SUSAN BAUER (REES and Political Science). Susan earned the M.A. in arms-control and international studies at Columbia University. She then worked at the American Embassy in Moscow as an employee of Pacific Architects and Engineers, a firm which provides support services to American embassies and consulates in the successor nations of the Soviet Union. Susan worked at the Embassy as a diplomatic/consular assistant, processing refugee information for the U.S. Department of Justice. She now works for DYNCORPS, which performs contractual work for the U.S. Department of State. Susan recently informed us that an upcoming project may take her to the new nations of Central Asia.

ANNETTE BROWN (Russian and Economics). Annette earned the Ph.D. in economics at the University of Michigan. Her dissertation dealt with enterprise behavior and economic reform in Russia. While researching her dissertation, Annette traveled to Russia, where she surveyed industrial enterprises in three separate regions of the country. Following this trip, Annette returned to the University of Michigan to give a public lecture entitled "Enterprise Behavior in Russia: A Field Trip Report." Annette is now an assistant professor of economics at Western Michigan University.

MALINDA COLLINS SCHMIECHEN (Russian and Communications). Following graduation, Malinda lived and studied for a year in Poland, and she then worked in Connecticut for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Department, where she advised Armenians and Poles in the challenges of resettlement in the U.S. Malinda then earned the M.A. at the American University in international communication, with a focus on Central and Eastern Europe. Malinda's association with various international organizations have taken her over the last several years to Croatia, Russia, and Poland. She has worked as a researcher for Demokratizatsiya, a journal published by the American University and Moscow State University; has served as the Program Officer for Poland for the International Network for Women in Enterprise and Trade (INET); has worked with Delphi International as Administrative Coordinator for the Former Yugoslavia; and has served as Executive Director of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Malinda is now working with the Women's P roject of Minnesota's Advocates for Human Rights, with responsibilities for Central and Eastern European nations.

BRENDA HORRIGAN (REES and Political Science). Brenda earned degrees both in law and Russian area studies at Columbia University. As part of her studies, Brenda worked in Moscow for a year as an ACTR scholar in the Law Faculty of Moscow State University. She then worked in the Moscow office of Steptoe and Johnson, an American law firm that advises Russian businesses on contracts and property law. Brenda then moved to the Moscow office of the international law firm of Salans Hertzfeld and Heilbronn. Now based in Paris with the same law firm, where she recently became partner, Brenda travels frequently to Moscow as part of her duties (she's there about a week a month). She is increasingly specializing in international arbitration, although she continues to do some Russian M&A work. Her arbitration work is a combination of commercial contract arbitration (before the ICC, LCIA, SCC, etc.) and investment treaty cases, particularly acting on behalf of investors against governments of the former Soviet block. In the January 1996 Alumni Interim Workshops marking the College's Sesquicentennial, Brenda joined ERIC JOHNSON '88 and EMILY SILLIMAN '81 in offering a very well-attended workshop on doing business in the new Russia. The Moscow apartment of Brenda and her husband ERIC JOHNSON (see below) was for two years the nerve-center for Grinnellians in Russia, and through e-mail Brenda and Eric have been of immense help to the Russian Department in providing interconnections between and among alumni involved in Russia and Eastern Europe. She and her husband have two young girls, both of whom were born in Paris. She can be contacted at bhorrigan@salans.com

ERIC JOHNSON (Russian and Mathematics). Following graduation, Eric served for the Audubon Society, Greenpeace, and the Iowa-Stavropol Sister-State Community on their Russia projects. Having earned the M.A. in Russian area studies at Georgetown University, Eric began work for the media-consulting firm Internews, which assists independent radio and television stations in the former Soviet Union, and he is now Project Director in Central Asia and the Southern Caucasus. Also skilled in Internet installations and connections, Eric has made dozens of trips over the past seven years to every part of Russia and the new nations of Eurasia. As mentioned above, Eric and his wife BRENDA HORRIGAN '88 have been very helpful and hospitable to Grinnellians in Russia. Together with EMILY SILLIMAN '81, Eric and Brenda offered a highly successful workshop on business in Russia for Grinnell students during the January 1996 Interim Session. Most recently Eric started a new project, the Global Internet Policy Initiative (www.internetpolicy.net), which advocated good internet policy in each of 16 countries. After handing this operation off, he became head of Internews Europe, with projects in about 15 countries. Eric's next project is something codenamed the Global Media Law Resource Centre. He still works on NIS-related issues for about 15% of the time; this last year he and a colleague made a research trip in Pakistan, where they are launching a new project. He has also traveled to Senegal and Vietnam. He and his wife have two girls, both of whom were born in Paris. The family welcomes visits from Grinnellians! You can contact him at johnson@internews.fr

HEIDI KILDE KLEINE (Russian and General Literary Studies). Heidi earned the M.A. in Russian language and literature at Purdue University. At a recent Alumni Reunion Weekend, Heidi attended the Russian Department's traditional wine-and-cheese reception for its returning alumni, and she expressed a continuing enthusiasm for Russian studies, but understandably acknowledged that young children now keep her very busy.

NATALIE I. MALL (Russian). ...

MARGARET M. MCKENNA (Russian). ...

BRIAN MCMAHON (Russian and REES). An employee of the Grinnell College Computer Center from the time of his graduation until last year, when Silicon Valley stole him away, Brian remained active in things Russian by befriending the College's many guests from Russia. He assisted ERIC JOHNSON '88 in creating the GRASS list that helps the Russian Department to maintain and increase contacts with its alumni. He is now an instructor at Cabrillo College, where he teachs Cisco networking and computer security classes. He and his wife (Sherrie) live in Scotts Valley, just inland from Santa Cruz.

MEGAN MOLLOY-JOHNSON (Russian). Meg (Russian department secretary '86-'88) went to work in the publishing industry after graduation. She was a college field rep and became an editor of biology and chemistry titles from 1990-1995, when she opened her own publishing consulting business and when she started having children. She now works with Pearson Education (college textbook publisher) as their director of product information and web publishing services, developing their corporate online stores and managing their relationship with key sites like Amazon. Her husband Chris ('89) is also with a division of Pearson, Prentice Hall, where he is the editor for their music titles.
Meg says: "Although I did not stay in the Russian studies field after graduation, I have to say that the start I got as a Russian major helped me tremendously. My problem solving, public speaking and analytical skills have stayed with me thanks to the department -- nothing like an oral exam to teach you how to manage pressure!"
Meg can be contacted at: Megan.Johnson@PearsonEd.com

RICHARD A. ROSE (Russian). ...

KATHRYN STOFF-HOGG (Russian and American Studies). ...