Class of 2015 Augusta Binns-Berkey is a second-year master s candidate in the Strategic Studies Department at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, where she works as a research assistant and focuses on nuclear issues and American grand strategy. She recently completed an internship in the State Department s Office of Security Assistance. Prior to beginning her graduate studies, she spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco. She graduated from Yale University in 2010 with a bachelor s degree in Political Science. After she graduates from SAIS in May of 2015, Binns-Berkey hopes to work in nuclear policy as it pertains to weapons and strategy. Christopher Conant is a Captain in the U.S. Air Force. Born and raised throughout the Pacific Northwest, he graduated from the University of Portland in Portland, OR with a BA in Political Science. Conant then attended Pilot Training at Laughlin AFB, TX. His first operational assignment was in the B-52H Bomber, stationed at Barksdale, AFB, LA. Currently, Conant is assigned to the 13 th Bomb Squadron, Whiteman AFB, MO flying the B-2 Stealth Bomber as an Instructor Pilot and Flight Commander. His responsibilities include instructing and commanding a two person Global Precision Strike aircraft in both conventional and nuclear operations. He has accumulated over 1,600 flight hours and executed multiple nuclear operations within the global deterrence mission. Conant has an MA in National Security Studies from American Military University. Kit Conklin is an emerging and disruptive technologies specialist focusing on WMD and space issues. Conklin worked on nonproliferation issues with various think tanks, the U.S. Department of State, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, as well as Lawrence Livermore and Pacific Northwest National Laboratories. Conklin received his BA from the University of Georgia and MA from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Ramona Diaz works as an electrical engineer for the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center. Her responsibilities in the Nuclear Effects and Analysis Division include analyzing the effects of nuclear weapons on a variety of systems, and incorporating such information into a database, thus providing mission planners and operators with reliable mission essential data. Additionally, Diaz is responsible for ensuring safety and reliability requirements, in regards to electromagnetic radiation, are met for all Air Force fielded nuclear weapons. She has received several nuclear weapon certificates from DOE and DOD organizations, as well as a bachelor s degree in Electronics Engineering from Norfolk State University and a master s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Anthony Eames is currently the Evan North fellow and a PhD student in trans-regional and diplomatic history at Georgetown University. He holds a master s degree in global and comparative history jointly conferred from King s College London and Georgetown University. Eames has published on Anglo-American nuclear cultures and coordinated diplomacy between the United States and the United Kingdom. His current research is concerned with the formation of nuclear policies within alliance networks, specifically the United Kingdom s role in developing NATO s dual-track decision. In the future he plans to expand his research to focus on the English speaking world s encounter with nuclear weapons including India, South Africa, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. Davis Florick, a Department of Defense professional, most recently served as the Command leader for the Arms Control Working Group- making him the primary expert on a variety of transparency and confidence building measure-related activities and author of responses to Congressional inquiries on a variety of issues. While serving with distinction he was the Command s 2010 Junior Civilian of the Year. Florick is currently working on his Master s in East-West Studies at Creighton University. His foreign relations areas of concentration include East Asia and the former Warsaw Pact and Soviet Union. Florick has recently been interviewed by Voice of America regarding North Korean tunnels under the Demilitarized Zone and on television with Consider This where he discussed the recent upheaval in Ukraine. Florick s international relations expertise has enabled him to be published in International Affairs Forum, the World Business Institute, and the International Affairs Review. Lindsey Gorman is a Mirzayan Fellow at the National Academy of Sciences Committee on International Security and Arms Control (CISAC), working on track II nuclear diplomacy. She is also completing an MS at Stanford University, where she served as a teaching assistant to former Secretary of Defense Dr. William Perry in a course studying nuclear weapons and offset technologies in U.S. foreign policy. Prior to CISAC, Gorman worked with the President s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology at the White House, and with the Center for a New American Security s 20YY Warfare Initiative. Her research analyzed the Navy UCLASS program and China s anti-access area-denial threat environment, focusing on future combat systems and global strategy. She previously worked on defense issues at Palantir Technologies, built an autonomous vehicle for a DARPA Challenge, and is published in Nature Physics. Gorman holds a BA in Physics from Princeton University. Thomas Hickey is a first year student in the Masters of Public Policy program at University of California-Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy. Thomas holds a research position with the Nuclear Science and Security Consortium (NSSC), where he conducts research on improved policy analysis frameworks for nonproliferation applications, drawing heavily on network science. Following the Nuclear Scholars Initiative, Hickey plans to enroll in a 10-week internship focused on nuclear security policy, either at a national security laboratory or another institution targeting nuclear
