Student Biographies

Alisher Akmedjonov joined PRGS after having served as a senior economist at the Ministry of Finance of Uzbekistan, and as a lecturer in economics the University of World Economy and Diplomacy. He was the recipient of an Uzbekistan Presidential Scholarship for talented youth to study in the United States. This scholarship enabled him to attend the University of San Francisco, where he earned a B.A. and an M.A. in economics. He finished these studies in 2001.

Ruopeng An completed a bachelor's degree in political science and public administration from the Peking University School of Government. As a policy analyst in the General Office of the General Administration of China Customs (GACC), he participated in many major research projects, including Chinese trade surplus analysis, coordination development of regional economy, and the second-step development strategic plan for building a modern customs regime. He was also a contributing writer of three national level publications: China Commerce Yearbook, Almanac of China’s Economy, and People’s Republic of China Yearbook. He pursued a master of public policy in the Graduate Institute of Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Tokyo, where he was president of the International Student Council whose members were from 31 countries. His hobbies include, but are not restricted to, swimming, badminton, table-tennis, regression analysis, cooking, and experiencing multinational cultures.

Richard Bowman earned a B.S. in engineering and applied science at the California Institute of Technology in 2002. Concurrently, he worked for the Los Angeles Unified School District's Office of Legislation. After earning his B.S., he taught physics and chemistry at his alma mater, Sylmar High School, for several years. Most recently, he worked for the Los Angeles Board of Education's Educational Policy Unit.

Benjamin Bryant was a research assistant at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where he modeled the impacts of wildfires. He also worked as a mathematics tutor. He has been an intern with the Union of Concerned Scientists, working on clean and renewable energy, and a scientific programmer with the Southwest Research Institute. He received a B.S. in mathematics from Harvey Mudd College, where he was awarded the Stavros Busenberg Prize in applied mathematics. He was a Los Angeles Philanthropic Foundation Scholar, Edmund Maxwell Scholar, and Harvey Mudd Merit Scholar. His hobbies include competitive cycling, piano, and jazz drumming.

Jim Burgdorf completed a B.A. in public policy and economics at the New College of Florida. He most recently worked as a junior analyst at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he served as the primary author of the National Healthcare Quality Report.

Stephanie Chan was most recently a budget analyst managing the Medicaid budget at the New York City Mayor's Office of Management and Budget. There she prepared financial projections, analytical reports, and cost evaluations of legislative changes. She holds an M.A. in economics from New York University and a B.S. in policy analysis and management from Cornell University. Stephanie's volunteer work has taken her around the world, including China, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Germany.

Jack Clift attended Corpus Christi College at Oxford University, and was awarded a B.A. in classics in 2003. He completed his M.P.P. degree at UCLA in 2006. Jack has served as an intern to both a U.S. congressman and to a member of the European Parliament.

Myles Collins is the first RAND-UCLA School of Public Affairs Fellow. He completed his M.P.P. at UCLA, where he was the Fisher Fellow and the student representative to the school's advisory board. He has worked with the Southern California Gas Company's Energy Resource Center and with a trekking company in Guatemala. He is the general manager of a semi-pro soccer team and a certified raft guide. He earned a B.S. in environmental engineering from Northwestern and is a certified engineer in training (EIT).

Lopamudra Das has a B.S. in psychology from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and an M.P.H. from San Diego State University (SDSU). At UCSD, Lopa worked on various research projects such as autism in high risk infants, and aging in twins. As an undergraduate researcher she co-authored a book chapter on gaze following in humans. She has also worked as an analyst at i-SAFE, Inc., where she created evaluation reports for congressional members and the Department of Justice to aid policy making efforts in the area of internet safety. Prior to joining PRGS, she interned with the Regional Perinatal System of San Diego and Imperial Counties, where she created evaluations for a project of the First Five Commission of California. She was awarded the 2008 AMI award for outstanding academic achievement, service, and leadership at SDSU, and is also the recipient of the 2008 Andrew Marshall award at PRGS. A native of India, she speaks five languages and enjoys cooking, hiking, fencing, solving Sudoku, and playing various board games.

Claudia Diaz joined PRGS after having served as a lecturer and researcher at Universidad Centroamericana "Jose Simeon Cañas," in El Salvador. She earned a B.A. in economics in 2001 from the same institution, and completed an M.A. in economic development at Vanderbilt University in 2005.

