Summer 2011 Graduate Program in Public Policy Fellows
Jessica Beemer | UT San Antonio
Jessica is a graduate student pursing a Masters of Public Administration from The University of Texas at San Antonio. She is also working to complete her American Humanics Certification and a certification in Nonprofit Leadership and Management. Her undergraduate degree is in Political Science and International Studies, also from The University of Texas at San Antonio. Jessica is an active member in the UTSA community serving as a chapter advisor for the Zeta Nu chapter of Sigma Kappa Sorority and also volunteers as an assistant with the BACCHUS Network affiliate Be A Responsible Roadrunner. She will intern with Communications Department at the National Republican Congressional Committee. 
Rian Carkhum | UT Austin
Rian is currently a third year doctoral student in the Educational Policy and Planning Program at U.T. Austin. She received a B.S. in Psychology from Central Michigan University and a M.ED. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Texas at Austin. For the 2010-2011 academic year, Rian served as the membership director for the Graduate Student Assembly and as a member on the Graduate Education Advisory Committee at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. She is currently a Graduate Research Assistant for the Longhorn Center for Academic Excellence with the Gateway Scholars and Summer Scholars Programs at The University of Texas at Austin. 
Garrett Coles
UT Southwestern Medical Center Garrett will be entering his second year at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. Prior to medical school, he completed his undergraduate studies at Brigham Young University, majoring in Nutritional Science, as well as Exercise Physiology. Garrett is happily married and the proud father of a handsome one-year-old son. His interests include the prevalent medical care paradigm and its current, tumultuous relationship with public policy. Garrett is enthused to participate in the Archer Center Fellowship this summer and will intern in the office of Senator Orrin Hatch. 
Brady Franks | UT Austin
Brady is a second year dual degree student at UT Austin pursuing masters degrees in Community and Regional Planning and Public Policy. In the past he has worked for multiple state and national campaigns and during the last three Texas legislative sessions. His main areas of interest are transportation policy and public finance, specifically focusing on innovate transportation funding on a statewide level. 
Manny Gonzalez | UT Austin
Manny is a fourth year graduate student pursuing his PhD in Higher Education Administration at the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to attending UT Austin, Manny earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Trinity University (San Antonio, TX). Manny's research interests include legislative issues in higher education, equity and access to higher education, and the vanishing Latino male in higher education. Outside of class, Manny works at UT Austin's College of Undergraduate Studies as a Graduate Research Assistant for the Texas Success Initiative on College Readiness. Additionally, Manny is currently serving his second term as Graduate Student Assembly President, representing and advocating on behalf of the 13,000 graduate and professional students at UT Austin. Manny will intern at The White House Domestic Policy Council this summer. 
Ashley Horton | UT Dallas
Ashley is a second year master’s student of Criminology at the University of Texas at Dallas. She is an active member within her school and community, participating with the University cheerleading team as well as a nonprofit organization. Prior to the Archer Fellowship she interned with the Dallas Police Department and North Texas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. Upon graduation she hopes to work within the government, advancing policy in areas related to crime control. She is also a member of Golden Key International Honor Society and during her free time she enjoys traveling as well as reading. 
Jonathan Hunt | UT Austin
Jonathan is a doctoral candidate in the Department of History at the University of Texas at Austin. He is currently writing an international history of Cold War nuclear nonproliferation strategy, policy and law with a focus on its environmental aspects. He received his B.A. in Plan II Honors, History, and Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies from UT Austin in 2006. His interests include international affairs, security, and law, comparative political economy, nuclear proliferation and power generation, as well as environmental diplomacy. Jonathan spent last summer as a residential fellow at the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. This summer, he will work as a fellow of the Security and Sustainability Program at Global Green USA. 
Brandon Hunter | UT Austin
Brandon Hunter is a Master's student in Latin American Studies and a portfolio candidate in Women and Gender studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Brandon received a B.A. in Latin American Studies and Women and Gender Studies. His research focus is on human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of women and children in Mexico. Through this research, Brandon has developed additional thematic focuses on human rights issues in the Americas and internationally, as well as the impact of civil society organizing in Mexico. Brandon plans to use his research and background to pursue a career in international policy with special attention to human rights, women’s rights, and human trafficking concerns internationally. This summer Brandon will intern at the U.S. Department of State in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. |
Maria Islam-Meredith | UT Dallas
Maria will complete her master’s degree in Healthcare Management at the University of Texas at Dallas in August. Given her interests in medicine, healthcare administration, and reform, she has been involved as a student member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and has led the graduate organization on campus. As an undergraduate at UTD, she completed her B.S. in Biochemistry. She has served in Student Government, led the local chapter of Amnesty International, and participated in undergraduate Moot Court. Maria is excited to be part of the Archer Graduate Program in Public Policy and will intern at the District of Columbia Department of Health Primary Care Bureau. 
Davi Kallman | UT El Paso
Davi is a graduate student at the University of Texas in El Paso and is pursuing her master’s degree in Communication Theory. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Corporate and Organizational Communication from UTEP. Davi established the Disabled Student Services Task Force at UTEP to increase awareness of the needs of students with both obvious and “hidden” disabilities, and was the driving force behind the creation of the University’s first Homecoming pageant for disabled students. Last summer she used her UTEP Study Abroad scholarship to travel to Indonesia to work on environmental campaigns as part of a team working to the preserve that country’s rainforests. Honored as the Department of Communication’s Outstanding Student of the Year and the recipient of numerous other awards for academic excellence and service to her community, she plans to continue her education in Washington, D.C., as an intern for Congressman Silvestre Reyes to compliment her love of politics. 
Zareen Khan | UT Austin
Zareen is a Masters of Public Affairs candidate at the University of Texas at Austin. She completed her Bachelors of Science in Economics from Converse College. She is deeply interested in Social and Economic Policy and her reserch interests include the volatility of financial markets, human trafficking, and innovative ways to help low income families build assets. She will be a Communications and Government Affairs intern at the Financial Services Roundtable this summer. 
Mauricio Leone | UT San Antonio
Mauricio graduated from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile in 2005 with a B.A. in History and a B.A. in Political Science. While a student, he was a research assistant for UC Berkeley on a project regarding the political infrastructure in Chile. He was one of the founding members of the first non-profit for domestic violence victims, and promoted the organization’s fundraising efforts through the use of media and outreach. Since 2005 he has lived in Texas where he volunteered for Texas RioGrande Legal Aid and researched economics and religion in Latin America for the Assistant Vice President for Texas A&M International University. He is currently working towards his Master’s Degree in Public Administration at the University of Texas at San Antonio. 
Alice Post | UT Dallas
Alice is a student at the University of Texas at Dallas and will complete her Master’s degree in International Political Economy in August. She received her BA in Political Science at UT Dallas in 2010 and traveled to Mexico, Ghana, and Costa Rica as a part of her studies. Her research interests include governance studies and economic development within Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. She is currently focusing her graduate degree on the topic of development with Latin America as her geographic concentration. 
Kenisha Schuster | UT Tyler
Kenisha is a graduate student at the University of Texas at Tyler where she is pursuing a Master of Arts in Political Science. Kenisha earned a Bachelor of Science in Political Science, with a minor in international relations from UT Tyler and plans to pursue work in the field of international relations after graduation. As an active member of the Tyler Collegiate Model United Nations Club, Kenisha has participated in both national and international competitions for UT Tyler. In 2011, she will serve as a head delegate for the UT Tyler delegation in the National Model United Nations New York conference. Kenisha is also a member of the Alpha Chi Honor Society and the political science honor society Pi Sigma Alpha. 
Ben Sigrin | UT Austin
Ben is a graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin pursuing a dual-Masters degree in Energy & Earth Resources and Public Affairs. His academic interests generally include renewable energy policy, electricity markets, and energy regulation and, specifically, how consumers make household energy purchasing decisions. Prior to his time at UT, Ben served for three years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in northern Namibia, worked as a U.S. Forest Ranger in the Wyoming Rockies, and received a B.A. in Physics in 2006 from Grinnell College. Ben will intern with the U.S. Department of Energy this summer. 
Courtney Tyne | UT School of Public Health
Courtney is a PhD candidate in Health Policy at the University of Texas Health Science Center’s School of Public Health in Houston. She obtained her B.S. in Psychology from the University of Iowa, and an MPH in Health Policy from UTHSC. Courtney is particularly interested in the field of health policy reform and for-profit health care. Courtney has worked with MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston as a program manager, and has significant experience in grants management and clinical research, and has worked in hospitals, assisted living facilities, and home health care agencies. |
