President: Cara LaPointe (2013-14)

Dr. Cara LaPointe is the Co-Director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Assured Autonomy which works to ensure that autonomous systems throughout society are safe, secure, and trustworthy.  She also serves as the Program Director of the French American Foundation’s Cybersecurity Program.  At Georgetown University, Dr. LaPointe is an Adjunct Professor in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and a nonresident fellow at the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation where she created the “Blockchain Ethical Design Framework.”  For more than two decades, Dr. LaPointe served as an officer within the United States Navy, most recently helping to lead the development of the Department of the Navy’s strategic vision for unmanned and autonomous systems in all domains. At the Deep Submergence Lab of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), she conducted research on autonomy and underwater robotics.  Dr. LaPointe has served as an advisor to global emerging technology initiatives at the National Academy of Medicine, the United Nations, and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.  As a White House Fellow, she worked for First Lady Michelle Obama developing public-private partnerships in support of veterans and military families and later served as the Interim Director of the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships.  She is a member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Educational Council, a patented engineer, and co-founder of Archytas, a strategic technology consulting firm.  Dr. LaPointe holds a Doctor of Philosophy awarded jointly by MIT and WHOI, a Master of Science and a Naval Engineer degree from MIT, a Master of Philosophy from the University of Oxford, and a Bachelor of Science from the United States Naval Academy.

President-Elect: Marc Thomas (1994-95)

Marc Thomas is an Independent Director of Horizon Energy Global Corporation, and COO & Director of Horizons Health Senior Care Group.  As a White House Fellow, he worked in the Office of the Vice President / National Security Council and was responsible for a host of initiatives ranging from the U.S. – South Africa Bi-National Commission to highly classified projects.  After serving over ten years on active federal duty with the U.S. Army Special Forces operating in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and as an assistant professor of Engineering Management, Department of Systems Engineering, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, Marc departed the military and joined McKinsey & Company where he focused on the energy, telecommunications and the consumer products industries.  Additionally, Marc held senior executive and officer positions within General Electric and several private equity firms.  His community service includes but is not limited to volunteering at the Regents Homeless Shelter in New York City, and mentoring countless young men and women throughout our great nation.  Marc holds a BS in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Stanford University, an MBA / MSIE from Columbia Business School and Columbia Graduate School of Engineering, respectively, and a JD from the University of Texas School of Law at Austin.

Vice President: Rachel J. Thornton (2010-11)

Rachel J. Thornton, MD, PhD (HUD, ’10-11) is Vice President and Chief Health Equity Officer at Nemours Children’s Health. In this role, she leads the organization’s work on an enterprise-wide health equity strategy and coordination in support of Nemours Children’s vision to create the healthiest generations of children. Prior to joining Nemours Children’s, Dr. Thornton was the Inaugural Executive Director for Clinical Services in the Johns Hopkins Medicine Office of Population Health where she led efforts to optimize clinical services for population health management and support community health. A practicing primary care pediatrician, she has committed her career to health equity research and practice, including organizational transformation. From work in medical education to research advancing equitable healthcare delivery and health equity, Dr. Thornton is focused on improving outcomes for children, families, and communities. As a WHFFA Member-At-Large, she is committed to stewarding the WHF program and ensuring that future fellows continue to embody excellence, diversity, and a commitment to public service. She has been an active voice encouraging people from all backgrounds to apply to the WHF program and has consistently contributed to efforts promoting dialogue and conversation among fellows, including assisting with planning for the 2021 Annual Leadership Conference.

Treasurer: Kevin N. Monroe (1996-97)

Kevin N. Monroe is a CPA and Retired Audit Partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP. Kevin was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and grew up in the southwestern Iowa town of Carter Lake, Iowa. He received his B.S.B.A. with honors from Creighton University in 1983. Prior to his retirement in June 2019, Mr. Monroe served as the Professional Practice Director for the Firm’s Tennessee and Carolinas practice offices, with responsibilities for audit and accounting consultation matters, compliance, risk management, and quality control. He also served as a Partner in Deloitte’s National Office, with responsibilities for audit policy development. Mr. Monroe currently serves as the inaugural Partner-in-Residence at Lipscomb University, working with the accounting programs of the College of Business. In 1996, Mr. Monroe was selected as one of eighteen White House Fellows by the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships. During his Fellowship year, Mr. Monroe served as Special Assistant to the United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman. In 2016, Mr. Monroe was appointed to the Tennessee Board of Accountancy. He currently serves as the Board of Accountancy Chairman. Mr. Monroe serves as the Treasurer and is a past-president of the White House Fellows Foundation and Association. 

