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2014-2015 Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief
Alexander Yesnik
Executive Editor
Stacy Allen
Managing Editor
Erica Calys

Senior Articles Editor
Melissa Burgess

Articles Editors
Bridget Alzheimer
Jordan Ransenberg

Senior Notes Editor
Suzanne Simms

Notes Editors
Lauren Doney
Eve Tilley-Coulson

Articles Selection Editor
Francis Brickfield
Candidate Members

Meet Our Members

Editors and Candidate Members of the National Security Law Journal pose for a group photo at Candidate Member Orientation on Saturday, August 23, 2014
Editors and Candidate Members of the National Security Law Journal pose for a group photo at Candidate Member Orientation on Saturday, August 23, 2014.

Alexander Yesnik

Alexander Yesnik, Editor-in-Chief

Alexander Yesnik has broad experience in homeland and national security programs from work at both the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security.  He currently serves as the Deputy Director for the Office of Preparedness Integration and Coordination at FEMA.  Prior to joining FEMA, he led the emergency management functions for all U.S. Attorneys’ offices nationwide.  Mr. Yesnik received his undergraduate degree in economics from Washington University in St. Louis, his master’s degree in U.S. National Security Policy from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, and a Certificate in Public Leadership from Brookings Executive Education.  He is a fourth-year evening student at George Mason University School of Law.


Stacy Allen

Stacy Allen, Executive Editor

Stacy earned her undergraduate degree magna cum laude from the University of Rochester. Upon graduation, she commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps and served for five years as an Adjutant. In 2012, Stacy was selected for the Marine Corps Funded Legal Education Program and started school at George Mason University Law School. While attending law school Stacy has interned for the Office of Special Counsel, the Marine Corps’ Judge Advocate Division, and the Office of the Judge Advocate General (Navy) in their Appellate Government Division. She will become a Marine Corps Judge Advocate upon graduation.


Erica Calys

Erica Calys, Managing Editor

Erica Calys is a third year law student who grew up in beautiful Whitefish, Montana.  She attended college at James Madison University where she graduated cum laude with a triple major in International Affairs, Spanish, and Political Science.  In addition to serving as the Managing Editor of the National Security Law Journal, she works part-time at the U.S. Office of Special Counsel in the USERRA Unit and serves as a student adviser in the Clinic for Legal Assistance to Servicemembers and Veterans.


Melissa Burgess

Melissa Burgess, Senior Articles Editor

Melissa Burgess is a third year law student pursuing a concentration in homeland and national security law and is the Senior Articles Editor of the National Security Law Journal. She also serves as a law clerk at Mark Barnes & Associates, a firm specializing in firearms and explosives regulatory compliance. A Montana native, she attended Southern Methodist University, graduating summa cum laude with a B.A. in French and a B.M. in Violin Performance from SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts.


Suzanne Simms

Suzanne Simms, Senior Notes Editor

Suzanne Simms is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.A. in Political Science and French. She is currently the vice president of the Military Law Society and the Senior Notes Editor for the National Security Law Journal. Suzanne is also an ROTC cadet with Det. 330 at University of Maryland, and will commission as a Judge Advocate General officer upon completion of her law degree.


Matt Morrison

Matthew Morrison, Senior Research Editor

Matthew Morrison is a third year law student from Oregon by way of Southern California. Mr. Morrison graduated magna cum laude from Chapman University in 2010 while on active duty in the Marine Corps. In addition to serving as the Senior Research Editor for the National Security Law Journal, he works full-time as a law clerk for Whitestone, Brent, Young & Merril in Fairfax, Virginia.


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Bridget Alzheimer, Articles Editor

Bridget Alzheimer grew up in Augusta, Georgia, and received degrees in language arts and library science before attending GMUSL.  As a military dependent, she has lived in many different places and has seen some on-the-ground effects of national security policies and projects, experiences that have shaped her interest in national security and international relations.  Ms. Alzheimer hopes to work for the federal government after completing her JD.


Jordan Ransenberg

Jordan Ransenberg, Articles Editor

Jordan Ransenberg was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina, where he majored in Peace, War, and Defense. He has taken courses in both homeland security and national security law during his time at Mason and currently serves as an Articles Editor on the National Security Law Journal Editorial Board.


