Biographies
Nick Barrett
Senior Coordinator for Federal Internship Programs
The Washington Center
Mr. Barrett has been with The Washington Center since 2007. As a Senior Coordinator for Federal Internship Programs at The Washington Center, Nick works closely with the federal government to design, implement and assess internship programs that are geared toward developing the next generation of leaders for the public and private sectors. Nick is also involved in working with students to provide them guidance on how to navigate the federal hiring process. Prior to this role,Nick worked with the Country Support Unit of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) where he assisted individual country offices with the implementation of PAHO programs and policy. Nick has a great interest in foreign policy with a focus on Latin America.
The Washington Center (TWC) is an educational nonprofit focused on providing college students with an academic internship experience to encourage civic engagement, professional development, and leadership in its students. TWC manages a variety of programs focused on preparing students for a global job market including two initiatives based up on International Relations and Global Integration respectively. TWC also provides Internship Abroad opportunities in Sydney, Australia, London, England, Oxford, England, and Montreal, Canada. TWC also facilitates the internship programs for a variety of federal agencies including the Coast Guard, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Defense, the Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Commerce, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Walter Bastian
Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Western Hemisphere
International Trade Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
As Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce, Mr. Bastian is responsible for developing programs, policies and strategies designed to strengthen the United States' commercial position in the Western Hemisphere.
Prior to his current assignment, Mr. Bastian headed the Office of Latin America and the Caribbean and established and directed the Latin America/Caribbean Business Development Center. The Center was responsible for transforming the Caribbean Basin Initiative, the Andean Trade Preference Act and the Enterprise for the Americas Initiative into business opportunities for U.S. firms. Before joining the Department, Mr. Bastian worked in the corporate trust department of a Washington bank and served as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force.
Mr. Bastian graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., with a B.S. in Foreign Service and received an M.A. from Creighton University in Nebraska. Mr. Bastian has received numerous awards for his work, including the Department's Silver Medal for his work in designing economic reconstruction programs following hurricanes in Central America and the Caribbean. More recently, Mr. Bastian received the Presidential Rank Award, which recognizes his exceptional service to the American people over an extended period of time and his relentless commitment to excellence in public service. This award is the most prestigious recognition afforded to career professionals.
Kia Booker
Economic Development Specialist
Economic Development Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
Prior to joining EDA, Ms. Booker held numerous positions in Media Communications and Social Services including Program Manager with Pathways, Inc. and Foster Care Recruitment & Development Specialist for the Northeast Treatment Centers. Kia is a 1992 graduate of the William W. Bodine High School for International Affairs in Philadelphia, PA. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications/Broadcast-Cable from The Pennsylvania State University and an MBA in Urban Economic Development from Eastern University in St. Davids, PA. Ms. Booker earned a prestigious Presidential Management Fellowship with the US Economic Development Administration in 2003. In this role, she managed regional planning and technical assistance grants for the states of New York and Vermont. She served on a detail in Florida where she assisted in creating a long-term economic recovery plan for Southwest Florida following Hurricane Charlie. Ms. Booker also served on a detail with the U.S. Employment & Training Administration where she determined if workforce development grants were appropriate for and legal under the Workforce Investment Act's provisions for pilot, demonstration and research grants.
Since graduating from the Presidential Management Fellows program in June 2005, she has remained with the US Economic Development Administration serving as a Community Planner and was recently promoted into the role of Economic Development Specialist, where she coordinates the Philadelphia Regional Office’s Revolving Loan Fund Program. In 2001, Kia was selected as an "Emerging Leader" by the National Congress for Community Economic Development (NCCED). Ms. Booker also serves her community as a Literacy Tutor with the Philadelphia Cares program and volunteers with the American Heart Association.
Rachel Brown
Director of Career Center
Temple University
Rachel Brown joined Temple as the Director of the Career Center in June 2008, building on experience from The University of Texas at Austin, Georgetown University, The University of Pennsylvania and Stanford University. In addition to experience in higher education, Rachel has worked in a number of high-tech firms in human resources and recruiting and can personally relate to employers' needs and expectations.
Rachel received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Bucknell University and her Master of Arts degree in Student Personnel services from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Rachel is a member of NACE, the National Association of Colleges and Employers, and EACE, the Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers.
Tony Ceballos
Director of the Philadelphia U.S. Export Assistance Center
As the Director the Philadelphia U.S. Export Assistance Center, Tony Ceballos oversees programs in Pennsylvania and Delaware, which provide customized overseas services to evaluate global opportunities, identify and qualify potential business partners. Mr. Ceballos also establishes program partnerships with state and federal agencies and other public and private sector entities to create an efficient export assistance network for U.S. companies. Mr. Ceballos transferred from the West Los Angeles office, where he developed the services sector-a primary industry concentration in the LA area. Prior to Los Angeles, Mr. Ceballos was based in the Ontario, CA where he assisted rural based companies in Riverside and San Bernardino counties access USFCS services. Mr. Ceballos received his Master’s of Arts in International Studies from the Claremont Graduate University. Mr. Ceballos also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a Minor in International Relations from the University of California, Riverside.
Professional accomplishments include Service Act Awards for top performance in assisting U.S. exporters expand globally and Team Collaboration awards from the Deputy Assistant Secretary. As a candidate for the 2008 Executive Leadership Development Program, Mr. Ceballos completed a four month detail at EDA to help develop new insights on economic development programs which are consistent with the EDA’s goal of creating linkages with the worldwide marketplace. Mr. Ceballos was responsible for evaluating Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDS) to identify areas to include international development programs that would encourage entrepreneurship, create new jobs, and open new markets for local companies in distressed areas.
Nicole DeSilvis
Commercial Officer
US and Foreign Commercial Service, International Trade Association (ITA)
Nicole DeSilvis joined the US & Foreign Commercial Service in May 2008 as a Commercial Officer stationed in the Philadelphia USEAC for her first tour of duty.
She worked at the Temple University Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from October 2000 until April 2008 as the Manager / International Trade Consultant. Throughout her eight year tenure she grew the International Trade Department to serve more than 100 clients per year. Her consulting work consisted of meeting with SME’s in the Greater Philadelphia region to assist them in achieving their export potential. She was also a Participatory Faculty Member and Adjunct Professor of International Business at the Temple University Fox School of Business. Additionally, she designed the curriculum for the Fox School’s International Trade Practicum, which helped boost their rankings by US News & World Report, to the top ten in the Nation for International Business Undergraduate Programs, three consecutive years (currently ranked 7th).
In 2002, out of 115 consultants statewide, Nicole was awarded the Association of SBDC’s Star Consulting Award. In addition, through her efforts the SBDC was awarded the U.S. Department of Commerce’s prestigious Export Achievement Certificate. In 2003 and again in 2005, she was appointed to the Mid-Atlantic District Export Council by the Secretary of Commerce which allowed her to contribute to the Nation’s joint industry/government export expansion effort.
In 2007, Nicole was awarded the esteemed Philadelphia Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award, which is given to up and coming young leaders who have helped make the Greater Philadelphia area a better place to work and live.
In July of 2007 Nicole traveled to Brasilia, Brazil for one month as part of an USAID fellowship she was awarded through the American Fellows Program. While in Brazil she was charged with identifying priorities for the development of small business cooperation between Brazil and the United States.
Nicole earned her degree in International Business / Studies from Millersville University. She also completed the celebrated French Immersion program at the University of Montreal, Canada and she graduated from the world-renowned Xerox Sales Management Program in Leesburg, Virginia.
Nicole’s past experience includes working in domestic and international sales management for more than 15 years in Fortune 100 and PA manufacturing companies. In this role, she has been instrumental in implementing export management and international sales programs in businesses throughout the region. While the results of her efforts concentrate on a diverse array of industries throughout the world, her true passion will always lie with fostering business relationships between Brazilian and U.S. companies.
Bethany S. Dickerson
Director of the Ralph Bunche Societies
Phelps Stokes Fund
Washington, D.C.
Ms. Dickerson's responsibilities include developing and supporting Ralph Bunche Societies at colleges and universities throughout the United States and abroad. The Ralph Bunche Societies are undergraduate student associations that develop leaders for a global society; encourage an active and engaged citizenry; raise awareness of living in an interdependent society; and promote the Ralph Bunche legacy of global scholarship and activism. The goals of the Ralph Bunche Societies are to tackle issues as relevant today as in Bunche’s time: 1) address the need for greater minority involvement in the international arena; 2) better prepare minority students to become full and active participants in the global community; 3) expand academic and career opportunities for students; 4) achieve heightened levels of self-awareness, cultural competency, and global interconnectedness; and 5) speak knowledgeably about current world events and the concept of “globalization.” Prior to joining the Phelps Stokes Fund, Dickerson built and maintained relationships with representatives of private foundations while working as a grant writer in the development/fundraising divisions of The New York Public Library, Thirteen/WNET New York, and the District of Columbia Public Schools. In addition, Dickerson spent four years as a Policy Advisor with the United States Senate Democratic Policy Committee (DPC). While at the DPC, she worked on a range of domestic policy issues, including education.
