HOPKINS FALL FELLOWS
Alumni Fellows Vinograd ’01 and Zelinsky ’02
the hopkins community was honored to host two Alumni Fellows in the fall, Samantha Vinograd ’01 and Aaron Zelinsky ’02. Both Vinograd and Zelinsky have distinguished careers in public service in the U.S. government in different capacities. Samantha Vinograd ’01 is the Assistant Secretary for Counter- terrorism, Threat Prevention, and Law Enforcement Policy at the Department of Homeland Security. Prior to her current role, from 2017 to 2021 she worked at CNN as a national security analyst and as a senior advisor at the Biden Institute. Vinograd joined the U.S. Treasury Department in 2008, serving during the George W. Bush administration as Deputy Attaché to Iraq, Acting Attaché to the United Arab Emirates, and International Economist, and during the Obama administration as Director for Iraq, Director for International Economics, and Senior Advisor to the National Security Advisor. Vinograd returned to Hopkins on Monday, November 28, 2022, where she delivered a riveting assembly speech to the Hopkins community, touching on her experience working in public service to the U.S. government, both domestically and internationally. Throughout the morning, she engaged with students, faculty, and staff in the classroom and in a Q&A in the Calarco Library. One of the themes that emerged in response to student questions was the challenge that Vinograd and her department face in navigating the fine line between the constitutional right to free speech and the need to prevent violence from domestic terrorism. She explained that when extreme rhetoric and misinformation can be linked directly to violence, such as in the January 6th insurrection, that is when her department must intervene.
Aaron Zelinsky ’02 is Deputy Chief of the National Security and Cyber Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. In his role at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Zelinsky investigates and prosecutes matters including counterintelligence, counterespionage, ransomware attacks, and cryptocurrency fraud. He previously served in the Fraud and Public Corruption and the Major Crimes sections for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where he received the U.S. Attorney’s Award for Excellence in Prosecution of Organized Crime and the Deborah Johnston Award for extraordinary courage and commitment to duty while represent- ing the United States of America. From 2017 to 2019, Zelinsky was an Assistant Special Counsel to Robert S. Mueller III. He led the Special Counsel’s Office investigation, prosecution, and trial in United States v. Roger Stone , a longtime associate of then- President Trump who was convicted of lying to Congress and obstructing justice in the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. On the morning of Friday, December 2, 2022, Zelinsky delivered an assembly address marked by humor, storytelling, and heartfelt advice, in which he shared details about his career along with his own personal stories of perseverance. During the two Q&A sessions that followed, he graciously answered questions related to the many high profile cases he has been involved with throughout his career, as well as the inner workings of cryptocurrency fraud. The Fellows program was established in 2005 to enrich the Hopkins learning experience by exposing students to alumni who can inspire, challenge, engage, and educate by sharing their unique life experiences. Read more about the 2022 Hopkins Alumni Fellows Vinograd ’01 and Zelinsky ’02 and watch their assembly addresses through our website news coverage: hopkins.edu/news
VIEWS FROM THE HILL | 2023 • ISSUE 1
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