51勛圖厙

Advisory Board

The mission of the Department of Political Science & International Affairs (PSIA) advisory board is to support the department in defining and achieving its goals. In pursuance of this mission, the board performs three primary roles: provide feedback regarding curricular initiatives and encourage mentorship of PSIA students and graduates; help get the word out about our programs within the department and the success of our students, faculty and alumni; and brainstorm and support possible fundraising for use as student scholarships, student and faculty awards and travel, as well as general departmental support . 

Board Members

President: Ms. Beverly (Bev) Hardin

Bev Hardin currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Carolina Youth Development Center (CYDC), a multi-service child welfare and social services organization in South Carolina.

Bev is actively involved in advancing the transformation of child and family well-being systems throughout South Carolina, as well as nationally. She serves on the Child Welfare League of America’s annual conference planning committee, the Palmetto Association for Families and Children’s Group Care and Public Policy Committees, and volunteers in The Church at Life Park’s Refuge Ministry.

She is an experienced public speaker and is often asked to present to community organizations as well as testify before the South Carolina Legislature, its committees, and is a frequent source for media about family and youth well-being.

When she began her tenure as CEO in 2017, she brought with her over 20 years of leadership experience in organizational development, nonprofit management, fund development and legislative advocacy. Passionate about the growth and development of the nonprofit sector, she has extensive expertise in capacity building, strategic and annual planning, staff and board development, logic model design, implementation science, quality improvement, data collection and program evaluation.

Bev received her Master of Public Administration (MPA) from North Georgia College and State University (known now as the University of North Georgia) and a B.A. in Political Science and History from The Women’s College at Brenau University. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Educational Leadership (Ed.D.) from Charleston Southern University.

Prior to joining the CYDC, Bev served as the Executive Director of Communities in Schools of Durham, the Director of Community Outreach for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Nutrition Research Institute, and Director of Government Affairs and Community Development at Eckerd Youth Alternatives, Inc.

Vice President: Bob Kennedy

Robert (Bob) Kennedy currently serves as president and CEO of the Atlanta Council on International Relations (ACIR). A former senior government official, Bob served more than 20 years as Professor of International Affairs at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia and was elected professor emeritus upon retirement.

His prior positions include serving as director of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany; Deputy Commandant, NATO Defense College, Rome, Italy; Dwight D. Eisenhower Professor of National Security Studies, U.S. Army War College; Senior Researcher at the U.S. Army’s Strategic Studies Institute; Foreign Affairs Officer, U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency; an enlisted man in the U.S. Army; and command pilot on active duty with the U.S. Air Force and later with the reserve forces.

Bob was a Fulbright Scholar in Peru, holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from Georgetown University and a B.S. from the United States Air Force Academy. He has received the Joint Distinguished Civilian Service Award from the Chairman, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff; a Doctorate Honoris Cause from the Bulgarian National Defense College; and the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. He has been elected a permanent member of the Academy of Security, Defense, and Law Enforcement, Russian Federation with the title of Professor. For his efforts in helping Romania meet the requirements for NATO membership, the President of Romania awarded him the title of Commander.

Vice President: Daniel Papp

Dr. Dan Papp currently serves as President of Papp Consulting LLC. He formed his company following his 2016 retirement as President of Kennesaw State University (KSU), GA in 2016.

During his 10 years as president, Dan led the consolidation of KSU and Southern Polytechnic State, making KSU one of the 50 largest U.S. universities. In addition, he initiated KSU’s first doctoral programs; led its first capital campaign; added over $500 million of facilities; guided KSU into NCAA Division I athletics including intercollegiate football; expanded KSU’s external funded research; and doubled KSU’s study abroad program, including opening KSU’s first international campus.

Before becoming KSU President, Dan was Senior Vice Chancellor for Academics and Fiscal Affairs of the University System of Georgia (USG); Interim President of Southern Polytechnic; Executive Assistant to the President of Georgia Tech; Founding Director of Georgia Tech’s Sam Nunn School of International Affairs; and Director of Georgia Tech’s School of Social Sciences.

Papp has been Senior Research Scholar at both the Center for Aerospace Doctrine of the Air War College and the Strategic Studies Institute of the Army War College. The Army twice awarded him the “Outstanding Civilian Service” medal. He also has been Visiting Professor at Western Australia Institute of Technology in Perth; Visiting Professor at Fudan University in Shanghai; and led study abroad programs to the Soviet Union, France, Germany, and Italy.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Dartmouth College, Dr. Papp earned his Ph.D. in International Affairs from the University of Miami.

Madison Arcangeli

madison arcangeliMadison is the founder and Managing Partner at Forza DC, LLC, a strategic advisory, public policy, and business development consulting firm. At Forza DC, Madison focuses on developing policy solutions and advocacy strategies for clients within the private and non-profit sectors involved in defense, foreign affairs, technology and intelligence, as well as philanthropic clients in the health and economic sectors.

