The Civil Service Defense and Innovation Fellowship Program is a flagship initiative of Civil Service Strong at Democracy Forward. Designed in response to escalating threats to the professional, nonpartisan civil service, the fellowship activates former federal employees as researchers, storytellers, and strategic organizers.
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Farrah Buff - Benefits
Farrah Buff brings 18 years of federal leadership experience strengthening the programs that serve vulnerable children and families.Farrah spent nine years at USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), where she most recently served as Director of External and Governmental Affairs. In this role, she spearheaded the rebuilding of the agency's legislative affairs and external engagement functions. Her team's strategic engagement campaigns paved the way for stronger nutrition standards in school meals and supported the enactment and implementation of a permanent summer grocery program for low-income children. Previously at FNS, Farrah worked in Child Nutrition programs, where she supported state efforts to streamline school meal certification and helped establish an emergency food assistance program for low-income families during the pandemic.Before joining FNS, Farrah spent nine years at the Office of Management and Budget, focused on critical safety net programs including SNAP, Head Start, and child welfare. She also worked on Social Security and budget issues as a detailee to the Senate Finance Committee.
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Caroline Chang - Education
Caroline Chang has an extensive background in research and management in the federal government, higher education, and good governance nonprofits.Inspired by internships at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Caroline joined the Department of Education’s Office of Educational Research and Improvement (later to become the Institute of Education Sciences) as a Presidential Management Fellow. Caroline was moved to join the Partnership for Public Service, where she helped launch research, education, and outreach programs. As an advisor and chief of staff to two Chief Human Capital Officers at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Caroline facilitated a human capital strategic plan to unify and elevate the strengths of the different DHS components. Before returning to the Department of Education to advance postsecondary access and federal student aid, Caroline created and led programs for the Penn Wharton Public Policy Initiative, Council for Higher Education Accreditation, and Convergence Center for Policy Resolution. Caroline holds degrees from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton.

Mary Comans - Emergency Management and Disaster Response
‍Mary Comans is a public finance and resilience leader with nearly two decades of service at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). She began her federal career as a Presidential Management Fellow and went on to hold leadership roles across many of DHS’s major operational components and at headquarters, culminating in her appointment as Chief Financial Officer at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). As FEMA’s CFO from 2017 to 2025, she oversaw a $32 billion annual budget and secured more than $300 billion in supplemental appropriations to help communities recover from disasters. Her tenure was marked by modernizing FEMA’s financial systems, advancing the use of artificial intelligence and automation in decision-making, and leading field operations during Hurricane Helene. Mary holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Fordham University, a master’s in Public Administration from New York University, and a master’s in National Security and Resource Strategy from the National Defense University.
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Daniel Delgado - Public Safety and Law Enforcement
Daniel served for more than a decade at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where he most recently served as the acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Immigration Policy. Prior to this role, Daniel served as the Director for Border and Immigration Policy at DHS, as well as in numerous senior roles at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), where he advised agency leadership on policy and legislative matters related to asylum, DACA, TPS, and other critical immigration issues.Daniel holds an M.A. in Latin American Studies from the School of Foreign Service (SFS) at Georgetown University, a graduate certificate in refugees and humanitarian emergencies from the Institute for the Study of International Migration, and a B.A. in Political Science from Purdue University.
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Daniel Goetzel - Economic Development
‍Over the past three years, Daniel Goetzel served as Director of Strategic Partnerships for the National Science Foundation (NSF)’s Technology, Innovation and Partnerships Directorate and as the first Entrepreneurial Lead for the NSF Regional Innovation Engines Program—both created under the CHIPS and Science Act. He helped stand up the new Directorate, design and run over $3 B worth of innovation and economic development programs, and launch new public-private partnerships involving philanthropy and the venture capital community. He was detailed to the US Department of Commerce to work on their CHIPS team, including launching an investment fund and building partnership models around its Tech Hubs program. Prior to that, he led a $100 million public-private partnership focused on cyber entrepreneurship.Daniel served as the inaugural Director of Innovation at Johns Hopkins University, where he focused on innovation, economic development, and corporate partnership strategy. He began his career in Maryland, working for Governor Martin O’Malley in various senior roles. Currently, he serves as an advisor to Station DC, Georgetown University's Tech Commercialization team, Stanford's High Impact Technology Fund, and is a fellow at Harvard.
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Karen Hacker - Healthcare & Public Health
‍Karen Hacker, MD, MPH, is the former Director of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the CDC (2019 to 2025), where she oversaw a budget of $1.4B and a staff of 1000. Dr. Hacker has over two decades of leadership experience in the public sector, serving at the city, county, and federal levels. Her expertise spans public health, policy, healthcare, and research. Prior to CDC, she was the Director of the Allegheny County Health Department in PA. She is also widely published with over 100 peer-reviewed articles and an expert in community-based participatory research.Dr. Hacker has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Yale University, a medical degree (MD) from Northwestern University School of Medicine, and a Master of Public Health (MPH from Boston University School of Public Health. She is currently an Adjunct Professor at the Emory Rollins School of Public Health and Morehouse School of Medicine.
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Dave Marsh - Senior Fellow
‍Dave held several roles in the Biden-Harris administration, most recently as the Chief of Staff at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), where he led high-profile initiatives and built teams dedicated to supporting federal workers and improving government effectiveness. Prior to that, he served as Director for Economic Mobility at the White House Domestic Policy Council, as Deputy Chief of Staff at OPM, and as a member of the Biden-Harris transition team. In the Obama administration, he served at the Office of Management and Budget and as an advisor to the OPM director. Outside of government, Dave has worked at the Markle Foundation and at Pew Charitable Trusts, where he advanced state-level policies in economic mobility, workforce development, post-secondary education, and criminal justice. He has also worked on political campaigns, including President Obama's reelection campaign and several other statewide and Congressional races. He holds a BA in political science from Williams College.

Mark Mittelhauser - Labor and Workers
‍Mark Mittelhauser served as an Associate Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Labor, helping to direct hundreds of millions of dollars to international labor programs, advocating globally for U.S. labor policies and priorities, and combating international child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking. Mark previously worked at the Department of State as Director of the Office of International Labor Affairs, leading efforts to strengthen labor diplomacy and report on violations of international labor and human rights.Mark also served in São Paulo, Brazil, as the U.S. Labor Attaché and received the Award for Excellence in Labor Diplomacy for his efforts to combat forced labor. Mark began his federal career at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, where he led a team of economists in producing employment projections for the U.S. manufacturing and other sectors. Mark received an MA in International Development from American University and a BS in Economics from Carnegie Mellon University.
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Heather Moss - Civil Rights
‍Heather M. Moss brings nearly two decades of experience as a federal civil rights attorney, division chief, policy counsel, litigator, law professor, mediator, and bridger across high-level civil service and private practice settings. Previously, Heather served as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s inaugural Title VI Compliance Division Chief and conducted complex civil rights enforcement investigations and compliance reviews in the U.S. Department of Justice. Heather’s expertise spans federal civil rights law, labor and employment law, tribal law, environmental justice, voting rights and election law, policy design and analysis, and legal research and writing. She has taught at Georgetown University Law Center and the University of California, Berkeley School of Law as an adjunct professor and lecturer. Heather graduated magna cum laude from Bryn Mawr College with special honors in political science from Haverford College and earned her Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center, where she served as a Law Fellow.

‍Nicole Nedd - Veterans
‍Nicole Nedd served at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in roles in clinical, administrative, and educational settings. She worked in clinical, administrative, and educational roles where  she implemented educational programs, telehealth solutions, and workforce strategies to help achieve the Department’s goals.Her nursing experience has played a pivotal role in creating solutions that helped the VA meet the changing needs of the healthcare industry, foster innovation, and prepare the next generation of healthcare leaders. Nicole holds a Doctor of Education degree from Florida International University, a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Miami, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Florida.

