Nonprofit Management alumna ('16SPS) and U.S. Navy veteran Won Palisoul, '16SPS, Nonprofit Management, and Human Capital Management Course Associate, has been politically appointed to the U.S. Department of Defense as a Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.
She remains actively engaged with the veteran community, a passion which led her to her interest in nonprofit donor engagement and board governance and Columbia’s Nonprofit Management M.S. program. She founded the Women Veterans and Families Network and serves in leadership positions for Women Veterans on Wall Street and the CFA Society of New York. She also co-founded the New York State Veterans & Military Families for Biden volunteer organization last summer.
Palisoul was recently honored at the SPS virtual graduation ceremony with the 2021 Alumni Dean’s Excellence Award for her professional accomplishments, service to the alumni community, and engagement and support of the School since graduating in 2016.
Palisoul (far left) rang in the Nasdaq bell in 2017 in honor of her advocacy through Women Veterans on Wall Street.
Palisoul began her career in 2001 as a Gas Turbine Technician (Electrical) in the U.S Navy, serving aboard guided missile destroyers and was forward deployed in the Pacific region for Operation Enduring Freedom. She served for eight years before moving into the private sector.
An active alumna of the Columbia University School of Professional Studies, Palisoul is a course associate for both the Nonprofit Management and Human Capital Management M.S. programs. She supports students and instructors enrolled in the Nonprofit Financial Management and Effective Partnership Strategies for HCM Solutions courses this term.
