2018-2019
Current Fellows
Christopher DeVore
Office of Congresswoman Amata Coleman Radewagen
Christopher DeVore
Office of Congresswoman Amata Coleman Radewagen
Christopher DeVore comes to the APAICS Fellowship program with nearly four years of professional public health experience with the federal government. As a former Fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, Christopher was responsible for managing legislative and budget issues. He primarily focused on the Strategic National Stockpile, a national repository of life-saving medicines and supplies that can be deployed anywhere in the U.S. during a public health emergency, and the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Cooperative Agreement which provides critical funding for state, local, and territorial public health departments to develop preparedness capacity.
Prior to the CDC, Christopher worked as an Executive Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In this role, he provided administrative support to the Assistant Secretary during various public health emergencies including the 2014 Ebola outbreak, Flint, Michigan water crisis, and Zika Virus outbreak.
Additionally, Christopher serves as a volunteer Co-Chair for a policy work group at the National Academies’ Genetic Population Health Action Collaborative. The work group seeks to address the ethical, legal, and social implications of genetic screening for common disorders such as hereditary breast and ovarian cancer and familial hypercholesterolemia. Christopher’s ongoing work with the group has resulted in a publication in the May 2018 special issue of Health Affairs.
Christopher is an alumnus of the New Leaders Council. He joined the organization at the Atlanta Chapter as a member of the 2017 Fellowship cohort and most recently served as their Co-Director of Communications from 2017-2018. In May 2018, Christopher was a recipient of the YoungGov40 award from the Atlanta Young Government Leaders.
Christopher earned his Master of Public Health degree in Health Policy and Graduate Certificate in Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology from Emory University and his Bachelor of Science degree in Community Health from the University of Maryland.
Jennifer Kwon
Office of Congresswoman Grace Meng
Jennifer Kwon
Office of Congresswoman Grace Meng
Born in South Korea but raised in Louisville, Jennifer graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Political Science and International Studies. Upon graduation, Jennifer served as an English Teaching Assistant in Sejong City, South Korea through the U.S. Fulbright Program. She taught first through sixth graders while learning more about the culture and language of her heritage.
Prior to her Fulbright grant year, Jennifer gained valuable government and public affairs experience at our nation’s capital. Her experience includes interning at the Bureau of Industry and Security at the U.S. Department of Commerce, the office of Rep. Joaquin Castro, and SKDKnickerbocker. Her time at the Department of Commerce exposed her to the intersection between business, security, and policymaking through its focus on export controls. She continued to develop her interests on the Hill through her work on the U.S.-Japan Caucus and foreign affairs related to the Asia-Pacific. Jennifer was also part of the Council of Korean American’s (CKA) inaugural public service program.
Shaped by her experiences, Jennifer strives to build coalition among AAPI communities while pursuing her passion in national security and foreign affairs. In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys watching Korean dramas, reading, and traveling.
Neil Noronha
Office of Senator Tammy Duckworth
Neil Noronha
Office of Senator Tammy Duckworth
Neil Noronha is excited to join the Office of Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) as a foreign policy and defense aide. Prior to starting the APAICS fellowship, Neil completed a 1-year fellowship abroad in New Delhi, India as part of the Henry Luce Scholars Program. There, he worked at Carnegie India as a visiting scholar, researching how the Indian government combats various transnational security threats, to include money laundering and disaster management. He has published with Carnegie India, The Print, The Diplomat, and Seminar Magazine.
Previously, he spent two and half years in the Federal government as part of the Obama Administration. From December 2015 to January 2017, Neil was the Special Assistant to the Senior Director for Response Policy on the National Security Council (NSC) staff at the White House. He oversaw the presidential approval process for declaring severe domestic incidents as major disasters or emergencies under the Robert T. Stafford Act. Additionally, he served as a duty officer within the Response Policy Directorate, working with the White House Situation Room to inform senior NSC staff and White House principals, including the President, about severe domestic incidents, their impact on local populations, and the U.S. government response.
Before joining the NSC staff, Neil was at the Department of Defense as one of its youngest political appointees hired under the Obama Administration. Under the Defense Fellows Program, Neil served as the Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict, where he served as the Assistant Secretary’s principal speechwriter and handled special projects related to counterterrorism, humanitarian affairs, and counternarcotics. Additionally, Neil was an Action Officer within the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, where he covered issues related to defense cover and human intelligence activities.
Obtaining his bachelor’s degree in Foreign Service and his master’s degree in Security Studies, both from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, Neil has interned at various Federal agencies and departments, a think tank, and a financial services company. He is passionate about solving transnational threats, such as terrorism, organized crime, climate change, and natural disasters, through economic policy and instruments. Having grown up in the Washington D.C. area, Neil, a 2010 alumnus of Gonzaga College High School, is an avid basketball and football fan, consistently rooting for the Baltimore Ravens and Georgetown Hoyas.
Niha Razi
Office of Congressman Al Green
Niha Razi
Office of Congressman Al Green
Originally from Pakistan, Niha was raised in Dallas, Texas and holds a BA in Finance and minor in Political Science from The University of Texas at Dallas, and a JD from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago, IL. During her time at University of Texas at Dallas, she served as the President of Pakistani Students Association and worked at JPMorgan Chase for two years as a corporate analyst maximizing the company’s profitability index and models while developing new best practices.
During law school, she was a board member for Student Bar Association as well as Vice President for South Asian Law Students Association. Additionally, she served as project lead at the International Human Rights Clinic at JMLS and predominantly worked on investigating the human trafficking of Puerto Rican substance abusers in Chicago, IL. She also provided intakes for domestic violence victims and addressed immigration reforms from May 2015 to May 2017.
After graduating from law school, she interned at the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas (ACLU) focusing on international and domestic policies concerning economic justice, education, housing, voting rights, and environmental justice. In her most recent position as a Legislative Fellow with Poligon Education Fund, she served as the direct liaison for legislative, policy, and public affairs regarding all constituent matters while cultivating superior partnerships and alliances.
She is excited to utilize her legal and finance background and join the Office of Representative Al Green (D-TX-09) as their 2018 – 2019 legislative fellow!
2017-2018
Bruce Leal
Office of Sen. Mazie Hirono
Kota Mizutani
Office of Rep. Mark Takano
Manpreet Teji
Office of Rep. Judy Chu
Omar Hossino
House Foregin Affairs Committee
2008-2009
Gloria Mak
Governor George R. Ariyoshi Fellow, Office of Rep. Eni Faleomavaega
Gregg Orton
Office of Rep. Al Green
Lan Nguyen
AAJC/NAPAWF
2007-2008
Gene Kim
Secretary Norman Y. Mineta Fellow, Office of Rep. Al Green
Jonathan To
Governor George R. Ariyoshi Fellow, Office of Rep. Mazie Hirono
Lynne Yasui
Senator Daniel K. Inouye Fellow, Office of Rep. Sanford Bishop Jr.
Sponsor: George Aratani Foundation