Dickerson earned a Master of Public Policy degree from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from the University of Virginia. She also has participated in numerous professional development workshops and conferences related to development/grantwriting and leadership development. Dickerson has studied abroad in Japan and Great Britain. She and her family have hosted exchange students from Japan, Paraguay, and Liberia. In addition to living in Japan and Great Britain, Dickerson has traveled to Canada, France, Ireland, Jamaica, Spain, St. Thomas, Tortola, and Virgin Gorda. Dickerson has taken courses in Spanish, a language in which she hopes to become fluent. She is an active member of the National Legal Aid and Defender Association and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Adelaide Ferguson
International Educator and Human Rights Program Consultant
Adelaide Ferguson is an international educator and human rights program consultant. She has worked in the field of international education for over 20 years, most recently as interim vice president for International Affairs at Temple University, where she oversaw Temple University’s extensive and varied international activities, including campuses in Japan and Italy, as well as program in China, London and many other locations around the world. She also served Assistant Dean for Graduate and International Programs at the Beasley School of Law, where she oversaw the expansion of the Law School’s international programs, contributing to the Law School’s ranking as 16th in International Law among all U.S. law schools. Her teaching experience includes an experiential legal skills course and introduction to the American Legal System.
Ms. Ferguson oversaw the development of a multi-faceted Rule of Law capacity-building program in China - which includes the first law degree ever approved by both the Chinese Ministry of Education and the American Bar Association - working with the U.S. State Department and the highest level Chinese ministries on the education of China’s judges, prosecutors, law professors, and government officials.
A member of the Executive Committee of NASULGC’s Commission on International Programs, she has also served in national leadership positions in the two major professional associations for legal education and is the recipient of two awards for social justice work. Ms. Ferguson is a graduate of Temple University and holds law degrees from Rutgers Camden University and Oxford University.
David Glines
Human Resources Advisor
National Institute of Standards and Technology
David Glines has worked in government at the city, county and federal levels. Highest rated instructor for the Conservation Academy sponsored by the American Zoological Association, management analyst for the federal government, marketing director for a producer of hybrid flower seeds, organization development manager in a $100 million not-for-profit corporation, chief steward representing 700 Teamsters, and administrator for one of the largest academic institutions in the world (City Colleges of Chicago in Rota, Spain!)- these are a few of the positions he has held.
Currently, David serves as the human capital program manager for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and prior to that, he served in the Office of the Secretary for the Department of Commerce as Oversight and Accountability Officer for the Office of Corporate Human Capital Strategy, with responsibility for human resources audits and human capital scorecards in 13 bureaus. Previously, he directed the Washington Services Branch of OPM's Center for Talent Services, assisting scores of agencies to recruit, hire, develop and manage their people. He managed projects that included senior executive service candidate development program design and evaluation, evaluation of recruiting strategies and return on investment, employment branding, labor and employee relations, position classification and organization design, hiring and workforce/succession planning. When he began working for OPM, it was with their Office of Effectiveness, where he assisted agencies evaluate how well their people were managed, and developed HRM accountability systems with large and small agencies such as the EPA, USDA and NSF.
His bachelor's degree is in the social sciences, with an emphasis on economics and psychology. After completing a master's in public administration in 2000 at the University of Maryland (Bowie State), David joined the federal government as a Presidential Management Fellow.
Efrain Gonzalez, Jr.
Chief of the Office of Business Development at the Minority Business Development Agency
Efrain Gonzalez, Jr. serves as the Chief of the Office of Business Development at the Minority Business Development Agency, US Department of Commerce. He is charged with overseeing the Agency’s programs, research, and efforts to increase business capacity, as well as, access to capital and markets for minority business enterprises (MBEs) nationwide. In all, he is responsible the successful implementation of nearly one-third of the Agency’s budget through its grant programs and over ninety percent of the agency’s MBE related performance outcomes. MBDA funded centers have assisted MBEs in posting over one billion dollars in economic activity and creating 2,500 jobs each year over the last several years.
Efrain is also responsible for fostering strategic relationships in support of minority businesses with other federal agencies, local governments, community partners, trade organizations, and corporate America. Much of his work within MBDA centers on facilitating more productive use of the Agency’s resources and streamlining Agency processes. He is currently engaged in the Agency’s consolidation of grants management. Earlier in his tenure at MBDA, he led the development and implementation of the performance evaluation system grantees use to report their activities and outcomes.