policy issues from a technical perspective. During his second year at the Goldman School, Thomas will conduct an advanced policy analysis focusing on quantitative methods for nuclear security and nonproliferation. Paul Holland is currently a Graduate Fellow for International Nonproliferation Export Control Program (INECP) within the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA). He completed his undergraduate study in Political Science and Classical Antiquity at Trinity College in 2012, and attained a Master s of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), Columbia University in 2014. At Columbia Holland was a Departmental Research Assistant for the Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies and assisted institute faculty on research for a wide range of international security issues including WMDs, military technology, military history, SOLIC, cybersecurity, and the future of NATO. Anagha Iyengar is currently a Graduate Fellow in the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) supporting the Safeguards Technology Development team. She completed her undergraduate degree in Nuclear Engineering at the University of California at Berkeley in 2012, and attained a master s degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2013. For her graduate research, she worked in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to construct and evaluate a mobile fast neutron measurement system. She has held prior internships at Sandia National Laboratories, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory where she worked on various projects focusing on developing novel detection systems. Her desire is to continue in the safeguards and nonproliferation fields by focusing on analytical techniques and helping develop instrumentation to detect verify, and monitor nuclear materials as it relates to proliferation. Rebecca Lilley graduated from Utah State University with a BS in Actuarial Science. Upon graduation she began work as an Operations Research Analyst at the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center (AFNWC). Lilley returned to graduate school utilizing the SMART scholarship program and completed her MS in Statistics from the University of New Mexico. Upon graduation, she returned to her position at the AFNWC. Her primary duties involve weapon systems reliability, component expiration analysis, and reviewing testing programs. Rebecca R. (Friedman) Lissner is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Government at Georgetown University and a Visiting Scholar at Columbia University. Lissner s dissertation examines the effect of military interventions on great powers grand strategies. Prior to Georgetown, she was a research associate in the International Institutions and Global Governance program and the Center for Preventive Action at the Council on Foreign Relations. Lissner s scholarly work has been published in Presidential Studies Quarterly and International Peacekeeping; her commentary has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Baltimore Sun, Christian Science Monitor, Huffington Post, Harvard Political Review, and on the Council on Foreign Relations website. Rebecca received
an AB in Social Studies from Harvard University and a MA in Government from Georgetown University. Nathan Loyd is a Captain in the United States Air Force assigned to the Air Force Technical Applications Center. He is currently the chief of the airborne systems operations branch, directly in charge of the teams which deploy worldwide to detect violations of nuclear test ban treaties. Prior to entering the nuclear field, Nathan was a flight test engineer performing development testing on the A-10C. Nathan received a master s degree in Nuclear Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology. He also holds a master s in Theology with a concentration in bioethics from Holy Apostles College and Seminary, and earned a bachelor s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Notre Dame. Lt Michael MacAndrew was commissioned at the United States Air Force Academy in May 2012. There he earned his bachelor s degree in Mathematics and Economics. Following the Academy, Lt MacAndrew earned his Master s degree in operations research at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH. His thesis, Analysis of Biological Weapon Spread through Transportation Network, determined an ideal strategy for detecting and mitigating a potential biological attach within the United States. In addition to his Master s, Lt. MacAndrew also acquired two WMD certificates while stationed in Ohio. Following AFIT, Lt MacAndrew was assigned to the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at Kirtland Air Force Base, NM. There he is an operations research analyst. His current work includes analysis of the LRSO, MIRV clustering algorithms, and modeling nuclear effects. Michelle Nalabandian joined the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) in 2009 and serves as Program Associate for the Scientific and Technical Affairs Program. In this role, she is responsible for managing operational elements of the program in support of projects that strengthen nuclear materials security globally, with particular focus in Russia and China. Nalabandian also focuses on matters relating to bio-security threats and cyber security as it relates to nuclear materials security. Previously, Nalanabdian worked in finance for asset management firms Global Environment Fund and Sciens Capital Management. She holds a bachelor s degree in Biology from George Mason University and received a certificate of mastery from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in Central Challenges of American National Security, Strategy, and the Press. She is currently pursuing a master s degree in Forensic Science and is a member of Women in International Security. Sarah Norris is currently interning for a senator from Tennessee, her home state, and is a recipient of a National Nuclear Security Administration Graduate Fellowship for the Class of 2015. She received a master s degree in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies from the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) in December 2014. During her time at MIIS, Norris worked as a Graduate Research Assistant at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) in both