Brian Dille used his University of Georgia law degree to great effect as Chief Legal Opposition Researcher for Arnold Schwarzenegger's 2006 gubernatorial campaign, where he conducted research on the legal background of various stakeholders in the election, and performed fieldwork for the campaign. Brian also has an A.B. in sociology and German from University of Georgia and has worked toward an M.P.P. from Pepperdine University School of Public Policy, in economics and international relations.

Harun Dogo is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and also holds master's degrees in irregular warfare and applied physics from the Naval Postgraduate School. Prior to PRGS he served in the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina and has spent time as a researcher at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. An avid aviator, when he is not flying in the sky, he enjoys falling out of it: skydiving is his favorite pastime.

1st Lt. Brandon Dues is a 2007-2008 RAND-U.S. Air Force Academy Fellow. He received a B.S. in mathematical sciences from the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he acted as a Basic Cadet Training Commander and a Cadet Aviation Instructor. His extracurricular interests include volunteering with Habitat for Humanity and playing on the RAND Softball team.

Emre Erkut's dissertation seeks to demonstrate how the incentives of financial-firm managers diverge from those of non-financial-firm managers and how, if at all, the governance of such firms is structured to respond to such divergence. Specifically, it models the financial-institution manager as a common agent, serving both shareholder and client principals, and explores empirically how the boards of financial firms are structured and how board characteristics affect financial-firm performance. Emre's interest in the economics and governance of organizations is fed by his decade-long career in investment banking, securities research, and management consulting, and formalized by master's-level training in business administration (Purdue) and doctoral-level training in microeconomics and empirical analysis (PRGS). Also, his project work at RAND has included synergistic projects such as the development of a quantitative methodology for measuring corporate culture and the analysis of the market for brokerage and investment-advisory services in the U.S., among others. Emre's research agenda revolves around organizational economics, corporate governance, and its regulation. In particular, he is interested in modeling and quantifying the costs and benefits of various governance mechanisms in diverse settings, with the hope of informing private and public decision makers.

John Fei was most recently acting editor of the Jamestown Foundation's China Brief, an online journal about contemporary China issues. Prior, John served as program administrator for the China Program at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He has also worked as Director of China Affairs and Program Manager for the Coalition of Service Industries, a Washington-based trade association, and as a congressional aide in the U.S. House of Representatives for former Congressman Tom Campbell. Originally from the Silicon Valley area, John holds an M.A. in regional studies, East Asia, from Harvard University, and a B.A. from Williams College with honors in chemistry. He speaks Mandarin Chinese and French, and was a member of the Harvard University Choir. John enjoys swimming, dragon boat paddling, and the outdoors in general.

Jordan Fischbach spent the last three years as an analyst for The Cadmus Group, Inc., an environmental consulting firm, where he conducted policy research on drinking water protection and infrastructure issues and provided implementation assistance to EPA and the State of Montana. He graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. history from Columbia University, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. An avid performer and musician, he has acted in a Shakespeare troupe, hosted a jazz radio show, and sung with a semi-professional early music choir.

Mary Fu received a B.A. from UCLA in international development studies and psychology. Fluent in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, she has traveled throughout much of Latin America for work and study. Prior to coming to PRGS, she was a lead research associate for Prisma Microfinance, Inc. and worked as a field interviewer for RAND's Healthy Passages study on adolescent health. She also has experience in grassroots project management and youth education. Her policy interests include poverty reduction, natural resources management, and urbanization. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing Argentine tango and surfing.

Ning Fu was an intern in the House Majority Leader, Congressman Steny Hoyer’s office, where she supported administrative staffs and legislative assistants working on database management, data analysis, sorting mail, fax and emails, and tracking correspondence. She completed an M.A. in public policy and management from the University of Southern California where she won the Dean's Certificate of Award and the Academic Achievement Award. Her thesis dealt with the China stock market bubble analysis. She had working experience from China Aviation Industry Corporation where she performed financial analysis and policy planning. She holds a B.A. in marketing from Beijing Institute of Technology.

Adam Gailey came to PRGS after being a consultant for CRA International, an economic and financial consulting firm that specializes in analyses for business litigation. There he performed statistical analyses of fair lending issues, including price and risk modeling. Apart from economics, Adam enjoys playing volleyball and ultimate frisbee. He received an M.S. in economics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a B.A. in economics and mathematics from Macalester College.

