Karla Ariassa
I am currently a resident of Virginia, but I grew up (at various stages) in Mexico City, Southern California, and
German-speaking Switzerland. I have a BS in Chemistry from UCSD and an MS and PhD in Organic
Chemistry from the University of Zurich. After graduating from the University of Zurich, I moved to
Pittsburgh to do research in the catalytic degradation of estrogenic contaminants in water at Carnegie Mellon
University. Because my research at Carnegie Mellon involved using molecules that had been patented by my
research lab, I became interested in intellectual property. After concluding my research, I decided to pursue a
career in intellectual property and moved to the DC area to work as a patent agent at a law firm. I hope to
become a patent attorney at the same firm upon graduating from law school. On a personal note, I enjoy
traveling, learning languages, and learning about different cultures. I also love music and dance… I have
danced flamenco for almost a decade, and I am (very slowly) teaching myself how to play the banjo.
John Arszulowicz
I’m very excited to be at Mason Law School. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Food and Drug
Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Justice. Served as the FDA Hurricane
Sandy Incident Management Group Planning Section Chief during the agency Hurricane Sandy incident
response–900 FDA regulated firms were affected during the largest Eastern U.S. economic incident. Developed
the FEMA Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program Congressional response to the State of Pennsylvania
Senator Casey congressional inquiry–outlined the safety of nuclear power following the 2012 Fukushima, Japan
Nuclear Power Plant incident. Assigned as the Department of Justice Court Security Officer for the
Guantanamo Bay Habeas Corpus hearing. AWARDS: Food and Drug Administration Team Excellence Award
(2015); Food and Drug Administration Leveraging Collaboration Award (2012); Food and Drug Administration
Group Recognition Award (Hurricane Sandy 2012); Food and Drug Administration Special Citation Group
Recognition Award (Salmonella Bareilly Outbreak Response Team 2012); Department of Justice J-Stars Award
(2009). EDUCATION: Masters Degree–University of Oklahoma
Mary Blevins
I grew up in several small towns in North Carolina and southern Virginia before attending the University
of Virginia, where I graduated with a BS in Physics. After completing my MA, also in Physics at UVA, I
moved to Northern Virginia to accept a position as a Physics Professor at Northern Virginia Community
College in Alexandria. While at Nova, I was contacted by a representative from NASA Goddard Space Flight
Center in Maryland with an offer to work in a laser research team. I worked at NASA Goddard for
approximately a year and a half until my project was defunded. This ultimately led me to my current employer,
the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
I have worked at USPTO as a Patent Examiner for a little over 10 years now, specializing in Optical
Waveguides and Liquid Crystal Displays. As my job entails examining both technical and legal aspects of
patent applications, I decided that attending law school could be beneficial. I am pleased that GMU School of
Law accepted my application, and I look forward to this latest challenge in life. I currently live in Leesburg,
VA, with my wife, Veronica, and our four children: Ethan (age 8), Naomi (age 6), Isaac (age 3), and Levi (age 9
months). We are members of Grace Community Church in Ashburn, VA.
Jacquelyn Branscomb
I was born in Illinois, north of Chicago. I've lived there from birth through high school except for two years in
Tacloban City, Leyte, Philippines, and a semester in Virginia Beach, VA. I come from a very large (I’m the
youngest of 7), diverse family with active, retired, and reserve military members representing all branches
except Coast Guard. I received my Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University’s
School of Foreign Service in 2007 where I studied Science, Technology, and International Affairs. After school,
I moved to California for two years and worked at a Community Action Agency mainly as a grant writer then I
came back to DC in 2009 to work in the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for
Children and Families. I’m currently a Grants Policy Specialist. Alexandria has been my home for nearly 6
years now. I love Chicago sports. I'm a huge Chicago Bears fan and I love my Blackhawks, Bulls, and Cubs. I
typically go to the gym in my spare time and I've gotten into weightlifting in the past year. I am also an SBA 1E
Representatives.
