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For Immediate Release
June 20, 2003
President Bush Appoints the 2003-2004 Class of White House Fellows
WASHINGTON, June 20, 2003 - The White House today announced the appointment of 12 outstanding Americans who will serve as White House Fellows for a one-year term. The 2003-2004 Class of White House Fellows represents a cross-section of professions including academia, business, healthcare, law, the non-profit sector, and three branches of the military. The list of the 2003-2004 class and their biographies is below.
The White House Fellows were selected based on the results of a rigorous series of interviews conducted by the President's Commission on White House Fellowships and Regional Selection Panels. In July, the Fellows will participate in a series of briefings and interviews with Cabinet Secretaries and senior White House officials to determine their Fellowship work assignments. The Fellowship year will commence on September 1, 2003 and conclude on August 31, 2004.
The White House Fellows Program is the nation's most prestigious program for leadership and public service. Selection as a White House Fellow is highly competitive and based on a record of remarkable professional achievement early in one's career, evidence of leadership potential, a proven commitment to public service, and the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute successfully at the highest levels of the Federal government.
Founded in 1964 by President Johnson, the White House Fellows Program is a non-partisan program offering exceptional young men and women first-hand experience working at the highest levels of the Federal government. White House Fellows typically spend one year working as full-time, paid special assistants to senior White House Staff, the Vice President, Cabinet Secretaries, and other top-ranking government officials. Fellows also participate in an education program consisting of roundtable discussions with renowned leaders from the private and public sectors, and trips to study U.S. policy in action both domestically and internationally. Fellows repay that privilege by working after the Fellowship year as private citizens to contribute to the nation as future leaders.
The program has fostered a legacy of leadership, with nearly 600 alumni who are respected leaders across the country and in their professions. Alumni include Secretary of State Colin Powell, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, former CNN President Tom Johnson, and American Red Cross President Marsha Evans. More information about the program is available at www.whitehouse.gov/fellows.
2003-2004 Class of White House Fellows
Ajay K. Amlani, 29. Hometown: Troy, Michigan. Assistant Vice President for Strategic Planning with Pacer Stacktrain. Worked as a Financial Strategy Consultant with Baxter Healthcare and also held positions with CSX Transportation. Recognized with the 2002 Pacer Significant Contributor Award for the strong economic results he achieved related to opening U.S.-Mexico cross-border freight transportation. Serves on the Board of Directors and holds leadership positions at the YMCA Urban Services, the Network of Indian Professionals and the Children's Council of San Francisco. Actively involved in Habitat for Humanity, the Volunteer Center of San Francisco, and Child Relief and You. Recipient of the Red Hawk of the Year and Martin Luther King Jr. leadership and community service awards. Received B.S. magna cum laude and M.B.A. from the University of Michigan.
Timothy W. Docking, 37. Hometown: East Lansing, Michigan. African Affairs Specialist with the United States Institute of Peace. Received the Institute's Superior Performance Award. Spent three years in West Africa with the Peace Corps Mali where he trained new volunteers and chaired the USAID Small Project Assistance Committee. Awarded several fellowships - the Foreign Language Area Studies Fellowship, Boston University's African Studies Center Research Fellowship, and the l'Institut d'etudes politiques de Bordeaux Research Fellowship. Extensive background in teaching, authored numerous articles for publication, and made numerous radio and television appearances regarding the current state of affairs in Africa. Volunteered with the Wheaton Redevelopment Steering Committee, and at St. Paul's United Methodist Church. Received B.A. from Albion College and Ph.D. in Political Science from Boston University.
Garth N. Graham, 28. Hometown: Miami, Florida. Resident Physician in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and a Fellow in clinical medicine at Harvard Medical School. Co-founded MediCompliance, Inc., a healthcare software company that uses communication technology to increase patient compliance with prescribed medication. Founded the Boston Men's Cardiovascular Health Project to find behavioral explanations for decreased adherence to adequate diet and exercise by African American men. Serves on a variety of professional boards and committees and has authored numerous articles and presentations. Recipient of the Partners in Excellence Award, the AMA Foundation Leadership Award and the Miriam Kathleen Dasey Award - one of Yale Medical School's highest honors presented to a graduating student. A volunteer physician in the Asylum Network and has mentored minority disadvantaged youth. Earned B.S. from Florida International University and later earned MD and MPH from Yale School of Medicine and the Yale School of Epidemiology and Public Health with a focus in health policy administration. Graduated from Yale cum laude and was inducted into the medical honor society, Alpha Omega Alpha.
