The National Fellows Program in Leadership

Mentors 2006 - 2007

Judy Dean, PhD (Mentoring: Melissa Westervelt)
Dr. Judith M. Dean is currently an International Economist in the Research Division of the Office of Economics, U.S. International Trade Commission. Prior to this she was Associate Professor of Economics at SAIS, Johns Hopkins University. She has been a consultant to the World Bank and the OECD, and a Visiting Scholar at the Indian Statistical Institute, New Delhi, India. Dr. Dean received her Ph.D. in economics from Cornell University, with a specialization in international trade and economic development. Her publications include International Trade and the Environment, Trade Policy Reform in Developing Countries, and journal articles in the Canadian Journal of Economics, Review of Economic Statistics, Review of International Economics, and World Economy. Dr. Dean is a former president and active member of the Association of Christian Economists, and a former member of the Board of World Relief. Judy attends 4th Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, where she serves in the music ministry and the teaching team for several college and career classes. When not at work or church, she has been spotted attending microfinance meetings in Rwanda, attempting to speak Bengali in India, and singing Mozart in Washington.

Juanita DeShazior, MS (Mentoring: Tonya Neal)
Juanita DeShazior is a classically trained professional singer (stage name Juanita Williams), with 3 Cds and a Grammy nomination! By day, Juanita serves as a Forensic Psychologist for Offender Aide and Restoration (OAR) at the Alexandria Federal Detention Center. Juanita has served in the United States Air Force and currently runs a small business contracted to the United States Air Force Band, where she does uniform alterations and costuming for their many performances. Juanita holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree from George Mason University and a Dual Masters degree in Forensic Psychology and Community Counseling from Marymount University. She attends Truro Episcopal Church in Fairfax, Virginia.

Kate Harris (Mentoring: Tess Mullen)
Kate Harris is the Director of Niche Marketing and Specialty Media for the U.S. Senate Republican Conference, Chaired by Senator Rick Santorum. Prior to her work on Capitol Hill, Kate served as a policy coordinator for human rights and social justice issues at Prison Fellowship Ministries. In 2002 she moved to the DC area to be a Fellow in The Falls Church Fellows Program. She is a Colorado native and a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder where she studied Journalism and Political Science. Kate is married and lives in Arlington, Virginia with her husband Joel. They attend the Falls Church.

Stephen Lazarus, MA (Mentoring: David Park)
Stephen Lazarus directs the Center for Public Justice’s- Civitas Programs and serves as Senior Policy Associate. In his civic education and advocacy work on Charitable Choice, Mr. Lazarus consults regularly with federal, state, and local officials and leaders of community and faith-based organizations. He holds a Master's Degree in Political Theory from the Institute of Christian Studies in Toronto, Canada, and degrees in Political Science and German from Central University of Iowa. His research interests include the role of faith-based organizations in social service delivery, church-state relations, and Christian political thought. He is a native of Shreveport, Louisiana, and is also a volunteer mentor and tutor at the Clay Street After-School Program in Annapolis.

Ron Mahurin, PhD (Mentoring: Alvin Chu)
Dr. Mahurin is the Vice President for Professional Development & Research at the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. Ron has oversight for all CCCU faculty and professional development programs and initiatives and several national research projects related to Christ-centered higher education. Ron received his Doctorate of Philosophy in Political Science, (Emphases: International Relations, Comparative Politics, International Political Economy), and he holds a Master of Arts in Political Science from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and a Bachelor of Arts from Gordon College in Massachusetts. Ron is married to Jerilyn DiPirro and they have two daughters, Heather and Gwenyth. The family is active at Presbyterian Church of the Atonement, Silver Spring, MD.

Deirdre Modesti, PhD (Mentoring: Amanda Kloer)
Dr. Deirdre Modesti is a clinical psychologist with a private practice in Falls Church, Virginia. Deirdre is a graduate of Georgetown University where she majored in psychology and minored in German. Her doctoral work was at Fordham University where she also received her Master of Arts and was a Presidential Scholar. Other training included the C. G. Jung Institute in Zurich, Switzerland and the University Of Cologne, Germany. Deirdre is married and has two children. They are members of The Falls Church.

Elizabeth Mullikin, PhD (Mentoring: Julie Mancuso)
Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Mullikin manages the European and Middle East Division of the Federal Aviation Administration’s international office. Her primary responsibility is to oversee the development and coordination of policy positions and papers on all European/Middle Eastern issues in the FAA business plan. As a recipient of a Hurst Fellowship, Liz received her Ph.D. from American University in the field of US Foreign Policy and Policy Analysis. Liz has been married to Jim Mullikin for 11 years and they live in Bethesda, Maryland and attend the National Presbyterian Church.

