Federal Executive Institute Alumni Association

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Board Members

John A. Russo President Mr. Russo attended the FEI LDS Program 261 in August-September 2000. He was elected to the Board in 2005. Mr. Russo is the President-Elect of the Board of Directors as well as the Chairperson of the Activities Committee, having served on the board as Vice President and Executive Secretary for two years each prior to 2010 . He retired from federal government in September 2005 following 36 years of service, first in the military (Navy) in the intelligence field, and then as a civilian employee of the Departments of the Navy, Justice, and Homeland Security, initially in the intelligence field, and subsequently in the procurement and acquisition fields. He is currently an acquisition consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton in McLean, Virginia. He earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in Political Science and a Juris Doctor degree (law degree). He is a member of the Virginia Bar and a Certified Public Contract Manager (CPCM) of the National Contract Management Association. He has served as a speaker on procurement issues at GSA and FAI sponsored conferences as well as at the annual NCMA World Congress 2006 and for an NCMA Audio Seminar. He is active in religious affairs, serving as a member of a local religious administrative assembly in the Town of Vienna,Virginia. John joined the FEIAA to further his leadership development skills beyond FEI and collaborate with individuals zealously committed to and engaged in preparing others for leadership roles and distinguished service in Government.
Christine D. Quinn Vice President
Catherine M. Bromley Executive Secretary Cathy Bromley is currently the Air Force Audit Agency (AFAA) Chief, Resource Management Division; managing both human and financial resources. Cathy recently returned from a two-year detail as an Executive-in-Residence at the Federal Executive Institute, where she worked with the faculty coordinating executive programs, facilitating executive teams, teaching, coaching and mentoring Federal executives from agencies across the government. During her career with the AFAA, she held several senior level management positions including the Associate Director, Supply where she was responsible for planning and executivng Air Force-wide audits of wholesale and retail supply as well as air mobility and transportation. As a career auditor, she has performed or directed audits of installation activities, system acquisitions, logistics support, depot maintenance, and financial statements. Cathy graduated from FEI's Leadership for a Democratic Society Program # 296 in February 2004.
Christopher S. Osborne Treasurer I am a Federal Executive Institute graduate of Class #296 (February 2004) and a member of the FEIAA since that time. I have been active in the Association over the past six years through my participation in the annual summer planning sessions, and by assisting the Association in locating a suitable replacement for the FEIAA Program Coordinator, who performs the Association’s bookkeeping services. In September 2008, I was part of the Association’s delegation tour to Northern Ireland. I have a passion for FEI and FEIAA and I am making a contribution as one of your current Board members and Treasurer. In my role as a Financial Manager with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, DC, I support the Agency’s internal control oversight under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. I developed and manage a risk mitigation plan that ensures the Agency’s internal controls perform as intended. I also managed the Agency’s Katrina Stewardship Plan that ensured resources used during the hurricane relief effort were consistent with the Agency’s mission, and that funds were protected from waste, fraud, and mismanagement. My twenty years of Federal service include various leadership positions in financial management at USDA Forest Service, Financial Management Service, and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. I am a Certified Public Accountant in Virginia and was awarded my Bachelors of Science degree in Accounting from George Mason University. I am a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants, the Northern Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the Association of Government Accountants. I look forward to continued service to the Federal Executive Alumni Association.
Charlotte Rodriguez Immediate Past President I joined FEIAA while attending FEI in Class P313. Elected (or drafted) to serve as the class representative, I was approached about running for the FEIAA Board of Directors and elected to serve as the Executive Secretary. Recently finished my second one year term as President where I enjoyed working with all members, making as many contacts with the members as possible, increasing membership and networking opportunities for the membership. Currently, Chief of Program Analysis and Evaluation for the Army's Installation Management Command, responsible for oversight of professional military and civilian analysts involved in developing, coordinating, integrating, and presenting analysis of programs in the Army’s Program Objective Memorandum (POM) and subsequent Program Review in areas related to Installation Management. Previous experience in Army's G8 and Military District of Washington. Master of Public Administration Shippensburg University, Master of Strategic Studies US Army War College, BS Park University Human Resource Management and Business Management and participated in Executive Masters Program Georgetown University Selected to participate and completed the Defense Leadership and Management Program. Involved in several volunteer activities in church and local community. Teach English as a Second Language to adult students in the county.
BRIAN C. BELL Board Member Brian Bell is senior faculty at the Federal Executive Institute (FEI), an executive development and leadership training center for senior level government officials located on a 14-acre campus near the center of Charlottesville, Virginia. Prior to joining FEI Mr. Bell served for more than 11 years in various positions at the University of Virginia (UVA) as well as 10 years in the private sector. Recently he served as the Director of UVA’s Leadership Development Center which provides the University's 12,000 academic and administrative faculty and staff with state-of-the-art leadership development programs and organizational improvement consultation. Mr. Bell also served with the Dean's Office at the UVA School of Medicine where he designed leadership development programs for clinical and research faculty as well as medical department administrators. He served for seven years as the Associate Director of Career Development at the Darden Business School where he introduced executive coaching and career education programs designed to place Darden MBA's in Fortune 500 companies including the Federal Government. Mr. Bell also served as curriculum design consultant to the Darden School's Executive MBA Degree Program regarding developmental coaching and action learning techniques. Before UVA, Mr. Bell served as an internal human resources training and organizational consultant for workforce development programs at fortune 500 corporations including the DuPont Company, Union Pacific Railroad, and the Campbell Soup Company. Mr. Bell serves on several non-profit and civic boards including the Virginia Discovery Museum, the University of Virginia Kluge Children’s Hospital Cystic Fibrosis Parents Advisory Council, Board Chair of the Trinity Fellows Program, and board member of the Fellows Initiative, a national level church-based program for recent college graduates. He is also a member of the Federal Executive Institute Alumni Association (FEIAA) executive board. Mr. Bell is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Nebraska with a BS and MS in Education.
Julie K. Bigler Board Member I have been a member of FEIAA for four years and joined during my attendance at the Leadership for a Democratic Society course in August 2004 (Class 301). I was so impressed with the FEI experience and by the FEIAA Board Members who visited us during our class that I joined that same day! We even had one class member who joined FEIAA for three years during our FEI session!! I continued the FEI experience through participation in FEIAA and I was elected as a Board Member in January 2005. It is an honor and pleasure to serve as a FEIAA Board Member! Since April 2008 I have been working for the DoD Civilian Personnel Management Service as a Human Resources Specialist with the DoD, Civilian Personnel Management Serivce (CPMS) working in the areas of staffing policy, foreign language, Career Patterns, human capital and other areas in support of DoD, OPM and federal staffing initiatives and programs. We have lots of exciting, innovative and mission focused human resource initiatives that we are supporting!! Prior to my current assignment with CPMS I was the Director of Human Resources with the Missile Defense Agency and also served in an advisory role in the human capital area. When I participated in the LDS Program at FEI in August 2004 I was the Director for Administration for the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquistion, Technology and Logistics), USD (AT&L). I spent over 11 years of my federal career with the USD(AT&L) in various leadership and advisory roles as I broadened my human resource background with leadership experiences and assignments in a wide range of administrative areas. Prior to my USD(AT&L) assignment, I served in various leadership roles in a variety of human resources area with the DoD Inspector General's office. My foundational human resource skills and experiences were gained through assignments with the Department of the Army, Department of Labor and other federal government organizations. My undergraduate degree is in Business Administration from Madison College (now James Madison University). My hobbies include swimming with the Alexandria Masters Swimming Program, biking with my two children and husband, cheering my daughter and son in their athletic events and enjoying the beauty and offerings of the Mount Vernon VA area! I look forward to meeting our new members and to welcoming all to the FEIAA!! Come join us at some our meetings and events and share your experiences and interests!
Peter E Bridgeman Board Member After 4 years in the Navy's Nuclear Power program, my entire civilian government career has been with USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service. I love the agency's public health mission. I've served in a variety of management roles in the agency's office of Field Operations, Office of Public Health Science, and Office of Management. I am currently the Director of the Administrative Services Division. My FEI experience in Sept 2008 (Class 342) had a profound impact on me. I had some remarkable experiences implementing my leadership challenge upon my return from FEI, culminating in a speech at the White House, and am heartened that my challenge is still in full implementation mode. (It met the mark of taking 3 - 7 years to fully implement, but it is happening)! I am my Class Rep, and have edited and published periodic class newsletters and organized 4 class reunions. I am committed to the principles of FEI and am thrilled to be able to help keep the experience going through continued involvement with FEIAA.
Alton D Harris Board Member I am Alton Harris. I attended LDS Class 327 in 2007 and began serving on the FEIAA Board of Directors in October 2 008. As a co-chair on the membership committee, my goal is to help continue the tradition of keeping the flame of Democracy burning bright for LDS graduates through meaningful FEIAA membership. Working for the U.S. Department of Energy in the Office of Environmental Management, my assignments relate to radioactive waste management and disposal of Cold War legacy waste.
Benisse Lester Board Member Hello, I am Benisse Lester. I attended LDS Class 344 in 2008-9 and was elected to the FEIAA Board of Directors in 2010. I joined FEIAA right after graduating from FEI, and currently serve on the Membership Committee. My goal as a board member is to help FEIAA in its objectives to continue the FEI experience, in a "maintenance program." It is a privilege to join your FEIAA board; we are working to provide meaningful activities and resources which are geared toward continuous enhancement and improvement of our executive leadership skills, so we can all best serve the government and the public. I am currently Chief Medical Officer for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, in the Department of Transportation. Previously I have served in various leadership roles in the federal and private sectors.
Karen B. Murray Board Member My more than 30 years of experience in executive research and development, program management, internal consulting with management, and organizational development help set the stage for my interest in joining the spirited dedication of others on the FEIAA Board of Directors. Prior to my federal experience at the Department of Agriculture, I developed and managed undergraduate and graduate programs in Education at Hampton University. These experiences have given me great opportunities to help others at every level grow in their own professional development wherever they serve. I have a Doctorate degree from The College of William and Mary in Higher Education Administration, a Masters degree in Education Administration from Temple University, and a Bachelors degree in the Social Sciences from San Jose State University. My intent since joining the Board in 2009 is to contribute to the FEIAA mission of developing outstanding leadership in federal service by supporting the Board’s program and outreach activities designed to promote sound governance in our society.
David Orochena Board Member Seasoned transportation and homeland security professional with over twenty years of federal regulatory work including travel to over fifty countries. Experience directing large organizations including oversight of one thousand transportation security inspection workforce with $100 million dollar budget. Program manager for key security implementation projects. Regular coordination with multi-agency efforts including agencies within Departments of State, Defense, Transportation and Homeland Security.
Larry A. Quinn Board Member Larry Quinn joined the Federal Executive Institute Alumni Association while participating in class P-155. During 42 years of Federal service, he served in a variety of positions for the past 35 years with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Communications. On September 30, 2009, he retired from his SES position as Assistant Director of Communications for USDA. Larry is completing his 11th year as a member of the FEIAA Board of Directors. He has served as FEIAA's President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer (current position). Larry's class of P-155 is the only one in the history of FEI that was unable to stay as residents at the institute due to significant remodeling in January 1989. Their classes were held on the University of Virginia campus and at the nearby Holiday Inn, which became their home for four weeks.