See who participated in 2012-2012 and came to Duke to discuss their career path and current work sector.

1. CAREER CENTER
Fannie Mitchell
Expert in Residence Program FY12
The Fannie Mitchell Expert-in-Residence program features accomplished
professionals who come to Duke to share specialized knowledge and
provide individual career advice to students. The program’s purpose is to
stimulate new ideas and provide advising for students who are searching for
career direction. Expert-in-Residence encourages collaboration on and off
campus by providing opportunities for Duke faculty, administrators, alumni,
employer partners and students to recommend a professional who they
would like to bring to campus.
Over 275 students participated in the 2011-12 Expert in Residence program,
which inlcuded large group sessions, round table discussions and one-on-
one advising.
Fileds represented by previous speakers included advertising, arts, business
development, consulting, corporate diversity initiatives, engineering,
entertainment, environment, finance, government, health, international
for more information affairs, life science, media, pharmacology, and technology.
Duke University Career Center 2011-12 Fannie Mitchell Expert in Residence Professionals:
114 S. Buchanan Blvd, Bay 5
Box 90950
Durham, NC 27708 Laura Blackwelder T‘01
Director of Development, The Synetic Theater
(919) 660-1050
Laura Blackwelder graduated with a major in Public Policy Studies and a minor in
www.studentaffairs.duke.edu/ Art History. Laura started her career at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in
career Washington, D.C. working in the Director’s Office. She then moved to the Development
department managing the annual benefit, ARTrageous, the membership program, and
database operations. After leaving the Smithsonian, she began working at Synetic
Theater in Arlington, Virginia as Director of Development. In this role Laura manages
all fundraising operations. Laura serves as a Board Member for Duke’s Young Alumni
Development Council. She is a member of the Junior League of Washington, where she
volunteers as Chair for the Horton’s Kids Committee.

2. CAREER CENTERT
Fannie Mitchell
Expert In Residence Program FY12
Paula Ehrlich, DVM, PhD T’84
CEO & President, Drug Discovery Center of Innovation
Paula Ehrlich, DVM, PhD is President & CEO of the Drug Discovery Center of Innovation
and previously served as Vice President & Chief Scientific Officer. Prior she was
Senior Director of Scientific Affairs at Ansaris, which she joined as Senior Director of
Translational Biology. Dr. Ehrlich also held positions at Merck Research Laboratories,
culminating in her role as Preclinical Oncology Imaging Lead & Associate Franchise
Director. Dr. Ehrlich has a B.S. in Zoology from Duke University, a Masters degree in
Environmental Planning from the University of Virginia, a DVM from the Virginia-Maryland
Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, and a PhD in Bone Physiology from the Royal
Veterinary College, University College London. She has Six Sigma Green Belt training and
is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Gayle Laakman McDowell
Founder and CEO of CareerCup.com
Gayle Laakmann McDowell is the founder and CEO of CareerCup.com and the author of
Cracking the Coding Interview and The Google Resume. Gayle has worked as a Software
Engineer for Google, Microsoft and Apple and has extensive interviewing experience on
both sides of the table. Gayle holds a BSE and MSE from UPenn in Computer Science,
and an MBA from the Wharton School.
Jonathan Perelman
Industry Relations Manager, Google
At Google, Perelman is responsible for brand identity initiatives and relationship
management with advertising industry groups and advertising thought leaders. He
also works to align the company’s business and public policy priorities. In addition,
Perelman serves as co-chair of Google New York’s Community Affairs team, which seeks
to use technology to improve the community through partnerships with non-profit and
educational institutions
Dave Powell, ’82
Director of Polymer Composites and Structures, Southern Research Institute
Mr. Powell has 27 years in composites and materials R&D. He is Director of the Polymer
Composites and Structures Department of Southern Research Institute. He serves on
the AIAA Materials Technical Committee and various engineering councils. Previously,
he led the Polymer Matrix Composites Group of Triton Systems in design, development,
and production of composite structures for aerospace and commercial applications, was
GM of RANOR, Inc., and managed materials and testing groups at Composite Optics. Mr.
Powell received his BSME/MS in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science.
Rebecca Rosen
Republican Professional Staff Member & Advisor to Senator Lisa Murkowski, Senate
Energy & Natural Resources Committee
Rebecca Rosen is a Republican Professional Staff Member and Advisor to Senator Lisa
Murkowski. Previously, she was a senior financial consultant at PFC Energy, an analyst
in the Global Investment Group at a Franklin Templeton International boutique private
equity firm, and worked at Wachovia Securities, focusing on commodities and equities
research. Rebecca received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the School of International
Service at American University, majoring in international affairs, with a concentration in
international economics.

3. CAREER CENTERT
Fannie Mitchell
Expert In Residence Program FY12
Todd Sears, T’98
Founder and Principal, Coda Leadership Consulting
Todd Sears is the founder and Principal of Coda Leadership Consulting LLC, which
helps companies move diversity beyond traditional programs and integrate it into
business objectives. A former investment banker at Schroders and DeSilva & Phillips
and financial advisor at Merrill Lynch, Todd created the first national team of financial
advisors on Wall Street to focus on the LGBT community. Since that time, he has led
diversity initiatives at Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse. His project, Out on the Street,
was the first-ever LGBT leadership summit on Wall Street.
Ted Sullivan, MBA, T’99
Co-Founder & CEO, GameChanger Media
Ted Sullivan, a Duke baseball player, was drafted in 1999 by the Cleveland Indians and
pitched in their minor leagues. During his playing career, Ted co-founded Headfirst
Camps. After receiving an MBA from Harvard Business School, he worked as Director
of Marketing and Business Development at Rave Mobile Safety. Ted’s passions
inspired him to start GameChanger Media in 2009. The GameChanger mobile app
and website provide scorekeeping, stats, live game updates and recap stories for
thousands of teams, from Little League to Division 1 college programs.
Max Wallace, T’74
Chief Executive Officer, Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure
Max Wallace is Chief Executive Officer of Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure, an
entrepreneurial not-for-profit organization that seeks to develop new treatments and
a cure for brain cancer. Prior to that, Max was CEO of TheraLogics, co-founded and
served as President of Trimeris and founded and developed other biopharmaceutical
companies. Max also spent 10 years on staff at Duke University and practiced law in
Florida. Max graduated from Duke University in 1974 and received his JD degree from
the University of Florida in 1977.
Jeff Weiss, JD, MPP, T’94
Senior Director for Technical Barriers to Trade, Office of the United States Trade
Representative
As the Senior Director for Technical Barriers to Trade, Jeff Weiss has lead
responsibility for negotiating international trade agreements on behalf of the U.S.
Prior to this position, Mr. Weiss served as Assistant General Counsel at USTR and
Assistant Legal Advisor at the Mission of the United States to the WTO in Geneva,
Switzerland. Mr. Weiss also served as tax and trade counsel to U.S. Senator Jay
Rockefeller (D-WV) and as an international trade law associate at Collier Shannon
Scott in Washington, DC. He has a JD from Harvard Law School and an MPP from
Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Kasey White, T’96
Director for Geoscience Policy, the Geological Society of America
Kasey White joined The Geological Society of America in 2011 and most recently
served as Project Director in The American Association for the Advancement
of Science Office of Government Relations. White formerly served as Director
of Public Affairs for the Joint Oceanographic Institutions. She worked with the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as a co-editor of Climate Change 2001:
Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability, and earned a share of the 2007 Nobel Peace
Prize. White also worked for the American Geological Institute’s Government Affairs
Program and has a B.A. in Environmental Science and Policy from Duke University
and a M.A. in Environmental Sciences from The Johns Hopkins University.