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
Marty 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 Representative.
Steven Carlson
I’m currently a Legislative Director for a Representative from Massachusetts handling
Transportation Committee work, as well as labor, energy, and a portion of judiciary and
environmental issues. I grew up in Massachusetts, graduated from Suffolk University in Boston,
and moved to Arlington in 2004 after interning in a Senate office in college. I started my career
on Capitol Hill working as a Staff Assistant a few months later. In my now limited free time, I
enjoy bike riding, kayaking, tennis, reading fiction, and spending time with my wife and our lab
mix.
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, two of my 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.
Marta Diaz
A Puerto Rican primarily raised in Los Angeles, California, I first moved to the DC area after
graduating from Villanova University in 2005, to pursue my Master’s degree in Latin American
Studies at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. At Georgetown, I concentrated on
the socioeconomic development of the Andean region of South America. I ended up falling in
love with the DC area and have remained here ever since. For the past two years, I have worked
in the realm of corporate immigration law. I am currently employed as a Paralegal at Erickson
Immigration Group in Arlington, VA where I specialize in non-immigrant visa work. This
includes the preparation of H-1Bs, TN’s and E-3s.
At George Mason University’s School of Law, I am interested in focusing on immigration and
international law and combining these interests with Law and Economics and with my
background in development.
On a personal note, I am die-hard foodie (pho is a personal favorite of mine) and love writing,
traveling and languages. I speak Spanish fluently and am conversational in Italian and Brazilian
Portuguese. I am also in the process of learning to read and write Russian.
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
Flor 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.
Abigail Morrell
I grew up as the only girl among three brothers in Port Washington, Wisconsin, a small town just
north of Milwaukee. I started playing soccer at a young age and spent a great deal of my
childhood traveling the country for soccer tournaments. I went to Carnegie Mellon University and
graduated in 2009 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a Minor in Communication Design.
After graduation, I moved to Las Vegas to work as sales engineer for Innovative Sensor
Technology, a Swiss thin-film sensor manufacturer. I was hired by the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office in 2010 to work as a Patent Examiner, and I’ve spent the last 5 years working in the
mechanical areas of jewelry and fasteners.
I currently live in Alexandria with my fiancé, Dan, and our sweet dog, Lexi.
Michael Nolan
Mr. Nolan is currently the Chief Financial Officer for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting
Agency. He has been a civil servant since 2002. Before that he worked in the securities industry
for five years at National Century Financial Enterprises, Inc. creating medium term notes
collateralized with healthcare receivables. Mr. Nolan also has almost 25 years of military service
as an infantryman with the Marine Corps, Marine Corps Reserves, and the Army National Guard.
His academic degrees include a Bachelor of Science degree (1998) in Business Administration,
magna cum laude, from Franklin University, a Master of Business Administration degree (2006)
from the University of Phoenix, and a Master of Science degree in National Resource Strategy
(2013) from The Eisenhower School at National Defense University where Mr. Nolan was an
Afghanistan/Pakistan Fellow and a member of the Land Combat Systems industry study.
Mr. Nolan is married, has a daughter (16), and is expecting another child in March. He is a lifelong martial artist and enjoys riding super sport motorcycles.
Lucas O'Donnell
I am a 1L at George Mason interested in patent law. A Washington D.C. transplant by way of
Cleveland and Columbus Ohio, I am also a proud father, husband and chemical engineer.
Currently I am a Patent Examiner in the fuel cell and battery technology group at the USPTO and
a registered Patent Agent. My professional background is in materials science and chemical
engineering with five years of experience in product development, a M.S. in Materials Science
and Engineering from Case Western Reserve University and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from
Ohio University.
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.
Benjamin Reed
Prior to acceptance into GMUSL's Fall 2015 entering class, Benjamin R. Reed was enrolled in the
master's program in history (also at GMU, expected completion Summer 2016). Mr. Reed moved
to Virginia in late 2014, with his wife and daughter, from Florida, where he spent the last eight
years working as a Public Notary/bankruptcy paralegal for a small law firm pending an
acceptance from GMUSL.
Currently, Mr. Reed is engaged in starting an alternative dispute resolution/mediation firm to
serve the residents and courts of the NOVA/DC area. To this end, Mr. Reed has received
extensive professional training through the Northern Virginia Mediation Service and is currently
in the process of becoming qualified for court-appointed mediation under the laws of the
Commonwealth.
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 finetuned in the 703. I graduated George Mason University in 2014 with a bachelor’s 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 workout, watch
basketball, and share my thoughts on my blog site (thenaykedtruth.com.) Becoming a lawyer has
been a dream of mine, 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.