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 to gain practical, real-world insights.

Interested in connecting with the 2025-2026 Executives in Residence?

Attend Meet & Greet virtual programs to hear about their expertise and valuable insights. Each session will include Q&A with participants. Upcoming dates will be announced soon!
- Rosa Maria Castaneda (MPP '06), Founder and Managing Director, THE 2045 PROJECT, a fiscally sponsored initiative of the Amalgamated Foundation
- Clark Mercer (MPP '05), Executive Director, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
- Nish Acharya (MPA '01), Chief Executive Officer, Equal Innovation; Visiting Scholar, Atlantic Council; Co-Chair, Education Brain Trust, XPRIZE; Contributor, Forbes
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.

Rosa Maria Castaneda (MPP '06)

Founder and Managing Director, THE 2045 PROJECT, a fiscally sponsored initiative of the Amalgamated Foundation

Racial Equity and Economic Opportunity
Strategic Philanthropy
Data-Driven Policy and Advocacy
Latino Economic Opportunity and Civic Engagement
Family and Child Policy

Clark Mercer (MPP '05)

Executive Director, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

State and Local Government
From Good Idea to Law: Implementing Public Policy
Change Management & Building Incredible Teams
Balancing Political and Career Staff & Priorities
Stakeholder Engagement and Legislative Strategy

Nish Acharya (MPA '01)

Chief Executive Officer, Equal Innovation; Visiting Scholar, Atlantic Council; Co-Chair, Education Brain Trust, XPRIZE; Contributor, Forbes

Innovation – how it happens, where it happens and how it leads to products and services that we need to
Entrepreneurship – the process by which people launch organizations – for-profit or non-profit, and grow them
Economic Development Policy – how regions, cities and countries develop strategies for vibrant economies and high paying jobs
International Trade Policy – the way in which different countries set import/export policy and challenges to sharing technology
India / US-India: The shared opportunity and ongoing challenges between the bilateral relationship

2025 - 2026 Executive in Residence Bios

Rosa Maria Castaneda (MPP '06)

Rosa Maria Castaneda is a strategic philanthropic leader with over two decades of experience advancing racial equity and economic opportunity through America's premier national foundations and investment networks. She specializes in designing and executing high-impact initiatives that integrate advocacy, policy development, and community mobilization while building data-driven organizational strategies.

As Founder and Managing Director of THE 2045 PROJECT, a fiscally sponsored initiative of the Amalgamated Foundation, Castaneda leads a comprehensive, data-driven analysis examining the critical gap between the size and influence of America's Latino community and the philanthropic investment it receives. Through rigorous research and strategic case studies, the project aims to catalyze informed discourse among philanthropic leaders about the Latino community's essential role in ensuring democratic resilience and economic vitality over the next two decades. Working alongside data scientists, leading scholars as well as influential civic, political and philanthropic figures, the initiative takes an evidence-based, non-partisan approach to identifying high-potential areas for philanthropic investment that can strengthen Latino civic and political engagement infrastructure and economic mobility.

Previously, as Director at Omidyar Network, she spearheaded comprehensive equity-centered investment strategies and expanded the firm's partnerships in support of these initiatives. As Racial Justice Initiative Director at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, she developed cutting-edge approaches to racial equity philanthropy. At the Annie E. Casey Foundation, she co-architected one of the nation's largest state and federal advocacy campaigns, successfully overturning anti-immigrant policies while reorienting foundation funding to prioritize economic mobility in southern states. Castaneda began her philanthropic career at Pew Charitable Trusts following a decade of policy research at leading institutions including the Urban Institute, Center for Law and Social Policy, and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, where she conducted rigorous analysis on economic and racial disparities.

Education & Governance

BA in Sociology, American University
MSc in Research Methodology, London School of Economics
MPP in Public Policy, George Washington University
Board Member, Hispanics in Philanthropy

A former child refugee to the United States, Castaneda brings lived experience and unwavering commitment to reimagining philanthropy's role in building a just, multiracial democracy.

Clark Mercer (MPP '05)

Clark Mercer is the Executive Director of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG). In this role, he is responsible for the nonprofit association’s overall administration, supporting the Board of Directors and policy committees, and representing COG before a variety of government, business, and other stakeholder organizations. COG’s membership is comprised of 24 local governments throughout the National Capital Region including the District of Columbia and localities in northern Virginia and suburban Maryland. COG coordinates a wide range of activities throughout the tri-state region such as transportation planning, homeland security and public safety, housing and homelessness, water infrastructure, air quality, and energy.

With more than 20 years of experience in the public, private, and civic sectors, Mr. Mercer previously served as Chief of Staff to Virginia Governor Ralph Northam for eight years. During this time, Virginia was named the best state for business by MSNBC a record three times, had the lowest recidivism rate in the country, Medicaid expansion was passed extending healthcare to over 700,000 Virginians, the minimum wage increased for the first time in a generation, the death penalty was abolished, and major investments were made in clean energy including offshore wind, teacher pay, and access to universal PreK and community college.

Prior to his role serving the Governor of Virginia, Mr. Mercer served on the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan, a bipartisan, Congressional commission chartered with evaluating and making recommendations to Congress to improve contracting and oversight in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mr. Mercer also worked for U.S. Senator Mark Warner and was a member of the inaugural Fellows Program at LMI.

Born and raised in Alexandria, Virginia, Mr. Mercer received a Master of Public Policy from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, Leadership Greater Washington, and Cornerstone Craftsman. Mr. Mercer lives in Alexandria with his wife, Kelly, two children, Everett and Cecilia, and his two labs, Sprout and Teddy.

Nish Acharya (MPA '01)

Nish Acharya leads Equal Innovation, a leading global organization focused on transformative change and impact through innovation and entrepreneurship. Equal Innovation is one of the largest intermediary organizations for impact-organizations to connect with policy makers, funders and corporations. Mr. Acharya is also a Visiting Scholar with the Atlantic Council, writes for Forbes, and served as the Economic lead at Clinton Global Initiative. He authored, “The India-US Partnership: $1 Trillion By 2030” by Oxford University Press.

Nish previously served as Director of Innovation & Entrepreneurship and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Commerce for the Obama Administration, and as Executive Director of the Deshpande Foundation, a prominent American philanthropy focused on innovation, entrepreneurship, as a Senior Fellow with the Center for American Progress, and also served in the Administration of President Bill Clinton. He has been quoted prominently worldwide in the New York times, Economist, Newsweek, Economic Times, India Today, BBC, Bloomberg and NDTV.

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)

(Meet & Greet Video (15 minutes)

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)

(Meet & Greet Video (15 Minutes)

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

(Meet & Greet video - 15 minutes)

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

(Meet & Greet video - 20 minutes)

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

(Meet & Greet video - 20 minutes)

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.