Secretary: Tim Gatlin (2016-17)

Lieutenant Colonel (P) Timothy D. Gatlin currently serves on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon as the Iraq Desk Chief in the Deputy Directorate of Political-Military Affairs (Middle East) in support of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As a White House Fellow, LTC Gatlin served in the Office of the First Lady Michelle Obama and later served in the Office of the Chief of Staff for the Assistant to the President for Economic Initiatives and Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy, Dina Powell. 

LTC Gatlin is a career United States Army Field Artillery officer and has held a variety of operational leadership roles throughout his career, including the Commander of the 1^st Battalion, 37^th Field Artillery Regiment, where he led a 650-person worldwide deployable organization through various mission scenarios and a four-month non-standard mission to the U.S. Southern border supporting the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. Over the course of numerous deployments to the Middle East, LTC Gatlin served in various capacities to dismantle known terrorist networks. From 2010-2012, he served on the West Point faculty as a Company and Battalion level tactical officer. LTC Gatlin holds a Master of Arts in Social-Organizational Psychology from Columbia University, a Master of Science in Strategic Studies (Distinguished Status) from the U.S. Army War College, and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the United States Military Academy. LTC Gatlin is the co-founder of the United States Military Academy’s Excel Scholars Initiative, an enrichment program designed to diversify the West Point cadet leadership and faculty pools by launching minority cadets into leadership roles and into contention for prestigious post-graduate programs. He is also a Lifetime Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

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. 

Immediate Past President: Phil Cullom (1994-95)

Philip H. Cullom is a Co-Founder and Strategic Advisor of Janus Sciences LLC, a disruptive stem cell biotechnology company, and is planning the startup of an alternative energy/nanomaterial ventures group, Grphne America and Summit Sustainable Resources. In 2017 Phil transitioned from active duty, completing a 38-year career as the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Readiness and Logistics. After many years in operational command of ships, Expeditionary Groups and 8,000 member Carrier Strike Groups, he led two Navy-wide Task Forces, one on Energy and the other on Innovation. These brought about sweeping technological and cultural changes to the U.S. Navy’s 283 ships and 300,000 plus Sailors. He now serves on several emergent tech corporate boards in the biotechnology, defense, energy, and emerging materials space and consults with several private equity groups in their acquisition searches. His community service includes the Board of Feynman School, assisting with a Sailing Program for Recovering Warriors, and service on the Board of Overseers for Harvard University. Phil holds a BS in Physics with Distinction, from the U.S. Naval Academy and an MBA with Distinction from the Harvard Business School. He has completed additional Executive Education at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, MIT’s Sloan School of Management, and UNC’s Keenan-Flagler Business School.

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.

Ms. Pia Dandiya (2020-21)
Term 2021-2023

Immediate Past Class Director for 2020-21

Pia Dandiya is from Jupiter, Florida, and completed her year as a White House Fellow placed at the Domestic Policy Council focused on economic mobility. She led strategy to get Build Back Better to the finish line, started a White House inter-agency council on child development, and authored publications on the urgent needs for equity and education on the White House website amongst other responsibilities. Previously, Pia was the founding principal of Democracy Prep Endurance High School in Harlem, New York. Every single graduate of her school went on to attend college despite nearly all living below the poverty line. Pia founded her high school at 28 years old, making her among the youngest principals in the country at the time. Her school remains one of the highest performing in New York and has earned the title of “Recognition School” for its high academic achievement. Pia earned a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Harvard University.

Dr. Robert Marbut (1989-90)
Term 2020-2023

As a Fellow, Dr. Marbut was assigned to President’s George HW Bush’s National Service Office and was the President’s first Daily Point of Light Coordinator. In December 2019, Robert was selected as the Executive Director of the Interagency Council on Homelessness and is tasked with coordinating the Federal governments’ response to the homelessness crisis with governors and mayors. Robert has worked on issues of homelessness for more than three decades and was the Founding President & CEO of Haven for Hope. Beyond homelessness issues, Robert served as a San Antonio City Councilperson and Mayor Pro-Tem, and was chief of staff to San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros. Additionally, he has extensive sports management experience serving in many capacities with the NBA Spurs and the US Olympic Committee, including serving as an USOC officer and as the Chair of the sports management council (all 45 Summer and Winter sports). Robert is a Tenured Professor at Northwest Vista College. He earned a Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin. Robert has two MAs, one from UT-Austin and one from Claremont Graduate University. His undergrad degree is from Claremont McKenna College. He was a CORO Fellow of Public and Urban Affairs in Los Angeles.

CAPT Mac McFarlin (2013-14)
Term 2020-2023

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. 

Ms. Tina Shah (2016-17)
Term 2020-2023

Tina Shah is a physician and change agent on a mission to transform healthcare through technology. As a 2016-17 White House Fellow, she served as Special Advisor to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and was the department’s first Director of Clinician Wellbeing. In this role, she focused on optimizing the usability of the electronic medical record, returning time back to doctors and expanding VA’s capacity to care for an additional 18,000 Veterans per week. 