Sarah Gaillot, prior to joining PRGS, taught English at the Seogwipo Girls' High School in the Republic of Korea on a Fulbright teaching grant. She received an honors B.S. from The Pennsylvania State University with a double major in psychology and in human development and family studies, Phi Beta Kappa. While at PSU she spent semesters at the University of Ghana and the National University of Singapore and was named an Academic All-American in synchronized swimming. She is a certified counselor and has worked in the areas of domestic violence and rape prevention. Her hobbies include SCUBA diving and dancing.

Jeremy Ghez, who holds both U.S. and French citizenship, completed his master of business degree at Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC), Paris, 2005, and his master of economics degree at the Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris, 2006. He also studied at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School as an exchange student. While at HEC, he co-founded AFIDORA, a geopolitical think-tank that focuses on the Middle East.

Myong-Hyun Go was a senior research assistant at Columbia University's Social Intervention Group. He received an M.A. in statistics and a B.A. in economics and mathematics from Columbia University, where he was a Bernheim Scholar. His publications include "Temporal Relationships between Drug Abuse and Intimate Partner Violence." As an intern at the United Nations Development Program, he helped compile the Human Development Index. The Sommelier's Society of America awarded him the Sommelier Certificate.

Kenny Grosselin is a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force. He graduated with distinction in academic, athletic, and military performance from the Air Force Academy, where he earned a B.S. in mathematical science. At the Air Force Academy he served as the Cadet Wing Commander, the highest position a cadet can hold. He was also on the Air Force Academy intercollegiate Cross Country team, where he was the team captain his senior year and awarded recognition as an Academic All-American. In his free time he enjoys pier fishing, distance running, and beach volleyball.

Gaga Gvineria was a consultant in national security affairs at the Center for Strategic Research, a non-governmental think tank for policy analysis and policy development. Currently he is involved in the center's National Security Council reform project. He served for two years in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in both economic and military political affairs, where he was a member of a working group that helped develop Georgia's national security strategy. His experience also includes consultancies with the World Bank and with a Post-Privatization Restructuring Project. He received degrees in Tbilisi State University, the Georgian Institute of Public Administration, and the Tbilisi State Institute of Economic Relations.

Andy Hackbarth most recently worked for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, where he wore many hats but focused on quantitative analysis, especially measurement of healthcare organization quality of care. His interests at PRGS run the gamut, from health care to environmental issues, to security, to education; just about everything RAND does. Andy received his undergraduate degree in applied mathematics from Harvard, with a specialization in "Decision and Control". In his spare time, he enjoys basketball, tennis, soccer, going to the movies and/or Indian lunch buffets, and banging on his piano.

Sara Hajiamiri completed an MSc in engineering and policy analysis at Delft University of Technology, where her thesis dealt with integrated water management. She has worked as an engineer with two consulting companies. She earned a BSc in civil engineering at Amirkabir University of Technology, in Iran. Apart from Farsi, she speaks English, French, German, and Dutch.

Scott Hiromoto, a U.S. citizen, has recently returned from six months as a volunteer in India for Link Overseas Exchange, where he taught English at a Tibetan Buddhist monastery. He received a master's degree in economics, first class, from St. Andrews University in Scotland. He spent his junior year at Queens University in Canada. His job experience includes internships with the U.S. Census Bureau and with a private company in his home state of Texas. His master's thesis was "An Econometric Analysis of Drug Crime."

Eileen Hlavka received a B.A. from Reed College in mathematics and political science, and has policy interests in energy, environment, taxation, health, and labor and population. Prior to coming to PRGS, Eileen was a policy analyst at Prevent Child Abuse California, where she researched and helped draft state legislation regarding child abuse. In her spare time she enjoys practicing taiko drumming.

Seo Yeon Hong is the 2005 RAND-Korea Development Institute School Fellow. She finished an M.B.A. at the KDI School, where she won the award for outstanding thesis. Her research includes studies of corporate governance in Korea. For two years she worked as a systems engineer for the electronics firm LG-EDS. She received a B.A. in economics from Sungkyunkwan University, where she won the University Scholarship for Academic Excellence and founded a club for volunteer work.

Lt. Col. Paul Howe's policy interests lie heavily in the areas of security and China. He has worked for the past two years as the Director of Operations and Course Director for introductory Chinese at the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has traveled to China several times and was a member of the Colorado Springs Chinese Cultural Institute. He received a B.S. in mathematics from the University of Tampa and an M.A. from Naval Postgraduate School in national security affairs, focused on the Far East.

