Ajay K. Amlani
Troy, Michigan
Ajay K. Amlani, 29, previously served as Assistant Vice President for Strategic Planning with Pacer Stacktrain, the largest division of an emerging $1.6 billion global containerized freight transportation and logistics provider. He also served as a strategy consultant for Baxter Healthcare and DiamondCluster International, and as a Director of Operations Research for CSX Transportation, where he was instrumental in restructuring the Eastern US rail network. Amlani 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 serves on the Board of Directors and holds leadership positions at the Urban Services YMCA, the Network of Indian Professionals, and the Children's Council of San Francisco. Amlani also is actively involved in Habitat for Humanity, the Volunteer Center of San Francisco, and Child Relief and You. He is the recipient of the Red Hawk of the Year and Martin Luther King Jr. leadership and community service awards. 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. Work Placement: Department of Homeland Security
Timothy W. Docking
East Lansing, Michigan
Timothy W. Docking, 37, previously served as African Affairs Specialist at the United States Institute of Peace. Docking's recent work has focused on U.S. counter-terrorism efforts in East Africa, the Sudan peace process, the nexus between AIDS and violent conflict in Africa, and the regional war in West Africa. He has an extensive background in teaching, has authored numerous articles for publication, provided expert testimony before Congress, and appeared in print and broadcast media commenting on current events in Africa. Docking spent three years in West Africa working as a Peace Corps Volunteer and new volunteer trainer. He also has served as an international election monitor with the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute. Currently, he sits on the Wheaton Redevelopment Steering Committee and volunteers at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Kensington, Maryland. He has been awarded the U.S. Institute of Peace Superior Performance Award, and several fellowships including: the Foreign Language Area Studies Fellowship, the l'Institut d'etudes politiques de Bordeaux Research Fellowship, and a Fulbright Fellowship. Docking received a B.A. from Albion College in 1988 and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Boston University in 1999. Work Placement: Department of Agriculture
Garth N. Graham
Miami, Florida
Garth N. Graham, 28, previously served as a Senior Resident Physician in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and as a Fellow in clinical medicine at Harvard Medical School. He co-founded MediCompliance, Inc., a healthcare software company that utilizes communication technology to increase patient compliance with prescribed medication. Graham also founded the Boston Men's Cardiovascular Health Project to find behavioral explanations for decreased adherence to adequate diet and exercise by African American men. He is an active member of the Massachusetts Medical Society and the American Medical Association. He was a Founding Senior Editorial Board Member of the Yale Journal of Health, Law, Policy, and Ethics. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Physicians for Human Rights. He has authored scientific articles and book chapters on various topics, including HIV/AIDS and cardiovascular disease in minorities. Graham is the recipient of the Partners in Excellence Award, the AMA Foundation Leadership Award, and the Miriam Kathleen Dasey Award from Yale Medical School. He is a volunteer physician in the Asylum Network and has mentored minority disadvantaged youth in Florida who are interested in medical sciences. Graham earned a B.S. from Florida International University. He then earned an M.D. from the Yale School of Medicine, where he graduated cum laude, was named a Yale President Public Service Fellow, and inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. Graham later earned an M.P.H. from the Yale School of Epidemiology and Public Health with a focus in health policy administration. During his time at Yale, he served as chair of the American Medical Association/ Medical Student Section National Minority Affairs Committee and on the City of New Haven Mayor's Task Force on AIDS. Work Placement: Department of Health and Human Services
Jerome R. Loughridge
Duncan, Oklahoma
Jerome R. Loughridge, 30, previously served as Chief of Staff to the President of Baylor University. At Baylor, he was instrumental in developing the vision for transforming Baylor into a top tier university in the Protestant tradition. Loughridge also has served on the staff of Senator Don Nickles as a field representative and acting field operations director. He was 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. Loughridge was awarded a Harry S. Truman Scholarship and has remained active as a Senior Scholar and selection panel member. He 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 to provide role models and teach skills for success. Now in its third year, the program has expanded to include nearly thirty mentors in four urban areas of the state. Loughridge volunteers as an English teacher to Mexican immigrants, and serves on the Board of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. He received a B.A. summa cum laude from Baylor University, also graduating Phi Beta Kappa, and a Masters of Public Policy from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. Work Placement: Department of Housing and Urban Development
