both the political and ideological arena, and emerging digital privacy rights issues. Before the Global Policy Institute, Christopher worked internships in the legal field, and furthered his interests in environmental conversation by working for a land-conservation non-profit and leading a burned hillside restoration project following a devastating wildfire season.
Anushka Brito, Undergraduate Research Fellow
Anushka is a third-year political science student with a minor in Physics. Having previously worked on a congressional candidate's campaign, and with her current research on the fluids of astrophysical bodies, she would like to combine physics and political science to work on corporate law at a technology company or a patent law firm. On-campus, she is also a part of the Belles Service Organization and the Vice President of LMU's mock trial team. In her spare time, she enjoys figure skating, playing the piano, and learning new dishes to cook.
David Glazier, Global Policy Institute Senior Fellow
Dave Glazier is a professor at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles with an affiliated appointment in political science at LMU. He spent 21 years as a U.S. Navy surface warfare officer, culminating in command of a guided missile frigate, before retiring in order to attend law school at the University of Virginia. He researches and teaches international law with a particular focus on law governing the use of force and the law of the sea. He has published multiple law journal articles and book chapters on issues related to the so-called "War on Terror," including the Guantanamo military commissions and drone use.
Daniel Jacobs, Global Policy Institute Senior Fellow
Daniel Jacobs, clinical associate professor of management at LMU, has had a distinguished career in both academia and public service. He was the founding director of the first interdisciplinary graduate program in sustainability management in a U.S. business school, which he led to a #1 national sustainability specialty ranking by Bloomberg Businessweek in 2013. His book, "BP Blowout: Inside the Gulf Oil Disaster," was published by Brookings Institution Press in 2016. He has appeared on BBC World News television and regularly in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Financial Times, and Guardian. An active member of the California Bar, he was formerly an award-winning attorney at both the Justice Department and State Department in Washington, D.C. He holds degrees from Middlebury College (B.A.), Cambridge University (M. Phil.) and Duke University (J.D.).
Jennifer M. Ramos, Global Policy Institute Senior Fellow
Jennifer M. Ramos, associate professor and associate chair of political science, focuses her research on understanding the causes and consequences of political change, with an emphasis on the role of ideas, norms, and identity. In addition, she specializes in US public opinion and foreign policy. Her current research interests include religion and foreign policy preferences, drone warfare, and the preventive use of force.
Bernie DiDario, Global Policy Institute Fellow
Bernie DiDario is a business executive and consultant with experience in the medical device and health care delivery industries. He earned a Master of Science in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Kerstin Fisk, Global Policy Institute Fellow
Kerstin Fisk's research focuses on issues of security, peace, and conflict, with an emphasis on forced migration and political violence. She earned a Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University in 2013. Her dissertation, entitled "Moving Targets: Refugee Geography and the Diffusion of Conflict and Violence in Africa," investigates how refugee settlement patterns affect patterns of violence by state and non-state armed actors in African conflicts. Her recent work also includes "Actions Speak Louder than Words: Preventive Self-Defense as a Cascading Norm" with Jennifer M. Ramos, published in International Studies Perspectives.
Janie Steckinrider, Global Policy Institute Fellow
Janie Steckenrider's research and teaching in political science are focused in the areas of political gerontology and women's studies. Her publications include "Women as Political Leaders" (with Michael Genovese, Taylor and Francis Press) and "New Direction in Old Age Policies" (with Tonya Parrott, SUNY Press) and articles in Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, Journal of Health and Human Services Administration, Southwest Journal of Aging, Encyclopedia of Aging and Journal of Women and Politics.
Thomas Herndon, Global Policy Institute Fellow
Thomas Herndon earned his B.A. in Economics from the Evergreen State College in 2007 and his Ph.D. in Economics in 2016 from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. His research investigates the classic questions of political economy – distribution, conflict, and instability – in the context of the macroeconomy, with a heavy focus on policy. His approach is primarily empirical, and uses individual level micro-data to estimate macro-level effects.
Hon. Graham Allen, MP, Global Policy Institute Non-Resident Fellow & Member of British House of Commons
Graham Allen was a Member of Parliament for Notthingham North from 1987 to 2017. He graduated from City of London Polytechnic and earned a M.A. from the University of Leeds. He was elected as the Labour MP for the Nottingham North constituency at the 1987 general election. He sat on a number of parliamentary select committees and was the Chair of the Political and Constitutional Reform Select Committee in the House of Commons from 2010 to 2015. He was also a member of the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission. He is a proponent of democratic reform.
