Our Team

Leadership

Meet the Penn Washington leadership team devoted to strengthening ties between the Penn academic community and the nation’s capital.

Celeste Wallander Executive Director of Penn Washington

Celeste A. Wallander, Ph.D.

Executive Director
Celeste Wallander Executive Director of Penn Washington

Mike Nelson

Chief of Staff & Director of Communications

Ezekiel J. Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D.

Vice Provost for Global Initiatives
Co-Director of Health Transformation Institute (HTI)
Diane v.S. Levy and Robert M. Levy University Professor and Penn Integrates Knowledge (PIK) Professor at the Perelman School of Medicine and The Wharton School

Amy E. Gadsden, Ph.D.

Associate Vice Provost for Global Initiatives
Executive Director of Penn China Initiatives
Deputy Director, Penn Washington

Senior Fellows

The Senior Fellows will lead two programs focusing on higher education and Congress and policy.

Steven Pearlstein

Senior Fellow, Fixing Congress

Julian E. Zelizer

Senior Fellow, Rebuilding Government-Higher Education Relations

Penn Washington Staff

Rose Garrity

Business Manager

Michael Jaeger

Multimedia Specialist

Coralyn Maguigad

Events & Administrative Assistant

Penn Washington Fall 2025 Interns

Taran Courchesne

Domestic Policy Programs Intern

Aaleyah Jackson

Global Policy Programs Intern

Yahel Tamir

Global Policy Programs Intern

Penn Washington Faculty Liaisons

Penn Washington is thrilled to announce its collaboration with a carefully chosen group of twelve faculty liaisons from the University of Pennsylvania. These esteemed scholars will contribute their extensive expertise and interdisciplinary perspectives to enhance Penn Washington’s initiatives, facilitate valuable connections, and support impactful programming in Washington, D.C. Their participation will be pivotal in connecting academic insights with real-world policy discussions.