Jerome R. Loughridge, 30. Hometown: Duncan, Oklahoma. Chief of Staff to the President of Baylor University. Led the process to transform the University from a comprehensive faith-based institution into a top tier research university in the Evangelical tradition. Served on the staff of Senator Don Nickels as a field representative and acting director. The first Foundation Fellow for the Children's Memorial Medical Center of Chicago, as well as Harvard University's first Summer Fellow in Business and Government under the Assistant for Economic and Domestic Policy. Awarded a Harry S. Truman Scholarship and has remained active as a Senior Scholar and selection panel member. Launched a statewide mentoring program in Oklahoma that partnered Academic All-State Award recipients with students in low-performing schools in an intensive school year collaboration. Now in its third year, the program has expanded to include nearly thirty mentors in four urban areas of the state. Volunteers as an English teacher to Mexican immigrants, and serves on the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. Received his B.A. summa cum laude from Baylor University, also graduating Phi Beta Kappa, and M.A. in Public Policy from Harvard University.
George Pivik, 31. Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Active Duty Captain in the U.S. Army serving as Strategist and Policy Analyst at the Pentagon. Develops policy assessments on key issues relating to national security and military strategy, as well as the Army Chief of Staff's vision for the next 25 years. Began his military career as a cadet, where he rose to the rank of Cadet Battalion Commander, an honor bestowed upon the Corps' top cadet. Served in a combat cavalry squadron located six kilometers south of the Demilitarized Zone in Republic of Korea during the 1994 North Korean nuclear proliferation crisis. Became the military commander for the city of Srebrenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and successfully facilitated the first Muslim refugee returns in only six weeks. Later received an Army Commendation medal for his actions. Awarded the Draper Award, recognizing his unit as the best armor unit in the Regiment. An active member of the Korean-American Friendship Council and serves a coach and mentor for the Thomas Edison High School's Junior ROTC program. Received B.A. summa cum laude from Duquesne University. One of four Army officers chosen to study at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, where he received his M.P.A.
Nazanin Samari-Kermani, 28. Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Program Officer for ActionAid-Kenya where she develops strategic plans for HIV/AIDS activity for 24 sites in Kenya. Previously researched welfare and childcare services and reform issues as a research assistant for the American Enterprise Institute and as an intern for the Family Income Division of the Children's Defense Fund. Organized and facilitated the Race, Ethnicity, and American Leadership (REAL) program - a series of workshops designed to equip future leaders of democratic societies with the skills to cross lines of race and ethnicity in building the solidarity for collective problem-solving in diverse democracies. Named a Federick Sheldon Fellow, a Public Service Fellow, and an Imagitas Fellow. Received B.A. from Bryn Mawr College, where was Student Body President and received the Hope Wearn Troxell Memorial Prize awarded to the graduating student making the greatest contribution to college community. Earned M.A. in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Robert Smullen, 34. Hometown: Gloversville, New York. Major on Active Duty in the U.S. Marine Corps. Attending the US Marine Corps School of Advanced Warfighting. Served as a Platoon Commander, Company Executive Officer, Company Commander and Operations Officer. Directed the operations of 1250 Marines in Operation Enduring Freedom, helping to lead the first conventional forces into Afghanistan. Recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal for combat operations during Operation Enduring Freedom, and the Humanitarian Service Medal for contingency operations in East Timor. Received the Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal for outstanding performance of duties. Awarded a prize for "Boldness and Daring" in the Chase Prize Essay Contest for a professional journal article. Works with youth oriented groups, serving as a tutor and with the National Youth Leadership Forum. Received his B.A. from The Citadel, M.A. in National Security from Georgetown University and will receive M.A. in Operational Studies from Marine Corps University in 2003.