Samuel G. Baron, Former Undergraduate Research Fellow
Samuel G. Baron studied political science with a specialized focus on U.S. foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific region. He previously served as an intern at the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor where he worked to implement governmental human rights priorities for the Northeast Asian region. He was also a visiting researcher at Columbia University, where he took a graduate level course on Korean Politics and Foreign Policy at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). He currently interns at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Bangkok, Thailand where he focuses on the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar and ASEAN cooperation in the region.
Virginia Laskodi, Former Undergraduate Research Fellow
Virginia Laskodi studied political science with a minor in business administration. She joined GPI in June 2017. In Fall 2018, she was the Global Policy Institute's Hansard Fellow, where she studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science and interned for a Member of Parliament for the United Kingdom. She also has interned for Senator Robert Hertzberg and was the Bill Fitzgerald Fellow for the Center for the Study of Los Angeles, where she researched ways to mitigate urban blight in Los Angeles. She is also passionate about advocating for better mental health resources.
Carlos A. Mesa Baron, Former Undergraduate Research Fellow
Carlos A. Mesa Baron is a Colombian-American who studied international relations and economics. His interests include international development and the collective advancement of the Western-Hemisphere. He previously studied at the London School of Economics where he specialized in economic policy and development. He also researched at the Center for the Study of Los Angeles and a UK-based think tank called Social Vision. He is an avid volunteer, having served migrant communities in London through the NGO Podium, mentoring and tutoring inner-city youth of Los Angeles at the Mar Vista Community Center, and with the Maria Luisa de Moreno International Foundation. His interests are promoting the unity and development of the American region through policy to promote stability and economic growth.
Tia Carr, Former Undergraduate Research Fellow
Tia Carr studied international relations and French while at LMU. Her two main passions are mitigating climate change and Middle Eastern politics. She spends time each week at Safe Place for Youth, a resource center for at-risk and homeless teens and young adults. Last summer, Tia contributed research on peacebuilding in Northern Ireland for GPI Senior Fellow Jennifer Ramos. Tia hopes to serve as an ambassador for the State Department or work with an NGO.
Ann Huff, Undergraduate Research Fellow
Ann studied political science major with minors in peace and justice studies and Chicanx/Latinx studies. With a commanding grasp of organizational leadership and a diverse background in the political atmosphere, Ann is passionate in empowering the next generation of female leaders. As a member of the United Nation's Girl Up Campaign, Ann has established herself as a prominent activist in national politics with lobbying experience on Capitol Hill. Following this experience, Ann was enlisted as a Congressional Intern for Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II (D-MO, 5th District). At LMU, Ann committed herself to service by facilitating small group discussions and service trips through Campus Ministry and coordinating various philanthropic efforts through LMU Sorority and Fraternity Life.
Claudia Evans, Former Undergraduate Research Fellow
Claudia Evans was a political science student, with minors in international relations and Spanish. She is passionate about social justice and hopes to teach abroad.
Quinn McGannon, Former Undergraduate Research Fellow
Quinn McGannon graduated with a degree in international relations with a minor in German. Quinn’s main interests are human rights advocacy and development in Southeast Asia. Her mother’s experience as an immigrant from Southeast Asia has fed her desire to see and be part of the region's development. Quinn plans to pursue a master’s degree in global policy.
Veronica Backer-Peral, Former Undergraduate Research Fellow
Veronica Backer-Peral is a fourth-year film production, history, and computer science triple major. Veronica was on LMU's Election 2020 team and is a member of the Clinton Global Initiative University, where she is working to merge computer science with her passion for global policy in order to conduct an analytical comparative study of different healthcare policies. She is passionate about the complex relationship between the U.S. and the Middle East, the global rise of populism and extremism, and anything that merges various disciplines.
Sam Goodyear, Former Undergraduate Research Fellow
Sam studied sociology and international relations at LMU. In the fall of 2019, she studied and interned in London, working with a fundraising team to fund health research for unknown site-related conditions. She hopes to work in public policy, with a non-profit organization, or with an international organization.
Paul Fitchen, Former Undergraduate Research Fellow
Paul Fitchen is a second-year international relations student. His fascination with the major began at age four when he moved overseas to Oman. The 11 years he spent abroad in Oman, Libya, and Italy sparked his interest in addressing climate change and alleviating global poverty. His dream job is to one day become a foreign service officer in the State Department.