Announcing the 2014-2015 National Finalists for the White House Fellows Program

On June 5, the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships announced that a talented group of accomplished men and women from across the country were selected as National Finalists for the 2014-2015 Class of the White House Fellows.

The White House Fellows Program is the nation’s most prestigious program for leadership and public service. The Finalists hail from across the United States—from Irvine, CA to Madison, WI to Kent, CT. They represent a diverse cross-section of professions including education, law, business, medicine, ministry, academia, non-profit, and the armed services. The National Finalists have demonstrated remarkable professional achievement early in their careers, a commitment to public service, and the leadership skills needed to succeed at the highest levels of the Federal government.

A complete list of National Finalists appears below.

Anthony (Ché) Bolden
Lieutenant Colonel, United States Marine Corps
Falls Church, VA

Andrew C. Buher
Former Chief Operating Officer, New York City Department of Education
New York, NY

Ellen M. G. Canup
Captain, United States Air Force
Seabrook, TX

Megan E. Carroll
Portfolio Manager for South Sudan, United Nations Development Program
San Diego, CA

Rossan M. Chen
Family Medicine Physician, San Francisco General Hospital
San Francisco, CA

Brandon T. Crowley
Senior Pastor, Myrtle Baptist Church
Atlanta, GA

Jacob E. Donnelly
Senior Vice President, New Island Capital
San Francisco, CA

Jonathan M. Dorsey
Co-Founder and Director, Impact Careers Initiative
Woodside, CA

Jeetander T. Dulani
Senior Associate, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
Pittsburgh, PA

Karen E. Eifert
Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy
Brooklyn, NY

Kari M. Fleming
Major, United States Air Force
Naperville, IL

Scott P. Handler
Major, United States Army
Miami, FL

Luxme Hariharan
Pediatric Ophthalmology Fellow, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
Madison, WI

Kate F. Higgins-Bloom
Lieutenant Commander, United States Coast Guard
Norfolk, VA

Wrendon P. Hunt
Associate Commercial Director, Dow Solar at The Dow Chemical Company
Midland, MI

Marguerite Rose S. Jimenez
Postdoctoral Fellow, American University’s School of Public Affairs
Missoula, MT

Kelley T. Jones
Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy
Alexandria, VA

Francisco J. Leija
Lieutenant Colonel, United States Army
Los Angeles, CA

Mark W. Martin
School Director, Langston Hughes Academy
Wichita Falls, TX

Sofia D. Martos
Associate, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
Los Angeles, CA

Tiffany S. McNair
Obstetrician-Gynecologist, Johns Hopkins
Voorhees, NJ

Marisa L. Porges
Research Fellow, Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Penn Valley, PA

Mario Luis Ramirez
Major and Emergency Medicine Physician, United States Air Force
McAllen, TX

Isabelle (Vicky) Rateau
GROW Campaign Manager, Oxfam America
Madison, WI

Ben A. Rissing
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies
Vienna, VA

Lindsay L. Rodman
Captain and Deputy Legal Counsel, United States Marine Corps
Kent, CT

Edward Sheen
Clinical Fellow, Stanford University Hospital and Clinics
Irvine, CA

Bradley W. Snyder
Former Ensign, United States Navy and 2012 Paralympics Gold-Medalist
Baltimore, MD

Jennifer L. Swayne
Staff Attorney, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest
Oakland, CA

Benjamin A. Taylor
Major, United States Army Special Forces
Fayetteville, NC

About the White House Fellows Program

Founded in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, the White House Fellows Program is a non-partisan opportunity for outstanding men and women to spend one year working at the highest levels of the federal government. Fellows also participate in an education program consisting of roundtable discussions with renowned leaders from the public and private sectors and engage in community service activities throughout the year. Following the Fellowship, Fellows repay the privilege of this experience by contributing to the country as public service leaders.

The President’s Commission on White House Fellowships is chaired by Mary Zients, founder and Board Chair of the Urban Alliance Foundation in Washington, D.C. Cheryl Dorsey serves as the Vice Chair, and is the President of Echoing Green, a pioneer in the social entrepreneurship movement. Other members of the Commission are: Katherine Archuleta (Ex-officio), Wesley Clark, Nelson A. Diaz, Matrice Ellis-Kirk, Helene Gayle, Alice T. Germond, Vartan Gregorian, Steve Gunderson, Cynthia Hale, Deborah Harmon, Christy Haubegger, Peter Blair Henry, John Hockenberry, George Muñoz, Lloyd W. Newton, Theodore Olson, Roger Porter, Azita Raji, Rion Joaquin Ramirez, George Thibault, Eleanor Kaye Wilson, Judy Wise, and E. Kinney Zalesne (Ex-officio; President of the White House Fellows Foundation and Association).

National Finalists have advanced through a highly competitive selection process, including a comprehensive written application and regional interviews with civic leaders, who have recommended this group for the National Finals. National Finalists will be evaluated by the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships in Washington, DC from June 5-8, 2014.

Those individuals selected to be White House Fellows will join an accomplished group of nearly 700 alumni including former Secretary of State General Colin Powell, former Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and writer Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Find out more about the White House Fellows Program here.

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