HWS News
28 January 2026 • Alums HWS Alumni Unite at Guidehouse to Support National Emergency Response Efforts
Three Hobart and William Smith alumni from different generations recently found themselves working side by side on a national project with real-world impact.
Jillian Oberfield ’01, Matt Lyttle ’06, and Jesse Whelan-Small ’24 were all members of the same 15-person project team at Guidehouse, a Washington, D.C.–based management consulting firm that specializes in government contracting and public sector work. Despite graduating many years apart, the three shared a commitment to public service and a connection to HWS that brought them together in an unexpected way.
Beginning in August 2024, when Whelan-Small joined Guidehouse as a new hire straight out of HWS, the trio worked on a project supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) division. IPAWS provides the federal infrastructure behind emergency alerts delivered across the United States through mobile phones, television, radio and other communication channels.
Led by Lyttle, they supported the division by engaging stakeholders across government, nonprofit, and private sectors; drafting executive communications for FEMA leadership; and helping strengthen the nation’s emergency alerting and communication systems.
Their work took on particular urgency in September 2024, when Hurricane Helene caused widespread devastation across the southeastern United States. During and after the storm, the team monitored the federal response, helped FEMA address critical public questions, and worked to ensure that affected communities had access to timely information and essential resources for recovery.
Although their paths have since diverged — Oberfield now supports an IT implementation for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Whelan-Small works on a data project for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Lyttle has taken on a new role at SHI International — all three alumni reflect on their time at FEMA as both professionally meaningful and personally rewarding.
Beyond the impact of the work itself, they say the opportunity to collaborate with fellow HWS graduates made the experience especially memorable.
As students, Oberfield, Lyttle, and Whelan-Small each delivered a student address during their commencement ceremonies. Oberfield graduated with a B.A. in psychology and an elementary education certificate, and went on to earn a master’s in public administration from Cornell University. Lyttle graduated with a B.A. in religious studies and went on to receive a M.Sc. of Engineering Management from George Washington University and complete the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative Executive Education Program at Harvard University. Whelan-Small graduated with a B.A. in economics and served as student trustee.
Top: Jesse Whelan-Small ’24 , Jillian Oberfield ’01 and Matt Lyttle ’06
