For Immediate Release
November 3, 2002

White House Fellows to Meet with Key Officials

WASHINGTON, November 3, 2003 -- The White House today announced that the 2003-2004 Class of White House Fellows will meet with key leaders in New York from November 3 -- 6, 2003. This is the first of three domestic policy trips that the Fellows will take during the Fellowship year. The delegation includes three Fellows from New York -- Robert Smullen, Michael Suk, and Cathy Taylor.

During the meetings, the Fellows will examine a broad range of key issues facing New York City and the Nation. The class will meet with top city and state government officials, representatives from the United Nations, corporate executives, and the media. The Fellows also will visit the West Point United States Military Academy to examine military service.

The New York Fellows include:

Robert Smullen, Department of Energy. Smullen is an Active Duty Major in the U.S. Marine Corps, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines. Most recently, he attended the U.S. Marine Corps School of Advanced War Fighting. During Operation Enduring Freedom, Smullen directed the operations of 1250 Marines, helping to lead the first conventional forces into Afghanistan. He holds 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. Smullen is from Gloversville, NY.

Michael Suk, Department of Interior. Previously, Suk 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 the Medical Society of the State of New York and was 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. Suk received a B.A. from Carleton then went on to simultaneously complete an M.D. at the University of Illinois College of Medicine and a J.D./M.P.H. 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.

Cathy L. Taylor, National Security Council. Prior to her appointment as a Fellow, she was a Vice President for Investment and Business Development at American Express. Taylor is the Founder and Chairman of LeadingEdge Partners, a community organization dedicated to providing leadership training to students in New York City.s public schools. She also served as an education volunteer at the New York Public Library. Taylor earned a B.A. from Duke University and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania where she was elected student body President and spearheaded the creation on Wharton.s Volunteer Day.

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. More information about the program is available at www.whitehouse.gov/fellows.

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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