Will Marsh, Vice President of Marketing

Will spent the previous summer interning for AccountAbility, a Corporate Responsibility research, standards, and services firm based in New York. Prior to coming to Kogod, Will worked on Capitol Hill for former Congressman John Hall (NY-19). In addition to the MBA, Will is also pursuing a Masters in International Economic Relations from the School of International Service. In addition to his role with the GBA, Will is a Teaching Assistant for the Department of Finance and a Graduate Student Ambassador for the Admissions Office.

In his spare time, Will can be found taking photographs (which have appeared in both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal on several occasions), or seeing his favorite band, Arcade Fire, which he has seen 21 times since 2007.

Rick Morse, Vice President of Information Technology

Rick has been in Washington, DC since 2008. After graduating from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, he worked for a non-profit and hospital in his hometown of Boston. After living and teaching English in Genova, Italy for just over a year, he moved to DC and began working in corporate finance for a local management consulting firm. Most recently, he has interned at a leading satellite services company in their Corporate Strategy and Market Intelligence department.

In his spare time, Rick enjoys baseball, soccer, cooking, training for triathlons, and enjoying new and adventurous microbrews. As VP of IT, Rick hopes to help the GBA communicate more effectively with the Kogod community.

Silvia Wiesenmiller, Director of Programming

Silvia is a full-time second year MBA student, born and raised in Ecuador, South America. She received her bachelor degree in International Business and Marketing in 2004 from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL.

Prior to coming to AU, she held an entrepreneurial venture of handling sales and marketing in US for a factory in Ecuador. Also, she has experience as a marketing Brand Management position in a local bank at her home country. Currently, she holds a position as a Graduate Assistant for the Kogod Management Department and a leadership role in the graduate student club named Hispanic Business Association.  

In her spare time, Silvia enjoys cooking, reading a good fiction book, and going to the movies. After one year of living in the DC metro area, she still considers herself a tourist and likes to wonder in the city’s parks, museums. After graduation, Silvia plans to pursue a career in finance.

Mohammed Al-Kilidar, Director of Programming

Mohammed is a 2nd year MBA student who was born in Baghdad, Iraq and raised in Amman, Jordan. He graduated from Applied Sciences University in 2007 with a B.S. in Electronics and Communications Engineering. He was part of the Engineering school Basketball team and won two national championships back to back in 2004 - 2005. In 2007, he trained with Nokia Siemens Networks in Munich, Germany. From 2008 – 2009, Mohammed worked with Sabafon, a wireless telecommunications provider in Sana’a, Yemen. As evident from his background, Mohammed is adept at cross-cultural communications and innovative planning and solutions.

Outside of his professional career, he has served as a volunteer elections official for voting in Iraq’s first democratic parliamentary elections. In Mohammed’s spare time, he enjoys playing soccer, outdoor activities, especially biking and hiking, and spending time with his family and friends. He will be concentrating in Management  Consulting, where he plans to incorporate his knowledge to benefit into Information Technology consulting firms.

Megan DiPaolo, Director of Programming

Megan graduated with a B.A. in Music from Muhlenberg College and soon after pursued a career in Music Education and Performing Arts Management. Prior to coming to AU, she served as Director of Education for the Virginia Arts Festival planning and implementing educational arts programming to students throughout the Hampton Roads area of Virginia.

In addition to her role with GBA, Megan as participates a president of the Graduate Marketing Association as well as a research assistant for the Behavior Lab. While currently interning with Discovery Communications, Megan is pursuing a career in marketing within the media industry here in Washington.

Matt Cunningham, Part Time Student Representative

Matt is a third year Part-Time MBA student at Kogod in the Consulting Track. You may have seen him on the Kogod intramural teams for football, basketball, and softball. He graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a B.S. in Management in 2003. While at the Academy, he played varsity basketball, baseball, and many intramural sports.

Prior to starting his MBA, Matt served as an active duty officer in the U.S. Coast Guard, working as a Boarding Officer on a 270ft ship out of Key West, FL, and interdicting drugs and illegal migrants throughout the Caribbean Sea. Then, in 2005, Matt transferred to the Coast Guard’s Recruiting Command in Arlington, VA to work as an Officer Recruiter for three years and serve as the Coast Guard’s NASCAR Liaison during the 2006 race season. 

In 2008, he transitioned to the Coast Guard Reserve and began his career in the private sector as a management consultant, working as a Senior Management Analyst in the Coast Guard’s Acquisition Directorate. As a Reserve Officer, Matt works locally at the Coast Guard’s Deployable Operations Group in Arlington. He spent most of last summer down in the Gulf of Mexico responding to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and ensuring that the Florida coastline and wildlife was protected from tarballs and oil slicks.  

Outside of Kogod and work, Matt enjoys frequenting the fine establishments of Shirlington Village, playing wiffleball and softball, and golfing on the weekends. Matt is an avid sports fan, cheering for the Texas Longhorns, Washington Capitals, Dallas Cowboys, and San Antonio Spurs. He currently resides in Arlington (Shirlington Village) with his wife, Gillian, and their pets – Frieda, Kelly Clarkson, Major, and Bailey.

John Fishback, Part Time Student Representative

John is a current Part-Time MBA student and is in his second year at Kogod. He graduated from the University of Rochester in 2008 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. There he was a four-year pitcher on the varsity baseball team and eventually found his strength as a closer earning All League Honors at this position in 2007. In 2008, John moved to the DC area from his hometown of Rochester, NY to work as a research engineer with the US Department of the Navy.

John's mission as he goes about attaining his MBA is to combine his love of the team dynamic with his knack for the technical. Currently he is open to new ideas and career paths but he knows whatever he ends up doing must value his desire to build personal and professional relationships while challenging his problem solving skills. John also serves as a Kogod Amabassador and is head of the Kogod Graduate Insider - a student run blog geared toward graduate student interests.

Jen Gassner, First Year Director of Programming

A first year MBA student, Jen comes to Kogod with extensive public leadership experience. While earning her BA in history at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Jen was repeatedly chosen by her peers to represent student concerns at the university level. In her various positions, ranging from Diversity Chair to Student Body President, Jen ensured that student concerns were at the forefront of major decision-making and budget allocations. This experience culminated with her direct oversight and management of over $35M in student funds – the largest university budget of its kind in the nation. Jen’s strong ability to manage people and resources equipped her well for a successful career managing federal policy benchmarks for childhood education centers in Los Angeles.

As a First Year Director of Programming, Jen is looking forward to representing fellow first year colleagues. Specifically, she will focus on integrating impactful programming that unites and expands the Kogod graduate community. Outside of Kogod, Jen’s passions include horseback riding, jewelry design, and studying ancient Roman history and civilization. 

Venkat Raj Sathavalli, First Year Director of Programming

Hailing from Chennai, India, Venkat is a first year MBA student at Kogod. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Madras, Loyola College, Chennai in 2005. As a fresh graduate he was involved in implementing a rehabilitation program in a fishing village on the outskirts of Pondicherry, India in the wake of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami (a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative with BASF The Chemical Company and The Hope Foundation). Subsequently he worked with a British firm, Williams Lea, as a Senior Account Manager, handling key client accounts in print media and travelled to the UK on a regular basis. 

Venkat is an avid sports enthusiast, and in his spare time, he can be found supporting his favorite English football team, Arsenal, or playing a round of golf. During his University days he was elected the president of the Loyola Theatre Society where his passion for theatre allowed him to act and produce a Theatre Production for the Chennai audience. He also loves to travel and has been to various parts of Europe and Asia.