Jianhui Hu completed an M.P.P. at Pepperdine University while working full time as program research coordinator in a health care center for the elderly. She worked for five years in the tax bureau for Yunnan Province in China, where she was named an Advanced Public Servant in the field of Policy Research. She is a member of the Chinese Institution of Certified Public Accountants. She earned a B.S. in business administration from the People's University of China, where she was a student leader and the university tennis champion.

Alexis Huynh earned a B.S. in human physiology at Boston University in 2001 and an M.P.H. at the Yale School of Public Health in 2006. Alexis was involved with several development related international organizations, and has conducted research on the economic impact of domestic violence for both the World Health Organization and the Small Arms Survey.

Amber Jaycocks graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a B.S. in environmental engineering and a concentration in urban planning and studies. While at MIT she was involved in research modeling groundwater flux in Hawaii and Massachusetts, as well as conducting a low-tech water filtration and epidemiology study in Peru. She was an environmental engineer for the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center-U.S. DoT where she worked on various environmental analysis and policy projects. Most recently, she was at State Street Associates as a quantitative financial analyst building proprietary trading strategies and capital flow indicators. In her free time she likes to do yoga, hike, swim, do pottery, and listen to jazz.

Eric Jesse is a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. In 2008 he graduated from the United States Air Force Academy, double majoring in operations research and economics while obtaining a minor in Japanese. Before coming to RAND he worked on a one-year study for the Office of National Drug Control Policy modeling the U.S. cocaine market and analyzing the effectiveness of different cocaine control policies. In 2007 he analyzed vehicle fleet utilization for the Civil Air Patrol and helped rewrite its vehicle purchase and allocation plan. He is an avid rock climber, skier, and surfer.

David Johnson comes to PRGS with a varied background, having worked as a business consultant at McKinsey & Company, a programmer and database designer, and most recently having founded his own Web site focusing on the music industry. His interests are a similar mixed bag: environmental policy, the use of renewable energy in developing countries, policing and criminal justice, digital piracy, and cyberterrorism, to name a few. His academic background is in mathematics, holding a bachelor's from NC State University and a graduate degree from the University of Cambridge in England, where he was a Gates Scholar.

Ryan Keefe taught undergraduate mathematics as an adjunct faculty member at the University of New Haven and Gateway Community College. He has a B.S. in mathematics summa cum laude and an M.S. in mathematics, both from the University of Vermont. While pursuing his undergraduate degree, he was the recipient of the departmental awards for top math major his junior and senior years. His publications include "English Colonial Avarice and the Rise of Chattel Slavery in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries."

Benjamin Kim received a B.A. in sociology and an M.D. through the Honors Program in Medical Education at Northwestern University, where he also completed his residency training in internal medicine. He is currently completing his clinical fellowship in hematology-oncology at UCLA, where he is the chief fellow, in addition to being a fellow at PRGS. He has provided medical care to underserved populations in Chicago and Bolivia and has also conducted published health services research in hematology and oncology. Outside of academics, Ben enjoys going out to karaoke and cheering for the Cubs, Bears, and Bulls.

Lisa Klautzer comes to PRGS from RAND Europe, where she worked on such research topics as transport and sustainability, science and technology, civil justice, corporate governance, healthcare, and education. A citizen of Austria, Lisa performed her graduate studies in Law at the Karl-Franzens-Universität in Graz. She has also studied in Italy and the U.S.

Sarah Kups has recently completed a master's degree in economics at the University of Cambridge (UK). As an undergraduate, Sarah studied economics and international relations at the University of St Andrews (UK), and spent a year abroad at the University of California Santa Barbara. A citizen of Germany, she also lived in France as a high school exchange student. Sarah served as an intern at Amnesty International (Bonn, Germany) and at the Institute for Work, Skills and Training (Gelsenkirchen, Germany), and was a rapporteur for the Salzburg Global Seminar (Austria). In her free time, she enjoys having dinner parties, traveling, and learning languages.

