Gaining a professional edge
Forty leadership studies alumni led professional development workshops for juniors on Feb. 15 at the 14th annual Jepson EDGE Institute. Workshops covered elevator pitches, interviewing skills, post-graduation career planning, and key competencies for new professionals.
“EDGE gives the students tools for talking about their Jepson education and how to leverage the unique aspects of a degree in leadership studies,” said Melissa Cramer, ’11, co-chair of the Jepson Alumni Corps Student Engagement Committee.
Alumni Honorees
During the Jepson EDGE Institute, the school presented awards to three alumni in recognition of their leadership in their professions and communities. Patrick Rucker, ’96, an investigative journalist with The Capitol Forum, and Kenneth Kraper, ’05, a national security professional with the U.S. government, received the Alumni Award, given to alumni who graduated at least 20 years ago. Jessie Thompson, ’15, director of youth hockey development for the Washington Capitals, received the Tenth-Year Recognition Award, given to an alum who graduated a decade ago.
2025 Jepson School alumni award recipients Jessie Thompson, '15, Patrick Rucker, '96, and Kenneth Kraper, '05, with Dean Sandra Peart
A Jepson First
Kevin Hass was a pioneering student of leadership studies when he graduated in 1998 as a member of the school’s fifth class. Twenty-eight years later, daughter Sydney Hass became the school’s first legacy graduate. Kevin regularly draws on his leadership education as the head pastor of a Presbyterian church. Sydney plans to apply her leadership knowledge in a public service career.
Alumni Spotlights
Dr. Evan Baum, ’03 (right), focuses on higher education in his role as director of strategic customer engagement at Workday, a Fortune 500 information system software vendor. He serves on the Jepson School Executive Board of Advisors, volunteers with a higher education nonprofit, and with his wife, Beth, established an endowed Richmond scholarship.
The Virginia Gang Investigators Association bestowed its 2025 Gang Prosecutor of the Year Award on Katherine Groover, ’10, L’15, for her successful prosecution of five gang members for the murder of an innocent bystander in a drive-by shooting. In June she was sworn in as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
As COO of BioMassters, Yasmine Karam, ’17, plays an integral role in supporting the nonprofit’s mission to provide clean, affordable, and sustainable energy cooking solutions in Rwanda.
Sarah Schalkoff, ’23, spent the year teaching English at a foreign language high school in Bulgaria with the support of a Fulbright grant for an English Teaching Assistantship. Prior to moving to Bulgaria, the Jepson Scholar earned a master’s degree in Japanese studies from the University of Oxford.
UR Here Giving Day
For the second consecutive year, the Jepson School Dean’s Impact Fund raised the most of any school fund during the University’s 36-hour April fundraising campaign.
“The school’s success at UR Here Giving Day is a tribute to the strength of our community and our academic excellence,” Dean Sandra Peart said. “I am so grateful to everyone who donated to the Jepson School to ensure we can continue to offer the nation’s premier undergraduate leadership studies education.”