Announcing the 2010-2011 National Finalists

WASHINGTON, May 4th, 2010 – The President’s Commission on White House Fellowships today announced that a talented group of outstanding men and women from across the country have been selected as National Finalists for the White House Fellows Program – the nation’s most prestigious program for leadership and public service.  The 2010-2011 National Finalists come from all over America; from Roxbury, MA to Texarkana, TX to Kapolei, HI.  They represent a diverse cross-section of professions, including education, business, medicine, law, non-profit sector, local government, finance, and three branches of the military and the Army National Guard.  A complete list of the National Finalists appears below.

The White House Fellows Program was founded in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson.  This non-partisan program offers exceptional men and women experience 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 private and public sectors and they complete service activities throughout the year.  Following the program, Fellows repay the privilege by contributing to the country as national leaders and public servants.

National Finalists have already advanced through a highly competitive process, which includes a comprehensive written application and regional interviews with civic leaders, who have recommended this group for the National Finals.  In June, they will each be evaluated for final selection by President Obama’s Commission on White House Fellowships at a three day competition in Washington DC.  A list of the President’s Commissioners can be found here.

If selected, these individuals will join an accomplished group of over 600 alumni including Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark, U.S. Senator Samuel Brownback, U.S. Representative Joe Barton, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, writer Doris Kearns Goodwin, former Travelocity CEO Michelle Peluso, former CNN Chairman and CEO Tom Johnson, President of Univision Cesar Conde, and U.S. Court of Appeals Judges M. Margaret McKeown and Deanell Reece Tacha.

Additional information about the Program is located at www.whitehouse.gov/fellows. 

The 2010-2011 National Finalists are:

Elizabeth Addonizio
Strategic Analyst/Speechwriter, General David Petraeus, U.S. Central Command
Bellerose Village, NY

Patricia Adura-Miranda
Co-founder/Managing Partner, 5Ring Insight
Saratoga, CA

Samar Ali
Associate, Hogan & Hartson
Waverly, TN

Pat Basu
Attending Physician
Stanford University and Palo Alto VA Hospital
Naperville, IL

Guillaume Beaurpere
Commander, Provisional Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group
Colorado Springs, CO

Sara Bronin
Associate Professor, University of Connecticut School of Law
Houston, TX

R. Erich Caulfield
Chief Policy Advisor to the Mayor and Business Administrator, City of Newark
Baton Rouge, LA

Jason Dempsey
Operations Officer, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division
Jefferson City, MO

Norris Dodson IV
Director of University and Corporate Partnerships, Idea Village
Washington DC

Harley Feldbaum
Director, Global Health and Foreign Policy Initiative, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
Glen Echo, MD

Thomas Fisher
Assistant Professor, The University of Chicago
Chicago, IL

William Gallagher
Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy
Springfield, VA

Christina Ghaly
Engagement Manager, McKinsey & Company
Seattle, WA

Holly Harrison
Program Reviewer, U.S. Coast Guard
Vienna, VA

Erica Jeffries
Associate, Booz Allen Hamilton
Alexandria, VA

Kishore Kuchibhotla
Associate, McKinsey and Company
Washington, DC

Robert Morgan
Vice Chair of Education, Greenville Anesthesiology, P.A.
Greenville, SC

Rosita Najmi
Financial Services Strategy Advisor, Mercy Corps
Knoxville, TN

Jeffrey Prescott
Deputy Director, The China Law Center; Senior Research Scholar and Lecturer in Law, Yale Law School
New Haven, CT

Suneil Ramchandani
Integrated Chief of Internal Medicine, Walter Reed Military Medical Center
Rowland Heights, CA

Khadijat Rashid
Professor and Chair, Department of Business, Gallaudet University
Jessup, MD

Nickolas Rodriguez
Engagement Manager, McKinsey & Company
Oak Park, CA

Manel Silva
Adolescent Medicine Physician, Children's Aid Society
Brooklyn, NY

Rachel Skerritt
Chief of Staff, Boston Public Schools
Roxbury, MA

Timothy Sommella
Program Reviewer, U.S. Coast Guard
Middle Village, NY

Tulsi Tamayo
OCS Platoon Trainer, Hawaii Army National Guard/Vice President, Healthy Hawaii Coalition
Kapolei, HI

E. Abim Thomas
First Assistant Deputy Legal Counsel to Governor Deval Patrick
Somerville, MA

Rachel Thornton
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Pikesville, MD

Jason Washington
Associate, Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Texarkana, TX

Wilson White
Associate, Kilpatrick Stockton, LLP
Andrews, SC