Brittani Carpenter
I studied as an undergrad at VCU, where I majored in Criminal Justice. Currently, I work at the
Rappahannock Regional Jail in Stafford, Virginia, as a Pretrial Officer. Most people have never heard of
Pretrial Services, so I will give a brief description: We do background investigations by interviewing defendants
and accessing their criminal histories. We then prepare bond recommendation reports for judges,
commonwealth attorneys, and defense attorneys. We take these reports to court for defendants’ initial
arraignments before the judges (usually done by video). Any defendant the judge decides to place under Pretrial
Supervision, as a condition of their bond, we then supervise. In some areas, we are very similar to probation; in
other areas, we differ greatly. But to sum to up, my two many responsibilities are making bond
recommendations and then babysitting defendants out on bond :)
I plan on studying criminal law while here at Mason. Since it is a large part of my job, I am also very
interested in bail reform.
On a more personal note, I really like beer and wings and playing sports.
Joshua Elliott
I moved to Arlington a few years ago to join the Intellectual Property group at Crowell & Moring, LLP. My
experience at Crowell sparked an interest in practicing intellectual property law, and I hope to transition into an
associate role after graduation from law school. Before starting at Crowell, I received my Bachelor’s in Public
Policy and Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During undergrad I
conducted research on regulations concerning tier capital ratios for bank holding companies in the United States
and also spent some time in France. My personal interests include traveling, trying new restaurants, and, of
course, college basketball.
Whitney J. Fetzer
I am a proud native of the Commonwealth of Virginia. I studied accounting at George Mason University
(School of Business), and economics and British studies at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.
Presently, I am an Auditor Specialist/Auditor-in-Charge for the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector
General. For six years prior, I was a Senior Auditor for the Department of the Navy. I am also a Certified Fraud
Examiner. In essence, I help the Fed operate more efficiently (not an easy task), and protect our tax dollars
from falling victim to fraud, waste, and abuse. In my spare time, I enjoy time with family, yoga, live music, DC
sports, ethnic food, and wineries. I was recently engaged at Monticello--this was particularly fitting
because Thomas Jefferson (my favorite president) and I share the same birthday. I hope to use my law degree to
help victims of trafficking and other crimes against children
Whitney C. Fields
I am a registered Patent Agent at a law firm in Reston, VA. I am originally from Camp Springs, MD and I
received a BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. During
undergrad, I spent two summers working in the research laboratories at Merck & Co. In 2014, I earned a PhD in
Cell Biology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. I enjoy playing tennis, shopping, and
rooting for the Redskins
F. Flores
My parents and I are from Lima, Peru and I am completely fluent in Spanish. I grew up in McLean, Virginia
and still live in the same development as my parents. I went to Marshall High School in Falls Church,
Virginia. I am a working legal assistant in a busy immigration practice in Fairfax, Virginia. I received a
Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and International Politics with a minor in Legal Studies from George
Mason University. I took a full time course load in school while still working full time. My boss is my mentor
and he and I hope I will be able to take over the practice when he decides to retire. Outside of work I enjoy
reading for fun, crocheting, and travelling.
Usman A. Khan
Usman A. Khan graduated from Tufts University with a Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate degree in Electrical
Engineering. After graduating, he joined a large boutique IP firm in Boston, MA. For the past few years,
Usman has been a Technology Specialist / Patent Agent at various boutique IP firms, and is currently a member
of the Patent Prosecution and Post Grant teams at Fish & Richardson. He hopes to continue practicing IP law
after completing law school.
Before attending college in Boston, MA, Usman lived in Bangkok, Thailand. He moved to Northern
Virginia in 2008 and currently lives with his wife in Alexandria, VA.
David Kaplan
I have an eclectic background of great variety in the military and civilian worlds. I’ve deployed to Iraq with the
US Marines in 2006 when I was an infantry rifle-man; switched to the US Army in 2008 and deployed to
Afghanistan in 2012 as a Military Police. I buck the idea that grunts are of lesser intelligence. In the civilian
world I am the site supervisor for the guard force at Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. I graduated from
George Mason University in May 2015 with BS in Psychology. Time management is my mantra as I have a full
time civilian job, still maintain my ties with the Army in the DC Army National Guard, my wife and my two
children Isabella and Daniella all require a share of my time. Spare time is minimal but I can also design and
build anything I want for my home or my automobiles. Lawyers have to be versatile in not only legal
knowledge but in every other field as well because we may find ourselves on one side of an argument relevant
to a field we may not be an “expert” in. We must have the confidence to adapt and overcome, becoming experts
in our own right, almost overnight on a particular issue of substance. This is why law is truly appealing to those
with the depth of insight that law is more than it seems to be on its face.