Debbie Lai received a B.A. from Michigan State University in Chinese and international relations. She was an active member of the policy debate team for four years with much success, including contribution to the 2006 National Championship team and two-time qualification for the National Debate Tournament. Prior to coming to PRGS, she was an executive intern at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, where she was in charge of financing the Michigan Environmental Education Curriculum Supplement. She has also worked at debate institutes across the nation including the Emory, Michigan State, and Miami of Ohio institutions. In her spare time she enjoys biking, cooking, and baking.

Xiaoyan (Shawn) Li is the 2004 RAND-Tsinghua University Fellow. He has won many scholarships and awards for academic excellence, including the Top-Grade Prize of Tsinghua University Scholarship. He has participated in several research projects on science and technology policies of China during his study in the School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University. He initiated a poverty allevation program in Wenshan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China; and then worked there as a volunteer intern in local government. He completed a B.S. in energy engineering from Tsinghua University.

Aviva Litovitz completed a Ph.D. in chemistry at Cornell University where she performed both experimental and computational research. While at Cornell, she also lectured in chemistry at Ithaca College, participated in science outreach activities, and sang in the local community choir. She earned a BArtsSc in arts and science and chemistry from McMaster University in Canada.

Russell Lundberg was most recently an inspector with the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Homeland Security. He has received the Newton M. Minow Scholarship for 2007, one of the two scholarships endowed by former chairman of the RAND Board of Trustees, Donald Rumsfeld. Russell received an M.P.P. from the University of Maryland, and a B.A. in physics and theater from Hope College. In his spare time, he enjoys theater, cooking, and playing soccer.

Alessandro Malchiodi graduated from Bocconi University (Milan, Italy) with a B.A. in public administration and an MSc in economics and social sciences. During his studies, he was a research assistant. After graduating, he served at the Embassy of Italy in Mexico City, and then worked for a consultancy firm in Rome, where he performed evaluation of EU structural funds. Before joining PRGS, he was collaborating with the Italian think tank Vision, and was elected member of his city district's council. In his free time, he likes to play soccer, and also has experience in coaching kids.

Shannon Maloney has a B.S. in biopsychology from UC Santa Barbara and a master's in public policy from UCLA. While completing her master's program, she worked at Urban Education Partnership, evaluating programs designed to improve student performance in local high schools. She also completed an internship, evaluating policy and marketing strategies for the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation. Most recently, she worked as a performance evaluator of government programs for the California Bureau of State Audits. Prior to coming to PRGS, she was a volunteer tutor for homeless children with School on Wheels and a volunteer with Corazon de Vida, an organization that raises funds to support orphaned and abandoned children in Mexico.

Aaron Martin has relocated to Santa Monica from Texas, where he was an assistant professor of military science at the Texas A&M University Army ROTC. Prior to that, he served in a tank battalion where he completed a 15-month tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He received a B.S. in mathematical sciences from the United States Military Academy.

Carl Matthies completed a B.A. in biology at Occidental College in 1994, and a master of forensic science degree at George Washington University in 1997. From 1998-2005 he was a criminalist in the Los Angeles Police Department's Scientific Investigation Division, where he processed crime scenes, performed genetic testing on evidence, and provided expert testimony.

Christopher McLaren completed an M.A. in applied microeconomics at San Diego State University, where he also completed a B.A. in economics, with distinction. His M.A. thesis was entitled, "Increasing Parental Eligibility for Public Health Insurance, and its Effects on Children's Public Health Insurance Coverage Rates." He worked as an intern at the San Diego World Trade Center. He interests include health care reform, nonparametric and nonlinear modeling techniques, and competitive golf

Tewodaj Mengistu, an Ethiopian citizen, was most recently a research analyst at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), where she worked on a variety of issues around hunger and malnutrition in developing countries. Prior to that, she worked with the World Bank's Development Research Group on the World Development Report 2005, which dealt with improving investment climate in developing countries. She holds an M.A. in international development from American University and a B.A. in economics from Ohio Wesleyan University.

1st Lt. Benjamin Mundell is a 2007-2008 RAND-U.S. Air Force Academy Fellow interested in economic development, science and technology, health, and security. He received a B.S. in engineering mechanics from the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he participated in various leadership activities. He also interned in the Office of the 1st Congressional District of Minnesota. His duties included answering phones, drafting letters to constituents, preparing local news briefs for the congressman, and doing case work for constituents' issues.

