WASHINGTON, DC – The President’s Commission on White House Fellowships announced the appointment of the 2016-2017 class of White House Fellows. The prestigious list includes two Indian-Americans: Tina R. Shah and Anjali Tripathi.
Tina R. Shah
Shah of Chicago, IL, is a Pulmonary and Critical Care physician-scientist focused on transforming healthcare delivery for patients with chronic diseases. She recently completed her clinical fellowship at the University of Chicago, where she redesigned the care cycle for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), dramatically reducing hospital readmissions.
Tripathi of Woodland Hills, CA, is an astrophysicist, most recently at Harvard University. Her research focuses on the formation and evolution of planets. She has pioneered the characterization of planet forming environments and developed the first 3D simulations of planets evaporating due to extreme atmospheric heating.
The Fellows come from diverse backgrounds, varied professions, and have demonstrated a strong commitment to public service and leadership. The 2016-2017 class of Fellows and their biographies are included in the following pages, the White House said in a statement.
Anjali Tripathi
The White House Fellows Program was created in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson to give promising American leaders “first hand, high-level experience with the workings of the Federal government, and to increase their sense of participation in national affairs.
This unique opportunity to work within our nation’s government is designed to encourage active citizenship and a lifelong commitment to service. The Fellows take part in an education program designed to broaden their knowledge of leadership, policy formulation, and current affairs. Community service is another essential element of the program, and Fellows participate in service projects throughout their year in Washington, D.C.
Selection as a White House Fellow is highly competitive and based on a record of professional achievement, evidence of leadership potential, and a proven commitment to public service. Each Fellow must possess the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute meaningfully at senior levels of the Federal government. Throughout its history, the program has fostered leaders in many fields, including government, business, law, media, medicine, education, diplomacy, and the military. Additional information about the White House Fellows program is available at www.whitehouse.gov/fellows.
Here is a complete list of 2016-2017 Class of White House Fellows:
Robert Accordino, Cambridge, MA, is a physician focused on the health care of children with developmental disabilities. He completed a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at Massachusetts General and McLean Hospital of Harvard Medical School; a residency in general psychiatry at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical College; and an internship in pediatrics at Mount Sinai Hospital. As a first year medical student, Robert founded the nonprofit organization Music for Autism in the United States and served as executive director, leading the charity’s fully subsidized programs to spread nationally. Throughout his education, Robert has participated in clinical research resulting in the publication of numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. He has also written as a blogger for The Huffington Post. He served on the Alumni Advisory Board of the Coca Cola Scholars Foundation and as a resident tutor in Mather House of Harvard University. Robert received a B.A., summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Princeton University, and an M.Sc. from Oxford University, where he was a Fulbright and Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. He then received an M.D. from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai with Distinction in Research and Medical Education and as a member of the Arnold Gold Humanism in Medicine Society.
Raven Bukowski, Akron, OH, is a Major in the United States Army. As an intelligence officer, she has led more than 200 intelligence collectors and analysts over the course of five overseas deployments within the U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility. She last served as the Director of Intelligence for 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) where she led the intelligence effort for the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Syria. In this role, Raven delivered intelligence assessments to U.S. Interagency and Intergovernmental partners that directly informed policy-level decisions on military operations to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Prior to that, Raven was an Assistant Professor of International Relations at the United States Military Academy’s Department of Social Sciences, where in addition to teaching she served as an academic counselor and conducted research for the Office of Economic and Manpower Analysis. Raven is an active Term Member on the Council on Foreign Relations and the author or co-author of four papers dealing with military doctrine or defense policy. Raven received a B.S. from The United States Military Academy and an M.A. from The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Linden Dahlkemper, Erie, PA, is a Lieutenant in the United States Coast Guard. She most recently served as an Instructor in the Department of Humanities at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, where she volunteered as an intercollegiate sailing team coach, musical theater director and cadet mentor. Linden also facilitated experiential leadership training for Coast Guard cadets as an Officer in Charge in the Coastal Sail Training Program. Previously, she served as the Operations Officer on the Coast Guard Cutter ASPEN and conducted oil skimming operations in the Gulf of Mexico for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and subsequently led counter-narcotics and maritime transportation operations in the Pacific. As a Deck Watch Officer on Coast Guard Cutter WALNUT, she led some of the first boardings of foreign-flagged vessels under the authority of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission and conducted joint operations with international partners in the South Pacific. Linden earned an M.S. in Public Policy and Management, with high honors, from Carnegie Mellon University and a B.S. in Government, with high honors, from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, where she was the recipient of the Jewish Women’s War Veterans Award in Government.
