The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at: [email protected]. 

Congratulations to Gary D. Espinas on his new position as Adjunct Instructor, Security Policy Studies Program teaching “Russia and International Security” in the Security Policy Studies (SPS) Program, Elliott School of International Affairs. Upon accepting the position, he said, “I have a passion for teaching and am thrilled to bring my professional experience working on Russia issues to the students at The George Washington University.”

Espinas has worked as an Adjunct Instructor of Political Science at the United States Naval Academy and as a Senior Lecturer and Regional Program Lead for Europe Institute for Security Governance, Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Washington, D.C.

Prior to that he worked as a Security Cooperation Expert with Booz Allen Hamilton; with JLO Consulting in D.C.; and as an independent consultant providing subject matter expertise in the areas of national security and military strategy, Russia and the former Soviet Union, and defense and military reform. Additional roles he has held include Regional Director for Russia, Caucasus, and Black Sea Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense; Political-Military Officer for Conventional Arms Control, U.S. Department of State; and Political-Military Officer, Embassy of the United States of America, Moscow. 

Espinas received many awards including: Support to the Armed Services of Ukraine Medal (awarded by the Minister of Defense of Ukraine); Legion of Merit (U.S. Army); Excellence in Joint Service Warfare Faculty Award (Naval Postgraduate School); Defense Superior Service Medal (Office of the Secretary of Defense); and Superior Honor Award (Department of State).

Espinas has his bachelor’s in Political Science from University of California Berkeley; his master’s in Security Studies from the U.S. Army War College, and master’s in Regional Studies (Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia), from Harvard University. He is a doctoral candidate in Liberal Studies at Georgetown University.

Congratulations also to Chryssa Zizos on the launch of her new company Live Wire Sports & Entertainment (Live Wire S&E). Zizos said the motivation for starting this new company was representing her wife, former USWNT goalkeeper Briana Scurry, for the past eight years, managing her PR needs and establishing her career as a keynote speaker. 

Zizos founded Live Wire Strategic Communications in 1998 to serve clientele in a rapidly changing communications industry. For more than a decade, Live Wire has been ranked among Washington’s Top 25 PR firms by the Washington Business Journal. Supporting small businesses, nonprofit organizations, elected officials, and Fortune 100 companies alike, her expertise in branding, business development, media outreach, persuasive selling, presentation training, and digital content campaigns has accelerated the success of clients across diverse industries.

Zizos said, “Live Wire S&E was founded because I wanted to work with retired U.S. Women’s National Team players because despite being some of the world’s most decorated athletes, they are often overlooked and underserved. These athletes have remarkable stories to share and we aim to enact positive change both in their lives and the lives of their audiences. The tremendous success we have achieved with Briana has given us the skill set to raise the visibility and truly enhance the careers of all our athletes.”

Zizos earned her undergraduate degree from Eastern Kentucky University, where she studied Journalism and Business; and her master’s in Public Communication with an emphasis in Crisis Communications from American University.