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Spotlight on Graduates

Matthew Hurtt (2009)
pic of Mr. Hurtt

Matthew Hurtt graduated in 2009 with a degree in History & Political Science. While at MTSU, he contributed to Sidelines, hosted a weekly radio show on WMTS, and served in the SGA and at TISL After graduation, he moved to the DC area to work in the conservative movement. He currently works as a copywriter for a high-profile direct mail fundraising firm.Hurtt contributes frequently to the Daily Caller, America's Future Foundation's "Doublethink," RedState, and Breitbart. Additionally, he travels the country, teaching grassroots activists how to win elections. He loves helping MTSU graduates find work in politics. Feel free to contact him: Matt.Hurtt@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter: @matthewhurtt

Stewart Aaron Carlton (2005)
pic of Mr. Carlton

Aaron Carlton served in the U.S. Army from 2000-2003 and deployed to Iraq with the 4th Infantry Division. After completing his time in the Army, he attended MTSU where he graduated magna cum laude in 2005 with a double major in International Relations and Spanish. He has framed houses in Tennessee, worked on a fishing boat in Alaska, taught English in Korea, bartended in Japan, studied Mandarin, Portuguese and , and traveled to more than 50 countries. Aaron joined the Department of State to work as a Foreign Service Officer in 2010 and completed his first assignment at the U.S. Embassy in Kampala, Uganda as a Political/Economic Officer. He will work temporarily at the United Nations General Assembly in the fall of 2012 before he will go to his next assignment at the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela as a Consular Officer from 2013 – 2015. Aaron loves traveling, dancing, hunting, fishing, and spending time with family. In the future, he hopes to open a chain of youth hostels around the world.

Aaron Shew (2011)

An IR/Global Studies double major and recipient of the Harry Horne International Relations Scholarship, Aaron Shewgraduated spring 2011 and accepted a position with SALT International, a non-profit specifically focused on establishing agri-businesses in the developing world. While at MTSU, Mr. Shew received the Critical Languages Scholarship in 2009 and 2010, and an MTSU Study Abroad Grant in 2008. He participated in a summer intensive Urdu program at the American Institute of Indian Studies in Lucknow, India, studied Arabic in Morroco, and volunteered or interned in Thailand, East Africa, Morocco, Sri Lanka and Mexico. He also published an article in the Journal of the Tennessee Academy of Science.

This coming winter (2011), Mr Shew will be moving to Afghanistan, temporarily filling the gap as Financial Director and Assistant Manager for the soy mill. "I am excited about this opportunity to gain further experience in some new areas and to be on the ground. Some days the responsibility is a bit overwhelming, but I've always thrived on challenges that push my limits and weaknesses.";Aaron has a blog relating his experiences at http://work-travel-think-live.blogspot.com/2011/12/bombs-semis-and-soy-mill.html

Adam Bennot (2009) and Grace Johnson (2010) featured in magazine THE HILL, "50 Most Beautiful People for 2011."

Michael G. Fann (2083)

Michael G. Fann, director of loss control for the TML Risk Management Pool, was presented the John G. Stutz Award by the National League of Cities (NLC) on October 27, 2010, for 25 years of "contributions made to the advancement of municipal government through outstanding and faithful service rendered to cities and state municipal leagues.";

NLC grants the Stutz Award to any league director, pool administrator, or staff member who has completed a total of 25 years of service with one or more state municipal leagues.

Fann began his service to the Tennessee's municipalities upon graduating from MTSU in December 1983 with a degree in public administration. He served as the full-time, paid Legislative Intern for the municipal league from January through June of 1984. Upon completing his graduate degree, he then began his risk management career in January, 1986. Currently as Director of Loss Control for the TML Risk Management Pool, Fann is responsible for a department that provides loss control assistance and services to roughly 500 participants in the risk management pool. He also coordinates a state-wide program for liability loss control and safety training.

John Stutz was the first Director of the American Municipal Association, the predecessor of NLC, from 1924 to 1931. In addition, he served as the first Executive Director of the League of Kansas Municipalities for 35 years. NLC presents the Stutz Award not only as an ongoing tribute to a person who was instrumental in the founding of the local government association movement, but also to recognize the contributions that long-time league directors and staff make to the cause of strengthening local government.

Cameron Parrish (2003)

Mr. Parrish graduated in 2003 with a degree in International Relations with significant academic focus in Anthropology and Latin American Studies. He went on to earn a Masters in Business Administration also from MTSU. A native of the Nashville Area, Parrish formerly worked as a Partnership Specialist for the Department of Commerce serving as an outreach advisor to local government and leading public relations efforts to increase participation in the 2010 Census. He is a former regional manager of operations for Knowledge Learning Corporation and responsible for the delivery of academic intervention programs in high-risk public schools in Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga and Knoxville. Cameron has learned and adopted Spanish as his second language and has completed business studies in the Castile-Leon region of Spain. Parrish is currently Director of Membership for the Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, working to grow membership and establish new structures for future organizational and economic development of the Hispanic community in West, Middle and East Tennessee.

Scott Griswold (2006)

MTSU Political Science Department Alumnus Dedicates Time to Pro Bono Work

Knoxville, TN, August 31, 2010—Scott Griswold, a Murfreesboro native and a graduate of MTSU with a B.B.A. in Accounting (2003) and a B.S. in Political Science (2006), was recognized for his commitment to pro bono service in the Knoxville area. Griswold is an attorney at Paine, Tarwater, and Bickers, LLP in Knoxville, Tennessee. At Legal Aid of East Tennessee's Pro Bono Celebration on July 22, Griswold was honored with the Pro Bono Advocate Award and was recognized for devoting at least 50 hours of his time to pro bono work. In fact, Griswold contributed nearly 250 hours of legal services to pro bono cases.

Griswold's pro bono work has included cases involving the representation of homeowners in wrongful foreclosure incidents. He also represented an indigent defendant in an appeal before the Tennessee Supreme Court, and in a 5-0 opinion, the Court sided with the indigent client, remanding the case for further proceedings. When asked about his pro bono work, Griswold stated, "When I was a law clerk to Chief Justice William Barker, he constantly encouraged me to do pro bono work once I started practicing law, and I am grateful to be with a firm that shares and supports my commitment to the community.";

Mr. Griswold was also recently awarded Tennessee Bar Association's Harris Gilbert Pro Bono Award for 2010, which is the top individual award for a private attorney.

Clay Francis (08)

Mr. Francis completed a Masters in Environmental Law and Policy at Vermont Law School and has recently started as a Clean Energy Advocate at the Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG). He has two forthcoming publications due out later this year: a chapter in a text book on clean energy law and a chapter in a book describing the environmental design of energy security. He has also been working at the Institute for Energy and the Environment, a think-tank, policy and research institute based at the Vermont Law School.
[While at MTSU, Clay did a semester in Spain, a semester in Mexico, a legislative internship, and spent three summers as an RA and instructor at the Governor's School for International Relations at the University of Memphis. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in political science and Spanish in 2008].

Russell Parman (2006)

Russell Parman graduated in August 2006 with a degree in International Relations. During his time at MTSU, Russell was a McNair Scholar and published his work "The Social Roots of Terrorism" in the academic journal World of Transformations. He was subsequently awarded the Jack Turner award for excellence in International Relations Studies. Following graduation, Russell attended Vanderbilt University where he graduated in 2008 with a Master of Arts in Political Science. Following his scholastic career, Russell accepted a position within the Department of Defense where he works on Middle Eastern issues.