Maximizing Professional Growth: Insights from CPS's Professional Access Roundtable Series

February 28, 2024

Networking is key to career advancement, and the Professional Access Roundtable series acknowledges its importance by offering a supportive environment for attendees to navigate networking with confidence. These multifaceted events are a springboard for forging connections, gaining insights across industries and refining networking skills to enhance career trajectories.

The Professional Access Roundtables offer student participants the opportunity to engage with a curated lineup of professionals spanning multiple industries. Whether attendees are contemplating a career transition or seeking guidance on their professional journey, these events offer a unique platform to interact with subject matter experts.

“Network, network, network. Having a strong network helps navigate this town and your own personal professional development. Networking is not easy, and attending a Professional Access Roundtable event is a great opportunity to both gain access to professionals to establish your network while honing your networking skills.”

Discussion Leader: Pete Contostavlos
Senior Manager, National Security Solutions, Amazon

Roundtable discussions are led by experienced alumni and employment partner professionals who craft an initial set of thought-provoking questions shared with students in advance. This allows attendees to prepare for and make the most of these exciting conversations. It also gives discussion leaders the ability to efficiently broaden and deepen students’ understanding of the discussion topics.

The College’s most recent Professional Access Roundtable event, held February 23 in Arlington, provided a dynamic environment for current and prospective students, alumni, faculty and employers to connect and network while discussing hot topics within their professions and disciplines.

The February 23 roundtable event’s discussion leaders represented a broad range of industries, including companies like Amazon AWS, Fairfax County Department of Transportation, Ernest & Young (EY), Frontier Foundry, National Geographic, NADSCO Tech, Noble Supply, US Marine Corps and Williams & Connolly LLP.

Discussion Leader Biographies (February 23, 2024)

Tiara Beatty

Editor, Multiplatform Content
National Geographic

Tiara Beatty is an experienced content professional with a background in journalism and book publishing. She has managed the development and publication of 70 books, two of which were awarded by the Textbook and Academic Authors Association. Skilled in editing, writing, manuscript development, research, and reporting, Tiara focuses on creating content that connects with audiences. She is currently an editor for National Geographic History magazine.

Susan David Carevic

Sr. Technical Program Manager
Amazon AWS

Susan David Carevic has over 25 years of experience in the field of information technology, but she did not start in IT and her career path has not been linear. Susan’s career took off in the field of refugee resettlement, supporting the US refugee program where she worked in operations before moving into IT product management. When she began working at the World Bank, she switched from supporting relatively small programs to large systems. At the World Bank, she had the opportunity to support internal IT systems and learn about an endless variety of fields from the breadth of work that they do. After founding a Blockchain lab at the World Bank, Susan had the opportunity to innovate with many different internal teams to see how technology could be used to improve Bank operations or in the context of international development. Susan David Carevic spent her last few years at the World Bank building out the prototype, community support, and vision for what is now called the Climate Action Data Trust which is a blockchain-based shared register of carbon market transactional information, building a bridge between voluntary and compliance markets. Currently, she is the Technical Project Manager creating the roadmap and vision for AWS Supply Chain Sustainability, where we are focusing first on sharing sustainability and compliance data between supply chain partners.

Lucian Niemeyer

CEO
NADSCO Tech

Over three decades, The Honorable Lucian Niemeyer has served in the White House, the Pentagon, and in Congress providing budget, policy, and management leadership for U.S. national security programs. While at the Pentagon, he served as an Assistant Secretary of Defense responsible for the largest real estate portfolio in the world with over a trillion dollars in assets. He currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of NADSCO LLC a technology management company bridging the gap between real estate, telecommunications, and technology providers to accelerate development and deployment of revolutionary digital, wireless, and building technologies into scaled market adoption at low cost and a high ROI. He also leads Building Cyber Security, a private sector, non-profit organization enhancing global safety through the development of cyber security protections for the built environment. In this role, he applies his expertise and experience to the nexus of facilities, real estate, and technology to mitigate the risk and impacts to society from the growing threat of cyber incidents.

Linet Khoranian

Business Development Manager
Noble Supply

Linet Khoranian is a Business Development Manager with Noble Supply supporting the U.S. Department of Defense with C5ISR technology. Noble Supply is a government prime on the DLA/SOE contract and competes in several domains including Aerospace, C5ISR, CBRNE, EXPED, MRO and Tactical. Noble’s fully integrated supply chain management system includes logistics and technical support, procurement, inventory, and distribution management. Linet specifically supports the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force and Space Force, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Air Force and Defense Health Agencies. More recently, Linet is assisting the U.S. Navy develop Starshield Optimization and Subscription Management in efforts of optimizing the NOC.Her expertise lies in developing technologies with trusted partners and integrators, shortening the logistics pipeline, and streamlining the procurement process. Linet is a believer that technology ultimately results in progress and is passionate about creating opportunities with customers/partners who are underserved and introducing emerging trends. Prior to joining Noble, Linet was an Account Director in support of the DoD with Lumen Technologies, a global network carrier. During her tenure at Lumen, she earned President’s Club and multiple sales awards for her creative technology solutioning and procurement expertise.Her career spans working with OEMs, VARS, resellers and integrators all within the government space. Linet came to the States as a displaced refugee during her high school years. She gives back to her community by assisting displaced refugees from her homeland of Armenia. At the end of 2020, during the 45 Day War, she and her daughter flew to Armenia to assist displaced families and wounded soldiers. She is also a Sunday School teacher at her local Armenian Church in D.C. where she is inspired by the young minds of our future. Linet earned two degrees from GWU, a BBA in International Business and an MBA in finance and marketing.

Joshua Pena

Director, Public Affairs
US Marine Corps

Joshua Pena currently serves as a Communication Strategy and Operations Director for the United States Marine Corps. This position falls under the occupational field of Public Relations and Communication. He has 11+ years of experience in strategic communication planning, executive-level consultation, PR and marketing campaign development, and crisis communication. Additionally, Joshua has experience in legislative and diplomatic affairs communication support. He earned a Masters degree in Mass Communication and Media Studies from San Diego State University.

Crises Communication Experience:

Senior Leadership Misconduct
Federal-Level Punitive Actions
Operational and Training Deaths
Congressional and White House Inquiries

External Communication Campaigns:

Military technology experimentation and acquisition
Military operations in foreign environments
Organization modernization
Presidential visits

Internal Communication Campaigns:

Changes to organizational training requirements and policies
Diversity and Integration

Nick Reese

Co-Founder and COO
Frontier Foundry

Nick Reese most recently served as the first ever Director of Emerging Technology Policy at the US Department of Homeland Security where he advised the White House and senior Cabinet officials on national security implications of emerging technologies. He is the author of the DHS AI Strategy, DHS’s Post-Quantum Cryptographic Transition Roadmap, and the 2022 DHS Space Policy. He was also the lead DHS representative for the development of Space Policy Directive-5, National Security Memorandum-10, the National Space Policy, and Executive Order 13960. A noted expert in cyber operations, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and outer space, he currently holds a faculty position at New York University teaching graduate courses related to emerging technology and geopolitics. He is also a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Board at George Washington University. Mr. Reese has 20+ year career in the US Military, Intelligence Community & Homeland Security with a focus on operations and bringing technical solutions to high-stakes national security challenges. From the front lines of the War on Terror to building Quantum Computing Policy he has been an instrumental actor in protecting our nation with an eye both on today and the future. Mr. Reese is a graduate of Saint Leo University and Old Dominion University. He lives in the Washington DC area with his wife and their dog.

Brent Riddle

Chief, Coordination Section
Fairfax County Department of Transportation

Brent Riddle is a transportation and urban planning executive with more than two decades of experience. He has worked in the private sector, with every level of government, as well as in the non-profit think tank sector. Mr. Riddle currently works for the Fairfax County Department of Transportation where he is the Chief of the Coordination Section. In this capacity, Mr. Riddle manages a team of transportation planners and the intergovernmental coordination activities of the department with regional, state, and federal actors. Mr. Riddle also serves as the primary liaison with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Mr. Riddle looks forward to discussing topics such as the importance of regional coordination and its impact on project implementation, economic development, place making, and quality of life.

Karissa Samuelson

Paralegal I
Williams & Connolly LLP

Karissa Samuelson grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and graduated from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, with a BA in Communication in 2021. Knowing she wanted to pursue a career as a paralegal, she enrolled in GWU’s College of Professional Studies and completed the program remotely, while simultaneously working as an Intake Specialist at Colorado Legal Services. She received her Graduate Certificate in Paralegal Studies in 2022. Shortly thereafter, Karissa was hired by one of the nation’s most renowned and selective law firms, Williams & Connolly LLP, as an entry-level paralegal. Karissa has recently celebrated her first anniversary as a paralegal at the firm and as a DC resident.

Scott Smith

Cybersecurity Practice Lead
Ernst & Young (EY)

Mr. Smith is a Partner/Principal in the Consulting practice of Ernst & Young (EY) LLP. Mr. Smith leads the Cybersecurity practice for the Government and Public Sector. He has 25+ years leading engagements with Commercial, Federal and State and Local agencies. Mr. Smith has a proven track record of successfully leading complex programs providing support ranging from cybersecurity, full life-cycle systems integration, infrastructure operations, application development, and IT strategy. Mr. Smith has been featured in multiple industry forums to include WJLA/Channel 7 Govt Matters and Federal News Radio. He has been an author on numerous topics such as identity and access management, security analytics, and machine learning. His long history of successfully supporting agencies has enabled him to become a trusted advisor and deliver long lasting, transformative impacts to his clients. In 2023, Mr. Smith was named a Cyber Defender Award winner from MeriTalk and the “Cybersecurity Executive of the Year” from Washington Exec. Mr. Smith received his Bachelor of Science from Duke University and a certificate in Business Administration from Georgetown University. He also has earned multiple certifications to include Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Project Management Professional (PMP), Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), Agile development, and User Experience/Service design. Prior to consulting, Mr. Smith served in the US Navy as an Intelligence and Surface Warfare officer. Mr. Smith is an Advisory Board Member at the George Washington University Cybersecurity College of Professional Studies, and he is on the board at the USO supporting veteran initiatives.

Discussion Leader Biographies (February 9, 2024)

Mike Bishop

Founder and President
American General Council PLC

Michael D. Bishop is the Founder and President of American General Counsel PLC. His firm offers a unique blend of legal, business, and political experience and a network of decision-makers and business leaders. He also served as the Co-President of iPSE-US, a national association of independent professionals, self-employed. Before returning to his private law practice, Michael was elected and served in the United States Congress (2014-2018). During his tenure in Congress, Michael was appointed to the House Committee on Ways and Means, the Judiciary, and Higher Education. While serving in Congress, Michael championed legislation President Barack Obama and Donald Trump signed into law. Michael has been around the world meeting with world leaders and representing the United States government in world affairs. Since his service in the United States Congress, Michael has dedicated much of his time to education as an Aspen Rodel Fellow at the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management, and a 2023 University of Southern California Dornsife Center Fellow.

Prior to serving in the United States Congress, Michael was the General Counsel/ Chief Legal Officer of International Bancard Company in Detroit, MI. While working with the company, Michael shared his legal and business experience as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School. Michael was in private legal practice before his role at International Bancard. As a Senior Attorney with Clark Hill PLC, an international law firm in Birmingham, Michigan, Michael concentrated his practice in Public Policy and Business Law. Before joining the Clark Hill PLC, Michael was elected to and served in the Michigan House of Representatives and Michigan Senate (1998-2010). While serving in the Michigan Senate, his peers chose him as the Senate Majority Leader. Michael began his professional career by starting two successful small businesses to pursue his interest in practicing law and real estate investment. His legal experience involved daily courtroom appearances representing criminal defense and civil litigation clients. Michael also served as a local prosecutor, representing communities and working directly with law enforcement agencies to protect families and ensure justice. 2006, Michael was named one of Crain’s Detroit Business 40 under 40. Michael is licensed to practice law in Michigan, the District of Columbia, and before the U.S. Supreme Court. He is also a licensed Real Estate Broker and served as President of Freedom Realty, Inc.

Michael graduated from the University of Michigan (1989) and received his law degree from Michigan State University Law (1993). Michael is a lifelong resident of Rochester, Michigan, where he lives with his wife, Cristina, and their three children, Benjamin, Gabriella, and Nathan (and dog, Koda).

Bret Caldwell

Deputy Chief of Staff
International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Bret Caldwell is the Deputy Chief of Staff to International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien. Caldwell previously served as the Teamsters Director of Communications for more than 22 years. Prior to joining the Teamsters in 1999, he served as the Assistant Political Director and as an organizer for NARAL and as the Director of Constituent Services for Rep. David Price (D-NC). He was instrumental in the establishment of the Teamsters Labor History Research Center at GW, currently serves on the executive committee of the GW Alumni Association and on the GW Athletics Advisory Board. A native of Atlanta, Texas, Caldwell was the State Treasurer of the Texas Young Democrats and interned for Speaker of the House Jim Wright (D-TX) and Rep. Jim Chapman (D-TX). He will be speaking on the impact of union political programs in the 2024 election and how to get involved.

Sacha Chadwick

Associate Publicist
Harper Collins Publishers

A New York native and proud Brooklynite, Sacha is currently an Associate Publicist at HarperCollins Publishers. She received a double Bachelor’s from Mercyhurst University in Criminal Justice and Asian Studies, a Master of Arts in International Crime and Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and a Master of Arts in Publishing from George Washington University. Sacha has found her home in the publishing industry and is always trying to find ways to diversify the industry one step at a time. When she’s not writing copy or press releases, she’s playing video games, reading manga, and keeping up with all media and industry news.

Tihomir (“T”) Hristov

Systems Architect
Cisco Systems

With an academic background in Computer Science and almost 20 years in the Information Technology industry, Tihomir Hristov has had a chance to straddle both the Public and Private sectors. Tihomir firmly believes that government and education are the bedrock of a highly functioning society and that passionate, committed, and creative technologists need to be a part of the public sector community to set high standards of excellence and service. That is exactly what he has been aspired to do in his career at Old Dominion University and now at Cisco Systems. His aim is to support government organizations, as they embark on their Digital Transformations journeys, and adopt new innovative technologies to solve the toughest problems that our citizens face today!

Mike Matechak

Principal for Technology Consulting, DHS & Other Government and Private Sector Accounts
Ernst & Young, LLP (EY)

Michael Matechak is a proven technology leader focused on delivering mission systems that help Homeland Defense clients meet complex business challenges. For fifteen years, Mr. Matechak has worked within the Department of Homeland Security to transform business organizations through data and technology delivering measurable business value for DHS Headquarters, CBP, CISA, FEMA, ICE, TSA, USCIS, and USCG. He is passionate about working with the STT Program team and public sector leaders to support our government and a program focused on enabling emerging technologies that protect the nation and serve our citizens and transform Homeland Security programs by optimizing operations to achieve better outcomes.

Sherene McDougall

Ethics & Compliance Education & Training Coordinator
Northrop Grumman

Sherene was a Compliance and Risk Management Paralegal in the law department of a major defense contracting company (Northrop Grumman Corporation) who was responsible for supporting the company’s Compliance Office and its worldwide operations by handling a diverse range of fast-moving and evolving issues to facilitate effective, efficient risk management to help the company achieve its strategic goals in a manner consistent with its values. Sherene has recently transitioned from her paralegal role to the Ethics & Compliance Education and Training Coordinator role, where she will assist in streamlining, developing and deploying best-in-class effective education that is engaging and relevant and helps employees understand the guidance and requirements of their customers and the enterprise-wide working environment. Sherene has over twenty-six years of legal experience with fifteen of those years as a Paralegal. She holds both a Paralegal Certificate and an Advanced Paralegal Certificate from George Mason University. Sherene has been a member of NCAPA since 2015 and has served since 2016 in the roles of Board Director, Corporate Governance Chair and Secretary. Sherene has served as the elected President of NCAPA since 2022, and also Acting Editor of NCAPA’s quarterly magazine publication, OnPoint.

Robert (Bob) Pikora

Transportation Planner
Fairfax County

Robert Pikora is a professional transportation and land use planner with more than 25 years of experience in the public and private sectors. He graduated from Arizona State University with both a Bachelors in Urban Planning and Masters in Public Administration/Urban Management. His work focuses on long-range planning for transportation networks and how land uses affect transportation. He has worked for the City of Phoenix, various private land use and engineering consulting firms, and for the past 10 years in Fairfax County’s Site Analysis and Transportation Division. For the roundtable discussion, he would like to discuss the synergy between land use and transportation, and how we might be able to address the challenges facing us.

Vanetta Pledger

Chief Information Officer and Director of Information Technology Services
City of Alexandria

Vanetta Pledger serves as the Chief Information Officer and Director of Information Technology Services for the City of Alexandria Government in Virginia. Vanetta has over 20 years of executive technology leadership that she uses to drive digital transformation and create value. She leads a team of esteemed technology professionals who produce ingenious solutions that enable the City’s mission to cultivate a thriving Alexandria. Vanetta’s passion to utilize technology to achieve positive outcomes for the community resulted in being acknowledged as 2021 CyberScoop 50 winner as well as advancing to 2nd Place in the 2021 Digital Cities Survey. She currently serves on the CompTIA Board of Public Technology Institute’s City/County CIO Leadership Council and is a member of the Metropolitan Information Exchange National CIO leadership group. In addition, she was named a 2023 Capital Orbie Award Finalist.

Anne Rancourt

Communications Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse
National Institutes of Health

Anne Rancourt is the Communications Director at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Prior to joining the NIDA team in 2020, she worked at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases where she led communications on HIV, allergy, and immunology. She has an extensive communications background in media relations, brand management, and public health campaigns. She began her career as a journalist at The Washington Post and NBC News. Ms. Rancourt has a bachelor’s degree in English from Georgetown University and a master’s degree in Strategic Public Relations from George Washington University.

Sal Sferrazza

Lieutenant Colonel/Commander
United States Department of Defense

Sal Sferrazza is a Special Operations Military Officer with experience in operations, logistics, and leadership development within the United States Air Force and Joint Special Operations communities. He has worked in numerous conflict zones as well as outside the designated theater of active armed conflict (gray zone). He has worked with and alongside with whole of government partners (DoS, FBI, USAID, etc.) to project and protect US national interests abroad. He received his Masters in Security and Safety Leadership from GW.

Scott Suozzi

Advisory Council & Executive Corps
Nonprofits First

Recipient of 2023 GW GSPM Alumni Achievement Award. A native of the New York City suburb of Pleasantville, Scott served on active duty as a Naval Officer for twenty years, retiring at the rank of Commander. His assignments included service ashore, at sea, and overseas, including the Pentagon, The White House as a Military Social Aide to Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush, on Capitol Hill as the Defense Legislative Fellow to Senator John Warner of Virginia, deploying to Iraq as a legal advisor to special operations forces, as defense counsel at a legal office in Sicily, and forward deployed aboard the guided missile cruiser USS GETTYSBURG. Following his military service, Scott served from 2015-2017 as the Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives at Johns Hopkins University’s Carey Business School. In 2020-2021, he served as the President of Operation New Hope in Jacksonville, a community development nonprofit committed to giving second chances to those leaving the justice system, by providing life skills and training to obtain meaningful living wage employment. Scott currently serves as a member of both the Advisory Council and the Executive Corps at Nonprofits First, a world-class group of executives dedicated to the accreditation and capacity building of nonprofits in South Florida. In Spring 2022, Scott served as a full-time Philanthropic Advisor at the Gary Sinise Foundation, working in support of our nation’s defenders, veterans, first responders, and their families. From July 2022 to March 2023, he served as the Director of Military Outreach at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition and on the Advisory Council of Johns Hopkins Medicine from November 2022 to July 2023. Scott is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He also holds a Juris Doctor law degree from Catholic University, a Master of Arts degree in Legislative Affairs from The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management, a Master of Laws (LLM) degree in International Law from University of Pennsylvania Law School, and a Business Law Certificate from The Wharton School. From June 2014 to June 2015, Scott completed an ambitious personal journey visiting all 48 of the continental United States, seven Canadian provinces, 28 national parks, and nine Presidential libraries, covering over 33,000 road miles in a Winnebago recreational vehicle (RV). From Summer 2017 to Fall 2018, Scott embarked on another epic road trip adventure in a high-tech Roadtrek camper van, covering over 25,000 miles along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts of the United States and Canada, including visiting over sixty lighthouses and all twenty-one of the Spanish Missions in California. Scott’s personal military decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), the Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (four awards), the Joint Service Achievement Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

Discussion Leader Biographies (December 1, 2023)

Anne Banner

Chief Communications and Marketing Officer
The GW Medical Faculty Associates and the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Anne Banner serves as the Chief Communications and Marketing Officer for the GW Medical Faculty Associates and the Executive Director of Communications for the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She has supported the SMHS community for nearly two decades. Focused on behavioral change, disease prevention, and the promotion of treatment options and research innovations, Ms. Banner has led numerous multi-faceted health campaigns. Drawing upon the various communications tactics, she has created and implemented successful campaigns in the digital, print, and broadcast arenas. Ms. Banner serves as the spokesperson for the academic medical enterprise and has built relationships with members of the media, both locally and nationally. Additionally, Ms. Banner provides media and communications guidance for the executive leadership across all divisions and departments at GW’s academic medical enterprise. Prior to joining the GW academic medical enterprise, Ms. Banner spent many years serving clients in various industries, including the travel and aviation industry, the healthcare industry, and the education industry at several public relations agencies. She has served clients in both the public and private sectors.

Pete Contostavlos

Senior Manager, National Security Solutions
Amazon

Pete Contostavlos is a Senior Account Executive on the National Security team at Amazon Web Services, where he helps government agencies transform and modernize IT systems. He has over 25 years of experience in the military, government, and private sector. In government, he’s served on the congressional staff of US Sen. Bill Nelson (FL) as his National Security and Foreign Policy Advisor. Following his time on the Hill, he joined the civil service at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) where he held various leadership and management positions for over a decade. In the private sector, he’s served as a business development manager, leadership consultant, and IT program manager within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and National Reconnaissance Office. Pete has a Bachelor’s Degree from the US Naval Academy, a Master’s Degree in History and Public Policy from George Washington University (2000), and was a post-graduate National Security Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government where he studied National Security Policy, Intelligence Community Policy, Diplomacy, and National Security Law.

Julius Hobson

Senior Policy Advisor
Polsinelli

Julius W. Hobson, Jr. is Senior Policy Advisor at Polsinelli, where he concentrates on assisting clients with legislative and regulatory advocacy concerning health care, appropriations, budget, taxes, and financial services. With more than 50 years’ experience working with the U.S. Congress and the Federal Executive Branch, he has served as Director, Division of Congressional Affairs, American Medical Association (AMA) where he managed the AMA’s interaction with the Congress. Mr. Hobson previously served on the staff of Senator Charles Robb [D-VA] and the Committee on the Budget. He previously served in the Executive Office of the District of Columbia Mayor where he was responsible for coordinating the city’s relations with the Congress and the Federal Executive Branch. Mr. Hobson served in the U.S. House of Representatives as a subcommittee Staff Director and as Chief of Staff to a Member of the House. While serving in the House in 1985, Mr.Hobson was the principal staff person responsible for preparing the Congressional Black Caucus alternative budget. He also handled Congressional and Federal Affairs for Howard University. Mr. Hobson served a four-year term as an elected member of the D.C. Board of Education, during which he served a term as Vice President. He is currently an Adjunct Professor in the Graduate School of Political Management at The George Washington University, where he has taught the graduate course on lobbying since 1994 and also teaches Legislative Writing and Research. He graduated from Howard University (BA, History) and The George Washington University (MA, Legislative Affairs).

Desiree Kennedy

Chief Operations Director
House of Representatives - Rep. Nanette Barragan

Desiree Kennedy is a policy and political professional in Washington, D.C. Desiree currently serves as the Chief Operations Director for Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán of California’s 44th District, a role she has held since April of 2022. In this role she is responsible for ensuring that the Congresswoman has everything she needs to be successful in serving her constituents, including overseeing the operations of the District and D.C. offices and working to determine and execute the overall strategies sof the team. Prior to joining the Congresswoman, Desiree was a leader in the Corporate and Government Affairs department for Elekta Inc., a global medical device manufacturer specializing in cancer care. There, she was responsible for the daily operations of the department, leading the lobbying and government relations portfolios, overseeing the political action committee Elekta PAC, and leading the internal communications operations for the Americas, among other responsibilities. While at Elekta, she was named Employee of the Month three times and received the Employee of the Year Award in 2021. Before joining Elekta, Desiree spent time on Capitol Hill and with the U.S. Department of the Interior, as well as in government relations and communications capacities for PBS and National Geographic. Desiree also serves as a campaign consultant for local races in the Washington, D.C., area. Desiree received a B.S. in legal studies and a B.A. in political science from Nova Southeastern University, a Master’s Degree specializing in Political Management from the George Washington University, and a certificate in Health Care Economics from Harvard Business School Online. She currently resides in Washington, D.C.

Sharon McBride

Global Head of Policy Mobilization
DoorDash

Sharon McBride is a seasoned public affairs executive with extensive global experience influencing laws regarding technology and ecommerce policy. Serving as an advocate for workers and small businesses, Ms. McBride leverages her passion for giving people a voice in their governments with her strategic campaign experience and strong acumen for disciplined execution. She currently serves as Global Head of Policy Mobilization at DoorDash where she amplifies the policy viewpoints of Dashers, merchants and consumers through DashRoots, the DoorDash advocacy network she launched earlier this summer. For nearly 20 years, Ms. McBride led eBay’s public affairs operations which included the digital advocacy, seller advocacy, and public policy research teams. Having created a first-of-its-kind customer digital grassroots network of over 1M sellers representing over 100 countries, Ms. McBride also built the Small Business Ambassador Network - over 1K small businesses who are willing to engage personally with government officials on policy issues around the world. She also imagined and headed the eBay Public Policy Lab, which researches eBay’s international economic impact in empowering small enterprises to engage in global commerce. Ms. McBride built the first tech company government relations website (www.ebaymainstreet.com), grew the Political Action Committee by 400%, and originated the digital and seller advocacy programs from scratch. Ms. McBride has received several awards, including the Luminary Award from eBay and the Veteran Practitioner of the Year from the Professional Women in Advocacy. She has an undergraduate degree in Communications with a double major in Political Science & Theater Arts from Northwestern University and a Master’s in Arts Management from the H. John Heinz School of Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. Ms. McBride serves as the Chairman of the BIPAC Board of Directors.

Anne Rancourt

Communications Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse
National Institutes of Health

Tim Riordan

President & CEO
Business-Industry Political Action Committee (BIPAC)

Tim Riordan is President and CEO of The Business Industry Political Action Committee (BIPAC), a bi-partisan non-profit organization that empowers the business community to engage in the political process and advocate for pro-business policies and candidates. Before joining BIPAC, he was Vice President of Membership and Partnerships at the Connected Commerce Council, working with small businesses across the country to ensure their access to essential digital technologies, tools, and platforms. He has also held senior positions at state and local government consulting firm Stateside Associates as well as the DC Chamber of Commerce. He began his career in technology market research and has also worked in fundraising as well as direct response marketing.

Traci Scott

Communications and Research Lead
MITRE

Traci Scott is a 1996 graduate of GW’s Graduate School of Political Management. She currently is a Communications and Research Lead at the MITRE Corporation in McLean, Virginia. In her career as a communications strategist, she has served as a Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, a political advisor to sixteen Army Generals, a Press Officer in Iraq during Operation Iraq Freedom, and as a Communications Director for members in the House and Senate. In her broadcasting career, she worked for CBS News, and as a reporter on KLAS TV in Las Vegas where she was inducted into the Nevada Broadcasters Hall of Fame. Traci was in the Inaugural Class of Presidential Leadership Scholars in 2015. Through it she started a non-profit, The Green Dress Project. In 2021, Traci was honored, along with 70 other alumni, to receive the GW Monumental Alumni Award. She currently serves on the GSPM Board of Advisors and on GW’s Alumni Association board. Traci has written a book about her adventures in Iraq entitled, Take Off Your Hoop Earrings Before You Put on Your Gas Mask: A Civilian Chick’s Survival Guide to a War Zone. She is also the daughter of a Tuskegee Airman, Captain Jesse Scott.

Samara Sheff

Communications Director
Office of Congresswoman Gwen Moore (WI-04)

Samara Sheff is a communications professional with a passion for pursuing public service through political action. Ms. Sheff comes from a military family and moved around a lot growing up. She received an undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Alabama, and a Master's degree from George Washington University in Legislative Affairs. In 2017, Sheff started as an intern on the Hill. From there, she caught the Hill bug and now serves as Communications Director for Rep.Gwen Moore.

The first two events in the Professional Access Roundtable series included an even broader range of companies, organizations and government entities represented amongst the discussion leaders, including: Amazon, American General Council PLC, Business-Industry Political Action Committee (BIPAC), Cisco Systems, City of Alexandria, DoorDash, Harper Collins Publishers, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, MITRE, National Institutes of Health, Nonprofits First, Northrop Grumman, Polsinelli, The GW Medical Faculty Associates and the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences, United States Department of Defense and the United States House of Representatives.

"I really enjoyed connecting with the students at the roundtable event, and how GW worked to pair students with mentors in an intentional way. I liked the small table gatherings, as it allowed us to get to know each other better. Many of them were passionate about communications, so I was glad to share my journey and impart advice to them. I would encourage prospective students to read mentor bios and reach out to those whose path interests or intrigues you, as well as stay in touch with those they meet at the roundtable."

Discussion Leader: Samara Sheff, Communications Director, Office of Congresswoman Gwen Moore

Dean Liesl Riddle expressed her gratitude towards participants in the Roundtable series for its “resounding success” and acknowledged attendees' “commitment to advancing our vibrant community of students, alumni, faculty and staff.”

Beyond networking, the Professional Access Roundtable catalyzes collaboration and partnerships within the CPS community. The event fosters camaraderie and fortifies the bonds that epitomize the CPS ethos by bringing together students, alumni, faculty, and staff under one roof.

“The roundtables provide a unique opportunity for students to connect with working professionals in a career they're interested in, and learn different pathways to get there or even new ideas about things they may want to explore. And I had the opportunity to learn from them too!

It was a great discussion with intelligent questions from a group of current, past, and prospective students that really opened my eyes as to some of the opinion shifts and new ideas that have emerged since I was in their shoes.”

Discussion Leader: Desiree Kennedy, Chief Operations Director, House of Representatives - Rep. Nanette Barragan

For more information, please visit our Professional Access Roundtable website or contact us at cpsevents@gwu.edu.