During the start of the COVID pandemic, she also leveraged technology to help maintain patient access to care. As Medical Director of Virtual Health at Wellstar Health System in Georgia, Dr. Shah cut administrative red tape for doctors and rapidly deployed telemedicine, allowing her organization to rise from zero to 50,000 delivered virtual visits in six weeks. As CEO of TNT Health Enterprises, she continues to advise healthcare and technology organizations on digital transformation and how to foster clinician wellbeing.

Dr. Shah is a founding member of the National Academy of Medicine’s Clinician Wellbeing Collaborative and was the recipient of the 2018 American Medical Association Excellence in Medicine Award.  She received her MD from Sidney Kimmel Medical College and her MPH from Harvard. She is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care. When not working on the frontlines of the COVID pandemic as an ICU doctor, she enjoys hiking in Georgia’s beautiful state parks.

Dr. Susan Yoshihara (1996-97)
Term 2021-2024

Dr. Yoshihara is founder and president of the American Council on Women, Peace, and Security, advancing women’s leadership and their protection in crisis and conflict. She is a former U.S. Navy combat logistics helicopter pilot and a Gulf War veteran. Her scholarly work on human rights has influenced the debate at the UN for more than a decade and has popularized new ideas in fields dominated by academic dogma. She was among the earliest to alert the UN Security Council to the issue of children born of sexual violence in conflict. Her book on humanitarian intervention, Waging War to Make Peace: U.S. Intervention in Global Conflicts alerts policymakers to the moral dimension of armed conflict and Population Decline and the Remaking of Great Power Politics demonstrates how contracting population is a destabilizing force. She holds a Ph.D. in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, an M.A. in National Security Affairs from the Naval Postgraduate School, a B.S. from the U.S. Naval Academy, and an MFA in creative non-fiction at Antioch University, Los Angeles. She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband Dr. Toshi Yoshihara and their two daughters.

Ms. Rachel Evans (2017-18)
Term 2021-2024

Rachel Evans is the Executive Director of CityBridge Education, a DC-based nonprofit committed to advancing equity and opportunity for children. CityBridge supports entrepreneurs and educators who wish to solve intractable problems facing students and families, invests in the best of their ideas, and brings to market the next generation of transformational educational ventures. Previously, Rachel was a White House Fellow at the Department of Defense. She began her career in education as a high school English teacher in Baltimore and later joined Teach For America staff as a recruitment director. After serving as a school administrator in San Francisco, she started at TNTP as the Site Manager for the Oakland Teaching Fellows program. Later, she launched TNTP’s statewide expansion from Phoenix into Yuma and the Navajo Nation as the Site Director for the Arizona Teaching Fellows program. In her final three years at TNTP, she built out the organization’s business development function as the Partner overseeing strategic growth. 

Rachel is a graduate of Texas A&M (BA, English Literature), Johns Hopkins University (MA, Teaching), and the Quantic School of Business and Technology (Executive MBA). She lives in DC with her partner, Stephanie, and their dog, Toby.

Mr. Will Webb (1986-87)
Term 2021-2024

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.    

Dr. Warren Morgan (2016-17)
Term 2022-2025

As the Chief Academic Officer for Indianapolis Public Schools, Dr. Warren Morgan oversees the academic vision, strategy, and policy the district that have led to improvement in student performance in ELA, Math, graduation rates, and school culture indicators. Prior to joining IPS, he served as Executive Director of Teach For America- St. Louis. He has also worked for Presidents Obama and Trump as a prestigious White House Fellow. Before his time in Washington, D.C., he was an Academic Superintendent in Cleveland where he supervised the city’s turnaround schools. Warren also served as a high school principal in Chicago Public Schools where he led a school turnaround and significantly improved outcomes. He taught Secondary Science in St. Louis through Teach For America and was awarded Outstanding Teacher of the Year. He began his career as a bill analyst for the Illinois Senate. Warren holds a B.A. in Psychology from Butler University, where he served as student body president; a M.Ed. in Educational Administration from UMSL; and an Ed.D. in Urban Educational Leadership from the University of Illinois–Chicago. He is an alum of the Leadership St. Louis program and has an executive certificate in Nonprofit Leadership from Washington University St. Louis. He is an active member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Inc.

Ms. Merrie Spaeth (1980-81)
Term 2022-2025

Merrie Spaeth started her career as a writer, reporter and producer during the 1970s, including producing the first cable TV show funded by advertising dollars. Chosen as a White House Fellow in 1980, she was the first Fellow assigned to the FBI.  She then served as Director of Public Affairs at the Federal Trade Commission and  in 1983 was appointed Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan and director of media relations at the White House where she pioneered the electronic White House News Service.