George A. Pivik
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
George A. Pivik, 31, is a Major on Active Duty in the U.S. Army. He previously served as Strategist and Policy Analyst in the Office of the Army G3 at the Pentagon, where he developed policy assessments on key issues relating to national security and military strategy, including the Army Chief of Staff's vision for the next 25 years. Pivik 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. He served in a combat cavalry squadron located six kilometers south of the Demilitarized Zone in the Republic of Korea during the tense 1994 North Korean nuclear proliferation crisis. He was the U.S. military commander for the city of Srebrenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina, site of the 1995 ethnic-cleansing massacres, and successfully facilitated the first Muslim refugee returns in 2000. He was awarded the Draper Award, recognizing his unit as the best armor unit in the 3rd Calvary Regiment in Fort Carson, Colorado. While stationed in South Korea, he was an active member of the Korean-American Friendship Council. He also serves as a coach and mentor for the Thomas Edison High School's Junior ROTC program. Pivik received a B.A. summa cum laude from Duquesne University and an M.P.A. from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. Work Placement: Homeland Security Council
Nazanin Samari-Kermani
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Nazanin Samari-Kermani, 29, previously 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. She was responsible for building the education, prevention and care, and advocacy capacity for Kenyans to implement a full range of HIV/AIDS actions. She also has served as a research assistant with the American Enterprise Institute, where she researched federal and state efforts in the provision of welfare and childcare services for low-income families. At the Kennedy School of Government, she helped organize and facilitate 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. 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. Work Placement: Department of State
Robert J. Smullen
Gloversville, New York
Robert J. Smullen, 35, is a Major on Active Duty in the U.S. Marine Corps. Previously, he attended the US Marine Corps School of Advanced Warfighting. A Marine Infantryman, he has served as a Platoon Commander and Company Executive Officer in 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, and a Company Commander and Operations Officer in 1st Battalion, 1st Marines. During Operation Enduring Freedom, Smullen directed the operations of 1250 Marines, helping to lead the first conventional forces into Afghanistan. He is the recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal for combat operations in the global war on terrorism, and the Humanitarian Service Medal for contingency operations in East Timor. Additionally, Smullen received the Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal for helping the families of deceased and injured Marines while serving at Marine Corps Headquarters. He was awarded a prize for "Boldness and Daring" in the Chase Prize Essay Contest for a professional journal article in the Marine Corps Gazette. He serves as a volunteer tutor at MacFarland Middle School in Washington, D.C., and also volunteers with the National Youth Leadership Forum on Defense, Intelligence and Diplomacy and the Presidential Classroom Youth Program. Smullen received a B.A. from The Citadel, an M.A. in National Security Studies from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, and an M.A. in Operational Studies from the Marine Corps University. Work Placement: Department of Energy
Gina Eileen Stephens
Des Plaines, Illinois
Gina Eileen Stephens, 29, graduated in May 2003 from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with an M.B.A. in Entrepreneurial Management. At Wharton, Stephens co-founded virtual bone biopsy manufacturer Envisia, Inc. and the Social Impact Management Initiative, a pan-university partnership that explores the potential of business to address broader societal concerns. She began her career in 1995 with Cordis Corporation, where she designed and supervised the manufacture of custom cardiology catheters. In 1998, Stephens joined Guidant Corporation's Tokyo, Japan office as its youngest and only female and bicultural expatriate employee. Her ability to bridge the cultural, language, and technical divide between Japanese doctors and American engineers led to contributions in product development, quality assurance, and marketing. This includes acquiring a patent for co-inventing a safer guidewire and implementing design changes for an angioplasty catheter. Guidant recognized her efforts by giving her the President's Award. She also received the Joseph P. Wharton Award for Leadership and Innovation for her dedication and vision. Stephens also has served as Vice Chairman of the Foundation for Learning, a nonprofit organization that helps individuals with mental retardation and autism to achieve self-sufficiency. A former concert violinist, she has performed at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and throughout Europe and Asia. In addition to her M.B.A., Stephens holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she was recognized for her outstanding thesis. Work Placement: Office of Management and Budget
Michael Suk
Flossmoor, Illinois
