For Immediate Release
Janet Eissenstat, Director
(202) 395-4522
June 16, 2006

President Bush Appoints 2006-2007 Class of White House Fellows

WASHINGTON, June 16, 2006 - The White House today announced the appointment of 14 outstanding individuals from across the country to serve as White House Fellows. The 2006-2007 Class of White House Fellows represents a diverse cross-section of professions including medicine, law, finance, education and state government. Additionally, three branches of the military are represented among the Fellows. The list of the 2006-2007 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, 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 both domestically and abroad. Following the Fellowship year, many Fellows repay the 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 former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, former CNN President Tom Johnson, Chairman of the New York Stock Exchange Marshall Carter, 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.

2006-2007 Class of White House Fellows

Christian Caballero, 35. Hometown: Miami, FL. Chris Caballero serves as Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. He oversees the operations and policy development of an agency with approximately 5,000 employees and an estimated 6,000 contracted employees. He is also responsible for the oversight of a $650,000,000.00 budget, and the care of an estimated 55,000 juveniles taken into custody by the agency annually. Prior to joining the Department of Juvenile Justice, Caballero served as Deputy Director of Cabinet Affairs to Florida Governor, Jeb Bush. He advised Governor Bush on matters related to land acquisition, growth management, alternative energy development and environmental conservation. Caballero was the Governor's primary advisor during the acquisition of 74,000 acres by the state, the single largest land purchase in the history of Florida. Prior to joining the Bush administration, Caballero spent several years in the corporate world, where he specialized in market development for Harmon Glass, Inc. In 1994, he was named "Rookie of Year," and in 1997 he was ranked 2nd in gross sales to budget among more than 300 markets nationwide. Caballero holds a BA in Political Science, cum laude, from Greensboro College, and also holds a JD from Florida State University College of Law.

Jason Scott Dean, 32. Hometown: Jackson, MS. Jason Dean serves as Policy Advisor to Governor Haley Barbour where his responsibilities include budgetary and policy matters relating to education. In 2006, Dean successfully worked with the state's educational stakeholders to pass the Governor's education agenda. This reform package included such issues as high school redesign, reducing the state's dropout rate, and addressing the critical shortage of teachers. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he worked with FEMA, state, and faith based groups to coordinate a warehouse and shipping system. His network of volunteers quickly placed in-kind national and international donations into critically affected areas. His post-storm duties also included working on the ground with education entities to secure funding and facilities in their recovery. He has served as Chairman for the United Way of Ole Miss; as a Board Member for GEAR-UP, the Public Education Forum, and on the Mayor's Commission on Public Safety; Big Brother; and other community service interests. Prior to joining the Governor's staff, he worked as assistant dean of student and assistant professor at the University of Mississippi. Jason received a B.A. in International Studies from the University of Southern Mississippi and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Education from the University of Mississippi.

Jeffrey William Eggers, 35. Hometown: Exeter, NH. Jeff Eggers is a U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander and is currently serving as Executive Officer of SEAL Team SEVEN, supervising over 160 SEALs and support personnel who deploy globally in support of the War on Terror. He recently completed a tour in Iraq as the Commander of Naval Special Warfare Task Unit - West where he was the senior Special Operations officer in the volatile Anbar province of western Iraq with the primary mission of combat advising and training Iraqi Army and Police units in counter-insurgency security. He also served for four years as Operations Officer and Mission Commander for the U.S. Special Operations Command's Advanced SEAL Delivery System, a $400M long-range submersible designed for global clandestine operations. He was recently selected as the Naval Academy's Admiral Andersen leadership speaker and was a U.S. Navy mission specialist candidate for NASA. He has served as a manager for Campaign Drug-Free for Region Southwest, editor of an academic literary journal, and also as a speaker with the Coalition for a Drug-Free Hawaii. He was a FitzGerald Scholar with an M.A. from Oxford University in Mathematics and Philosophy and a B.S. with honors in Aerospace Engineering from the United States Naval Academy.

