WASHINGTON — Georgetown University professors offer their issue expertise to journalists seeking interviews on a variety of subjects related to the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
To request to schedule an interview, please contact Georgetown’s Office of Communications at media@georgetown.edu.
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Ancient History Experts
Catherine Keesling, professor and chair of the department of classics
Dr. Keesling is the Chair of the Department of Classics at Georgetown University and an expert in Greek sculpture, Greek epigraphy and ancient historiography. Her research explores the study of ancient Greek history and Greek identity through the internal dynamics of the Greek polis, religion and literature. Dr. Kesling has published numerous books and articles on ancient Greece including “Inscriptions And The Epigraphic Habit: The Epigraphic Cultures Of Greece, Rome, And Beyond”.
Relevant Expertise: ancient Greek studies, ancient histography and Greek identity
Open to: TV, Radio and Print
Ismini A Lamb, associate teaching professor and director of the Modern Greek Studies Program
Ismini Lamb a native of Athens, Greece is the Director of the Modern Greek Studies Program and has been teaching the Greek language and culture for thirty years at Georgetown. She is also the founder and mentor of the Georgetown Hellenic Association. Her research interests include Hellenic identity and expression, national and ecumenical Hellenism and enjoys speaking on the continuity of Hellenic civilization from antiquity to the present. Professor Lamb, recently released “Gentle American: George Horton’s Odyssey And His True Account Of The Smyrna Catastrophe” which highlights his contributions to history including his work in reviving the Olympic Games and having them in Athens in 1896. She teaches all levels of the Modern Greek language, Greek culture, history and current events.
Relevant Expertise: Modern Greek studies, Greek literature and Hellenic identity
Open to: TV, Radio and Print
Business of the Olympics Experts
Scott Ganz, an associate teaching professor at McDonough School of Business
Dr. Ganz’s research focuses on how organizations learn and, specifically, how organizational politics, hierarchy, and the design of decision-making institutions impact information aggregation, organizational adaptation, and organizational performance. In addition to his Georgetown appointment, he is also a research fellow in economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.
Dr. Ganz has utilized his expertise in quantitative research methods to study organizational performance for major sporting events to analyze the impact fans and home-court advantage have on elite athletes.
Relevant Expertise: impact of fans and the home-court advantage, relationship between fans and an athlete’s performance
Open to: Print, TV and Radio
La Quita Frederick, faculty director and associate professor of the practice
Before joining Georgetown University, Dr. Frederick was an award-winning sports marketing and events management professional who held roles in collegiate athletics and professional sports. For well over a decade, she worked in the sports industry with roles at The Ohio State University Department of Athletics, NBA Orlando Magic, MLB Atlanta Braves, and North Carolina State University Department of Athletics, among others. She is recognized by the NCAA and NACMA for leading one of the best marketing efforts for women’s basketball. Dr. Frederick also served as director of sports management and assistant professor in the Frank J. Guarini School of Business at Saint Peter’s University and as a member of the adjunct faculty at St. John’s University Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies for the Sport Management MPS program.
Relevant Expertise: marketing of the Olympics, sports management and leadership
Open to: Print, TV and Radio
Economic Development Experts
Martin Conway, adjunct instructor of sports business & global games
Marty Conway has an extensive background in sports, media, and technology sectors of business. This includes leadership experiences in professional sports organizations, media, and academia. Conway has had leadership roles in high profile organizations, including, Major League Baseball, the Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, America Online (AOL) and more. Currently an industry consultant and adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University as well as the Josoor Institute in Doha, Qatar, Conway has led programs in sports marketing, media and global sports business for more than 10 years. His areas of focus are global sports business, marketing, sponsorships and media. This includes teaching at the Josoor Institute in Doha in the Professional Diploma programs preparing professionals for the hosting of the World Cup in 2022.
In addition, Conway has represented the United States Department of State, working with the Ukrainian Ministry of Youth and Sport on the further development of sport and a culture of health and fitness, sports federations and NGOs in Ukraine.