Joe Pantella
Mr. Pantella is a part-time student at the George Mason University School of Law where he plans to focus his
studies on both Intellectual Property and Criminal law. During the day, Mr. Pantella is an independent equities
trader, designing and exercising momentum-based systems that incorporate strong money management and risk
management practices to protect profits and promote market-outperforming growth.
Mr. Pantella began his career as a legal assistant performing case management and trial support for litigations
concerning Government Contracting, Intellectual Property, and Real Estate. Concurrently, he attained his
Master’s degree in Computer Science which led to a decade long career developing national security solutions
with FGM, Inc. Mr. Pantella’s work for FGM concluded after assisting the company position for acquisition,
which closed in 2012 with the formation of Novetta Solutions. After serving on Novetta’s Executive Team for
the transition years, Mr. Pantella left the company to focus his attention on trading and attaining his law degree.
Mr. Pantella also volunteers his time as a board member of Leadership Fairfax, a non-profit organization with
the mission of inspiring, connecting, developing, and engaging leaders on issues facing the Fairfax County and
the surrounding region. In his spare time Mr. Pantella enjoys playing hockey and spending time with his wife
and two daughters.
Amanda Rizzoni
Hi, my name is Amanda Rizzoni. I graduated from George Mason University with a degree in Criminology,
Law & Society. Currently, I work for McLean Mortgage as a loan officer for residential loans. Previously, I
worked for a new homes builder, Brookfield Homes, for four years. I loved my job as a sales manager at
Brookfield, but needed to have weekends off in order to pursue my dream of going to law school.
I grew up in Leesburg, VA and now have an apartment in Centreville, VA. In my spare time, I love to
visit wineries, go hiking, play computer games, and be with friends and family. My goals over the next few
years include getting a German Shepherd, graduating law school, and owning my own home.
Leslie Tope
I’m Leslie Tope. I grew up in Cameroon then moved to France when I was 11 years old. I lived there for 8
years, before moving to Northern Virginia in 2007. I’ve been in this area ever since.
I obtained my Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Mason (go patriots!) in 2013, and I currently
work as a Recruiting Coordinator for an IT company in Reston. I am also licensed to practice as a Practical
Nurse in the State of Virginia.
I’m interested in employment/labor law and occupational psychology. I’m also interested in studying corporate
law (mergers and acquisitions).
Yuquing Xiao
I am a patent examiner with US patent office and have worked there since 2012. Previously I worked mostly as
a software engineer for Motorola and later for Cisco for a long while. I also had a brief internship in Aegon
USA doing finance work during my MBA study in University of Chicago and worked on non-profit consulting
projects for a while afterwards. I received my BS degree in Applied Physics from Shanghai Jiao Tong
University in China and an MS degree in Electrical Engineering from Michigan State University. Pursuing law
degree is in a part to satisfy my intellectual curiosity, and in another part to broaden my career spectrum in IP
law area.
Nana Yeboah
As a matter of introduction, my name is Nana Yeboah and I am a 1L evening student at George Mason
University School of Law. I was born in Ghana; however, I have spent the last 12 years or so of my life in
Northern Virginia. With that, I like to say that I was raised in Ghana, yet fine-tuned in the 703. I graduated
George Mason University in 2014 with a Bachelors degree in Criminology: Law and Society. In the daytime, I
work for EKKO Title (a title and escrow company formed by the law partners of Leggett, Simon, Freemyers,
and Lyon PLC) where I serve as an assistant to the Vienna branch attorney. In my spare time, I like to work
out, watch basketball, and share my thoughts on my blog site (thenaykedtruth.com.) Becoming a lawyer has
always been a dream of mine, ever since I was a kid. Although I'm still uncertain as to what aspect of law I
would like to practice, I have a strong admiration for the profession, and would like to one day join the
prestigious pool of lawyers ultimately run this country. From this Contracts class, I hope to gain a better
understanding of how contracts are constructed, and how the terms of enforcement are developed. This
knowledge will inevitably be applicable to my field of work, regardless of what aspect of law I decide to build a
career in.