Miguel Damian Howe, 39. Hometown: Severn, MD. Miguel D. Howe is a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army. Most recently he served as the Chief of Staff for the NATO Training Mission in Al Rustamiyah, Iraq, facilitating the long term development of the Iraqi officer corps at the Iraqi Joint Staff College and Iraqi Military Academy. A Special Forces Officer, Miguel has commanded special operations forces on numerous deployments throughout Latin America with the 7th Special Forces Group, to include training the Colombian Counter-Narcotics Brigade as part of Plan Colombia. He has served as the Human Resources Chief for all Army Special Forces and Psychological Operations soldiers. Married with two children, Miguel is a passionate and committed member of Parent Volunteer Corps, tutoring and mentoring students with both promise and special needs. He also serves his community coaching youth sports teams and working with the Boy Scouts and Destination Imagination. He is a member of the Council on Emerging National Security Affairs and is an accomplished runner and cyclist. He earned his Bachelor of Science from the United States Military Academy, and a Master of Arts, with Honors, in National Security Studies, from Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service.

Eugene J. Huang, 30. Hometown: Beverly Hills, CA. Eugene J. Huang serves as a Visiting Scholar at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) at Stanford University, where his research interests focus on macroeconomic policy and technology, competitiveness and innovation. Previously, Huang was the Secretary of Technology for the Commonwealth of Virginia under Governor Mark R. Warner. Appointed in 2004 as the youngest cabinet member in Virginia history at the age of 28, Huang was a key member of the management team responsible for Virginia's designation as the nation's best-managed state in 2005. As Secretary, Huang oversaw the state's award winning information technology reform initiative, fostered development of advanced broadband communications, and facilitated the growth of emerging technology industries throughout Virginia. An active community leader, Huang has been involved in a wide range of volunteer activities, including serving as a board member of FIRST Robotics Virginia and as a coach for the Richmond Marathon Training Team. Huang is a Thouron Scholar who received a M.Phil. with distinction, in Economic History from Oxford University, and is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School, a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, and a M.S. in Telecommunications Engineering.

Bedouin Leclerc Joseph, 36. Hometown: Elizabeth, NJ. Bedouin Joseph is a complex litigation and class action attorney at Adams and Reese LLP. He has represented Fortune 100 clients in civil actions involving claims of property contamination, exposure to radiation and hazardous chemicals. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Bedouin was the officer-in-charge of the Transportation section of the 174th Fighter Wing, Syracuse (New York). He also served as officer-in-charge of the Management and Systems Flight of the Logistics Squadron at the 174th Fighter Wing, and prior to that, as a Medical Corpsman with the 3rd Combat Medical Battalion at Marine Corps Base Camp Hansen (Okinawa, Japan). Bedouin is a former Regimental Commander at the United States Merchant Marine Academy. His community activities include service as co-chair and team leader for Rebuilding Together (formerly Christmas in October), board member and Executive Committee member of the Preservation Resource Center, volunteer attorney for the Pro Bono Project, tutor and mentor for at-risk children in various programs. He has published a legal article in the Louisiana State Bar Journal. He has also published articles in the Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Law Journal. His awards include Top 25 Multicultural Leader, Distinguished Service as a Pro Bono Volunteer, Naval Order of the United States New York Commandery, and Community Service Volunteer of the Year. Bedouin received a Juris Doctor from the Florida State University College of Law, a BS from the United States Merchant Marine Academy, and an Unlimited Third Mate License with radar observer endorsement from the U.S. Coast Guard.

Frederick William Kacher, 38. Hometown: Oakton, VA. Fred Kacher is an active duty Commander in the United States Navy. A veteran of multiple overseas deployments, he most recently deployed in support of the Global War on Terror as Executive Officer of USS BARRY, earning the Arleigh Burke Award for most improved ship in the Navy during his tenure. He has served as the Speechwriter to the Secretary of the Navy and was in the Pentagon during the terrorist attacks of September 11th. His award-winning leadership articles have been featured in several publications and he has been selected to write the book, The Guide for the Newly Commissioned Officer. He serves on the National Board of Directors for the Surface Navy Association and the Navy's National Perinatal Board, dedicated to healthcare for military infants. Committed to helping young people succeed, Fred has volunteered as a tutor, public speaker, and Sunday School teacher. In 2005, he was selected for the Admiral Zumwalt Visionary Leadership Award as the Navy's top leader below the rank of Captain. Fred received a Bachelor of Science degree in English from the United States Naval Academy and a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard's Kennedy School where he also served as Student Body President.