Michael Suk, 35, previously was Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology at the University of Florida - Shands Medical Center, Jacksonville. He also served as an Orthopaedic Trauma Fellow at the Hospital for Special Surgery, Weill College of Medicine at Cornell University in New York City. He also was Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon at New York Presbyterian Hospital and at Jacobi Medical Center, Bronx, NY. Suk has been active in organized medicine, including the Medical Society of the State of New York, the Massachusetts Medical Society, the Illinois State Medical Society, the American Academy of Orthaopaedic Surgeons, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the American College of Legal Medicine, and the American Medical Association. He is the first Asian American to serve on the Board of Trustees of the American Medical Association. He founded the Global Alliance of Residents and Junior Doctors (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. Suk received a B.A. in African-American history from Carleton College, where he was elected Class President. He then went on to simultaneously complete an M.D. at the University of Illinois College of Medicine and a J.D./M.P.H. with special certification in health care law at Boston University School of Law and School of Public Health. He later completed his orthopaedic surgery residency training at Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY. Work Placement: Department of Interior
Erwin J. Tan
Manchester, Connecticut
Erwin J. Tan, 33, recently 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 also completed the UCSF/ San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH) Primary Care Internal Medicine Residency Program, served as a Geriatrics and VA National Quality Scholars Fellow at the Veteran's Affairs Medical Center at UCSF, and has published on health disparities. Tan received the Jeffrey Weingarten Award from UCSF for "the compassionate care of patients and the practice of medicine according to the highest ethical standards," and was recognized by the Health Research and Services Administration with a five-year Geriatric Academic Career Award. Tan 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. He served on the Board of Directors of Conard House, a non-profit mental health social services agency. Tan also was awarded the Army Achievement Medal while a Chemical Officer in the United States Army Reserves. Tan received a B.A. from Brown University where he participated in the Tougaloo College Exchange Program and studied for a semester at an historically black college in Jackson, Mississippi. 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. Work Placement: Department of Veterans Affairs
Cathy L. Taylor
New York, New York
Cathy L. Taylor, 31, previously served as Vice President for Investment and Business Development at American Express. While at American Express, she created, implemented, and managed the company's strategic investment strategy and led the acquisition of a leading travel company with over $3 billion in sales. Taylor also developed and managed a new business to identify and negotiate revenue-generating partnerships for American Express, as well as founded the division's Mentor Program. In less than two years, she was promoted from Manager to Director to Vice-President, one of the fastest promotion tracks in company history. Prior to American Express, Taylor was a mortgage-backed securities trader at Merrill Lynch. Taylor is the Founder and Chairman of LeadingEdge Partners and remains active as a teacher for this community organization that provides leadership training to students in New York City public schools. She served as an education volunteer at the New York Public Library and as a volunteer English teacher for Russian refugees. Taylor received a B.A. from Duke University and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. At Wharton, she served as the elected student body President and spearheaded the creation of Wharton's Volunteer Day. Work Placement: National Security Council
Thomas R. Williams
Woodbridge, Virginia
Thomas R. Williams, 33, is an active duty Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy. He most recently served as Special Assistant and Speechwriter to the Vice Chief of Naval Operations at the Pentagon, where he developed and analyzed operational plans for the Department of Defense and U.S. Navy. Williams served in the Caribbean on counter-narcotics operations in winter and spring of 1993-94, and in Operations Deny Flight and Sharpguard near Bosnia-Herzegovina while on deployment to the Mediterranean in 1995. He supported Naval Special Warfare Forces throughout the European Command while on deployment in 1996, and participated in two key regional engagement programs -- in Londonderry, Northern Ireland and the first visit of a U.S. Navy ship to Kaliningrad, Russia. Williams enforced U.N. sanctions against Iraq during the winter of 2000-2001 related to maritime interdiction operations, and coordinated a multi-national task force of ships to search for and capture terrorists escaping Southwest Asia during Operation Enduring Freedom in the winter and spring of 2002. Williams has been awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal. He volunteers for the Prince William youth soccer association as a coach and league director, and in the TOPsoccer program for handicapped children. Williams received a B.A. from Cornell University and a Masters in International Public Policy from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. Work Placement: National Aeronautics and Space Administration