Date & Time: Thursday, March 16, 2023, 12:30-2:00pm.

Access: Zoom link: https://odu.zoom.us/j/97682289297.

Panelists: We are excited to have four truly engaged alumni to serve on the panel:

• Nathaniel Davis received his bachelor's degree in Geography in 2007. Nathaniel's journey with geography began in an atypical way. He began studying Civil Engineering at Old Dominion University, but never really felt a connection with the field. As he got older, he started working with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a side project for his engineering technician job. Simultaneously, he was introduced to his academic advisor by his mother-in-law. From meeting his advisor and working in GIS he became hooked on Geography and hasn't looked back. His professional background is focused on Geographic Information Systems with an emphasis on infrastructure. He has worked for water, wastewater, and electric utilities and has been working with GIS for around 20 years. He obtained his Master of GIS in Geographic Information Systems and Master of Science in Community Economic Development from the University of Central Arkansas. He has a Small UAS pilot's certificate.

• Ryan Grizzle originally from Tidewater Virginia holds a Master of Arts degree from Old Dominion University (2006) in International Studies and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Old Dominion University (2004) in International Studies with a minor in Political Science. Ryan has served in the Foreign Service since 2009. He is the Deputy Director of African Regional Services (Paris) having started in July 2021. He has previously served domestically as the Senior Press Officer and Acting Spokesperson for the African Bureau (2018-2019) and as the Senior Public Diplomacy Desk Officer for West Africa covering the Sahel and Nigeria (2016-2018). Previously he has served overseas as the Public Affairs Officer in Mogadishu, Somalia (2019-2020); Public Affairs Officer in Nouakchott, Mauritania (2014-2016); Cultural Affairs Officer and Education Attaché at the U.S. Mission to UNESCO in Paris, France (2012-2014); and Consular Fraud Prevention Manager in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico (2009-2011). He also served temporary assignments in Mexico City (February 2010), the U.S. Interest Section in Havana, Cuba (May-June 2010), Yaoundé, Cameroon (October-December 2017), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (January-February 2018), and Juba, South Sudan (August-September 2018). Ryan is an avid athlete still playing a variety of sports in several reactional leagues. His favorite sport is baseball/softball and has even found ways to lead Embassy teams to the West African Invitational Softball Tournament (WAIST) in Dakar, Senegal. Ryan is a member of the National Press Club.

• Shonia Holloway received her BS in Geological Sciences, with a minor in Geography from Old Dominion University in 1998. She has worked in the Hampton Roads region for 24 years serving in various roles in the GIS industry, primarily focused on Water Utilities (drinking water, sanitary sewer, and storm water). She currently works for the City of Norfolk Utilities as a GIS Team Supervisor. Throughout her career she has been privileged to serve in most geospatial roles from data development and management, application development and deployments, to program-level GIS strategic planning, governance, and management. Her expertise lies within the Windows-based Esri Enterprise and ArcGIS Online framework and enjoys the most guiding project teams through a variety of implementations. At 40 (never too old!) she obtained her Master's in Geographic Information Systems from Pennsylvania State University, and she is an active member of Virginia Association Land and Information Systems (VAMLIS), serving on the Executive Board as the Secretary for the last few years. Personally, she served as Youth Leader for 11 years for Wallace Memorial United Methodist Church in Hampton, working with youth 3rd to 12th grades to serve various needs of our community. She currently lives in Hampton with her husband, three dogs, and a cat - with a daughter at CNU and a daughter living in Charlottesville, VA!

• Ryan Nixon earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at Old Dominion University in 2012. He went on to obtain a Master's and Ph.D. in ODU's Graduate Program in International Studies in 2014 and 2019, respectively. While pursuing his graduate studies, Ryan received a research and teaching assistantship and taught undergraduate courses in international politics and comparative politics during his final year at ODU. He decided to devote his post-graduate life to the nonprofit sector. He has worked at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty on its Board of Directors, and the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce. As a US Navy veteran, Ryan currently works for the Honor Foundation, an educational organization helping our military's elite forces transition to civilian life. Ryan lives in New Orleans, Louisiana, and is presently in the beginning stages of founding a nonprofit recording studio. Ryan engages in the local music and arts community in his spare time and enjoys writing novels and composing music.

• Paige Wernig graduated from Old Dominion University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science before receiving a Master of Arts in Government from Regent University in 2017. Over the last 8 years, she has worked in the political arena managing political campaigns, political action committees, a legislative office, and lobbying at the state and federal levels. She now represents the government affairs interests of the Virginia Manufacturers Association and Virginia Craft Brewers Guild on a diverse portfolio of legislative and regulatory priorities.