Eileen Stephens, 29. Hometown: Des Plaines, Illinois. Most recently a student at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where she received M.B.A. in May 2003. Began her career in the medical device industry with Cordis Corporation, where she designed and supervised the manufacture of custom catheters. Worked in the Japan office of Guidant Corporation as its youngest, only female, and only bilingual expatriate employee. Received a patent for co-inventing a safer guidewire, and Guidant recognized her contribution with the President's Award. Co-founded virtual bone biopsy manufacturer Envisia, Inc. Also co-founded the pan-university Social Impact Management Initiative, a partnership to explore the potential of business to address broader societal concerns. Served as Vice Chairman of the Foundation for Learning, and is a former concert violinist performing at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and throughout Europe and Asia. Received B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she was recognized for her outstanding thesis.
Michael Suk, 35. Hometown: Flossmoor, Illinois. Orthopaedic Trauma Fellow at the Hospital for Special Surgery, Weill College of Medicine at Cornell University in New York City. Also Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon at New York Presbyterian Hospital and at Jacobi Medical Center, Bronx, NY. Recently accepted the position of Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology at the University of Florida - Shands Medical Center. Active in organized medicine at the local, state and national levels, distinguishing himself as the first Asian American to serve on the Board of Trustees of the American Medical Association. Founded and is Secretary-General of the Global Alliance of Residents and Junior Doctors, Inc. (GARD), an organization representing over 300,000 physicians in over 30 countries to foster understanding between physicians of disparate nations and to facilitate volunteerism through medical education. His leadership in graduate medical education has been recognized by numerous organizations including the American Medical Association and the Committee on Interns and Residents. Received B.A. from Carleton College, where he was elected Class President. Simultaneously completed M.D. at the University of Illinois College of Medicine and J.D./M.P.H. at Boston University School of Law and School of Public Health.
Erwin Tan, 33. Hometown: Manchester, Connecticut. Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of California, San Francisco. As the founding medical director of the Medical High User Case Management Program at San Francisco General Hospital, built a multidisciplinary team that addresses patients' underlying medical and social problems. Served as a Chemical Officer in the U.S. Army Reserves, chairs San Francisco General Hospital's Bio-Terrorism Response Committee, and is a member of San Francisco's Bio-Terrorism Working Group. Received the Army Achievement Medal, the Jeffrey Weingarten Award, and was named a National Quality Scholars Fellow/Geriatrics Fellow by the Veteran's Affairs Medical Center at the University of California San Francisco. Recognized by the Health Research and Services Administration with a five-year Geriatric Academic Career Award. Serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Conard House, a non-profit mental health community. Received his B.A. from Brown University, M.D. from the New York University School of Medicine, and became a 2nd Lieutenant Distinguished Military Graduate from Providence College ROTC.
Cathy Taylor, 31. Hometown: New York, New York. Vice President, Investment and Business Development, with American Express. Created, implemented and currently manages American Express's strategic investment strategy, as well as founded and managed the division's Mentor Program. Developed and managed the Warrant Program to identify and negotiate revenue-generating partnerships for American Express. In less than two years, was promoted from Manager to Director to Vice-President, one of the fastest promotion tracks in company history. Founded LeadingEdge Partners and remains active as a teacher for this community organization that provides leadership training to students in New York City public schools. Served as an education volunteer at the New York Public Library and as a volunteer English teacher for Russian refugees. Received B.A. from Duke University and M.B.A. from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. At Wharton, served as the elected student body President and spearheaded the creation of Wharton's Volunteer Day.
Thomas Williams, 33. Hometown: Reston, Virginia. Active Duty Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy. Serves as Special Assistant to the Vice Chief of Naval Operations at the Pentagon, where he develops strategic plans for the Department of Defense and U.S. Navy. Served in Yugoslavia in support of Operation Deny Flight and Sharpguard and in the Caribbean on counter-narcotics operations. Provided support for diplomatic missions in Kaliningrad, Russia and Londonderry, Northern Ireland, and helped enforce U.N. sanctions against Iraq. Directed a multi-national task force of ships to search for and capture terrorists escaping Southwest Asia during Operation Enduring Freedom. Awarded Navy Commendation Medals and the Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medals. Volunteers for the Prince William county youth soccer association as a coach and league director and coordinates the TOPsoccer and Soccer Buddy program for handicapped. Received B.A. from Cornell University and M.A. in International Public Policy from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University.
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