President Bush Appoints the 2004-2005 Class of White House Fellows (Text Only)

For Immediate Release
June 21, 2004

President Bush Appoints the 2004-2005 Class of White House Fellows

WASHINGTON, June 21, 2004 – The White House today announced the appointment of 12 outstanding individuals from across the country to serve as White House Fellows. The 2004-2005 Class of White House Fellows represents a diverse cross-section of professions including business, law, non-profit, finance, and consulting. Additionally, three branches of the military are represented among the Fellows. The list of the 2004-2005 Class and their biographies are included below.

The White House Fellows Program, founded in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, offers 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 leaders from the private and public sectors, and trips to study U.S. policy in action. Following the Fellowship year, Fellows are expected to repay that privilege by contributing to the Nation as better leaders and public servants.

The White House Fellows Program is one of the Nation’s most prestigious programs for leadership and public service. Selection as a White House Fellow is highly competitive and based on a record of remarkable professional achievement, evidence of leadership skills, a strong commitment to public service, and the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute successfully at the highest levels of the Federal government. The Program has fostered leaders in many fields, including Secretary of State Colin Powell, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, former CNN President Tom Johnson, American Red Cross President and CEO Marsha Evans, United Nations Foundation President and Former U.S. Senator Timothy Wirth, and U.S. Senator Samuel Brownback.

Additional information about the Program is located at /fellows.

Randi Burlew, 27. Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio. Senior Research Associate, Philliber Research Associates, New York, NY; appointed to run the New York office. Responsible for evaluating programs that serve under-represented youth and families across the U.S. Also serves as one of the lead evaluators for a sexuality education program commissioned by the MacArthur Foundation in Lagos, Nigeria. As part of research for a Masters degree, completed research on the effects of post-Apartheid violence on the social competence of South African children. Served four years as volunteer at Maxey’s Boys Detention Center, helping incarcerated youth transitioning into adulthood. Also served one year as co-chairperson of Maxey’s Boys Detention Center; in that role, developed monthly enrichment seminars for the residents. Published research in scholarly journals, academic texts, and technical reports, including publications of the American Psychological Association and the Association of Black Psychologists. Received an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Michigan and a B.A. from Spelman College (Rackham Merit Scholarship).

Ronald Clark, 32. Hometown: Westbury, New York. Captain (Major Select), Bravo Company, United States Marine Corps, Camp Lejeune, NC; Commanding Officer of a 150-member Infantry Company. Selected from among the top 1% of Commanders for the Leftwich Trophy for Outstanding Leadership by 1st Battalion 8th Marines. Created an experimental 200-person precision strike unit, and led the unit in combat operations in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Awarded Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device for heroic achievement while leading deep-strike missions in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Also received second Commendation Medal, two Achievement Medals, a Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, NATO Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and Combat Action Ribbon. Served in the Ground Zero search and rescue effort after the September 11th attacks, and transformed the forward staging area into a functional command center vital to the Ground Zero rescue effort. Founded the University of Virginia Community Service Action Program. Awarded two Masters of Education and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Virginia, and a B.A., magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Rochester.

Wesley Hallman, 37. Hometown: Glendora, California. Major (Lieutenant Colonel Select), United States Air Force, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL; currently a student at the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, a school emphasizing leadership, and the development and application of air and space power in peace and war. Thesis topic focuses on overcoming the political challenges the air force faces gaining overflight and basing access worldwide. Deployed four times to combat zones in the Middle East. Earned awards for best wingman, best flight leader, and best company grade officer. Recognized twice as Flight Commander of the Year, and received Shine Award for best fighter aviator in the wing. Appointed Joint Exercise Advisor to the Saudi Ministry of Defense and Aviation (MODA). Helped manage Wings, an after-school program to interest at-risk students in aviation. Oversaw swimming events for Special Olympics. Master of Airpower Art and Science is expected from the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Air University. Received a Master of Military Art and Science from the Air Command and Staff College, Air University and an M.A. in International Relations from the Ohio State University. Also awarded a B.S. from the United States Air Force Academy.