Westley Watende Moore, 27. Hometown: Baltimore, MD. Wes Moore is an investment banker with Deutsche Bank's prestigious Global Markets Division in New York and London. His work focuses on structuring and procuring a range of complex transactions in emerging markets in Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Wes, a paratrooper and Captain in the United States Army Reserves, recently returned from a combat tour of duty in Afghanistan. He served as the Director of Information Operations with the elite 1st Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division. Wes spearheaded the American strategic support plan for the Afghan Reconciliation Program that unites former insurgents with the new Afghan Government. Prior to his career in finance, Wes completed an MLitt in International Relations from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. His thesis topic, "The Rise and Ramifications of Radical Islam in the Western Hemisphere" has earned him praise as one of the foremost experts on the topic. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University and was awarded by the Maryland College Football Hall of Fame. Wes' troubled childhood led him to found a non-profit organization that works with youth justice offenders, which still effectively functions to this day. He is also authoring a book about African-American involvement in international affairs.

Jocelyn Jones Pickford, 28. Hometown: Arlington, VA. Jocelyn Pickford is an English teacher at West Springfield High School in Fairfax County, Virginia, where she is the Curriculum Coordinator for Ninth-Grade English, Lead Mentor for new teachers, and Class Sponsor. She has presented instructional materials at numerous professional workshops and graduate education classes. Her participation in a Fairfax County School Board presentation in 2005 helped secure the passage of a Teacher Leadership Initiative aimed at improving student achievement. She then assisted in creating a grant proposal that resulted in the award of approximately $1,000,000 from the initiative to her school. Prior to teaching, Pickford worked as a professional writer and editor. Her articles and poems have appeared in The Hartford Courant, Redbook magazine, and other forums, and she has read her poetry at universities throughout Connecticut. As an undergraduate, she studied in Rome, Italy and earned awards for achievement in the Italian language. After rowing for four years on her college crew, she has continued athletic pursuits-including fundraising for completion of the Washington, DC Marathon. A national finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship, Pickford earned her M.Ed in Secondary English Education from the George Washington University and her BA, Phi Beta Kappa and Optima, from Trinity College in Hartford, CT.

George Ruiz, 33. Hometown: Passaic, NJ. George Ruiz is a cardiologist with a subspecialty in the care of adults with congenital heart disease. He currently is an attending physician in the Washington Adult Congenital Heart Center based at Children's National Medical Center/Washington Hospital Center. He is an Assistant Professor of Medicine. His work with adult congenital heart patients has been featured in the Associated Press and CNN. He completed his training in internal medicine and cardiovascular diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital of Harvard Medical School. He served as the 78th Chief Resident in the Department of Medicine. In addition to his clinical duties he was a founding member of the Minority Medical House Staff Association and was instrumental in the development of Brigham's Office of Minority Career Development. He has mentored thousands of medical students and speaks nationally on success strategies for medical school and residency. His weekly radio show on health issues for the Latino Community can be heard on 730 AM and he has regularly appeared on Spanish-language television broadcasts. He is a graduate of Brown University and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is married to Lieutenant Commander Katerina Shvartsman, an OB-GYN stationed at National Naval Medical Center.