Relevant Expertise: economic development and political implications of global sporting events
Open to: Print, TV and Radio
Sustainability Experts
Tim Bartley, professor in the department of sociology and Earth Commons
Tim Bartley is a sociologist who studies sustainability standards, environmental/environmental justice movements, and the regulation of global industries. Dr. Bartley’s recent research examines collective perceptions of “distant” problems, regulatory change in the European Union, and how green industrial transitions proceed or falter. He does both qualitative and quantitative research, ranging from semi-structured interviews with companies and advocacy groups to survey experiments with citizen-consumers and workers. Dr. Bartley can speak on the EU’s new regulations on corporate responsibility and sustainability; consumer perceptions of supply chain controversies involving child labor, forced labor, toxic emissions; and sociological perspectives on climate change.
Relevant Expertise: sustainability standards at the Olympic Games, regulation of global industries, labor and human rights standards, and environmental justice movements
Open to: Print, TV and Radio
Vishal V Agrawal, Henry J. Blommer Family Endowed Chair in Sustainable Business, professor of operations and information management and academic director of Business of Sustainability Initiative
Dr. Vishal Agrawal is an award-winning expert in sustainable operations, focusing on managerial challenges at the interface of business and the environment. His research interests and expertise extend across a variety of topics related to the role of businesses in addressing sustainability challenges such as circular economy, business model innovation, renewable energy, product development, supply chain sustainability and consumer behavior.
Relevant Expertise: business of sustainability, challenges of completing Olympic Games Paris 2024 sustainability goals
Open to: Print, TV and Radio
Jesse Meiller, associate teaching professor and co-director of BS in Environment & Sustainability
Jesse Meiller is a marine ecologist and environmental toxicologist. She received and held an AAAS fellowship in Environmental Science Policy at the EPA. Following her fellowship, while at the EPA, she provided expertise in aquatic and invertebrate biology and toxicology as well as on science policy and regulatory issues. Dr. Meiller represented the US on several Expert Groups for the Organization for the Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Her current research focuses on microplastic pollution in aquatic (freshwater and estuarine) ecosystems.
Relevant Expertise: microplastics and environmental toxicity of the Seine
Open to: Print, TV and Radio
Security Experts
Daniel Byman, professor in the School of Foreign Service, Department of Government and the director of the Security Studies Program
Dr. Byman is a leading expert related to terrorism, insurgency, intelligence, social media, artificial intelligence, and the Middle East. From 2002 to 2004 he served as a Professional Staff Member with the 9/11 Commission and with the Joint 9/11 Inquiry Staff of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. Before joining the Inquiry Staff he was the Research Director of the Center for Middle East Public Policy at the RAND Corporation. Previously, he worked as an analyst in the Middle East for the U.S. government. Dr. Byman is also a senior fellow in the Transnational Threats Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Dr. Byman has also written extensively on a range of topics related to terrorism, international security, civil and ethnic conflict, and the Middle East. His articles have appeared in Foreign Affairs and Foreign Policy, as well as journals including World Politics, Political Science Quarterly, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, International Security, and Journal of Strategic Studies.
Relevant Expertise: international security, terrorism threats and international security concerns surrounding the Olympic Games Paris 2024
Open to: Print, TV and Radio
Bruce Hoffman, professor at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service
Dr. Bruce Hoffman is a tenured professor in Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, serving in previous roles as Director of both the Center for Security Studies and the Security Studies Program. He previously held the Corporate Chair in Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency at the RAND Corporation and was also Director of RAND’s Washington, D.C. Office. In addition, he was appointed by the U.S. Congress to serve as a commissioner on the Independent Commission to Review the FBI’s Post-9/11 Response to Terrorism and Radicalization, Professor Hoffman was a lead author of the commission’s final report. Dr. Hoffman has conducted fieldwork on terrorism and insurgency in Afghanistan, Argentina, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Iraq, Northern Ireland, Pakistan, the Philippines, Palestine, Sri Lanka, and Turkey.
Relevant Expertise: terrorism, insurgency and counterterrorism
Open to: Print, TV and Radio
Sports Experts
Vicki Valosik, adjunct instructor at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service
Vicki Valosik is an adjunct instructor at Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, where she teaches graduate-level writing courses. She is the author of “Swimming Pretty: The Untold Story of Women in Water” (W. W. Norton, 2024), the first book to trace the origins and development of artistic swimming (formerly known as “synchronized swimming”), synchronized swimming, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary as an Olympic sport this summer. Valosik’s writing has appeared in national publications, such as The Atlantic, Smithsonian Magazine, Slate, American Scholar, US News & World Report, Huffington Post and Philadelphia Inquirer.
Relevant Expertise: synchronized swimming/artistic swimming history
Open to: Print, TV and Radio
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