Sharice Davids, Rapid City, SD, served as the Deputy Director of Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation in Porcupine, South Dakota on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation where she managed a variety of day-to-day operations, acted as in house legal counsel, and laid the foundation for a social enterprise program. She is from the Ho-Chunk Nation in Wisconsin, and has dedicated her professional life to economic development in Native American communities. In 2010, Sharice began her legal career in the Kansas City office of an international law firm as a corporate transactional attorney working on mergers and acquisitions for private equity clients and economic development transactions with Native American tribes. After leaving corporate practice, Sharice moved to the Pine Ridge Reservation where she took a position with a high school as the Director of an Economic Development Initiative where she developed an entrepreneurship curriculum that was implemented at the high school level. After the development of the entrepreneurship program, Sharice started Hoka Coffee Company. Sharice received a B.B.A. from the University of Missouri in Kansas City and a J.D. from Cornell Law School. She is an avid martial artist and has competed at the amateur and professional levels in mixed martial arts.
Lloyd Edwards, Equinunk, PA, is a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy and a Navy SEAL. He has led special operations throughout Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia, and has deployed twice to Afghanistan and three times to Iraq. In addition, Lloyd spent a year in Bahrain where he established a regional task force and directed special operations in its area of responsibility, which included unstable regions of Africa and the Middle East. Lloyd’s most recent operational assignments have included leading sixty SEALs and support personnel as a Task Unit Commander and managing the training and employment of over two hundred personnel deployed to disparate locations as an Operations Officer. His service has been recognized with multiple military decorations including the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Combat Action Ribbon. Lloyd was also selected as the two-year fellow for the Navy’s Politico-Military Masters program. Lloyd received a B.S. in Political Science from the U.S. Naval Academy where he was a senior staff member for the Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference and a varsity letterman in sprint football, and an M.P.P. from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Timothy Gatlin, Houston, TX, is a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army. He most recently served as the strategic planner for the Director of the Army’s Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention program. As a commander, he conducted operations in support of the Army’s counter-terrorism operations in Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom. During Operation Spartan Shield, he deployed as a Brigade Fire Support Officer, advising on targeting, joint fire support operations, and foreign military partnerships. Previously, he was a faculty member at the United States Military Academy and a Local Dynamics of War Scholar at the Army Command and General Staff College. He has presented and published on topics including leadership, state-sponsored development programs in Iraq, and regionally aligned forces. His awards include the Bronze Star Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal. Timothy co-founded the Excel Scholars Initiative, an enrichment program dedicated to diversifying the West Point cadet leadership and faculty pools by launching minority cadets into leadership roles and into contention for prestigious post-graduate programs. He has also served as a board member of Big Brothers Big Sisters in Orange County, NY. He received a B.S. in Economics from the United States Military Academy, and an M.A. in Social-Organizational Psychology from Columbia University as an Eisenhower Leader Development Fellow. Prior to his selection as a Fellow, Timothy was selected to serve as a battalion commander.
Erik Iverson, Philadelphia, PA, recently served as Deputy Director for Planning at the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Emergency Management. He managed a portfolio of homeland security programs ranging from emergency planning to training and exercises and helped to coordinate the City’s response to major incidents including the 2015 Amtrak Northeast Regional derailment. Erik also contributed to the planning and execution of major events including the 2016 Democratic National Convention and the recent papal visit to Philadelphia. Prior to service in local government, Erik earned a Ph.D. in international relations at the Fletcher School at Tufts University, researching how agencies collaborate during crises. He received a number of awards and fellowships and served as a consultant to the federal government and a congressional task force on homeland security. Erik is active in his community having served as a youth mentor and a volunteer first responder. He is a Truman National Security Fellow, CNAS Next Generation National Security Fellow, and a graduate of the Executive Leaders Program at the Naval Postgraduate School. Erik received a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.
