Mindy Finn, M.P.S. ’10, was one of eight GW alumni honored October 20 with the 2017 Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award, the highest form of recognition given annually by the university and the George Washington Alumni Association to a graduate. Created in 1937, the award is given to graduates of the past 10 years who have attained notable achievements in the field.
Finn, a 15-year veteran of digital politics, is founder and Co-CEO of Stand-Up Republic, graduated from the Graduate School of Political Management, part of the College of Professional Studies, with a master’s of professional studies in political management.
“When I heard I was receiving this award I was incredibly excited. I had just come off a campaign and a very contentious and difficult election for many people in 2016,” said Finn. “I’ve gone on to do a lot of things and to be brought back to the place where you got your start and that really influenced you at the beginning of your career is incredibly rewarding.”
The 81st annual awards were presented during the annual Colonials alumni weekend festivities during a formal ceremony.
“I chose to come to GW because I was working in the field of public policy and politics, both in Congress and then on presidential campaigns and I saw the Graduate School of Political Management was a place that could bolster the real-world experience I was getting in the field of politics and policy,” Finn said. “One thing the program offers is direct and close connection with the leaders of the program, the professors, the administration and many of them were impactful. Everyone from the dean of the program to day-to-day professors I had.”
Read more about the alumni awards in GW Today: