Nine members of the Class of 2015 have been selected as Leadership Fellows at Elon University School of Law. Three members of the Class of 2014 have joined the Fellows program as well, bringing the total number of student and alumni Leadership Fellows to 37.
Leadership Fellows from the Class of 2015 are: John Boschini, Julie Dogan, Chris Genheimer, Katie Lester, Ernest Lewis, Jr., Jack Parker, Emily Seawell, Shoshanna Silverberg and Daniel Watts. New members of the Fellows cohort for the Class of 2014 are: Kelsey Roth, Andrew Scott and Erica Weatherford. Brief biographical information about each new fellow is included below.
The Leadership Fellows program at Elon Law was established in fall 2009. Students invited into the program have demonstrated exceptional leadership through community, collegiate, military or other leadership experiences, as well as academic achievement. They identify, through an essay in the Fellows application process, how the leadership skills they have acquired could be further developed at Elon, in the practice of law and in their communities.
Throughout the school year, Leadership Fellows meet in small groups with visiting scholars and speakers at the law school. They also have formed committees on service and community engagement, curricular development, and leadership programs and lectures. In 2011, they established the online Journal of Leadership in the Law. The Leadership Fellows section of the Elon Law website includes reports on Fellows’ summer employment experiences and third-year capstone projects.
Leadership Fellows of the Class of 2015
John Boschini
A 2010 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Boschini majored in media studies with a concentration in film and television production. From May 2008 to May 2010, Boschini served as Editor-in-Chief of The Carolinian student newspaper. During his time as Editor-in-Chief, The Carolinian introduced podcasts, blogs and multi-media content to the publication’s website. His professional experience includes employment as an editorial assistant with the Greensboro News & Record, staff writer for Soccer By Ives, and financial assistant with Carson-Dellosa Publishing. Boschini served as a camp counselor at The Vineyard Camp from 2004-2008.
Julie A. Dogan
Julie A. Dogan is a former member of the United States Bobsled Team and a member of the U.S. Women’s 2007 World Championship Team. She has worked with the United States Bobsled/Skeleton Federation and has represented the U.S. Women’s Bobsled Team at nonprofit events. She is a graduate of Appalachian State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree, became a member of Gamma Beta Phi academic honor society, and served as Vice President of the Appalachian International Communication Association. In 1997, Dogan studied abroad at Oxford University, Oxford, England. Her volunteer experience includes service in youth-focused and domestic violence services programs.
Christopher W. Genheimer
A 2002 cum laude graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology, Genheimer is a member of Gamma Beta Phi academic honor society and Phi Sigma biological honor society. His professional experience includes employment with Tengion Inc. and TechLab Inc. as a research associate. He is the co-holder of numerous provisional and approved United States patents and a co-author of seventeen published research articles. He was awarded a certificate from the journal Anaerobe recognizing that a research article he co-authored was a top referenced article between the years 2008-2010. He is an Eagle Scout, the highest rank obtainable in the Boy Scouts of America.
Katherine Anne Lester
Working in the fixed annuity division of Lincoln Financial Distributors from 2007-2012, Lester was recognized in 2011 as a top fixed annuity wholesaler. She holds Series 6 and Series 63 securities licenses from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Lester also holds teaching and training certifications from the American Council on Exercise and the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America. She holds an Adult, Child, Infant CPR/AED & First Aid certification from the American Red Cross. Lester has worked as an instructor, adviser and personal trainer at several fitness centers. She is league president of the Greensboro Roller Derby. Lester holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Ernest Lewis, Jr.
Ernest Lewis, Jr. earned a Masters of Arts degree in management (2011) and a Bachelor of Arts degree in music (2009) from Wake Forest University. He focused his undergraduate studies on vocal performance and religion. In 2007, he received the first place Joseph Pleasant and Marguerite Nutt Sloan Award in Open Competition of the 30th Annual Giles-Harris Competition in Musical Performance. Lewis placed third in the same competition in 2006. In 2007, he was the recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. “Building a Dream Award” at Wake Forest University. Lewis is a freelance composer, arranger, conductor and musician. He created a band that worked with the Wake Forest Gospel Choir for the first time in the choir’s 30-year history. He has served as minister of music and head musician for the Wake Forest University Gospel Choir and lead keyboardist at Piedmont International Church.
