During the meetings, the Fellows will examine a broad range of issues facing California and the Nation. The class will meet with various government officials, representatives from the Wildland Fire Leadership Council and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, as well as key corporate executives and community groups.

Ajay K. Amlani, Department of Homeland Security. Previously, he served as Assistant Vice President for Strategic Planning with Pacer Stacktrain in San Francisco, California. There, he led the opening of the U.S.-Mexico containerized cross-border freight transportation initiative for NAFTA-focused Fortune 500 corporations as well as 11 other major initiatives that drove Pacer to achieve a record 254% increase in net income - a feat recognized by the awarding of 2002 Pacer Significant Contributor Awards to his entire team. He earned a B.S. magna cum laude in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, during which time he assisted in designing General Motors future vehicles. Amlani also received an M.B.A. in Corporate Strategy, Marketing, and Finance from the University of Michigan.

Nazanin Samari-Kermani, Department of State. Prior to the Fellowship, she served as a Program Officer for HIV/AIDS at ActionAid-Kenya, where she evaluated HIV/AIDS program work and developed strategic plans for HIV/AIDS activities for 24 sites in Kenya. Samari-Kermani received a B.A. from Bryn Mawr College, where she was Student Body President and received the Hope Wearn Troxell Memorial Prize, an honor awarded to the graduating student making the greatest contribution to college community. She earned an M.A. in Public Policy from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, where she was named a Frederick Sheldon Fellow, a Public Service Fellow, and an Imagitas Fellow. Prior to her time in Kenya, she resided in Los Angeles, California.

Erwin J. Tan, Department of Veteran.s Affairs. Most recently, Tan served as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and as a member of the San Francisco Department of Public Health's Bio-Terrorism Working Group. Tan completed the UCSF/San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH) Primary Care Internal Medicine Residency Program, and is the founding director of the SFGH Medical High User Case Management Program, which addresses the underlying medical and social problems of patients admitted to a public safety net hospital. Tan received a B.A. from Brown University. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant from Providence College ROTC, where he was a Distinguished Military Graduate, and graduated from New York University School of Medicine as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society.

About the White House Fellows Program

Founded in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, the White House Fellows Program is one of the Nation.s most prestigious programs for leadership and public service. This non-partisan program offers exceptional young men and women first-hand experience working at the highest levels of the Federal government. White House Fellows typically spend a 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 repay the privilege by working after the Fellowship year 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.

The President's Commission on White House Fellowships is accepting applications for the 2004 - 2005 Class until February 1, 2004. More information about the program is available at www.whitehouse.gov/fellows.

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