Esmeralda Pereira - Healthcare and Public Health
Esmeralda Pereira worked at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for over two decades.  Most of her time at HHS was with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response where her roles included coordinating federal disaster recovery efforts and directing the Medical Reserve Corps program.  Esmeralda also worked in the HHS Office of Budget and at the Health Resources and Services Administration.  Prior to federal service, Esmeralda worked in several community-based and advocacy nonprofit organizations.  Esmeralda holds an M.S. from the Harvard School of Public Health and a B.A. in political science from Yale University.
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‍John Pierce - Tax Enforcement & Consumer Protection
‍John most recently worked at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a senior advisor to the Chief Transformation Officer and the Commissioner. In that capacity, he led the strategic planning process for multi-billion-dollar investments authorized under the Inflation Reduction Act to modernize IRS operations and service delivery. Prior to his federal service, John spent most of his career working for municipal governments, including his hometown of Philadelphia and San Francisco. In San Francisco, he led the Office of Cannabis, where he designed and delivered a significant reorganization that more than tripled the speed of permit issuance. He also worked as a consultant for the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and currently owns and operates a consulting practice that helps mayors, city managers, and Senior Executive Service members design and implement end-to-end strategies for solving complex problems.

‍Angelica “Angie” Quirarte - Senior Fellow 
‍Angie has held senior roles across state and federal government, most recently as Senior Advisor for Talent Strategy and Service Delivery at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), where she advanced the President’s Management Agenda and helped lead the federal AI talent surge. Previously, she served as Deputy Director of California’s Office of Digital Innovation and as Assistant Secretary for Digital Engagement at the Government Operations Agency, where she led statewide digital service efforts, the Civil Service Improvement Initiative, and policies on open data and open source. She also helped lead California’s COVID-19 digital response, supported the transformation of the Department of Motor Vehicles, and led the federal portfolio at the Tech Talent Project, placing senior technologists into critical government roles. Angie is the founder of NxtGov, a network supporting and connecting public servants. Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, she holds a BA in History of Public Policy from UC Santa Barbara.

‍John Rapp - Food and Agriculture 
‍John Rapp previously served as Budget Director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Forest Service, where he led efforts to strengthen budget transparency, modernize performance systems, and align financial management with mission delivery across agriculture, rural development, natural resource, and food programs. Over more than two decades in federal service, he worked to bridge policy, operations, and congressional engagement in support of effective government. His experience includes leading department-wide performance initiatives and advising senior leaders on strategic planning and accountability.

‍Viccy Salazar - Energy & Environment
‍Viccy Salazar is a mission-driven executive with three decades of public service advancing climate resilience, equity, and institutional trust. At the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), she led national strategies embedding equity and adaptation into federal programs serving more than 2,500 communities. She co-authored EPA’s 2022–2026 Strategic Plan on climate and justice and designed the agency’s first performance system for climate resilience. Viccy also founded EcoLearn, a nonprofit empowering students to lead civic climate action in their schools and communities.Her leadership blends humility with accountability, mentoring diverse teams, and aligning mission with measurable impact. She is committed to strengthening democratic institutions through inclusive, equity-centered climate action.

‍Catharine Young - Science & Technology
‍Dr. Catharine Young is a global health and science policy leader with extensive experience driving innovation at the intersection of government, research, and public impact. She most recently served at the White House as Assistant Director for Cancer Moonshot Policy and International Engagement, where she led partnerships across governments, the private sector, and civil society to accelerate progress against cancer worldwide. Previously, she served as Senior Science and Innovation Policy Advisor at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., and as Senior Director of Science Policy at the Biden Cancer Initiative. A former American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellow at the U.S. Department of Defense, she helped lead international engagements on biosafety, biosecurity, and pandemic response. Dr. Young holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences and completed postdoctoral training in Biomedical Engineering. She is committed to strengthening public institutions, advancing evidence-based policy, and rebuilding trust in the role of science and public service in society.