Jack Parker
A 2012 graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Parker earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration. He is a member of Alpha Kappa Psi professional business fraternity, where he served as president of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville chapter from 2009-2012. Parker was selected as a member of the 25 student Global Leadership Scholars program of the College of Business Administration at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, promoting the development of international and intercultural awareness, leadership and professional growth. He served for two years as a member of the Student Disciplinary Board at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Emily Seawell
A 2005 graduate of the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism, Seawell has worked as a regional editor, multimedia editor, and copy editor with several news organizations, including The Tampa Tribune, WFLA-TV, Media General Metro Consolidated Editing Center, and Patch. She was a member of the University of Florida Honors Program and served as managing editor of The Independent Florida Alligator while at the University of Florida. Seawell’s volunteer experience includes service with LifePath Hospice, Center Action Network, a nonprofit cancer research and prevention organization, and the Tampa Bay History Center.
Shoshanna N. Silverberg
Silverberg earned a Masters of Arts degree from The Graduate Institute in 2008, with a culminating project entitled, “Holisitic Thinking and Public Policy: Building a Case.” She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hampshire College where she studied within a self-designed concentration of social consciousness in cultural and theoretical perspective and completed a senior project entitled, “Towards a Theory of Embodied Discourse, Or Corporeal Politics.” She has worked as a lobbyist, hospice caregiver, and self-employed entrepreneur, as well as a research assistant at the Institute for the Study of Crime & Justice at Central Connecticut State University. In 2007-2008, she was a Human Rights Fellow at the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut. Silverberg has served as a Steering Committee Member of the Young Women’s Leadership Program in Hartford, CT, a panel member of the Hartford Juvenile Review Board, and as Legislative Designee of the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Policy Operations & Coordinating Council and in other advocacy and leadership experiences.
Daniel Watts
A 2011 graduate of Elon University, Watts earned a duel Bachelor of Science degree in science sociology and science business administration. He has worked as a teaching assistant at Elon, a marketing consultant, and most recently as a pro bono intern with the Office of the Federal Public Defender in Raleigh, North Carolina. At Elon, Watts was a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Council as a representative of the men’s basketball team. He is the recipient of the Academic All-Southern Conference Award, the National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court, and the Southern Conference Commissioner’s Award.
New Leadership Fellows of the Class of 2014
Kelsey M. Roth
Kelsey Marie Roth earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business marketing from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. She made the Dean’s List for all terms at Augustana and was the recipient of the H & L Swanson Scholarship and the Presidential Scholarship. In 2010-2011, she was a member of the Mortar Board, an American national honor society that recognizes college seniors for achievements in scholarship, leadership and service. Her volunteer experience includes service with Royal Neighbors of America, Mississippi Gulf Relief, Relay for Life, and Ericsson Middle School. At Elon Law, Roth recently joined the staff of the Elon Law Review. She also serves as secretary of the Public Interest Law Society and completed training to serve as a Guardian ad Litem.
Andrew J. Scott
A United States Navy veteran, Andrew J. Scott has a wide range of military experience, including service as a Special Operations Officer in Afghanistan. His international exposure over nine years as a Navy officer includes service in Bahrain, England, Guam, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, and Thailand. He is a two time recipient of the Bronze Star, and the recipient of the Combat Action Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon and Sea Service Ribbon. Scott earned a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice from Marymount University in 2001. That year, Scott served as an intern with Offender Aid and Restoration, a nonprofit assisting current and recently released inmates of Arlington, Virginia jails.
Erica S. Weatherford
A magna cum laude graduate of Lynchburg College, Erica Weatherford is Lynchburg’s 2009 recipient of the Mary C. Scudder Award for Best Senior Thesis. Majoring in history, with a minor in gender studies and sociology, Weatherford won the Christopher Cowles Award in History in 2008 and the W.W. Ferguson Award for Outstanding Scholarship in History in 2009. She is a member of the Phi Alpha Theta historical honor society. Weatherford earned a Master of Arts degree in history with a concentration in Latin American history from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2011. She lived in Mexico City while conducting research for her thesis, which was selected for presentation at the Phi Alpha Theta Virginia Regional Conference. Weatherford has a professional proficiency in Spanish and French languages. She served as a teaching assistant at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte from January 2010 through May 2011. Weatherford helped to establish the National Lawyers Guild chapter at Elon Law and is the 2012-2013 vice president of the chapter.