ALUMNI AROUND THE GLOBE

Over its 20-year legacy of promoting professional and intellectual growth while advancing an international perspective on social sectors, the International Public Policy and Management (IPPAM) program at the USC Price School of Public Policy has served as a springboard for many global leaders.

South America IPPAM Alumni

North America IPPAM Alumni

South America IPPAM Alumni

East Asia IPPAM Alumni

South & Southeast Asia IPPAM Alumni

Middle East & Eurasia IPPAM Alumni

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Africa IPPAM Alumni

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Alejandro received his B.A in Economics with a minor in History and M.Sc. in Economics from the Universidad de los Andes in Colombia. When Alejandro was in the middle of his thesis, his advisor offered him a job as a research assistant at Fedesarrollo, which is the most important Think Tank in Latin America. Working at Fedesarrollo has been a lifetime experience for him as it emphasizes on the rigor and analytical tools that are necessary to measure social and economic impacts of public policy interventions. For seven years (2008-2014), Alejandro was able to evaluate important issues of the public policy debate in Colombia, including financial inclusion, pension reforms, housing policies, among others. This professional experience was crucial in directing Alejandro’s interest in acquiring new analytical and critical thinking skills needed to evaluate public policies that led him to study for the Master of International Public Policy and Management (IPPAM) at University of Southern California (USC), from which he graduated in 2015.



The IPPAM program and its well renowned professors (such as Gayla Kraetsch, Rym Kaki, Jeffrey Wasserman and Jeanne S. Ringel) introduced Alejandro to the applicability of managerial tools to improve the implementation of public policies, and he had the opportunity to learn a diverse set of research methods for policy evaluation in such detail that he was immediately captivated. Furthermore, one valuable aspect about IPPAM is that he could enhance his technical knowledge by taking the statistics classes of professors James Elliott Moore and Emma Aguila. Something he really appreciated from his experience in IPPAM was that he had the opportunity to share his time with people from different cultures, and that enriched him professionally and, above all, personally because he could start to look at problems from different and interdisciplinary perspectives.



After graduating from the IPPAM, Alejandro returned to Colombia and accepted the challenge to be a researcher at Fedesarrollo and co-lead some consulting projects regarding pension topics. Though this role was tremendously demanding, it was one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences Alejandro had because he could put in practice all the tools that he learnt at USC. This personal realization reinforced his decision to apply for a doctoral program, but before pursuing it, he made the decision to study some more in-depth financial topics. In 2019, he graduated from the Master in Economics and Business Administration (MEBA-financial track) at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), where his master thesis was awarded as the best Master Thesis. He truly enjoyed this graduate program since he could connect the dots among the theoretical financial and business concepts that he learnt at UAB with his previous knowledge of public policy and research methods that he gained from USC.



“There is no doubt that the quality of the education at USC is impressive. Something that is highly recommendable of IPPAM is the human quality of its administrative staff headed by Dr. Mann and Dr. Yu. They are always open to give you advice and counsel and help you feel at home.”

Alejandro Becerra-Fajardo IPPAM 17
Patricia Velazquez graduated from IPPAM in 2013. She was born in Nicaragua and received her degree in Economics from the University of California, Riverside, in 2009. Upon graduation, she worked in J.P. Morgan Chase until she was accepted for the IPPAM graduate program. During her time with IPPAM, she attended the International Lab with USC and Fundação Getulio Vargas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She applied her knowledge in International Public Policy and Management. Currently, she is based in Washington, D.C., and works on international organizations and federal consulting. Her international organization work includes the organization of the American States and Inter-American Development Bank in projects mainly focused in the Latin American Hemisphere. Her Federal Consulting experience includes projects for Veterans Affairs and U.S. Census Bureau.



“IPPAM is dear to my heart. I had the opportunity to be part of this wonderful program and be part of such a diverse community. I learned from different cultures and points of view from people that I know will make a difference in this world, either in the private or public sector. I will always be grateful to IPPAM Faculty for their unconditional support from the application process, classes, and graduation.”

Patricia VelazquezIPPAM 15
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