Penn Grad Named White House Fellow

The White House released the names of the 2011-2012 White House Fellows today. One is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania:

Debra Kurshan, Brooklyn, NY. Debra Kurshan most recently served as a consultant with the Recovery School District in New Orleans, Louisiana. She worked directly with the Superintendent to develop the strategic vision for the district. Prior to that, she served in a variety of leadership roles at the New York City Department of Education, including the Executive Director of the Office of Portfolio Planning, the office responsible for opening new schools, closing under-performing schools and planning the portfolio of the city’s 1,700 schools. She also served as Chief Operating Officer for the Office of Innovation, the office responsible for the District’s first large scale online learning platform. Debra served on the board of Minds Matters, a nonprofit dedicated to preparing low-income students for college and is also a member of the Columbia Business School Social Enterprise Program Alumni Circle. She served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ghana where she worked with the community to create and implement a technology center. Debra received her M.B.A. from Columbia Business School where she was honored with the Board of Overseers fellowship, and her B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, in Urban Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Placement: National Aeronautics and Space Administration