URCAD Alumni Keynote Speaker 2024

April 10

UC 312, 12-1pm

Stefanie Mavronis

Director of the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety & Engagement (MONSE), City of Baltimore

B.A., UMBC Political Science, Media and Communication Studies (’12)

MPA, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, Domestic Policy - Urban Policy and Planning (’18)

Stefanie M     avronis is a public servant, first-generation college graduate, and lifelong Baltimorean. She serves as Director of the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE). In this role, Stefanie is working on thevrollout  of  the  city's  community  violence  intervention  ecosystem  and  implementation  of  the  city's  first-ever comprehensive violence prevention plan. She previously served as Director of Communication for Mayor Brandon M. Scott, and contributed to his election as Baltimore's youngest mayor in more than a century. Using her education in  politics,  public  policy,  and  media,Mavronis  has  built  a  career  supporting  social  justice  issues  and  progressive campaigns for change.  Stefanie started her career in the legislative branch at City Hall, serving as Director of Civic Engagement for Council member Zeke Cohen, and previously worked in local public radio. Stefanie earned B.A. degrees in Political Science and Media and Communication Studies from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), where she was a Sondheim public affairs scholar and a member of the Honors College. She was a Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute Fellow in 2011. In 2018 she completed a Master’s of Public Affairs at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs in Domestic Policy with a certificate in Urban Policy and Planning.

At UMBC she was an Undergraduate Research Award (URA) Scholar, and supported by the School for International Training in Cochabamba and La Paz, Bolivia, she produced a documentary film that premiered at URCAD in 2012 titled, “Reclamation and Resistance: Audiovisual Tools in Bolivia,” with Mentor, Dr. Jason Loviglio. She published her research ‘Reclamation and Resistance in Bolivia: An Analysis of Media's Role in Decolonization’ in the UMBC Review. As a lecturer in MCS and American Studies, she led a group of UMBC students      to interview residents and examine important social, political, and economic issues in Baltimore City a year after the death of Freddie Gray and the Uprising that followed. The final product was a radio series that aired on The Marc Steiner Show on Baltimore NPR affiliate WEAA 88.9-FM.      In 2022, she was named a UMBC Alumni “Rising Star”.

B.A.: Medicinal Use of Psychoactive Substances

Indicate any other major, minor, certificate, and/or honors that will be on your graduation record:

B.A. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Degree Mentors

• Dr. Sarah Leupen, Department of Biological Sciences
• Dr. Katherine Seley-Radtke, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor
• Eric Brown, Individualized Study

Why did you choose to major in INDS?

I first heard about INDS during an information session at a campus visit when I was initially touring UMBC. One of the example topics the tour guide mentioned was Neuroscience, and at the time I was very interested in pursuing a Neuroscience degree.

 What are your plans for after graduation, and how do you see using your INDS degree?

I hope to be pursuing a PhD in Pharmacology after graduation. My INDS degree is focused on the area of research I am interested in pursuing in my future career, and has been a way for me to pursue coursework that will prepare me for my graduate degree. My work for my degree and my capstone project have also been a good talking point in interviews that have helped me stand apart from my peers during the application process.

EXTRACURRICULAR

Meyerhoff Scholars Program (M32), USM Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP), Chemistry and Biochemistry Council of Majors (PR Officer, Vice President), Neuroscience Club (Founding Member, Vice President), Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority (Member, Sisterhood Chair, Senior Programming Chair, Vice President of Operations, Director of Finance), STEM Living Learning Community (Peer Mentor (3 years)), Chemistry Department Learning Assistant (6 semesters), Academic Success Center Tutor (2 semesters), Undergraduate Research Assistant in the Vonhoff Lab (Department of Biological Sciences) (URCAD 2022, 2023, 2024 presentations, URAs in 2022-2023, 2023-2024), Summer 2023 NSF BRAVe Internship (San Antonio, TX).

For more information on Francesca's INDS journey please click here: