President: Sharon Kiely (1994-95)

Dr. Sharon Kiely is Principal of Sharon Kiely, MD, LLC a private client coaching company. In addition she is Co-founder and Principal Well-being Worx, LLC a physician-focused, professional education and group coaching company.  She is Professor, Internal Medicine, at the Frank H. Netter School of Medicine, Quinnipiac University. She also teaches at the Thomas Jefferson University Healthcare Leadership Academy for Women and the Quality Improvement Patient Safety Leadership Academy. She is a physician Peer Coach with Vital Work Life, a national leader in wellbeing and burnout in healthcare.

Prior to launching her entrepreneurial career, Sharon was the Chief Wellness Officer & Associate Chief Medical Officer for Hartford Healthcare, a $5B healthsystem in CT. She led the organization’s well-being efforts during the global Covid-19 pandemic, ultimately seeing well-being incorporated into the health system’s management operating system.

As a White House Fellow, she worked in the Office of the Secretary, at the Department of Health & Human Services, with a portfolio that included but was not limited to:  US/ Mexico border and Pacific Basin health and health & welfare waivers.  After the Fellowship, Kiely spent over twenty five years in health system executive leadership. She was focused on eliminating harm, improving safety and quality and optimizing well-being in the West Penn Allegheny Health System, Pittsburgh, PA, and at Stamford Health, Stamford CT. At Stamford, founded and was President of The Physician Alliance of Stamford, LLC, a Management Services Organization (MSO) started so that independent physicians could thrive, and remain independent of large health systems.

Sharon has served on the Unified Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) Board of Directors, the U.S. Department of HHS Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Xenotransplantation, the Agency for Healthcare Policy & Research (AHCPR) Advisory Council and the National Institutes of Health, NIAID Advisory Council. Sharon and her husband Michael’s community service to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, over 30 years, was recognized by JDRF with the 2020 T1D Community Champions Award.

Sharon holds a BS in Psychology from Georgetown University, a Doctor of Medicine (MD) from Georgetown University, School of Medicine and a Master’s in Public Management (MPM) from the Heinz School  of Public Policy & Management, Carnegie Mellon University. She is Board Certified in Internal Medicine.

President-Elect: Robert Marbut (1989-90)

Dr. Robert Marbut has worked on issues of homelessness for more than four decades, including being the Founding President & CEO of Haven for Hope (the most comprehensive homelessness transformational center in the USA), and serving as the Executive Director of the US Interagency Council on Homelessness, often called the “Federal Homelessness Czar.” Dr. Marbut has visited a total of 1,463 homelessness operations and has worked in all 50 states, plus Washington, DC and Mexico, DF, and has consulted on issues of homelessness with more communities and organizations than anyone else in the USA. 

He is Executive Producer of the No Address movie (2025) starring Billy Baldwin, Beverly D’Angelo, Xander Berkeley and Ashanti, and the Senior Executive Producer of Americans with No Address documentary (2024), and the primary Author of the No Address Inactive Study Guide (2024).  Additionally, he is the Senior Producer and Associate Director of Fentanyl: Death Incorporated the most comprehensive documentary about the Fentanyl crisis (2025).

As a White House Fellow for President George H.W. Bush, he served in the Office of National Service within the Executive Office of the President, often directly staffing the President and First Lady, and continued as a consultant to the Bush Administration until the end of his term. He was twice elected as City Councilmember and Mayor Pro-Tem of San Antonio. Prior, he was chief of staff and campaign manager to San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros of San Antonio.

He has had extensive involvement in the Olympic movement first as a member of the United States Olympic Training Squad for Modern Pentathlon, and as an All-American swimmer and water polo player. He later served as the Executive Director and Secretary General of USA Pentathlon. He was on the United States Olympic Committee Board of Directors for 13 years, an USOC Officer, a Board Member of the Olympic Foundation, a founding Board Member of the US Paralympic Team, and the Chair of the Olympic management council for all Summer, Winter and Pan American sports.

He earned a Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas in International Relations (with an emphasis in international terrorism and Wahhabism), Political Behavior and American Political Institutions/Processes from the Department of Government. 

He also has two Master of Arts degrees, one in Government from The University of Texas at Austin and one in Criminal Justice from the Claremont Graduate University (affiliated with the Peter Drucker School).  His Bachelor of Arts is a Full Triple Major in Economics, Political Science and Psychology (Honors Graduate) from Claremont McKenna (Men’s) College. 

Dr. Marbut also has completed three post-graduate fellowships, one as a White House Fellow, one as a CORO Fellow of Public and Urban Affairs in Los Angeles, and one as a TEACH Fellow in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Qatar. 

Vice President: Elizabeth Daitz (2019-20)

Elizabeth M. Daitz is the Assistant Commissioner of Police for the Suffolk County Police Department.  She drives strategic planning, implementation, and innovation, positioning Suffolk County to be one of the most innovative, efficient, effective, and equitable law enforcement agencies serving over 1.5 million residents across 913 square miles.  She previously served as Executive Director, Civil Litigation and Executive Director, Strategic Initiatives for the NYPD.  From 2019-2020, Elizabeth served as a White House Fellow in the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President.  There, she drafted and implemented the President’s Executive Order “Safe Policing for Safe Communities” and supported implementation of the Executive Order “Maintaining American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence.” Elizabeth is a frequent public speaker on public safety innovation, law enforcement strategy, and transformational leadership, often discussing the impact of the White House Fellowship on her career in public service.  

Elizabeth began her career at the Office of the Corporation Counsel of the City of New York, where she handled multiple high profile federal civil rights cases.  Elizabeth is a graduate of the Honors College at Adelphi University, St. John’s University School of Law, and Session XXIX of the Police Management Institute at Columbia University.  Elizabeth is Future Policing Institute Fellow as well as a Manhattan Institute American Conservatism and Governing Fellow.  She is the co-chair of the New York City Bar Association Task Force Sub-Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Civil Liberties, is a founding member and serves on the Advisory Board of the National Association of Professional Staff in Public Safety, and serves on the Executive Committee of the Theodore Roosevelt American Inn of Court.  She is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Suffolk County Chiefs of Police Association.  She has served on the White House Fellows Foundation and Association Annual Leadership Conference Committee and Governance and Nominating Committee, and is honored to take on the role of Vice President.  

Secretary: Kari Fleming (2014-15)

Colonel Kari Fleming is the Chief, Complaints Resolutions Division, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Col Fleming earned her Air Force commission in 2003 from the United States Air Force Academy. Her initial assignment was to fly C-17As at then Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina where she earned qualifications as a Special Operations Low Level II instructor pilot. After a follow-on assignments, Col Fleming return to Charleston to command the Pelicans of the 14th Airlift Squadron. After command, she was selected as a Secretary of Defense Executive Fellow with placement at Georgia Power. Recently she earned her Joint officer qualification as the Executive Officer to the Deputy Commander, United States Transportation Command and as member of the task force for Operation Allies Refuge. 

She lives in IL with her spouse, Ryan, and their children, Jaden and Rayson.

Treasurer: Bobbi Doorenbos (2007-08)

As a career Air Force officer, Brigadier General (Ret.) Bobbi “Flash” Doorenbos served
in leadership positions in the White House, Headquarters Air Force, and National Guard
Bureau, and currently operates at the intersection of leadership, business and national
security. Her military experience includes time as a Special Assistant to Vice President
Biden for Defense Policy and Intelligence Programs, as a White House Fellow serving
alongside the Secretary of Agriculture, and as the Wing Commander of the 188th Wing.
As a career aviator, Bobbi served in the Air Force as an F-16 pilot and as an MQ-1
Predator pilot, with participation in Operations SOUTHERN WATCH, NOBLE EAGLE,
IRAQI FREEDOM and ENDURING FREEDOM. Throughout her career, she also served
as a commercial airline pilot, flying the Airbus 320 series.

Bobbi is currently active as a consultant, executive coach and leadership trainer across
entrepreneurial, corporate, government and non-profit landscapes, equipping leaders
and teams with tools to improve their execution, strategic alignment and performance.
She also contributes as a Board member to the governance and strategic direction of
several organizations, including Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, the National
Guard Association of the United States, and STEM Flights.

Bobbi holds a Leadership Coaching Certificate from Georgetown University, an
Executive MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, and a
Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence from the Defense Intelligence Agency’s
National Defense Intelligence College. She earned her Bachelor of Business
Administration in Finance from Iowa State University.

Immediate Past President: Will Webb (1986-87)

Will Webb is a proactively committed servant leader.  As a career Army officer, he commanded attack helicopter and armored cavalry troops, an air cavalry squadron, and an aviation brigade.  His units deployed to liberate Panama and implement peace in war-ravaged Bosnia, and he had record impact as Legislative Director for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  Post-military, he served as President/CEO of a wireless communications company, and founding Chairman, then CEO, of Still Serving Veterans, a nationally acclaimed service organization that passionately helps Veterans and families maximize post-military careers/lives.  SSV has secured over $1.46 billion in cumulative salaries, benefits, and services for Veterans…at no charge to clients or employers.  He served on several Governors’ and Commanding Generals’ Veteran and community commissions, boards, and committees.  Will is passionate about optimizing the WHF Program.  Blessed to serve as a Fellow in the Executive Office of President Reagan (OMB), he has paid it forward as a Presidential Commissioner, Chairman/President of the WHFFA, on Regional selection panels, and WHF endowment campaign Development Officer.  Will is a graduate of West Point and Harvard Business School, and is committed to lifetime public service in government, church, community, and family support missions.  He and Kay are thrilled to have their three wonderful children with spouses and seven precious grandchildren all in North Carolina near their lake home.    

Development Officer: Pieter Boelhouwer (1998-99)

Pieter Boelhouwer is a Managing Director at RA Capital Management. Pieter’s primary responsibility at RA Capital is to lead major strategic initiatives and drive operational excellence across the firm. Pieter holds a BA from Trinity College and a JD from Yale Law School. Pieter previously worked as a consultant with McKinsey & Company, where he managed a variety of healthcare engagements, including pharmaceutical mergers, biotech product launch plans, OTC product rationalization, and hospital acquisitions. He held senior management positions at two successful start-up companies that were acquired and he has over 14 years of experience investing in the global healthcare sector, both as a Partner and Managing Director at Matrix Capital Management and as a General Partner and Managing Director at Ayer Capital Management, a healthcare-focused hedge fund. He also gained extensive legislative and public policy experience early in his career as a Legislative Aide to former United States Senator David Boren, and as a Domestic Policy Advisor to former Vice President Al Gore. Pieter currently serves on the Board of Directors of the White House Fellows Foundation and Imbria Pharmaceuticals. 

Executive Director: David Moore (1996-97)

David Moore is the Executive Director of the White House Fellows Foundation and Association (WHFFA). He served for 25 years as an Air Force pilot, with over 3,000 flight hours in the A-10 Warthog and F-117 Stealth Fighter. As a White House Fellow in 1996-1997 he was placed at the State Department where he coordinated Latin American and Taiwan arms-transfer policy. After the Fellowship he returned to flying and in 1999 flew numerous combat missions in the F-117 during the Air War over Serbia, later going on to command the 8th Fighter Squadron “Black Sheep”. After his command tour he served 4 years at the Pentagon as Chief of Rated Force Policy. In 2005 he returned to fly the F-117 as Vice Commander of the 49^th Fighter Wing. Colonel Moore retired from the Air Force in 2007 and worked for 7 years in the defense industry in CACI’s “The Wexford Group”. In 2015 he was selected to become Executive Director of the WHFFA. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Duke University in 1979, and a Master’s Degree in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1992. He has three grown children: Rider, Ian, and Cassandra – and two super-hero grandsons: Loren Lodore and Colby Moore. He is married to his White House Fellow classmate, Dr. Stefanie Sanford.

Immediate Past Class Director: Mr. Ryan Fraser (2023-24)
Term 2024-2026

Ryan was a member of the 2003-2024 class of White House Fellows and was placed with the Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Commerce. While there, he worked on various policy initiatives including Generative Artificial Intelligence, Space Commerce, the President’s Management Council, and Disaster Management. He is currently a New Jersey Transit Police (NJT) Captain and the Commanding Officer of the NJT Office of Emergency Management where he is responsible for leading emergency and disaster response across the state. As a first responder, Ryan contributed to recovery from Hurricane Sandy and supported rescue efforts during the “Miracle on the Hudson.” Additionally, he is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, teaching graduate classes in Emergency and Disaster Management. Before his career in law enforcement and academia, Ryan was a professional ice-hockey referee for eighteen seasons, officiating over 1,000 games. He has also served as a local Fire Commissioner and currently volunteers his time in support of Special Olympics NJ. Ryan earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Rowan University, and an Executive Master of Professional Studies in Emergency and Disaster Management from Georgetown University, where he published scholarship on disaster recovery.

Immediate Past Class Director: Patrick Branco (2024-25)
Term 2025-2027

Patrick Branco was born and raised in Kailua, Hawai‘i. As a White House Fellow, he served with Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro and the White House Office of Management and Budget, where he worked on shipbuilding and industrial base policy. He was the first Native Hawaiian selected for the White House Fellowship and the first person from Hawai‘i to receive the Congressman Rangel International Affairs Fellowship, which fully funded his education at Johns Hopkins University and led to his service as a U.S. diplomat. He held assignments at U.S. embassies in Bogotá, Islamabad, and Caracas, as well as at the Secretary of State’s Operations Center. In 2020, he was elected to represent his hometown in the Hawai‘i State House of Representatives. He currently serves as a Navy Reserve intelligence officer.

Mr. Nelson Diaz (1977-78)
Term 2023-2026

In January, 2004, Nelson became the first independent Director of the Exelon Corporation that resulted from the merger of PECO Energy and ComEd. Exelon is a Fortune 66 company and is the largest competitive energy company doing business in 48 states, D.C. and Canada. This company, with $60 billion in revenues, employs over 40,000 people nationwide.

In 1975 he joined the Temple Hospital Board of Directors as Chair of the Professional Affairs Committee until 1993 when the President of the United States appointed him General Counsel to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. He returned to Temple University as a Trustee in 1997 and served on the Student Affairs and Diversity Committee, Search Committee, Trustee Committee, as well as the Executive Committee.

Nelson was City Solicitor of Philadelphia from 2001 to 2004, Attorney for Philadelphia Gas Works (serving a million customers) and Counsel to both the Philadelphia Airport, the Philadelphia Water Department, as well as all city personnel.

Nelson was the first Puerto Rican to be admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar and the first Latino Judge in the Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania where he served for 12 years.

Nelson is a senior partner at Dilworth Paxson LLP where he concentrated his practice in litigation, dispute resolution, government relations, energy, and public housing development. His leadership as the Chair of the Diversity Committee, earned him the Philadelphia Bar Association Justice Sonia Sotomayor Diversity Award.

Nelson served on the President’s Commission on the White House Fellows from 2000 to 2012. He served as a WHF Commissioner from 2004 to 2012, a Regional Commissioner from 1978 to 1980 and 2011 to 2013, and has served on the WHF National Recruiting Committee since it’s inseption.

He was a Fulbright Scholar, a White House Fellow from 1977 to 1978 and has five honorary doctorate degrees and numerous National Awards. Nelson graduated with a B.S. in Accounting from St. John’s University and a J.D. from the Temple University Beasley School of Law.

Jack LeCuyer (1977-78)
Term 2023-2026

COL Jack A. LeCuyer, USA (Ret) served 30 years on active duty after graduating from West Point in 1966. His service included 28 months in Vietnam; project engineer at Gathright Dam (VA); assistant professor in the Department of Social Sciences at West Point; White House Fellow in the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs; strategic planner and special assistant to GEN Alexander Haig (Supreme Allied Commander, Europe); Chief of force development for the 8th Infantry Division (Mech) in Germany; command of the 7th Engineer Battalion, 5th Infantry Division (Mech); Command Engineer, U.S. Southern Command; Commander of U.S. Army Engineer District, Sacramento (the Army’s largest engineer district), where he developed and implemented the U.S. government’s concept for military assistance for relief and recovery operations in California’s 1989 Loma Preita earthquake; and, Chief, Army Initiatives Group in the Pentagon.  

Jack’s education includes two years of study at Tufts University, a BS in engineering and distinguished graduate from West Point, an MPA from Harvard’s Kennedy School, and a Dottore de Scienze Polittiche from the Universita’ degli Studi di Firenze.

Following his retirement from the Army, COL LeCuyer was selected as the first Executive Director of the White House Fellows Foundation and Association in 1996, a position he held until his second retirement in 2015. As Executive Director, he worked with each Director of the WHF Program and each President of the WHFFA and their Boards of Directors to put the fledgling organization on firm organizational and financial footing, established a mentorship program for current Fellows, executed the $3.0 million Leadership and Commitment Campaign in 1996-97, and co-led the $8.5 Million Campaign for the WHF in 2013-15. Following his retirement as Executive Director, Jack has continued to serve the WHFFA through heavy engagement in the recruiting effort under the NRC, participated in reading groups every year, and served as a Regional Panelist. He was awarded the WHFFA Distinguished Service Medal upon his retirement.

Jack and his wife of 54 years, Karen, both grew up in Colorado and now live in Lafayette, CO.  They have three children and six grandchildren ranging in age from 3 to 19.

CAPT Mac McFarlin (2013-14)
Term 2023-2026

Captain Robert “Mac” McFarlin was Born in Detroit, Michigan and grew up in Denver, Colorado.  He is a proud member of the White House Fellows class of 2013-2014 where he was assigned to the National Economic Council at The White House.  A Notable Graduate of the U.S. Naval class of 2000, he holds a degree in Electrical Engineering, and also an M.B.A. from the University of Rochester’s Simon School of Business. 

With over 20 years of active duty Naval service, Mac has served in various assignments at sea including commanding officer of the warships USS TYPHOON (PC 5) in the Middle East and USS BENFOLD (DDG 65) in Japan.  

Ashore he has served at the Department of Naval Science at the University of Rochester, Navy Personnel Command, and in the office the Navy Chief of Legislative Affairs at the Pentagon. Currently he is assigned as a Battalion Officer at the U. S. Naval Academy where he is responsible for the mentorship and leadership development of 750 Midshipmen.

Mac’s volunteer work focuses on bridging the civilian-military divide, writing and youth outreach. 

Brad Baker (1988-89)
Term 2024-2027

Brad Baker was appointed by President Reagan as a White House Fellow and served as a Domestic Review Officer and the Acting Executive Secretary of the US Treasury.  After his fellowship year, he was appointed Executive Secretary of the Resolution Trust Committee Oversight Board (which included Board members Jack Kemp, Alan Greenspan, and Nick Brady). He was appointed by Governor Jeb Bush to Executive Director (CEO) of Florida Housing Finance Corporation – the agency tasked with distributing over $1 billion for affordable housing. Florida Trend magazine put him on the cover for his organizational clean up. Recently, Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer (WHF 88-89) appointed Mr. Baker as Deputy Secretary of Commerce for the State of Kansas. He was appointed by Governor Scott to the New College Board of Trustees and currently serves on the Sarasota Airport Advisory Board. As a businessman, Mr. Baker has taken three companies public and managed large organizations through explosive growth.  One of the companies was a medical company that developed a cutting-edge breast mammography diagnostic device, one was a technology peripheral company and the third was a marine exploration company.  He sold his internet company to Comcast Cable and launched their internet division, rebuilding their network to a bidirectional, fiber network.  He is an instrument pilot and serves on the AABI board that accredits flight programs in universities worldwide.  

Rodney Bullard (2005-06)
Term 2024-2027

Rodney is the CEO and founder of The Same House, a public benefit corporation, dedicated to uniting communities to solve problems and further economic mobility.

Rodney previously served as Head of Global Corporate Social Responsibility at Chick-fil-A, Inc., and Executive Director of the Chick-fil-A Foundation, where he started the company’s corporate social responsibility, environmental, community engagement, and philanthropic functions creating several innovative programs touching over 30-million people annually.

Rodney has served on several national and local boards of directors to include: the Ameris Bank, the United States Air Force Academy Athletic Corporation, the National Defense Industry Association, the Salvation Army National Advisory Board and the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Before Chick-fil-A, Rodney served as an Assistant United States Attorney; was selected as a White House Fellow – working directly for the NASA Administrator; served in the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps as a trial attorney and worked at the Pentagon as a Congressional Legislative Liaison in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force.

Melissa Goldstein (1999-2000)
Term 2024-2027

Melissa Goldstein is a Professor in the School of Public Health at George Washington University, where she teaches bioethics, health policy, and law and conducts research on health information privacy and the legal and policy aspects of health information technology. Her recent publications have focused on privacy and security issues in health information exchange and the use of big data. During the Obama-Biden Administration, Professor Goldstein served as a senior advisor to the Chief Privacy Officer in the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2010-2011), and as the Assistant Director for Bioethics and Privacy in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (2015-2016). As a White House Fellow in 1999-2000, she worked for Vice President Albert Gore, Jr. as a domestic policy advisor.