Jennifer Novak completed a master's in public policy, with honors, from the University of Chicago. She is a co-founder of the Emerging Scholars in Cultural Policy conference. She has worked for The Rockefeller Foundation and for Christie's auction house. She holds bachelor of arts degrees in international studies and art history, with distinction, from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and has studied at Eberhard-Karls Universität Tübingen. Her primary research interests are labor economics and cultural policy.

Sarah Olmstead earned a B.S. in physics from Harvey Mudd College and an M.S. in physics from the University of Minnesota. She was most recently employed in the Science and Human Rights Program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C. Sarah also spent time in South Africa, working with the Parliamentary Monitoring Group and the Black Sash, and in the Dominican Republic, working with the Movimiento de Mujeres Dominico-Haitiana.

Sean O'Neill is an M.D.-Ph.D. student pursuing a dual career as a physician and leader in implementing health care quality improvement. His dissertation work is focused on exploring effective strategies for change and improvement in health care delivery organizations. He has also worked extensively with RAND/VA researchers to measure the quality of care delivered to veterans with advanced cancer. Sean has completed the first two years of medical school at Northwestern University, and will return there following the completion of his dissertation. Originally from Flint, Michigan, Sean graduated from Harvard College with a B.A. in computer science in 2003.

Second Lieutenant Jordan Ostwald is a 2008-2009 RAND-U.S. Air Force Academy Fellow. He received a B.S. in operations research from the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he served as Director of Support and Services and Captain of the Alpine Ski Team. He also worked as a student analyst with USNORTHCOM to help develop a new method of identifying potential RADAR sites over highly variegated terrain. His extracurricular interests include rock climbing, skiing, and playing beach volleyball.

Sarah Outcault joined PRGS from being a consultant and project manager at Econ One Research, Inc. There, she provided infrastructure consulting services related to rural electrification, tariff design, and public-private partnerships for developing countries such as Nigeria, Republic of Georgia, and Mexico. Sarah received her MSc in Economic History from the London School of Economics, studying the comparative development of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. She earned a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, with a double major in economics and social science research.

Kartika Palar earned a B.A. in development studies and ethnic studies at Brown University and an M.A. in development economics and international affairs at the Fletcher School at Tufts University. Prior to her M.A., Kartika spent several years leading non-profit health and education programs for youth in Boston. Most recently, she interned at the World Health Organization's HIV/AIDS department in Geneva and consulted for Catholic Relief Services on a micro-enterprise initiative.

Ki-Tae Park is a Major of the Republic of Korea Air Force and a third-year doctoral fellow in the Pardee RAND Graduate School. He served in the Korean Air Force for the last 15 years as a fighter pilot and participated in a number of combined joint air operations on the Korean theater with the U.S. Air Force. Before joining the Ph.D. program at RAND, he acquired a master's degree in international relations from Korea National Defense University in Seoul and a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from Korea Air Force Academy in Cheong-Won.

1st Lt. Brian Pascuzzi is a 2007-2008 RAND-U.S. Air Force Academy Fellow with a B.S. in physics. Brian acted as Squadron Chief of Academics in 2006, helping to set the academic vision and policy for the squadron, working directly with those on probation, and keeping the squadron apprised of important academic information. Outside of academics, he enjoys playing in the USAFA Club Ultimate Frisbee Team, participating in the Chaney King Bike/Run Fundraiser and tutoring a variety of subjects and age ranges.

PJ Perez completed a B.S. degree in anthropology and human biology at Emory University in 1997. He finished an M.P.H. at the Yale University School of Public Health in 2006. Prior to attending Yale, he managed Social Health Education, Inc., a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing responsible, developmentally appropriate sexuality education to children, adolescents, and adults in the Greater Cincinnati area.

Chung Pham completed an M.A. in development economics in a combined program of the Institute of Social Studies (the Netherlands) and the National Economics University (Vietnam). He has done research on many aspects of the Vietnamese economy, including wage differentials, fiscal decentralization, and the shrimp industry. He has worked as a project coordinator with the Blue Dragon Children's Foundation, working with street children. He earned a B.A. in economics from the National Economics University. One of his papers is "Solutions to Illegal Motorcycle Racing Problems in Vietnam."