Lauren Doney

Lauren Doney, Notes Editor

Lauren Doney is a fourth-year evening student, pursuing a concentration in Homeland and National Security Law. Lauren is the Communications Director for Congressman Alan Grayson, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and serves as a Notes Editor for the National Security Law Journal. In 2011, Lauren graduated from the University of Central Florida with a degree in political science.


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Eve Tilley-Coulson, Notes Editor

Eve Tilley-Coulson is a third year law student who grew up in the coastal town of Fairhope, Alabama.  She attended Washington University in St. Louis, where she double majored in Political Science and Philosophy.  Before attending law school, she taught fourth grade in Washington, D.C.  In addition to serving as Notes Editor of the National Security Law Journal, she works as a travel soccer coach in Northern Virginia, and works as an intern for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.


Tiffany Dean-Groves

Tiffany Dean-Groves, Research Editor

Tiffany Dean-Groves is originally from West Virginia, but grew up just sixty miles southwest of Washington, D.C. Having been next door to the nation’s capitol for most of her life, Tiffany is very interested in the topics surrounding national security. Tiffany graduated from James Madison University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She currently works at the law firm of Whitestone, Brent, Young & Merril in Fairfax, VA, and is set to obtain her Juris Doctor in May of 2015.


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Nick Johnson, Research Editor

Nick Johnson, originally from Lebanon, Connecticut, is a magna cum laude graduate of American University where he received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. He has worked for over six years in the United States intelligence community.


Rosemarie Lombardi

Rosemarie Lombardi, Research & Symposium Editor

Rosemarie Lombardi is a third year law student who grew up in Colorado and attended college at California Lutheran University, in Thousand Oaks, CA.  She double majored in Criminal Justice and German and was a scholar athlete on the women’s soccer team.  In addition to serving as a Symposium Editor and a Research Editor for the National Security Law Journal, she has interned for the Department of State, Department of Justice, and for the Honorable Judge John L. Kane for the United States District Court for the District of Colorado.  She now serves as a student adviser in the Clinic for Legal Assistance to Servicemembers and Veterans.


Francis Brickfield

Francis Brickfield, Articles Selection Editor

Francis Brickfield serves as Articles Selection Editor for the National Security Law Journal.  He is a family physician with thirty years of experience in the foreign affairs and intelligence communities.  His Comment on addressing legal barriers to psychological evaluations in the Top Secret / SCI clearance process appears in Vol. 2, Issue 2 of the National Security Law Journal.


Jessica Eddy

Jessica Eddy, Symposium Editor

Jessica Eddy is a part-time fourth year evening law student.  She attended college at the University of Maryland, University College where she majored in Legal Studies and minored in Business Law and Public Policy.  In addition to serving as the Symposium Editor of the National Security Law Journal, she works as a full-time defense contractor as an International Agreements Specialist for various Department of Defense components, including the DoD Office of the General Counsel (International Affairs), DARPA, JIEDDO, and the Joint Program Office for the JSF (F-35).


Keith Bishop

Keith R. Bishop, Candidate Member

Keith R. Bishop is a second-year law student who grew up in Rapid City, South Dakota.  He attended college at The George Washington University where he majored in Psychology.  He has served as an officer in the Maryland Army National Guard for the last twelve years, including two deployments to Iraq.  In addition to being a candidate member for the National Security Law Journal, he is a general board member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Society and the Outreach Coordinator for the Military Law Society.


Sid Das

Sid Das, Candidate Member

Sid Das is a second year law student who grew up in Northern Virginia. He attended college at the University of Virginia where he majored in Politics and minored in Religious Studies. Sid likes to play tennis, and Sid’s newest hobby is brewing his own beer with his law school buddies. His interests in law include contracts, property, and negotiations.


Zachary Deubler

Zachary Deubler, Candidate Member

Zachary Deubler graduated from George Mason University in 2012 with a B.S. in Criminology. He currently works for Whitestone, Brent, Young, & Merril, P.C. as a law clerk. Upon graduation from law school, Zachary would like to become an Assistant Commonwealths Attorney, and is set to obtain his Juris Doctor in May of 2016.