Lena Sene, 28. Hometown: New York, NY. Lena Sene is an Investment Representative at Lehman Brothers. She is responsible for advising entrepreneurs and CEOs of publicly traded companies on a full range of investment strategies. Prior to that, she was a Private Banker at JPMorgan Chase where she worked within a team of six Private Bankers advising more than 200 high net worth families with total assets under management of over $4.5 billion. While at JPMorgan, she founded the Global Analyst Forum, an initiative that has resulted in a worldwide exchange of best practices in the Private Bank and led a team of colleagues from JPMorgan offices in eight countries. She was selected as the sole recipient of the annual JPMorgan Rising Star Award for the Annual Women's Bond Club Merit Award Dinner in 2003. Lena is a founding member of Network 20/20, a 501c3 not-for-profit organization whose mission is to provide promising young leaders from different fields, opportunities to actively engage in substantive debate on foreign policy issues at home and in strategic countries abroad. She led Network 20/20 delegations to Turkey and Poland and briefed Congressional Staffers in Washington D.C. on major findings and policy recommendations. Lena is a Board Member of the United Nations Association of New York and a member of The Economic Club of New York. She holds NASD Securities Licenses 7 and 63. Lena graduated from Bates College with a Bachelor's degree in Economics and was the recipient of the Ralf Dana Scholarship and the Arata Scholarship.

Mark DuBois Smith, 37. Hometown: Washington, DC. Mark DuBois Smith is an active duty Major in the United States Air Force and F-16 pilot. He most recently represented the Air Force as an exchange scholar at the Naval War College in Newport, RI. Prior to this assignment, Major Smith flew the #2 jet as the Left Wingman in the diamond formation for the Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, "Thunderbirds." A top-gun fighter pilot with 2,200 hours, Mark authored the Western Air Defense Sector Plan for Homeland Defense and the Air Force Combat Pilot Chemical Survivability Guide. His F-16 tours include Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Korea. He also previously served as an Air Force recruiter, public affairs officer and media relations officer. In 1998, Mark was honored by the White House as the "Fighter Pilot of Today" and featured in the PBS documentary, "Airmen and Adversity." He holds a B.S. in Legal Studies from the Air Force Academy, a M.S. in Systems Management from Colorado Tech University, and a M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. Mark is also a Distinguished Graduate from the Air Force Squadron Officer School and graduate of the Air Command & Staff College Distance Learning Program.

Jeffrey Daniel Stern, 37. Hometown: Cabin John Park, MD. Jeff Stern is a member of the Arlington County Fire Department and serves as Deputy Coordinator of Emergency Services in the Arlington County Office of Emergency Management. He has 18 years of experience as a firefighter, paramedic, instructor, special operations team leader, and officer, serving with departments in Maryland, Colorado, and Virginia through the career rank of battalion fire chief. He has written and lectured about firefighter safety, training, incident management, terrorism, and disaster response, and has served as a consultant to local, state, federal, and international government agencies on emergency services issues. He has a B.A. in government from the College of William & Mary in Virginia; a M.P.A. from the American University School of Public Affairs in Washington, DC, where he was appointed to Pi Alpha Alpha, the national honor society for public affairs and administration; and he is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in public administration at Virginia Tech's Center for Public Administration and Policy. Stern is also a graduate of the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer program and is a Certified Emergency Manager. He is involved with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Officers' Toys for Tots Foundation and the Alan Bukzin Memorial Bone Marrow Drive.

Mark Vincent Vlasic, 31. Hometown: Thousand Oaks, CA. Mark Vlasic practices law in the Litigation, International Trade, and Public Policy Practice Groups at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. Prior to joining the firm, he served as a prosecution attorney at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, where he was a member of the Slobodan Milosevic and Srebrenica trial and investigative teams. He has served as an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University, lectured throughout Europe, taught at international law training courses for Iraqi jurists (including a course for the judges trying Saddam Hussein), backpacked around the world, and provided commentary to CNN, FOX News, CBS and NPR. His U.S. Army service includes reserve attachments on Capitol Hill and at the Defense Attaché Office at the U.S. Embassy in The Hague. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Humanity in Action Foundation, volunteers at his local homeless shelter, and was awarded the Frank Wheat Award for his leadership in pro bono and community service. He received his B.S.B.A. and J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University, his Certificate in International Law from The Hague Academy of International Law, and conducted his post-graduate studies at Universiteit Leiden as a NAF-Fulbright Scholar to the Netherlands. He is a member of the Bars of California, the District of Columbia, and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Printer-Friendly Version

Email this page to a friend