Before coming to the Department of Commerce, Efrain served as the Assistant Director of the District of Columbia’s Office of Local Business Development and Associate Director at the University of Southern California’s Business Expansion Network. He began his career counseling small and minority businesses and later managed the West Los Angeles Minority Business Development Center. He has assisted minority businesses to successfully obtain loans and procurement opportunities, and has coached business owners through the nationally syndicated Fast Trac© Entrepreneurial Training Program. Efrain knows the challenges that minority businesses’ face through his hands-on experience running his family’s business in East Los Angeles during the economic downturn of the early 1990’s. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California. He resides in Washington, DC with his wife.
Scott Markovitz
Industry Representative
Scott Markovitz is the founder and President of Showmark, LLC; a Philadelphia manufacturer of precision and general purpose winding equipment for optical fiber, fine wire, and other fine filaments. Showmark’s machines are used in the Telecommunications, Aerospace, Solar, and Fishing industries.
Scott graduated from the Pennsylvania State University in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Prior to founding Showmark, Scott spent fifteen years in sales and marketing of products ranging from industrial chemicals to sensors and robots. By the late 1990’s he had established a large base of customers in the burgeoning fiber optics industry. Showmark was established in 2000 after one of his clients asked if his employer at the time would build a machine for precisely winding their fiber optic wire. His employer turned the project down, and even though Scott had never designed any machinery, he took a chance and offered to build the system. Thanks to a very patient customer, the machine worked well. Since then, with valuable assistance from the Temple University SBDC and the U.S. Department of Commerce, Showmark has evolved from a one man basement operation into a multimillion dollar operation with an international network of representatives and distributors. It is headquartered in Exton, Pennsylvania. The company has since developed markets in other fields, but the fiber optics based telecommunications industry remains a key niche for the business.
Shawn M. Ricks
Office of the Western Hemisphere, Market Access and Compliance
International Trade Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
Ms. Ricks is a Senior International Trade Specialist for the International Trade Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce. As part of her responsibilities, she provides guidance on market access and compliance issues as they relate to NAFTA and business opportunities with Mexico and Canada. She has contributed to the development of U.S. trade policy in the Western Hemisphere for a number of U.S. bilateral and multilateral negotiations in the region, including the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), the U.S.- Chile Free Trade Agreement, and the U.S. -Central America- Dominican Republic FTA, as well as the U.S. free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and Peru. Most recently, Ms. Ricks was selected to be a member of a new regional coordination team created to facilitate the advancement of key strategic initiatives in the Americas that will enhance the region’s competitiveness and economic future.
Ms. Ricks is a graduate of Hampton University’s School of Business in Hampton, Virginia. She is the recipient of two Gold Medal Awards, the Department’s highest honor, as part of the NAFTA and Export Mexico Teams respectively. Ms. Ricks is also the recipient of the Department’s Bronze Medal Award for her contributions to the U.S. – Chile Free Trade Agreement negotiations. In 2008, she received a Silver Medal for her work on the inaugural Americas Competitiveness Forum, a hemisphere wide initiative that highlights programs and partnerships in the Western Hemisphere that incorporate the pillars of education and training; technology; and cooperation, to create greater economic prosperity.
Willie C. Taylor
Director
Philadelphia Regional Office
Economic Development Administration
As part of his responsibilities, Mr. Taylor provides managerial oversight for the agency’s financial resources and staff. He rejoined the EDA family in April 2008. Prior to his return to EDA, Mr. Taylor was employed by the Escambia County (FL) Board of County Commissioners in 2006 as the Assistant County Administrator for Community Services and Public Services agencies. He managed an annual budget in excess of $140 million and provided oversight for 1,100 employees covering eighteen departments, including the Public Safety, Fire Rescue, Purchasing Solid Waste Management and Community Corrections just to highlight a few. In his first stint with EDA, Mr. Taylor served as the Economic Development Representative for Florida and South Carolina for nearly a decade. His primary role was to further economic growth through job creation, increasing applied research & technology and funding infrastructure projects that assisted with the implementation of innovative economic development concepts.
In addition to working in Escambia County, Mr. Taylor’s local government experience includes nearly six years of employment with Miami-Dade County (FL) Government. In his tenure with Miami-Dade County, he held various administrative and professional positions within the Planning Department, the Housing Agency, the Solid Waste Management Department and the Office of Community and Economic Development. Mr. Taylor obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from Florida A & M University. He also holds a Master’s Degree in City and Regional Planning from Clemson University. Mr. Taylor is also the 2005 recipient of the United States Department of Commerce’s Silver Medal for Leadership for his role in assisting the State of Florida in the recovery phase from the natural disasters it suffered in 2004. This is the Commerce Department’s second highest award.