the Eurasia Nonproliferation Program and the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program. She also served as Project Manager for the Graduate Initiative in Russian studies, hosting Russian international security experts. From January 2014 until August 2014, Norris studied Russian language and nonproliferation in Moscow as a Boren Fellow. Norris spent the summer of 2013 in the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance at the U.S. Department of State and in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She earned bachelor s degrees in International Affairs and Russian from the University of Georgia. Raj Pattani works for an engineering consulting firm in Toronto, Canada. He is responsible for coordinating the activities of multidisciplinary design teams in order to deliver power system projects for public utilities and private developers. His current research interests lie at the intersection of nuclear security and conventional military operations. Previously, he served as a Research Intern with the Project in Nuclear Issues and the Defense and National Security Group at CSIS. He holds a Master of Arts in Security Studies from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toronto. Marc Quint is a Post Master s Research Associate in the National Security Directorate at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Seattle, Washington. At PNNL, Marc focuses on industry engagement and self-regulation for nuclear and dual-use export controls. Additionally, Marc participated in the Next Generation Safeguards Internship (NGSI). Prior to joining PNNL, QUint served as a Graduate Research Assistant at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) in Monterey, California. While at CNS, he supported projects analyzing U.S. nuclear weapons modernization and export controls. He earned a Master of Arts in International Studies and Law, Societies, and Justice from the University of Washington. D. Jacqueline Ramos-Zega is the Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia. She also serves as President of Women in International Security s Washington, D.C. Chapter (WIIS-DC). Prior to joining DoD, Ramos-Zega was a Nonproliferation Fellow at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) where she managed nonproliferation initiatives across Central Asia and Russia. In this capacity, she worked with government officials in those countries to prevent the flow of illicit radioactive materials across international borders. She has also served as a project assistant at EADS North America where she supported the development of new business in the military transport aircraft sector. Ramos-Zega received her BA in Political Science from St. Olaf College and a MA in International Affairs from Georgetown University. David Slungaard is a second-year master s candidate at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. With concentrations in international security studies and political systems and theories, his current interests include nonproliferation and nuclear weapons policy. Prior to enrolling at Fletcher, Slungaard served as a research analyst at the Elliot School of International Affairs where he assisted
in the implementation of a Carnegie Corporation of New York grant developing bipartisan consensus on nuclear policy issues, including U.S.-Russia arms control and nuclear security cooperation, U.S. nuclear modernization programs, and Iran s nuclear program. He has previously held research positions at the Partnership for Global Security, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Stimson Center, and the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. David holds a BA in Asian Studies and Government from St. Lawrence University. Diane Stevenson is a second-year master s student at George Washington University in the Elliott School of International Affairs pursuing a M.A. in Security Policy Studies. She concentrates on weapons of mass destruction and transnational security issues, with particular focus on North Korea s nuclear program. From July-December 2014, Stevenson interned full-time with the Korea Economic Institute of America. Prior to studying at George Washington, she graduated with her BA in 2012 from the University of Richmond with a double major in Political Science and International Affairs: Asia. Sam Wilson is a defense analyst at the Government Accountability Office (GAO). His interest in the nuclear field began when he was tasked with a review of the strategic triad. In addition to the triad review, he recently completed a report on DOD s plan for implementing the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty and a briefing on U.S. Strategic Command s plans to install its nuclear command, control, and communications systems at the new headquarters facility. Wilson received his BA from the University of Virginia in Political Theory and his master s degree in Public Policy and Leadership. Bryn Woollacott is currently a Master of Public Policy student at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy specializing in International Security and Economic Policy. Her research interests combine defense policy, nuclear deterrence, and capability modernization with a focus on international negotiation and diplomacy. Woollacott is a Lockheed Martin Sponsored Graduate Research Associate at the Logistics Collaboration Center at the University of Maryland, where she is writing a report recommending changes to the defense acquisition system. In the fall, she was an intern in the Office of Export Control Cooperation at the State Department, where she worked on strategic planning for in-country programs that strengthen trade controls on strategic and dual-use goods. She has also interned for the Treasury Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the House of Representatives. Originally from Los Angeles, Woollacott is a BA/MPP dual degree student and earned her BA in Government and Politics in 2014.