Janet Abrams (1994-95)
Term 2025-2028

Janet Abrams has held leadership positions at the Smithsonian for more than a decade and takes great joy in sharing the treasures of this magical institution with the White House Fellows community and others.  She is currently Director of Strategic Initiatives in the central technology group, focusing both on making the Smithsonian’s vast digital content available to the public and on continuous operational improvement of the Nation’s premier museum, research, and education complex.  She began her employment at the Smithsonian as Senior Advisor to the Secretary for Organizational Effectiveness.

Janet has forged a varied career across public and private sectors, working in government — in the Executive Branch (as a WHF and beyond), U.S. Senate, and Georgia Department of Health; in education — at Stanford and Emory Universities and Eno Center for Transportation Professionals; and in management consulting — with McKinsey and Company and the Corporate Executive Board.

She is a member of the WHF Class of 1994-95 (the best ever!) and spent her transformational year assigned to the WH Office of Communications and Domestic Policy Council.  She went on to serve as Special Assistant to the Vice President for the President’s Task Force on the Olympic and Paralympic Games; Director of External Relations for the President’s Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection; and Executive Director of the President’s Council on Year 2000 Conversion, coordinating preparations across the US and around the globe for the Y2K roll-over. 

A native of Atlanta, GA, Janet earned her B.A. in History, summa cum laude, from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from Stanford University with a certificate in public management studies.  At Harvard, she was elected First Marshal of Phi Beta Kappa in junior year and chair of the Eliot House Committee. 

In the decade after her Fellowship, Janet served on the WHFFA Board as Secretary, VP, and President.  She’s now delighted to be back as a Director, drawing upon her broad experience –organizing ALCs, regional gatherings, and international trips; recruiting and mentoring recent Fellows; interviewing candidates as a Regional Panelist; honoring friends of the Fellowship with the Valenti Award; etc. — to advance our mission of keeping the WHF Program and alumni family strong.  A longtime Washington resident, Janet also serves on the Board of the historic DC Jewish Community Center (at 16^th & Q), with special focus on the Center’s film and music programming and community-service collaborations throughout the region.

Chris Meyer (2008-09)
Term 2025-2028

Chris Meyer serves as President and CEO of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation (BRAF), where he works to expand opportunity and strengthen communities across South Louisiana by bringing people, ideas, and resources together. A Louisiana native and father of four boys, Chris has dedicated his career to improving education and creating pathways for children and families to thrive. He previously founded and led New Schools for Baton Rouge, raising and deploying more than $80 million to launch two dozen new schools serving over 10,000 students and catalyzing more than $150 million in facility investments. Chris began his career as an educator and basketball coach with Teach For America in New Orleans and went on to serve at every level of government, including as Chief of Staff and Deputy Superintendent at the Louisiana Department of Education, where he helped drive statewide school transformation, and as a White House Fellow serving as Special Assistant to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude from Tulane University and holds a master’s in public policy from Harvard University and an MBA from The Wharton School.

Kien Pham (1985-86)
Term 2025-2028

Kien Pham is an American investor and philanthropist dedicated to education and international development. He serves as President of the Vietnam Foundation, a U.S. nonprofit advancing education in Vietnam, and as Senior Advisor to TPG Capital, a global private equity firm with $250 billion under management. His career spans business, consulting, public policy, and foreign affairs, including roles at Procter & Gamble, Tenneco, the Pentagon, and the U.S. Senate. Born in Saigon, Kien fled Vietnam as a boat refugee in 1977, settled in Colorado, worked in a factory while studying English at night, and earned scholarships to college. He holds a B.S. in Marketing and International Business from the University of Colorado Boulder, and graduate degrees from Stanford University with an MBA and an M.A. in International Economics, plus an honorary doctorate from Pfeiffer University. Kien has founded and supported nonprofits aiding students, orphans, and war victims in Vietnam. Honored among Stanford’s exemplary alumni of its first century, he has received numerous distinctions, including the “Glory of Vietnam” Award,  the “Never Fear, Never Quit” Award, and the government’s special recognition for strengthening U.S.–Vietnam relations.