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Trachtenberg School of Public Policy & Public Administration

Columbian College of Arts & Sciences

Executive in Residence Program

Experience the Trachtenberg Difference. Our Executive in Residence (EIR) program offers exclusive access for our Trachtenberg community to engage with accomplished alumni and gain practical, real-world insights.     

 Interested in connecting with the Spring 2025 Executives in Residence?     

  • Attend Meet & Greet virtual programs to hear about their expertise and valuable insights. Each session will include Q&A with participants.  
  • Interested students and alumni will  be able to fill out this brief form to receive more details for scheduling a 30-minute informational meeting and/or small group networking sessions. As there are a limited number of meeting spots, it will be available on a first-come, first-served  basis.
Zeita Merchant

Rear Admiral Zeita Merchant ('10)

Commander, Personnel Service Center, U.S. Coast Guard

  • Crisis Leadership
  • National Security
  • Talent Acquisition and Management
  • Change Management
  • Civil Service/Public Service
  • Governmental and External Affairs
Kathleen Enright

Kathleen Enright ('96)

President and CEO, Council on Foundations

  • Philanthropy
  • Nonprofit management and governance
  • Change management
  • Nonprofit ecosystem
  • Philanthropic best practices
Jonathan Friebert

Jonathan Friebert ('95)

Senior Manager of Public Policy, Amazon

  • Business and Third-Party Advocacy
  • Navigating Public Policy Careers in the Private Sector
  • Stakeholder Engagement and Coalition Building
  • Competition and Technology Policy
  • Consumer and Product Safety

Spring 2025 Executive in Residence Bios

Zeita Merchant ('10)

Rear Admiral Zeita Merchant assumed the duties of Commander, Personnel Service Center (PSC) in Washington, D.C., in June 2024. In this capacity, she is responsible for executing the Coast Guard’s human resource and talent management policies by recruiting, accessing, assigning, developing careers, maintaining well-being, compensating, separating, and retiring the nearly 45,000 members of the active duty and reserve workforces. Prior to her assignment to PSC, Rear Admiral Merchant served as the Commander, U.S. Coast Guard Sector New York and Captain of the Port, where she demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the safety, security, and sustainability of our Nation’s most consequential marine transportation system. Her unmatched operational expertise in leading large-scale, multi-jurisdictional incident responses solidifies her status as one of the Coast Guard’s top certified emergency managers and crisis response leaders. 

Rear Admiral Merchant is a career operations ashore officer with tours across multiple units with a concentration in marine safety and security operations. Her operational excellence spans directing operations across Lake Michigan and along the Western Rivers as Commanding Officer, Marine Safety Unit Chicago. She also served as Executive Officer, Marine Safety Unit Texas City, Chief of Port Operations at Sector Miami and as a Marine Inspector and Port Operations Officer at Marine Safety Office New Orleans. Beyond operational roles, her strategic insight has been pivotal serving as Special Assistant to the 27th and 28th Vice Commandants, an U.S. Congressional Fellow, and an Executive Strategic Planner. 

Rear Admiral Merchant's academic achievements include a Doctor of Business Administration, Master of Quality Systems Management, Master of Public Administration, and a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Her commitment to academic excellence is further exemplified by her fellowships at both Harvard Kennedy School of Government's Belfer and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Seminar XXI National Security and Foreign Affairs. 

Rear Admiral Merchant's accolades include a Legion of Merit, multiple Meritorious Service Medals, Coast Guard Commendation and Achievement Medals, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medals, Commandant's Letters of Commendation, and prestigious civic honors including two honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees. She is also the Coast Guard’s 2018 Captain David H. Jarvis Inspirational Leadership Award winner and an Honorary Chief. Rear Admiral Merchant's legacy extends beyond operational prowess with her dedication to philanthropy, volunteerism, and mentorship of future leaders, solidifying her inspirational role within the military landscape and leaving an enduring impact on the Coast Guard and the Nation.

Kathleen Enright ('96)

Widely respected as a mission-driven leader and coalition builder, Kathleen Enright joined the Council as President and CEO in 2019. Under Kathleen’s leadership, the Council launched its new strategy to make philanthropy a trusted partner in addressing society’s most pressing challenges. 

For the majority of her professional life, Kathleen has focused on making the philanthropic sector more inclusive and effective including during her tenure as founding President and CEO of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO), and as the group director of marketing and communications for BoardSource.

Kathleen is a recipient of the Distinguished Public Service Award from the George Washington University Chapter of Pi Alpha Alpha, a public administration honor society. She holds a bachelor’s degree from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master’s of public administration from The George Washington University.
Kathleen co-chaired the Vision Design Group of the United Philanthropy Forum (formerly the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers) and has served on the advisory boards of The Center for Effective Philanthropy and the Midge Smith Center for Evaluation Effectiveness.

Kathleen speaks and writes regularly on issues of nonprofit and grantmaker effectiveness at national and regional gatherings of executives and trustees.

