Press Release

2017 Class of Presidential Leadership Scholars Announced

60 Scholars comprised of veterans, educators, public servants, and corporate professionals to begin program on February 7th in Washington, D.C.

The Presidential Leadership Scholars program, a unique leadership development initiative that draws upon the resources of the presidential centers of George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson, today announced the 60 Scholars invited to participate in the program’s third annual class.

The third cohort was selected after a rigorous application and review process. Scholars were selected based on their leadership growth potential and the strength of their personal leadership projects aimed at improving the civic or social good by addressing a problem or need in a community, profession, or organization.

As announced in December 2016, over the course of several months, Scholars will travel to each participating presidential center to learn from former presidents, key administration officials, and leading academics. They will study and put into practice varying approaches to leadership, develop a network of peers, and exchange ideas with mentors and others who can help them make an impact in their communities.

The program kicks off in Washington, D.C. on February 7th, where Scholars will visit the National Archives and Records Administration, Mount Vernon, and the White House Historical Association and explore personal and professional development areas including core values and civility.

The latest class joins the alumni network of 121 Scholars in the program. They include individuals from diverse backgrounds and geographies, coming from a variety of sectors, including private, public, non-profit, military, and academia.

The 2017 Class of Presidential Leadership Scholars are:

  • Michael Addis, Litigation Associate, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, New York, NY;
  • Chike Aguh, Chief Executive Officer, EveryoneOn, Beltsville, MD;
  • Gabriel Albornoz, Director, Department of Recreation, Montgomery County Government, Kensington, MD;
  • Lisa Atherton, Executive Vice President, Military Business, Bell Helicopter, Keller, TX;
  • Vidya Ayyr, Community Relations Specialist, Parkland Hospital, Plano, TX;
  • Hazami Barmada, Strategy Consultant, Social Entrepreneur, and Social Impact Activist, United Nations, Cambridge, MA;
  • Brian Barnes, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, TandemEd LLC, Memphis, TN;
  • Anurima Bhargava, Fellow, Institute of Politics, Harvard University, Chicago, IL;
  • Dana Bolden, Group Director, Public Affairs and Communications, The Coca-Cola Company, Atlanta, GA;
  • Zachary Bongiovanni, Head of Infrastructure Expansion, Google, San Francisco, CA;
  • Sheila Colclasure, Vice President, Global CPO and Public Policy Executive, Acxiom Corporation, Little Rock, AR;
  • Marta Michelle Colon, Chief Performance and Attitude Strategist, Buena Gente, San Juan, PR;
  • Rory Diamond, Chief Executive Officer, K9s For Warriors, Neptune Beach, FL;
  • Renee DiResta, Founder and Director of Marketing, Haven, San Francisco, CA;
  • David Dixon, Major, United States Marine Corps, New Orleans, LA;
  • Thomas Dolan, Chief Operating Officer, CEI Capital Management LLC, Cape Elizabeth, ME;
  • Rodolfo Fernandez, Chief of Staff to the President and Vice President for Government Affairs, University of Miami, Miami, FL;
  • Josh Goldberg, Director of Strategy, Boulder Crest Retreat for Military and Veteran Wellness, Bluemont, VA;
  • Carlos Gutierrez, Jr., Senior Government Affairs Advisor, Clark Hill, Washington, DC;
  • Yasaman Hadjibashi, Group Chief Creation Officer, Barclays Africa Group, Barclays PLC, Johannesburg, South Africa;
  • Tracey Henry, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Assistant Health Director, Emory University School of Medicine, Powder Springs, GA;
  • Jane Henzerling, Founder and Head of School, The Mission Preparatory School, San Francisco, CA;