Jerry Johnson, 33. Hometown: Atmore, Alabama. Vice President, Wachovia Securities, Charlotte, NC; manages and evaluates complex transactions in the media and communications sectors. Performs extensive operating, business, and financial due diligence. Formerly worked as a Vice President, Private Equity at Fleet Development Ventures. Also worked at Bear Sterns, Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, and McKinsey & Co. While in business school, led a year-long project with Harvard Business School students to devise a strategy for BankBoston to invest over $50 million in domestic emerging minority markets. Appointed to the Federal Communications Commission’s Access to Capital Task Force. Selected for the Greater Boston Emerging Leaders Program. Serves as a Year Up Student mentor. Also serves on the Boards of Directors of Easter Seals and the Edward Brooke Charter School. Elected as President of Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society. Served as Finance Chair of National Society of Black Engineers. Received an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School and a B.S., summa cum laude, from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville where he was a scholarship recipient.

Samrat (Sam) Khichi, 36. Hometown: Toms River, New Jersey. Associate Attorney, McDermott, Will & Emery in New York, NY; specializes in uncontested and hostile domestic and cross-border acquisitions and business combinations. Formerly worked as an Associate Attorney at Shearman & Sterling. Serves as a reserve officer with the rank of Lieutenant Commander, Office of Naval Intelligence. Named Deputy Director of the NY/NJ High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area’s (HIDTA) Regional Intelligence Center, a clearinghouse for information and intelligence sharing in the region. Helped convert National Guard armory in Jersey City, NJ into a community center. Serves as a member of Scenarios USA, a nonprofit that gives a voice to high school students through film. Serves as a member of Committee on International Security Affairs for the City of New York’s Bar Association. Graduated from United States Army Artillery School and United States Army Airborne School. Awarded a J.D., cum laude and Order of the Coif, from Fordham University Law School and a B.S. from Georgetown University, where he was a Distinguished Military Graduate and received an Army ROTC scholarship.

Patrick McClanahan, 36. Hometown: Crofton, Maryland. Lieutenant Commander, Aviation Program Analyst, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, United States Navy, Pentagon, Washington, DC; manages and develops aviation readiness policy and programs, and oversees an operating budget of $9B. Formerly served with distinction on two frigates, one off the coast of Central America conducting counter-narcotics operations and one in the Arabian Gulf enforcing the no-fly zone over Iraq. Logistically prepared 13 Navy warships including the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis to carry out extended overseas operations. Formerly served as the Supply Officer at Camp David, and Aide and Flag Lieutenant to the Navy’s senior Supply Corps Admiral. Received the Meritorious Service Medal from the Navy, four Navy Commendation Medals, and two Navy Achievement Medals. Founded the Wharton Tax Assistance Program (WTAP) in 2001 to provide pro bono tax and financial assistance to low-income families. Received three awards for tax assistance programs. Serves as a volunteer at local cancer treatment center. Also a member of the Board of the Navy Supply Corps Foundation. Received an M.B.A. from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.

Patrick O’Hanlon, 36. Hometown: Westfield, New Jersey. Vice President of Finance, MBIA, Armonk, NY; develops and implements financial strategies, executes capital market transactions, manages business development, and analyzes investment opportunities for a $9 billion company. Formerly worked as an Associate in the Capital Markets Group at Goldman Sachs. Received John C. Whitehead Award for excellence in marketing. Completed US Army Ranger school and served as a Tank Platoon Leader during Operation Desert Storm. Leader of multiple cavalry units, including a 141-soldier company he trained for combat and peacekeeping missions. Received Draper Armor Leadership Award. Currently serves as a Major in United States Army Ready Reserve. Serves as a Mentor at Student Sponsor Partners, an organization targeting at-risk youth, and as a volunteer and educator at Streetwise, teaching job skills to adults. Awarded an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School and a B.S. from the United States Military Academy (awarded Commandant’s Wreath; top 5% in leadership and physical fitness).

Louis O’Neill, 36. Hometown: New York, New York. Assistant District Attorney, New York County District Attorney’s Office, New York, NY; investigates and prosecutes organized crime, corporate crime, immigration fraud, crimes by attorneys, arson, embezzlement, forgery, and identity theft. Formerly practiced corporate and international law at White & Case, and was General Counsel at the Falconwood Corporation. Through Harvard’s Legal Reform Project, helped reform Russia’s legal system after the fall of communism by working with the Russian Duma (Parliament) and Securities Commission drafting new laws on capital markets, land ownership, zoning, contracts, and civil procedure. Supervised over one hundred lawyers, consultants, and advisors. Received the Legal Aid Society’s 2000 Pro Bono Award for legal services to the indigent. Awarded a J.D., cum laude, from the Harvard Law School, and an A.M. in Russian and East European Studies from Stanford University. Awarded a Presidential Fulbright Scholarship to study at Moscow State University. Received an A.B., with distinction, from Stanford University.