Joseph McGeehin, Newtown Square, PA, served as Chief of Staff to the Chairman and CEO of Morgan Stanley, where he worked with senior executives around the world to enhance client engagement with the firm and drive business development. His responsibilities included conducting strategic and operational analyses for the board of directors, firm regulators, and government officials, as well as leading CEO-directed initiatives on performance and growth. Previously, he worked in Morgan Stanley’s Mergers and Acquisitions department and for Herbert Smith Freehills’ international arbitration and U.S. securities groups in London. Joe represented Morgan Stanley in the Council on Foreign Relations’ Corporate Leaders Program and was a member of the Board of Engineers of Blue Engine, an organization that partners with public schools in low-income communities to increase academic rigor and enable postsecondary success. He is also a longtime mentor with CitySquash, an after-school enrichment program based in the Bronx. Joe received an A.B. in History with honors from Harvard College, and a J.D. and M.B.A. with distinction from New York University. He is admitted to the New York and Massachusetts bars.
Michael Morales, Naranjito, Puerto Rico, is a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force. He recently served as Commander of the 538th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron in Kabul, Afghanistan. In this capacity, he led a highly skilled, multinational combat flying advisory team responsible for the development of the entire Afghan Air Force airlift capability. Mike has spent his career working with and advising political and military leaders around the world; he has led teams with diverse missions ranging from planning and executing all U.S. military exercises in Central, South America, and the Caribbean to building partnerships with air forces throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. Mike piloted C-17s and C-130s on over 200 combat airlift missions into Afghanistan and Iraq, and earned the prestigious Airlift/Tanker Association Young Leader Award and the Air Force Association Company Grade Officer of the Year. Mike received an M.A. in Religion and a Master of Divinity from Liberty University, and an M.S. in Logistics from the Air Force Institute of Technology. He is a member of Cru Military, Mensa, and the Global Leaders tier of Young Professionals in Foreign Policy.
Warren Morgan, Cleveland, OH, served as the Academic Superintendent for Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s turnaround (investment) schools. In this role he led principals in common core instructional leadership and collaborated with stakeholders to ensure the fidelity of the Cleveland Plan, which seeks quality schools for Cleveland students. Under his leadership, schools achieved significant gains in literacy and attendance, outperformed the district’s graduation rate, and decreased suspensions. Prior to working in education, he worked for the Illinois Senate as a Bill Analyst. After working in public policy, he joined Teach for America as a Science teacher in St. Louis, MO. He then served as a high school principal with Chicago Public Schools where dramatically improved the school’s performance from a level 3 probation status for the first time in nearly 20 years. In 2009, Warren was awarded Outstanding Teacher of the Year. Warren is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He received a B.A. in Psychology from Butler University, where he served as student body president and was selected a Butler Top 10 student; an M.Ed. in Educational Administration from the University of Missouri St. Louis; and an Ed.D. in Urban Education Leadership from the University of Illinois-Chicago.
Austin Ramirez, Milwaukee, WI, served as the president and CEO of HUSCO International, a global engineering and manufacturing company with 1,400 employees worldwide. During his tenure, the company was designated a Global Growth Company by the World Economic Forum and recognized as Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year. Prior to joining HUSCO, Austin was a consultant in the San Francisco office of McKinsey & Company where he specialized in corporate finance and industrial operations. He was selected as a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum in 2014 and is the Founding Curator of the Forum’s Global Shaper Hub in Milwaukee. Austin served as a director of the National Association of Manufacturers, Metropolitan Milwaukee Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Milwaukee Committee. He was also a volunteer board member of the Milwaukee YMCA, United Performing Arts Fund and the Milwaukee chapter of Teach for America. Austin received a B.S. in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia and an M.B.A. from Stanford University, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar and Goldman Sachs Fellow. As a member of the U.S. Swimming National Team, Austin won gold medals at the United States Swimming National Championships and FINA World Championships.
Lindsey B. Ross, Los Angeles, CA, is taking leave from residency at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, where she is a senior neurosurgical resident physician studying the pathogenesis and surgical management of neurological disease. Additionally, she has been steadily dedicated to serving disadvantaged populations, mentoring underrepresented minority students, and working towards policy change with a focus on impoverished communities as it pertains to disparities in medicine. While in medical school, she served as a regional and national leader for the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) and was selected as a Denzel and Pauletta Washington Gifted Scholar in Neuroscience. Lindsey spearheaded and coordinated a group of volunteers to help with the reaccreditation process at King/Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. She is the founder of the Women in Surgery Interest Group at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and currently serves as a House Staff Executive for her hospital. Author of a number of published scholarly articles and academic book chapters, she has spent an extensive amount of time in South Africa, Thailand, Mexico, and Guatemala for medical mission work. Lindsey received a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University and an M.D. from UCLA.