Naomi Plate, B.S., R.N. (Mentoring: Darla Bardine)
Naomi served as the director of Here’s Life Inner City, the urban arm of Campus Crusade for Christ in Washington, DC until Sept of ’06. She then began Shalom Health Ministry, a holistic health wellness program made available to the urban churches and ministries in the underserved areas of D.C. A graduate of Nyack College, NY, (B.S. in education), she worked in a church ministry, on the staff of Campus Crusade and in the business world providing financial services. Mid-career, Naomi went into nursing and discovered her God-given passion to work with the poor. Pursuit of that passion led her to Mississippi where she served welfare moms and their children while simultaneously teaching classes for lay people who had a similar desire to serve. Naomi has three adult children and three granddaughters; she worships at the National Presbyterian Church.

Charlene Schildwachter (Mentoring: Alicia Oman)
Charlene Schildwachter, owner and chief "creator" of Creative Solutions, a full-service marketing and public relations firm delivering targeted results for a broad range of clients, has over 15 years experience in marketing and public relations. She quickly analyzes an organization's problems and offers effective decisive, solutions. Charlene graduated from the University of Montana, in Missoula, Montana, where most of her family (6 brothers and sisters!) still live. She and her husband, Greg have been married for 9 years and live on Capitol Hill. Charlene loves to ski, read, and kayak, and she is actively involved with the International Association of Business Communicators, the Public Relations Society of America (APR Accredited), and the US Women's Chamber of Commerce.

Dan Van Ness, JD, LLM (Mentoring: Ryan Hanlon)
Dan Van Ness is Executive Director of the Centre for Justice and Reconciliation at Prison Fellowship International. He has been involved with criminal justice issues for 30 years, as a lawyer, restorative justice advocate, and teacher. He is a graduate of Wheaton College (IL), received his JD from DePaul College of Law, and LLM from Georgetown University Law Clinic. Professionally, he practiced poverty law in the Cabrini-Green housing project and west side of Chicago, helped start a national criminal justice reform organization affiliated with Prison Fellowship, and taught in Detroit, Malta and Malibu. In his current job he works with the 112 self-governed, self-funded national Prison Fellowships around the world, helping them address issues of injustice they confront. His particular passion is for restorative justice, with which he has been involved since the early 1980s. Dan, Brenda, and their teenage son Michael live in Arlington, VA and attend Truro Church in Fairfax.

Eric Young, MS (Mentoring: Matthew Timothy)
Eric Young is the Director of Human Resources for Canada at Accenture. After serving clients for five years in information technology consulting, Eric has worked for almost ten years in human resources with a focus on performance management, personnel development and leadership training at Accenture. He holds a Masters in Organizational Management from The George Washington University and Bachelors in Economics from the University of Maryland. Eric serves as a deacon and teacher at National Presbyterian Church.

Mentors 2005 - 2006

Kathy Arveson, PhD (Mentoring: Sarah Paff)
Dr. Kathy Arveson earned her masters degree in counseling from the University of Maryland and her Ph.D. in pastoral counseling from Loyola College . Currently, she has a private practice and is a professor of counseling and psychology at the D.C. campus of Regent University.  She has been married to Dr. Paul Arveson since 1973, and they have two grown daughters.  Kathy attends National Presbyterian Church.

Melda Boyd, MBA (Mentoring:  Marina Ray)
Melda graduated from the University of South Alabama with a double major in International Studies (concentration on the USSR) and Russian.  Her academic background also includes an Executive MBA from George Washington University and the course work for a Master's degree in Russian from Vanderbilt University.  Melda was a former Fellow with the C.S. Lewis Institute.  She is married to Gary, and they reside in Reston, VA, where they attend Reston Presbyterian Church.  Her interests include playing piano, reading history, and hiking.

Kristen Bucher (Mentoring: Laurie Souryal)
Kristen graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in English Literature.  Following graduation from college, Ms. Bucher spent a year as a Falls
Church Fellow, before attending law school.  During her fellowship year Ms. Bucher studied theology, gained practical work experience in the area of law, and spent time working with the youth group at the Falls Church and in other community service.  She then attended and graduated from George Mason Law School.  Currently, she is working as an attorney in Washington, DC. 

Judy Dean, PhD (Mentoring:  Andrea Lyon)
Dr. Judith M. Dean is currently an International Economist in the Research Division of the Office of Economics, U.S. International Trade Commission.  Prior to this she was Associate Professor of Economics at SAIS,  Johns Hopkins University.  She has been a consultant to the World Bank and the OECD, and a Visiting Scholar at the Indian Statistical Institute, New Delhi, India.  Dr. Dean received her Ph.D. in economics from Cornell University, with a specialization in international trade and economic development.  Her publications include International Trade and the Environment, Trade Policy Reform in  Developing Countries, and  journal articles in the Canadian Journal of Economics, Review of Economic Statistics, Review of International Economics, and World Economy.  Dr. Dean is a former president and active member of the Association of Christian Economists, and a former member of the Board of World Relief.  Judy attends 4^th Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, where she serves in the music ministry and the teaching team for several college and career classes.  When not at work or church, she has been spotted attending microfinance meetings in Rwanda, attempting to speak Bengali in India, and singing Mozart in Washington.