Ahmad Idrees Rahmani completed his undergraduate studies at the Balkh University in Afghanistan obtaining a B.S. in chemical engineering, and completed his master's degree in international policy studies at Stanford University. After completing his engineering studies, Idrees worked with international organizations in Afghanistan and Pakistan, helping the Afghan refugees and internally displaced people to survive the challenges of humanitarian crisis and natural disasters. Later on, he continued with his work on Afghanistan's political and economic development through USAID mission in Afghanistan. In 2005, Idrees received a Fulbright scholarship to do his graduate studies in the U.S., which took him to Stanford University. After graduation, he returned to Afghanistan and cofounded a public policy think tank which he directed until he joined PRGS as a doctorate fellow. Idrees has also founded a private research and development consulting company in Afghanistan which is currently in the process of making its way toward future institutional development goals. Idrees is very much interested in studying international security and the role of small states in the development of regional and global security equations. In his free time, Idrees reads history, something that he thinks he is addicted to.

Michael Scheiern has a B.S. in naval science, U.S. Naval Academy, and an M.A. in political science from the University of Hawaii. Michael is a former U.S. Marine Corps Officer with prior assignments in Infantry and Intelligence. He served as the First Marine Division's Target Intelligence Officer during Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm with follow-on Intelligence assignments in Intelligence Collection, Production and Information Systems Integration. Mr. Scheiern's interests are in national security and social implications of technology.

Ethan Scherer graduated from Wesleyan University with a B.A. in economics. After graduating, he went to work for Deloitte, while taking accounting courses from Babson College. Most recently, he was at UCLA earning his M.P.P. and working as a teaching assistant for a microeconomics course. While at UCLA, he was the Vice-President of-Events/Communication for the Department of Public Policy student association. Ethan enjoys singing and playing rugby.

1st Lt. David Schulker is a 2007-2008 RAND-U.S. Air Force Academy Fellow who recently spent time as a summer intern at Raytheon Missile Systems, conducting an analysis of the Indian defense market. Majoring in economics at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Dave was also selected as an exchange cadet to U.S. Naval Academy and acted as Squadron Commander, Flight Commander, and Basic Cadet Training Cadre. He also played on intramural softball and basketball teams.

Christopher Sharon is the recipient of the first Andrew Marshall Scholarship, one of the two scholarships endowed by former chairman of the RAND Board of Trustees, Donald Rumsfeld. Chris graduated from Samford University with a B.S. in mathematics. Before coming to PRGS he helped coordinate and teach English and communication skills in Yangon, Myanmar, through the Asia Language and Business Academy, where he also conducted ethnographic research.

Yuyan (Sabrina) Shi is the 2005 RAND-Tsinghua University Fellow. She completed a master's degree in public management at Tsinghua University. Her research has included several studies of the roles of government and business in China, including the mobile phone and automobile industries, supported by China's National Natural Science Foundation. She earned bachelors' degrees in economics and in administrative management from Peking University, where she won the Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis Award and several other honors.

Victoria Shier joined PRGS from being a senior analyst at Abt Associates, Inc. There she contributed to health policy projects as a project manager and project director, and conducted qualitative and quantitative research focusing on long-term care, nursing home quality, Medicare, and prescription drug coverage. Previously, she worked as a project specialist at the Hospital for Special Surgery and as a technology analyst at Goldman Sachs. She graduated from Brown University with a B.S. in electrical engineering and earned a master's degree in health policy from New York University.

Kay Sullivan holds master's and bachelor's degrees in aerospace engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her research interests include robust decisionmaking, research policy, and science and technology competitiveness. Before joining PRGS, Kay was a research associate at the Institute for Defense Analyses' Science and Technology Policy Institute, where her duties included analyzing technology policies for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. While in Virginia, Kay also studied at George Mason University's School of Public Policy and served on the Board of Directors for the Tapestry Theatre Company.

Farrukh Suvankulov was with the Public Finance Management Reform Unit of the Ministry of Finance in Uzbekistan, where he helped to coordinate public finance reforms. He received an M.A. in international and development economics from Yale University, where he studied under the Uzbekistan President's UMID Scholarship. He received a B.S. in international economic relations from the University of World Economy and Diplomacy in Uzbekistan. He completed several global research projects with the Global Development Network (USA) and the Economic Education and Research Consortium (Russia). His publications include "The Uzbek Paradox: Growth without Neo-Liberal Reforms."

Jeffery Tanner was a researcher with the World Bank's Development Economics Department, working on the World Development Report 2006 on Equity and Development. He worked in the Bank's Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Department on social capital in Ghana and Uganda, and with De La Rue plc, in London, on the rollout of the Euro. He has founded several organizations, including Help International, an NGO working on microfinance in Latin America, and Action against Poverty, in Tegucigalpa. He holds an M.P.A. in international development from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, where he was the Dean's Fellow, and a B.A. with University Honors from Brigham Young University in economics.