Jonathan Friebert ('95)

Jonathan Friebert is a distinguished public affairs executive with over 25 years of experience spanning
Fortune 50 companies, government, and nonprofits. He has demonstrated exceptional ability to
navigate complex legislative landscapes, build strategic partnerships, and drive positive policy outcomes
at federal, state, and local levels. His expertise spans technology policy, retail regulation, food and
beverage industry issues, product safety and public health policy, complemented by strong capabilities
in strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and coalition building.

Currently a Senior Manager of Public Policy at Amazon, he leads advocacy efforts for third-party sellers
in retail and e-commerce. His career includes roles at Microsoft, PepsiCo, UL, LLC, and JD.com. A former
Clinton Administration appointee at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, he holds both
an MPA and a BA from The George Washington University.

Beyond his professional roles, Jonathan has been actively involved in improving youth sports, including
serving as president of his local little league and as a Board Member for the Positive Coaching Alliance's
Seattle Chapter. He also served on The George Washington University Board of Trustees. Jonathan is
based in Washington, D.C., with his family and dogs.

Fall 2024 Executive in Residence Bios

Chad Davis, MPP '01

Chad Davis is vice president for government affairs at the Cato Institute. He leads both federal and state government affairs, with responsibility for strategically engaging government officials throughout all levels and branches of government.  

Prior to joining the Cato Institute, Davis was the senior adviser for policy and regulation to the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Before that, he served as deputy to the chairman for external affairs at the FDIC, where he led several teams, including the Congressional Affairs Office and the Office of Communications. Davis has also worked at the Federal Reserve and in several roles for the US Congress, including seven years at the Senate Banking Committee.  

Davis holds a BA in economics from Monmouth College and an MPP from the George Washington University. 

Cathy Helm, MPA '80

Cathy L. Helm served as the Inspector General for the Smithsonian Institution from July 2014 through August 2023 when she retired.  As the Inspector General, she oversaw an office of auditors, special agents, and other staff; and she reported directly to the Smithsonian Board of Regents and Congress.  The office conducts audits and investigations relating to Smithsonian programs and operations; keeps the Board of Regents and Congress informed about problems and deficiencies; promotes efficiency and effectiveness within the Smithsonian; and prevents and detects cases of fraud, waste, and abuse.

In addition, Ms. Helm served as the Vice Chair of the Audit Committee for the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) and the Chair of CIGIE’s working group of inspectors general for small Offices of Inspectors General (OIG).  She serves on the George Washington University’s Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration’s Advisory Board and the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) Advisory Council on Government Auditing Standards.

Prior to joining the Smithsonian, Ms. Helm worked at GAO where she served in various roles in Washington, D.C., and Frankfurt, Germany.  In her last position as deputy inspector general, she helped lead the audit and investigative programs as well as the office’s transition from an administrative to a statutory OIG.  During her GAO career, she managed multi-disciplinary audit teams that evaluated a variety of government programs, including agriculture, defense, energy, environmental protection, federal land management, international affairs, procurement, and transportation.

Ms. Helm graduated from George Washington University with a master’s in public administration and was a Wolcott Fellow.  She earned her bachelor’s degree with magna cum laude honors at Western Kentucky University. 

Omar Woodard, MPA '07

Omar Woodard is executive director at HRS Management, a single family office and private investment platform of Josh Harris, co-founder of Apollo Global Management, founder of 26North, and managing general partner of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE). 

Prior to joining HRS, Omar was Vice President of Solutions at Results for America (RFA), where he advised government leaders on using data and evidence in policymaking, and supported collaborative, community-led efforts across the U.S. to accelerate economic mobility. He also founded Woodard Impact, an global philanthropy advisory firm that prepares leaders – and the people that advise them – for the future of philanthropy, corporate responsibility, and social justice. 

Omar spent nearly ten years as a social impact investor in roles as executive director of GreenLight Fund Philadelphia, and principal at Venture Philanthropy Partners. He spent his early career in global, federal, state, and local government affairs across a range of roles: registered federal lobbyist at the Whitaker Group, policy director for the PA State Senate Minority Whip, policy director for a Philadelphia mayoral campaign, and urban policy aide to a U.S. Congressman and appropriator. 

A North Philadelphia native and resident, Omar serves on the boards of the United Way of Greater Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies (PACT), and the Independence Public Media Foundation, where he chairs the Investments committee. He was a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and held fellowships with the Institute for Emerging Health Professions at Thomas Jefferson University, the Association of Black Foundation Executives, and the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress. 

Omar received a M.P.A. in Nonprofit Management, and a B.A. in International Affairs (Economics, Arabic) and a minor in public policy, both from George Washington University, where he was a Presidential Fellow. He completed executive education in philanthropy at Penn, and in nonprofit governance at Harvard Business School where he received the Hansjoerg Wyss Award for Social Enterprise.