Kyle Scherer, Dover, OH, was most recently an Associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, with broad experience advising clients in liability management and corporate finance transactions. Prior to joining the firm, he worked on the Navajo Nation as a Staff Attorney for DNA-Peoples Legal Services, a nonprofit organization focused on providing access to justice to low-income Native Americans living in the Four Corners region of the United States. Kyle is a veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and is the recipient of a Bronze Star Medal, having served as the S-2 for Joint Task Force Kabul, the Chief of Intelligence Operations for Combined Joint Interagency Task Force 435, and the Senior Intelligence Officer for U.S. Forces-Iraq’s Personnel Recovery Division. In addition to maintaining an active pro bono practice, Kyle is a Director of Native American Alumni of Harvard University and a member of the New York City Bar Association’s Committee on Military Affairs and Justice. He received a B.A. from Harvard College where he pursued a special concentration in American Public Policy & American Indian Politics, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he was a recipient of the Dean’s Award for Community Leadership.
Tina R. Shah, Chicago, IL, is a Pulmonary and Critical Care physician-scientist focused on transforming healthcare delivery for patients with chronic diseases. She recently completed her clinical fellowship at the University of Chicago, where she redesigned the care cycle for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), dramatically reducing hospital readmissions. As the recipient of the inaugural U. Chicago Innovations Grant, she also led an interprofessional research team to evaluate this value-based care delivery program. Tina has published several papers and delivered keynote speeches for the American Lung Association. During her term as the Chair of the American Medical Association – Resident and Fellow Section where she represented nearly 40,000 physicians, Tina targeted the physician burnout epidemic by convening the first national summit on resident physician wellbeing. She also launched the largest national study to date to identify the key drivers of health and satisfaction for physicians in training. She was a trustee for the Chicago Medical Society and has held leadership positions in other medical societies to advocate for her patients and for a sustainable medical workforce. Tina received a B.S. and an M.D. from the Pennsylvania State University/Jefferson Medical College accelerated six-year medical program and a M.P.H. from Harvard.
Anjali Tripathi, Woodland Hills, CA, is an astrophysicist, most recently at Harvard University. Her research focuses on the formation and evolution of planets. She has pioneered the characterization of planet forming environments and developed the first 3D simulations of planets evaporating due to extreme atmospheric heating. Anjali has also been involved in modeling the Milky Way and the search for dark matter. Previously, she’s conducted particle physics, seismology, and engineering research at Fermilab, Caltech, MIT, and NASA JPL, as part of the mission operations team for the Mars Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. As a seasoned communicator, Anjali has made science concepts relevant and easy to understand, including for the Smithsonian, TED, and Teach for America. Outside of research and teaching, Anjali focuses on mentoring and has established Harvard Astronomy’s first mentoring program, adopted by universities nationwide. Her commitment to improving her community has been recognized by Harvard, MIT, and the American Red Cross. Anjali will receive her Ph.D. in Astronomy from Harvard, where she earned an A.M. in Astronomy, as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow. She received an M.Phil. in Astronomy from Cambridge University as a Marshall Scholar, and an S.B. in Physics, with a minor in Applied International Studies, from MIT.
Bryant Cameron Webb, Spotsylvania, VA, is a physician and lawyer who works at the intersection of health and social justice. He most recently completed residency in Internal Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine, where he served as Co-President of the Housestaff Committee, Co-Chair of the Minority Housestaff Committee, and as an Ambulatory Chief Resident. After residency, he joined the Division of General Internal Medicine at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor of Medicine. Cameron is a passionate champion for health equity and is committed to advocating for the health needs of underserved and marginalized communities. He previously served as National President of the Student National Medical Association, Student Trustee of the National Medical Association, and on the Board of Directors of Doctors for America. Additionally, Cameron is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of EquityRx, a health equity organization combining research, education and advocacy to address social determinants of health. He received a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies as an Echols Scholar at the University of Virginia, a J.D. and health law certificate from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, and an M.D. from Wake Forest School of Medicine.
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