Who we are
Members
As an alumni association, our team isn’t complete without our alumni. We also welcome current PMFs, hiring/training coordinators, partner organizations, and anyone else interested in supporting public service and the PMF Program.
We are indebted to our founding supporters, the 1978 Society.
Volunteers
PMAA relies on volunteers to accomplish our mission and day-to-day operations. In addition to our small staff and Board of Directors, volunteers compile and edit our newsletter and blog posts and help plan local events.
Let us know if you have a skill you’d like to lend.
Staff
Small and nimble, part-time staff manage PMAA’s full-time operations.
Maria L. DeFazio // 2011 PMF
Executive Director
After spending 11 years in a variety of public service roles, including speechwriting and internal communications at HUD and constituent services for a member of the US House of Representatives, Maria spent a few years as a stay-at-home mom, part-time communications consultant, and science fiction writer. She joined PMAA as volunteer executive director in late 2018 and was officially appointed by the board in 2019.
Adam Rumrill // 2018 PMF
Assistant Executive Director
After serving 4 years as Military Police in the US Marine Corps, Adam joined HUD as a PMF in 2018. He spends much of his time developing data collection and visualization tools to assist leadership in their strategic planning and performance measurement processes.
Executive Committee
Officers are elected from the Board of Directors to set the vision of the organization and directly support the Executive Director.
Jack Bienko // 1998 PMI
President
Deputy Director, Entrepreneurship Education, SBA
Jack is active in entrepreneurial communities and civil society causes through professional and personal capacities.
Laura Kunkel // 2010 PMF
Vice President
Program Analyst, Office of Public & Indian Housing, HUD
Laura blends backgrounds in community development, housing, and technology to support senior leadership and her colleagues in the field. She met her husband at a PMF training event.
Michael Lawyer // 2009 PMF
Treasurer
Director of HR, Office of Field Policy & Management, HUD
Michael joined HUD as a PMF in 2009 and has served in a variety of operational and human resources capacities. He was honored by OPM as the 2019 PMF Alumni of the Year.
Tchelet Segev // 2018 PMF
Secretary
Program Manager, International Programs, Forest Service, USDA
Tchelet is passionate about leveraging partnerships and collaboration to sustainably manage our global environment. She uses her background and skills in engineering, project management, and communication to make that a reality.
Board of Directors
PMAA has a working board that not only oversees its activities but is largely responsible for their planning and execution.
Anil “Neil” Chaudry // 2009 PMF
Director, Federal AI Implementation, GSA
Anil has 20 years of experience in technology delivery, operations, and program management in the defense, intelligence, and national security sectors. He advises federal agencies to establish data governance and management practices, develop innovative approaches for leveraging data as a strategic asset, and lay the foundation for advancing data discovery, access, and use through artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Carrie Cecil // 2018 PMF
Planning and Environmental Specialist, Bureau of Land Management
Carrie uses the skills and experience she gained as a PMF to foster an inclusive and supportive workplace that provides for collaborative and innovative solutions to land use issues and conflicts.
Arianne Gallagher-Welcher // 2011 PMF
Executive Director, USDA Digital Service
Arianne is a get-to-yes federal doer with experience across OPM, the White House, OMB, GSA, and now USDA, using her legal experience to help drive impact and bring great minds together. Co-Founder of the Presidential Innovation Fellows Program and former Director of the PMF Program, her passion for finding and growing great talent in government has spanned over a decade of Federal service.
Michael Lamon // 2013 PMF
Senior Risk Manager, Private Sector
Michael is a Risk Management professional with extensive experience in financial services and military operations. He resides in NYC with his wife and two children.
Michelle Mills-Ajayi // 2013 PMF
Attorney, Federal Government
Michelle has 10 years of experience in workforce development with specific skills in policy development, compliance audits, team building, and investments management. She believes in collaborative leadership towards organizational change, ensuring all feel welcomed and valued and promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.
Gary Norman // 2000 PMI
Non-Voting Attorney Advisor
Senior Assistant Attorney Advisor, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, HHS
Gary is known for semi-regular salons in which he brokers thought leaders, including the disabled and the able, having mentored a range of law students with disabilities. He is partnered with his third guide dog.
Neil Omansky // 1997 PMI
Speechwriter and Communications Specialist, GSA
Neil’s federal career began at USDA in Washington, DC, in 1997, and, since 2004, he has worked at GSA in Chicago. A die-hard Los Angeles sports fan, he earned his bachelor's degree from Indiana University and his master’s degree from the University of Southern California.
Louisa Quittman // PMI
Community Development Expert, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Louisa has spent her career helping people and communities attain and maintain financial security. She supports her agency's mission to help banks better serve low-income people and places. She has held a number of roles coordinating interagency and cross-sector groups, creating and implementing programs, pilots, and research in community development, financial inclusion, and financial education.
Bryant Renaud // 2016 PMF
Program Examiner, International Affairs Division, OMB
Bryant joined OMB as a PMF in 2016. He is passionate about international affairs and its crossover with issues in government technology.
Sara Russell // 1991 PMI
Executive Director, San Francisco Federal Executive Board
She oversees communication, coordination, and collaboration with the 450 federal offices, agencies, and departments in the Bay Area. She has strong leadership skills, a love of people, and a proven ability to coordinate a diverse group towards a common goal.
Ryan Stelzer // 2012 PMF
Co-founder, Strategy of Mind
Ryan is an author and management consultant who previously served in the Obama White House. His writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Quartz, Fast Company, and Huffington Post; he pens a weekly newsletter for LinkedIn; and his first book, Think Talk Create: Building Workplaces Fit for Humans (Hachette), was published in September 2021.
Ariel Yardeni // 2017 PMF
Research Manager, NIH
Ariel Yardeni is a mixed-methods researcher with a passion for how collaboration and research can improve public services. Her PMF journey took her from OPM, to USAID, to the NIH, and she's so grateful to have met so many absolutely fascinating and awesome people along the way.
Sergiy Zubko // 2014 PMF
Intelligence & Security Professional, Google
Sergiy is a multifaceted security professional with experience in the public and private sectors, including local and federal government, small business, and big tech.
“You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”
Former Board Members
Paige Fetzer-Borelli (2019)
Eleanore Boyse (2019-2020)
Bill Brantley (2020-2022)
Tracy Carson (2021)
Joe Chiarenzelli (2019-2020)
Patrick Forrest (2021-2022)
Erin Foster-West (2020-2022)
Brett Freedman (2021-2022)
Jake Grover (2019-2020)
Cuong Huynh (2019-2020)
Mark Kaplan (2019)
Jenny Kim (2020-2022)
Pamela Maimer (2019)
Annie Medaglia (2019)
James Moore (2019-2022)
Gary Norman (2019)
Matt Rainson (2019)
Nickie Singleton (2020)
Patricia Soler (2019-2021)
Jarrett Stoltzfus (2020-2021)
Brigette Ulin (2019)