Major Robin "Rob" Montgomery graduated with a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) from KU in May, 2009. He accomplished this while also attending the Intermediate Level Education (ILE) course at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Maj. Montgomery currently works in the Pentagon as aide-de-camp to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Michael Mullen.  "There were many parallels between my studies at CGSC and KU's MPA program,” Montgomery says. “I have been very pleased with the MPA program overall and look forward to applying my public management knowledge and skills in my next job.”

Ari Jean-Baptiste is participating in the Army's Wounded Warrior (AW2EI) program. A Chief Warrant Officer (CW3) of Haitian origin, Ari was the co-pilot of a Kiowa Warrior OH-58D helicopter that crashed in March, 2007 while he was on a recon and security mission in Kirkuk, Iraq. He is now seeking a master's degree in Political Science. Upon completion of his degree, Ari plans to continue on active duty as an instructor at the Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth. His research interests lie in national security studies, terrorism/counterinsurgency, U.S. military force projection, and policies and ideologies that influence its usage. “It has been a wonderful opportunity to study at KU,” Ari says.  “Though it hasn’t been easy, the classes are always challenging and intellectually stimulating. It’s a privilege to participate in such a unique program and be assigned at the CGSC.” Ari and his wife, Saradgene, have two children, 9 year old daughter Pria and 7-yar-old son Noah.