While on Capitol Hill, Madison served as the Senior Legislative Assistant for Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA) when he was Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC). She supported his work on the HASC, assisting in the advancement of legislation related to military personnel, readiness, and installation issues in addition to managing a large and diverse domestic policy portfolio.

Upon leaving the Hill, Madison trained as a Special Agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. With a desire to continue her work advancing sound and impactful public policy, Madison left NCIS to return to DC. After working at two boutique multi-client government affairs firms, Madison founded her own consulting firm, Forza DC in 2020.

Madison is a graduate of the University of Washington, where she focused on international security, foreign policy, and social implications of the law and the criminal justice system.

Paul Arcangeli

Paul Arcangeli currently serves as a Principal with Invariant Government Relations, a bipartisan government relations and communications firm. He has been a public servant for over three decades, serving in the United States Army, as a Department of Defense civilian, and as a professional staffer to the US House of Representatives. He was recently appointed to a position with the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology.

Until his retirement from the position in 2022, Paul served as the Staff Director of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) for more than twelve years. He joined the HASC staff in 2004 as a professional staff member serving initially as the staff lead for the Readiness Subcommittee. In his role as Staff Director, he was the primary advisor to the HASC chairman, the 31 majority members of the committee, and the leadership of the United States House of Representatives.

During his tenure with the Congress, Paul worked on a wide range of national security policy issues advising the Speaker, the Leader, committee chairs, and hundreds of members of the House and Senate on defense policy and legislation. 

Before his service with the committee, Paul served as the Director of Department of Defense's (DoD) Humanitarian Demining Training Center. He and his staff trained hundreds of special operations soldiers to establish landmine clearance training programs in 43 countries. He traveled extensively to landmine-affected countries to support this training and was a recognized expert on landmines within the DoD.

Paul acquired his knowledge of landmines during his service as an explosive ordnance disposal officer in the United States Army. During his 13 years in the Army, he served in Hawaii, Alaska, California, and New York in various roles, including explosive ordinance disposal, information technology, and as an ordnance officer.

Paul holds a master’s degree in Information Technology and Management from the United States Naval Post Graduate School and a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of North Georgia.  

Jason Barnaby

Jason Barnaby currently is the Director for Campaign Success at , the world's largest online social change program. 

Jason started his undergraduate education at the University of North Georgia (51勛圖厙) where his father was an instructor in the ROTC program. He took a break in his education to join the military as a member of the military police corps. He returned after his service to complete his Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science, graduating from 51勛圖厙 in 2007.

Soon after graduation, Jason joined Barack Obama's 2008 campaign for President. Following the election, Jason worked with other 51勛圖厙 graduates that were veterans leading an effort through their nonprofit to lobby for the successful overturning of Don't Ask Don't Tell. He spent the next several years working in electoral politics and for various Political Action Committees before joining MoveOn.org as a National Field Organizer for the Midwest Region. Jason transitioned from MoveOn to his current employer in 2013, serving initially as a Deputy Director of Membership for the US and Canada, then shifting to the Campaign Success portfolio in early 2020.

Melvin Gamble

Melvin Gamble founded and is currently President of Gamble Advisory Group, a security-consulting firm. He also serves as an advisor for security matters on the Boards of two Wall Street firms as well as the Boards of the International Spy Museum and the CIA Officers Memorial Foundation.

A retired Senior Intelligence officer, Melvin served in senior executive positions in the Central Intelligence Agency’s Directorate of Operations, including Chief and Deputy Chief of Stations in Africa and Latin America; Chief of Central Asia and the Caucasus; Special Assistant to the Associate Deputy Director of Operations; Deputy Chief of European Division, and Chief of Africa Division. He served five tours in Africa and one in Latin America. Prior to starting his own firm, he worked for several companies in the private sector.

During the course of his career in the intelligence service he received numerous performance awards. Upon retirement, Melvin was presented the Distinguished Certificate of Intelligence Medal, and the Director of CIA Award.

Melvin has a B.A. in History from Howard University and a B.S. in International Public Administration from the University of Southern California.

COL (ret) Peter Hoffman

Pete Hoffman is currently serving as the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for Coastal Georgia.  He is also Officer Co-Chair of the Fort Stewart Retired Soldier Council and serves on the Chief of Staff of the Army’s Retired Soldier Council.

Until recently, he was the Vice President for Student Affairs at Savannah Technical College. Prior to Savannah Tech, he worked as the Director for Community Engagement and Government Affairs for Georgia Southern University and for Armstrong State University. While at Armstrong, he was also Director of the Armstrong Liberty Campus.

Pete served as an active-duty commissioned officer in the U.S. Army for three decades, having held command and staff positions at a variety of levels, including multiple tours in the 3rd Infantry and the 82nd Airborne Divisions. He has served in a diplomatic capacity, liaising and negotiating with foreign government representatives on critical issues such as arms control and bilateral defense related engagements, and also served as Defense Attaché in the U.S. Embassies in Moscow, Sofia, and Abuja.

