The George Mason University Alumni Association welcomed new officers and members to its board of directors, joining current officers including president Jennifer Shelton, BS ’94, president-elect Sumeet Shrivastava, EMBA ’94, vice president Ty Carlson, BS ’96, and historian Mariana Cruz, BS ’11.
Franziska Moeckel, BS Marketing and International Studies ’07, joins the board as vice president. Moeckel is the assistant vice president for personalized health at Inova. In this role, Moeckel oversees the strategy development for genomic test integrations and is responsible for clinical implementation of precision medicine research achievements and discoveries. She is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Washington Health & Life Sciences Innovator of the Year award.
Moeckel earned her MBA from the University of Maryland, as well as a Certificate in Genomic Medicine and Bioeconomy from the Harvard School of Public Health. In her free time, she enjoys traveling to exotic destinations, including dancing with the Masai in Tanzania and Kenya, and spending time with her family in Germany. In 2018 Moeckel was awarded as the School of Business Distinguished Alumnus of the Year and was selected as one of Mason’s 50 Alumni Exemplars for the 50th anniversary of the alumni association.
Gleason Rowe, BA Global Affairs and Spanish ’11, is the newly appointed treasurer, as well as the strategic planning co-chair. Rowe is a management analyst with the Office of Emergency Communications at the Department of Homeland Security. He is the former president of the CHSS Alumni Chapter and a past president of the Mason Ambassadors. As an undergraduate, Rowe was a student representative to the Mason Board of Visitors.
Ailsa Ware Burnett, BS Public Administration ’93, MA ’96, MPA ’07, joins the board as a director at-large. With 24 years of experience working in the juvenile justice field, Burnett is currently the director of juvenile intake services with the Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. Previously, she worked as an intake and probation officer as well as program director of the agency’s residential treatment program for adolescent females. Burnett is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and also serves as chapter president of the Prince William County chapter of Jack and Jill of America. She is a leader in Mason’s Black Alumni Chapter.
Yoshie Davison, MSW ’09, joins the board as a director at-large. Davison is the chief of staff at the American Psychiatric Association (APA), where she was previously the deputy director of leadership and advocacy initiatives. She has over 20 years of medical association experience.
Davison has served as an adjunct professor at Mason’s Department of Social Work, instructing field practicum seminars on organizational design, systems transformation, leadership and change management, ethical decision-making, and conflict management. Her volunteer service at Mason includes being a mentor, keynote speaker, and committee member. She received the College of Health and Human Services Academic Excellence Award in 2009.
Raymond Wotring, BA Government and International Politics ’05, also a director at-large, is the founder and principal of Savis Data Solutions, a data consulting firm. Wotring has 15 years of experience working in and running organizations in the issue education and advocacy non-profit space. He has also served as a director and officer for multiple issue and advocacy organizations.
A fourth-generation Mason student, as an undergraduate Wotring was a statewide elected official for a political party auxiliary organization and a member of the rugby team. Wotring resides in Fairfax with his wife Amy (MPP ’11) and their children Savannah and Davis.
New GMUF Board of Trustees Members
The George Mason University Foundation announced the recent appointment of several new members of the Board of Trustees, who began their terms effective July 1, 2019.
The new chair of the board is Terri Cofer Beirne, ’88, who succeeds outgoing chair Jay O’Brien. Other officers are vice chair Jeff Smith, ’83, secretary Carole Scott, ’83, and treasurer Michael Stievater, ’75. The dean representatives are Ann Ardis, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Rick Davis, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts. Keith Renshaw, PhD, chair of the Psychology Department and former chair of the Staff Senate, joins the board as the new faculty representative.
The new trustees represent a cross-section of the region’s business and community leaders.
Nadeem I. Butler, BS ’91, is the founder, president and CEO of Technatomy, a healthcare services contractor to the federal sector. He earned his Mason degree in finance and decision science and was named a 2016 School of Business Prominent Patriot. A former Army Ranger and service-disabled veteran, Butler holds an MS degree in information systems from the George Washington University. He is chairman emeritus of the Paralyzed Veterans of America’s Mission: ABLE Awards.
Richard J. Byrne is the senior vice president of the Center for Programs and Technology with MITRE Corporation, overseeing the firm’s technical workforce, laboratories, technologies, and research and development investments. He joined MITRE in 1990. He holds a B.S. in electrical engineering and an M.S. in electrical engineering and computer science, both from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Christopher R. (Chris) Durlak is the Managing Director of Purple Strategies, a strategic communications firm focusing on political and corporate campaigns. He attended Mason from 2000 to 2004, where he was president of the Mason College Democrats, ran for student body president, and was a member of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. Durlak is a member of the Patriot Club Advisory Board, where he has led the development of strategic and operational plans for the Athletic Department. For the past 10 years, Durlak has served as a volunteer mentor with the DC Dream Center, a community center for youth in Washington, D.C.
Margaret M. (Peggy) Jones, BS Accounting ’82, is the executive vice president and chief financial officer for James G. Davis Construction Corp. Jones currently serves on the board of the Greater Washington Construction Financial Management Association. Her philanthropic interests include the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Nourish Now, and the ALS Association, for which she also volunteers.
Jennifer Burkhart London, PhD, is a professional consultant and licensed psychologist who specializes in the application of psychological principles to business and management, for clients ranging from small privately held businesses to Fortune 100 corporations. She received a doctoral degree in psychology from the Ohio State University and completed her training in marketing at the University of Pittsburgh. She is co-author of the business management book, Character: The Ultimate Success Factor. She currently devotes her time to philanthropy and raising her family’s three young boys. A former member of the board of the National Kidney Foundation of the National Capital Area, her other philanthropic interests include the National Cathedral and Comfort for America’s Uniformed Services, which provides support to wounded warriors.
Pauline Thompson is the founder, president, and CEO of Tysons Realty, Inc. which provides brokerage and consulting services for private and institutional clientele, specializing in commercial leasing, sales, and property exchanges. A member of the board of the In Series, a performing arts organization, Mrs. Thompson’s community involvement has included the Northern Virginia Community College Curriculum Advisory Committee, the Virginia Hospital Center Foundation Women’s Committee, and the Washington Ballet Women’s Committee.
Christina (Tina) Williams is the founder and principal of Informed XP, a firm that offers user experience design, research, and development to companies including Sprint, Freddie Mac, Markel, and the American Red Cross. Prior to founding Informed XP, she was executive director of content strategy and user experience at the George Washington University, where she oversaw a university-wide program to unify brand, content, and user experience for a portfolio of more than 1,500 websites. Her philanthropic interests include the Wounded Warrior Project, Hospice of the Piedmont, and October Saves, which supports cancer research. She earned her degree in psychology at the University of Virginia and her MBA at the George Washington University.
July 17, 2019