Daniel Orcutt, 34. Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana. Major, United States Air Force, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA; field grade pilot earning a Master’s Degree in National Security Affairs. Thesis is entitled: Carrot, Stick, or Sledgehammer: U.S. policy options for North Korean nuclear weapons. Received the Naval Institute Award for outstanding thesis. Was cross-commissioned into the Air Force after graduating from the United States Naval Academy. Missions include providing humanitarian relief in Somalia, supporting democracy in Haiti, and enforcing Security Council resolutions in Iraq. As former Wing Commander Executive Officer, helped lead Air Force’s largest fighter wing with over 6,000 personnel and 132 fighter aircraft engaged in homeland defense and combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. Awarded two Meritorious Service Medals, two Aerial Achievement Medals, and two Air Force Commendation Medals. Selected as the 2000 Deadalian Exceptional Pilot of the Year and Ninth Air Force Flight Commander of the Year. Coaches and tutors elementary school-age children in Maryland, North Carolina, California, and Korea. Awarded an M.A. in National Security Affairs, with distinction, from the United States Naval Postgraduate School, an M.A.S., with distinction, from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a B.S., with distinction, from the United States Naval Academy.

Ahmed Saeed, 34. Hometown: Rockville, Maryland. Founder & Managing Director, NextCom Venture Partners, Rockville, MD; started and runs a venture capital fund with top quartile performance. Also practiced as an attorney at White & Case. Founded Next World Telecom through which he led a team of entrepreneurs to build the UK’s third largest internet service provider (ISP). Served as the founding President of a 2 million subscriber Japanese ISP, and negotiated joint venture with Albania’s state telecom. Provided pro bono legal and business advice to recently widowed women, and spearheaded an initiative to institutionalize this work. Worked as a news anchor/correspondent for world’s first Muslim satellite TV network. Appointed a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves as Co-chair of Islam Roundtable and South Asia Roundtable. Has served as a life-long member of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Participates as a Board member of six companies. Awarded J.D. from the University of Chicago, an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. from McGill University.

Amy Wilkinson, 31. Hometown: Portland, Oregon. Associate, McKinsey & Company, San Francisco, CA; works in and leads teams to advise CEOs, COOs, and senior executives on strategy and its implementation. Formerly worked as an Associate in J.P. Morgan & Co.’s Latin America Mergers and Acquisitions Group. Youngest person to be designated as Chief of Protocol for the U.S. Embassy in Mexico. Founded Alegre, a Mexican art-export venture whose products are distributed across the U.S. Co-founded the Stanford Alumni Association of Mexico. Serves as a volunteer teacher at Junior Achievement. Also volunteers at a local soup kitchen and homeless shelter. Serves as an advisor to SheVentures, an organization supporting women entrepreneurs, and as a Strategic Advisor to Ipoderac Orphanage in Mexico. Received the Rotary International Scholarship, and studied at the University of Salamanca in Spain. Awarded an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, an M.A. in Organizational Development from Stanford University, and a B.A. from Stanford University. Also participated in Tutorials at Oxford University.

Lauren Zucker, 26. Hometown: Hamden, Connecticut. Analyst, The Maritime Intelligence Group, Washington, DC; provides real-time analysis of the maritime terrorist threat to ports around the country. Served as a terrorism expert in a three-person team at Los Alamos National Laboratory immediately after the 9/11 attacks. Published papers addressing statistical methods useful for homeland security. Elected President of St. Anthony Hall, a non-profit organization restructured to host lectures and provide the local community with access to national dignitaries, successful professionals, and well-known academics. Started an English public-speaking club in Japan, giving village middle-school students an opportunity to practice their language skills. In Washington, DC, volunteers with the Wilkins Family Foundation. Awarded a fellowship from Yale’s International Security Studies and a grant from the St. Anthony Hall Educational Fund. Awarded the Tristan Perlroth Prize for distinguished work in Foreign Policy. Received an M.A. in International Security, with honors, from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and a B.A., with distinction, from Yale University.