Margot Eyring, PhD (Mentoring:  Angela Weigelt)
Margot’s undergraduate work was in fine arts (BFA from the University of Tennessee).  She studied Educational Ministries at Wheaton College (MA) and received her doctorate (Ph.D) from the University of Tennessee in the area of wellness/preventive mental health.  Margot’s calling it to create spaces for interactions that help people know more clearly who they have been created to be and to learn to live in more healthy and sustainable ways in order to fulfill their callings in God's kingdom work. She particularly cares about helping people learn how to learn-new behaviors and strategies for living, and new ways of thinking and being.  Margot currently fulfills this calling in many places including Internship Director and Faculty Member at the American Studies Program, an off-campus study semester of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, as an elder at Washington Community Fellowship, and in a variety of  community relationships. 

Richard Gathro, Ed.D. Cand. (Mentoring:  Frank DiPentino)
Rich is Executive Vice President of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities.  He brings 35 years of leadership experience in higher education, public service and non-profit management to mentoring, as well as teaching on the undergraduate and graduate level.  Rich serves as President of the Board of Directors of the Fund for Integrated Education and is a Trustee of the Russian-American Christian University.  He has holds a B.A. in History from Trinity College, an M.A. in psychology from Marymount University and a Master of Theological Studies, with a specialization in Church History, from Wesley Theological Seminary.  He is currently completing a doctorate from the Graduate Theological Foundation and Oxford University. Rich has been married to Kathrine Haese Gathro for 27 years and has two children:  Will (age 20) and Katie (age 16).  The Gathro family is affiliated with Truro Episcopal Church in Fairfax, Virginia.

Duane Grobman (Mentoring:   Ryan Moede)
Duane is the Executive Director of the Mustard Seed Foundation. After graduating from Westmont College he pursed his interest in the field of education, doing so in both public school and Christian education contexts. For many years Duane served as the Minister of Education for Trinity United Presbyterian Church in Santa Ana, California.  He has also worked and taught in public schools including a nationally recognized school in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Following a Masters degree from St. John’s College, he was awarded a Harvey Fellowship to pursue a Doctorate in Education at Harvard.  While attending Harvard, Duane taught at the University extensively.  For three years he served as Senior Advisor for Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, directing their program evaluation efforts and coaching new faculty.  As a K-University specialist, Duane is passionate about education in its various forms and contexts.  In his limited spare time he does consulting with schools and universities on pedagogy, curriculum, school reform, and instructional improvement.  Duane is active at Washington Community Fellowship on Capitol Hill.

Byron List, M.Ed. (Mentoring:  Nader Saliba)
Byron's education at Gordon College covered both the sciences and the humanities.  During his thirteen years as a teacher at Rivendell School in Arlington, Byron relied on this varied training to teach grades 3 & 4 and middle school Math and Science.  He is currently in his fourth year as headmaster at Rivendell where two of his three daughters attend.  Byron and his wife Kristin attend Washington Community Fellowship, and live in Arlington.  Byron's Masters degree in Education is from Marymount University.

Caroline S. Park, JD (Mentoring:  Rachel Lentz)
Caroline currently works as an attorney with the National Marine Fisheries Service, where she provides legal advice related to domestic and international management of Atlantic highly migratory species.  Previously, she served in an environmental clinic at Georgetown University Law Center (GULC) and with the Environmental Crimes Section, U.S. Department of Justice.  She also volunteers with A Rocha, an international Christian conservation group.  She is a graduate of Stanford University and GULC, an avid music lover and gifted pianist, and a member of Washington Community Fellowship Church.

Debra Tidwell-Peters (Mentoring:   Rhea Walker)
Debra Tidwell, a leading jazz vocalist and cabaret artist, has performed on the local and national stage. For her portrayal of Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, Ms. Tidwell received a Helen Hayes Award Nomination for Best Actress in a Musical and was awarded the Mayor's Arts Award as Outstanding Emerging Artist. Ms. Tidwell has performed leading roles in productions ranging from Shakespeare's A Comedy of Errors to Hello Dolly. Her critically acclaimed one-woman shows, TORCH: the Saga of Bluesette, Tell The World About This and I Can See It, were seen at Blues Alley, the National Theater, Lisner Auditorium and other venues. Ms. Tidwell performs in a variety of styles, most recently backed up by a 30-member choir in Praise the Season, a gospel celebration of the Christmas season.  Ms. Tidwell has appeared as a guest performer for the Kennedy Center Awards and as a guest artist for the Helen Hayes Awards. At present, Ms. Tidwell focuses on performing for private special events, working with jazz groups of various sizes and recording projects.   Presently, Ms. Tidwell is working towards completion of a master's degree in Human Resource Development from the George Washington University and spends her days working at the Social Security Administration in the area of disability and work incentive programs.  Ms. Tidwell is very active in her parish, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, where she has served as a member of the school board, pastoral council as well as cantor for services and director of the church choir.   Despite wearing several hats, Debra's primary and most favorite job is that of being the mother to one daughter, Stevie.