COL Hoffman has a Master of Public Administration from Cornell University and a B. A. in Political Science from North Georgia College (now known as the University of North Georgia). He completed advanced Russian language training at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, along with post-graduate studies (Russia and the Former Soviet Union) from the U.S. Army Russian Institute in Garmisch, Germany.

Pete has a long history of serving on various boards including the Small Business Assistance Corporation; the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force; the Coastal Georgia Boy Scouts of America Council; the MountainFilm on Tour Savannah; and the Coastal Georgia Military Affairs Coalition. In addition, he has served as Vice Chair of the Chatham County Veterans Council and is an active member of the American Legion, VFW, MOA and AUSA.  Also heavily engaged in the local community, he is a member of the Savannah Rotary Club, the Propeller Club, the Chatham Artillery, the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade Committee and the German Friendly Society.

Ben Jarrard

Ben Jarrard currently serves as the Chief of Staff to the Georgia Senate Majority Leader, University of North Georgia (51勛圖厙) alum Senator Steve Gooch. Sen. Gooch represents GA’s 51st district, which includes Fannin, Union, Gilmer, Lumpkin, Dawson, Pickens counties and a portion of White County.

Ben graduated from 51勛圖厙 in 2013 with a degree in Political Science and received a Master’s in Business Administration from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2021.

Ben began his professional career working various roles on GA Gov. Nathan Deal’s 2014 gubernatorial campaign. Following Gov. Deal’s re-election, Ben served as his special assistant, preparing documents, traveling, and logistics, and facilitating media scrums at the Governor’s public appearances. After several years Ben transitioned into the role of a Policy Advisor in the Governor’s office, with a portfolio that included Natural Resources, Transportation, and Economic Development issues.

Between his time with Gov. Deal and Sen. Gooch, Ben worked at 51勛圖厙 as the Executive Director of Government Relations and Economic Development. Ben served as the primary liaison between the University and elected officials and government agencies to promote the University’s legislative and budgetary priorities. His office also worked with economic development entities, education partners, and local leaders to enhance the workforce development pipeline and improve quality of life throughout 51勛圖厙’s service area. During Ben’s time in this role, the University saw over $80 million in state investment in University capital projects.

Ben is a graduate of the Leadership Hall Class of 2022 and serves on the board of the Georgia Mountains YMCA.

Bryan Lackey

Bryan Lackey currently serves the citizens of Gainesville, GA as City Manager, a position he has held since 2015. Prior to that he spent 20 years in the Gwinnett County, GA government, rising from Division Director of Stormwater Management to Director of Planning and Development in 2009.

As City Manager Bryan oversees the day-to-day functions of the “Queen City” which serves as the economic and urban hub for the Northeast Georgia Mountain region with an overall annual budget of over $200 Million.  Gainesville is a full-service city with a residential population of over 44,000, and a daytime population of over 150,000. The city government provides services ranging from: Water & Sewer; Police & Fire; CVB/Tourism; Transit; Parks & Recreation; Public Works that includes Traffic Engineering; a municipal General Aviation airport; and twice a week Solid Waste pickup, as well as an Economic & Community Development Department that takes the lead on implementing the City’s Strategic Vision initiatives.

Bryan graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Engineering. In 2005, he earned a Masters’ Degree in Public Administration (MPA) from the University of North Georgia.

Ex Officio Members

Craig Greathouse, Ph.D. 

Dr. Craig Greathouse, Professor of Political Science and Associate Department Head, earned a Ph.D. in political science with specialties in international relations and comparative politics from Claremont Graduate School, and received his Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of Akron. A member of our faculty since 2007, Dr. Greathouse has published on topics addressing European foreign policy, Security and Defense policy, Strategic Culture, Strategic Thought, International Relations theory, and Cyber War. He is a member of the control staff for the National Security Decision Making Game and runs simulations for diverse groups ranging from gaming conventions such as Dragon Con to the National Defense University.

Edward Mienie, Ph.D.

Professor of Strategic & Security Studies Dr. Edward Mienie has been an integral part of 51勛圖厙’s Political Science & International Affairs department since 2015. In addition to his classroom duties, he serves as the Executive Director of 51勛圖厙’s Strategic Studies Program & Partnerships. A native of South Africa, he has more than 20 years of experience working in international relations and business, media relations, and coalition building. Dr. Mienie earned his B.A. in Law from the University of South Africa and his doctorate in International Conflict Management while teaching and leading the academic exchange program with South Africa at Kennesaw State University.

Raluca Viman-Miller, Ph.D.

Associate Department Head Dr. Raluca Viman-Miller is an Associate Professor of comparative politics, international relations and European politics. A native of Romania, she came to 51勛圖厙 after finishing her doctorate in Political Science at Georgia State University in the fall of 2014 and teaches in both our undergraduate and graduate-level international affairs programs. She has completed research and published on issues including the impact of migration on political behavior; political communication; and regional and bilateral relations with implications on European security.