  • Wade Hinton, Chief Legal Officer and City Attorney, City of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Chattanooga, TN;
  • Gerardo Interiano, Head of External Affairs, Southwest U.S., Google, Austin, TX;
  • Robert Israel, Chief Leadership and Chief Operating Officer, 68 Ventures, Mobile, AL;
  • Kristin Ito, Physician of the Department of Family Medicine and Director of the Hillside Wellness Center, Lincoln Community Health Center, Durham, NC;
  • Kristin Judge, Director of Special Projects, National Cyber Security Alliance, Ann Arbor, MI;
  • Lenore Karafa, Partner, McChrystal Group, Alexandria, VA;
  • Hannibal Williams II Kemerer, Senior Attorney, Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP, Reisterstown, MD;
  • Basim Khan, Executive Director, Neighborhood Health, Arlington, VA;
  • Mansi Kotwal, Pediatrician, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC;
  • SreyRam Kuy, Chief Medical Officer, Louisiana Medicaid, Louisiana Department of Health, Baton Rouge, LA;
  • Lucy Lang, Assistant District Attorney, New York County District Attorney’s Office, New York, NY;
  • Francisco Martin-Rayo, Expert, Boston Consulting Group, Arlington, VA;
  • Katherine McNerney, Founder and Partner, LeaderFit, Washington, DC;
  • Mariam Memarsadeghi , Co-Founder and Co-Director, E-Collaborative for Civic Education, Bethesda, MD;
  • Hollis Meminger, Camera Operator, Cinematographer and Producer, SELF, Brooklyn, NY;
  • Neha Misra, Co-Founder and Chief Collaboration Officer, Solar Sister, Silver Spring, MD;
  • Michael Monroe, Chief of Staff, North America’s Building Trades Unions, Washington, DC;
  • Griffin Myers, Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer, Oak Street Health, Chicago, IL;
  • Nitikaji Nautiyal, Executive Director, Chicago Anchors for a Strong Economy, World Business Chicago, Chicago, IL;
  • Sarah Cotton Nelson, Chief Philanthropy Officer, Communities Foundation of Texas, Dallas, TX;
  • Scott Nolen, Director, Drug Addiction Treatment, Open Society Foundations, Silver Spring, MD;
  • Elizabeth Northcutt, Founder and Executive Director, City Living NY, Brooklyn, NY;
  • Meghan Ogilvie, Chief Executive Officer, Dog Tag Inc., Washington, DC;
  • Manuel Pelaez-Prada, Attorney, Pelaez Prada, PLLC, San Antonio, TX;
  • Daniel Presley, Chief of Police, Webster Police Department, League City, TX;
  • Natasha Quiroga, PREP Manager and Senior Counsel, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Washington, DC;
  • Michael Reeves, Managing Director and Head of Marketing, Investor Relations, and Business Development, Greylock Capital Management LLC, New York, NY;
  • Christina Rosenthal, Dentist and Chief Executive Officer, Paradigm Dental Center, LLC, Collierville, TN;
  • Byron Sanders, Vice President and Private Client Advisor, U.S. Trust, Addison, TX;
  • Jenifer Sarver, Principal, Sarver Strategies, Austin, TX;
  • Scott Schlegel, District Court Judge, 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana, Metairie, LA;
  • Jamie Scott, Executive Director, Pulaski County Youth Services, Pulaski County, North Little Rock, AR;
  • Prabhjot Singh, Chair, Department of Health System Design & Global Health, Mount Sinai Health System, Pelham, NY;
  • Shoeb Sitafalwalla, Medical Director, South Asian Cardiovascular Center, Advocate Health Care, Chicago, IL;
  • Kate Smith, Chair of the Board, Raphael House, San Francisco, CA;
  • Joseph Stenger, Chief Executive Officer, Flying Scarfs Inc and F-35A Instructor Pilot, U.S. Air Force, Goodyear, AZ;
  • Brintha Vasagar, Associate Program Director, Tidelands Health MUSC Family Medicine Residency Program, Medical University of South Carolina, Surfside Beach, SC;
  • Antonio Williams, Senior Director of External and Government Affairs, Comcast NBCUniversal, Washington, DC

To learn more about the Presidential Leadership Scholars program, visit www.presidentialleadershipscholars.org. For updates about the Presidential Leadership Scholars, use #PresidentialScholars or follow @PLSprogram on Twitter and Medium.