Bryan Tysinger received a B.S. in mathematics from Harvey Mudd College. He has worked on theoretical research involving finite-time blow-up differential equations and on applied work with the company Applied Biosystems. He plans to apply his mathematical skills to questions such as transportation systems and the modeling of international security arrangements. His extracurricular interests include jazz guitar.

Artur Usanov was Chief Executive of the Regional Economic Development Agency, a policy research institution in Kaliningrad, Russia. He worked previously as project manager of the EastWest Institute in Kaliningrad and as an assistant professor in the Applied Mathematics Department at Kaliningrad Technical University. He has an M.B.A. with distinction from the London Business School and an M.S. with distinction from Kaliningrad Technical University, where he won first prize for the best diploma project.

Nicholas Vakkur was in the doctoral program in strategic management at the University of Texas at Austin, where he ran a federally funded program mentoring 100 freshmen from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. He was the founder and CEO of Vakkur & Associates, an acquisition brokerage firm. He also worked as a financial analyst at Key Bank Corp. He has a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Notre Dame, where he was a Fulbright Scholar and graduated summa cum laude.

Anna-Marie Vilamovska was a researcher with the World Bank's Human Development Network, working on old age insurance and poverty analysis. Her portfolio included analytical studies on the pension reform options (micro- and macro-level) of over ten countries in Central Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, as well as a poverty and vulnerability analysis of the Madtives following the 2004 Tsunami disaster. She holds an M.A. in international affairs and international economics from the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University, where she focused on international economics and microfinance. Ms. Vilamovska also holds a diploma in international affairs, and a baccalaureate in Modern World History from Sofia University in Bulgaria. Her B.A. dissertation looked into the de-colonization of Namibia as a function of the UN's role within the geo-political system in the second half of the 20th century.

Xiao Wang is the 2008 RAND-Shanghai Jiao Tong University fellow. She completed a B.A. in economics, majoring in finance, where she was involved with the study of behavioral economics and international finance. She studied at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology as an exchange student. Her volunteer work included the Special Olympics and high school instruction. She had an internship and part-time work in a bank and consulting firm.

Frank Zhen Wang completed his M.S. in healthcare policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz School of Public Policy and Management. He was a research assistant with the University of Pittsburgh's Cancer Institute, and has also worked with the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh studying childhood obesity. He earned a B.S. in tourism management at Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, China.

Brian Weatherford worked on the California Performance Review where he made recommendations to reform civil service compensation policy. Brian has also worked as a transportation economist at the California Department of Transportation where he earned a Superior Accomplishment Award for an economic impact study. He received a B.A. with honors in economics and political science from the University of California, Irvine. While at UCI, he spent one term studying urban theory at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey. Brian is an Eagle Scout.

Andi Wibowo is an auditor at the Audit Board of the Republic of Indonesia. A registered accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner, he has vast experience in conducting audits on numerous government entities, state owned enterprises and private companies in Indonesia. He holds an M.S. in public policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University. During his spare time he enjoys playing ping pong, badminton, and tennis.

Elizabeth Wilke worked most recently as a legal assistant at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. As legal assistant she managed case-related files and coordinated with attorneys' support staff to execute various necessary tasks during litigation process. She received a B.A. in government and economics from the University of Texas at Austin.

Helen Wu comes to PRGS from New York-Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH), where she worked as a performance improvement specialist and led the quality and patient safety activities for its Ambulatory Care Network. Previously, she was Program Director at the National Quality Forum in Washington, D.C., managing efforts to establish voluntary national consensus measures on healthcare quality. She holds an M.S. in health evaluation sciences and a B.A. in philosophy from the University of Virginia. Carrying her interest in health beyond the classroom, she enjoys a variety of endurance and adventure sports.

Henu (Shirley) Zhao is the 2007-08 RAND/Tsinghua University Fellow. A citizen of China, Henu holds an M.A. in public management from Tsinghua University and a B.A. in archives management from Renmin University. While at Tsinghua, she was elected Vice-President of the Graduate Student Union of School of Public Policy and Mangement. Her previous work includes working as the assistant to the general manager of Shenzhen Heguang Business Co. in Beijing.