Dillon Emmanuel

Dillon Emmanuel, Candidate Member

Dillon Emmanuel is a second year law student who has worked in both state and local law enforcement agencies for the past four years.  He has master’s degrees in both Forensic Psychology and Legal Administration, and he intends to concentrate in national security law.


Stephen Jackson

Stephen Jackson, Candidate Member

Stephen Jackson is a second year day student. He attended Montclair State University in the great state of New Jersey where he earned a B.A. in political science and history, along with a minor in photography. He is currently working toward finishing George Mason’s homeland and national security law concentration.


Sarish Khan

Sarish Khan, Candidate Member

Sarish Khan is a second year law student interested in focusing on national security law. She was born in Lahore, Pakistan and grew up in the town of Leesburg, Virginia. She has previously worked with the Department for International Development and UKAid on an Education Crisis project in Sindh, Pakistan. In the future, Sarish aspires to hold a position internationally related to national security.


Lynzi Maas

Lynzi Maas, Candidate Member

Lynzi Maas’ alma mater is the University of Denver, in Denver, CO.  She graduated in 2013 with honors and distinction, and has bachelors degrees in Criminology and Legal Studies. Additionally, she has six years of experience working with local and federal law enforcement agencies.  Lynzi has also worked briefly in policy creation and review as an intern in the office of Colorado Lt. Governor Joe Garcia.


Abhi Mehta

Abhi Mehta, Candidate Member

Abhi Mehta is a second year student at Mason with a concentration in criminal law. Abhi was born and raised in Louisville, KY with a strong interest in administering justice to the community around him. Abhi enjoys sports of all kinds, trying new food and drinks, travel, and anything active such as biking, hiking, and running.


Kevin Misener

Kevin Misener, Candidate Member

Kevin Misener is a second year law student interested in ethics, compliance, and federal acquisitions. Since May 2014, he has been a consultant with the Defense Industry Initiative on Business Ethics and Compliance.


Kirstin RiesbeckSean Murphy, Candidate Member

Sean Murphy grew up in Rhode Island and has worked and lived in multiple cities. He holds a B.A. from Loyola University Chicago and an M.A. from the University of Chicago. Prior to law school, Murphy worked on a presidential campaign and served as an active duty U.S. Air Force officer. In 2014, he clerked for the Institute for Justice in Minneapolis, MN. While he has broad interests in the intersection of law and policy in national security issues, his current legal pursuits relate to how national security policies affect and are affected by principles of liberty.


Rick Myers

Rick Myers, Candidate Member

Rick Myers is a former U.S. Navy Submarine officer who recently retired after twenty-one years of service. He is currently a second year law student at George Mason School of Law and is primarily interested in litigation, both criminal and civil. He also serves the community as a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician.


Molly Picard

Molly Picard, Candidate Member

Molly Picard is a second year law student who split her time growing up between Freehold, New Jersey and Northern Virginia.  She attended James Madison University where she majored in Intelligence Analysis with a concentration in National Security, and she minored in Italian Language.  She has interned with the Department of State, and has completed several internships with the Department of Defense, where she presently interns. In addition to being a National Security Law Journal Candidate Member, she is a member of the Moot Court Board.


Kelly Snyder

Kelly Snyder, Candidate Member

Kelly Snyder is a second year evening law student from Titletown, USA (also known as Green Bay, WI). He enlisted in the Air Force after high school and specialized in financial management while stationed in beautiful Anchorage, Alaska. He then received a direct appointment to attend the Air Force Academy where he was a Distinguished Graduate earning a B.S. in Legal Studies.  Kelly is an active duty Captain at the Air Force Space Command Office of Space & Technology where he is a contract negotiator managing a portfolio of contracts providing operations support and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.


Jennifer Zielonis

Jennifer Zielonis, Candidate Member

Jennifer Zielonis is a second year law student who grew up in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.  She attended college at James Madison University where she double majored in Political Science and Public Policy and Administration.  In addition to being a National Security Law Journal Candidate Member, she works part time at the Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney’s office.