Marrying and moving to Dallas, in 1987 she founded a strategic training and consulting firm based on the recognition that most people approach communication thinking “What do I want to say?” but that the listener only remembers a few things. Her strategic planning model, The Influence Model,^SM  which aims to influence what a target audience hears, believes and remembers, is used by companies around the globe. As a crisis consultant, she has handled scores of highly sensitive issues including taking the largest retail jewelry chain through bankruptcy and handling the world’s largest global food recall.

Merrie teaches at SMU’s Cox School of business, and her seminars, Communication as a Strategic Business Tool, Humor as a Leadership Skill, and Story Telling as a Leadership Skill, have been awarded 55 Teaching Excellence Awards. Merrie writes regularly for a variety of publications including the Wall Street Journal. A noted speech writer, she worked for CBS’s legendary CEO, William Paley. Two of her books, MarketPlace Communications, a compilation of her commentaries on the nightly PBS show, and Words Matter, her columns for the UPI Business desk, are available free on her website, spaethcom.com. Merrie is a cum laude graduate of Smith College and a graduate of Columbia Business School where she was awarded the Jack Popper Achievement Award. As a teenager, Merrie was an actress in multiple TV shows and starring in a movie, “The World of Henry Orient,” with Peter Sellers and Angela Lansbury.

Rose Vela serves as the Director of the President’s Commission on White House Fellows. Judge Vela is a retired Texas State District Judge and Texas Appellate Justice. She was appointed by President Biden in March 2021 to serve as Director of the PCWHF and has a 34-year career in law and politics. She holds a B.A. from Texas State University and a J.D. from St. Mary’s School of Law. After law school, Vela served as a law clerk to two Texas Courts of Appeals and then went into private law practice focusing on civil appellate work. In 1998 she was elected as a Texas State District Judge, where she presided over thousands of both complex civil jury and bench trials (class-action lawsuits, environmental litigation, medical malpractice, etc,) and criminal felony cases (capital homicides, aggravated sexual assault (of children and adults) aggravated robbery and kidnapping, prison gang-related homicides and other felonies). In 2007, Vela became an Appellate Justice on a Texas Court of Appeals where she presided over civil and criminal appeals and authored hundreds of legal opinions. She fully retired from the bench in 2016. Throughout her career, she has been a volunteer leader in numerous community and professional organizations including Court Appointed Special Advocates, CC Crime Control and Prevention District (Chair), Food Bank of Corpus Christi, Nueces County Juvenile Board, Nueces County Young Lawyers Association (President), Texas Center for the Judiciary, (Director), College of the State Bar of Texas, Texas Center for Legal Ethics and Professionalism, and many more.  She has also completed many professional programs such as NYU College for Appellate Judges, Harvard Law School Program on Negotiation, National Judicial College, and the Texas College of Advanced Judicial Studies. She is proudly the first in her family to receive a college degree, (neither parent having graduated from high school), after having worked various jobs throughout college and law school to support her education. Recently she was named 2022 Outstanding Alumni by Texas State University. She has been married to former Congressman Filemon B.Vela for 32 years

Esteban Tapetillo serves as the Deputy Director of the President’s Commission on White House Fellows. As the Deputy Director, he provides staff leadership, develops educational programming, and implements the Fellows program. Before his appointment to the Biden-Harris Administration, he served as a consultant at the Strathdee Group, a firm that specializes in building the political networks for members of Congress, candidates, and caucuses. His portfolio included leading the outreach and coalition building efforts of CHC BOLD PAC, the political arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. During the five years in this role, he recruited and supported diverse candidates running for the U.S. House and Senate. Esteban graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in Political Science. Right after college, he dedicated a year to public service as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Acción USA, providing access to capital to micro-entrepreneurs and small businesses in the aftermath of the 2008 economic recession. His career in politics started in the great state of Arizona, working on federal races for U.S. House and Senate candidates. The grandchild of migrant farmers, he is a native of Tempe, Arizona. During his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family’s dogs, and visiting art museums and historic homes.

Kevin Lavery serves as the Associate Director of the President’s Commission on White House Fellows. In his role he supports the recruitment, application, selection, and placement of the incoming class of fellows. Originally from Hershey, Pennsylvania, Kevin worked for five years in higher education at his alma mater, Gettysburg College. Most recently, he served as Assistant Director of the Eisenhower Institute, where he managed undergraduate programs in leadership and policy designed to prepare students for lives and careers of service. Kevin holds a B.A. in History from Gettysburg College and an M.A. in European History, Politics, and Society from Columbia University. His interests include reading and hiking, and he has completed extended backpacking trips in Norway and Scotland.