Staff

Research Associates

NGouldBefore joining the Institute as a Research Analyst, Dr. Nicole Gould earned her Bachelor of Science in Cellular, Molecular, and Physiological Biology from Christopher Newport University. She then earned her doctorate in Molecular Medicine from The University of Maryland, Baltimore where she investigated how bone cells respond to mechanical and hormonal stimulation. She then completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis where she conducted studies to better understand the essential biological processes that promote healing after bone fracture. 

JBlessingDr. Jason Blessing is a Research Analyst with the Potomac Institute. His expertise as a political scientist includes cyber conflict and strategy, the geopolitics of commercial surveillance software (“spyware”), and NATO. Prior to joining the Institute, Dr. Blessing has held affiliations with the American Enterprise Institute, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and the United States Institute of Peace. 

Dr. Blessing received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs at Syracuse University. He also has a M.A. from Virginia Tech and a B.A. from the College of William & Mary. Before pursuing his doctorate, Dr. Blessing investigated fraud operations in the financial sector by leveraging technical compromise data, behavioral patterns, and regulatory expertise.

Jrobertson1

Jonathan Christopher Roberson is a Research Associate in the S&T Policy Division. Jonathan earned his Juris Doctorate from Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He also holds a Master in Public Administration. Jonathan has worked on all three levels of American Government in policy. He first served as a Congressional Intern on Capitol Hill in the House of Representatives. He served as a legislative aide in both the Louisiana State Senate and Texas State Senate. Lastly, he also served a Mayoral Fellow in the local government of his hometown in Shreveport, Louisiana. Before to attending law school, Jonathan was a K-12 educator for 13 years. He earned his B.A. in English from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. Jonathan enjoys stand-up comedy, traveling, and writing.

MWalkerMark Walker is a Research Analyst focused on emerging technologies policy and innovation strategy. At the Institute, he has been involved in providing S&T recommendations and technology analysis to government customers, including NASA and the Air Force. Mr. Walker has also engaged academic, industry, and government stakeholders to develop solutions for complex National Security issues. Mr. Walker earned a Master’s Degree in Materials Science & Engineering from Stanford University, and completed his undergraduate work at M.I.T. in Physics. 

Dana Shepard Director of Programs for the Potomac Institute. Prior to this role, she spent almost a decade working in nonprofits focused on areas such as social emotional learning, improving outcomes for at risk youth, and oceanic conservation. Her experience includes grant writing and management, research, strategic planning, process design and improvement, data analysis, and fundraising. Ms. Shepard previously interned at the Constituency for Africa and spent over a year studying and working in Cameroon.

Ms. Shepard received a master’s degree in public administration from the University of South Florida, where she was selected as a Presidential Management Fellowship finalist. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from Dickinson College.

SMontgomerySteve Montgomery joins Potomac Institute as a Research Analyst. Mr. Montgomery completed a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering at Rowan University in 2013 and a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering at Auburn University in 2019. While at university, he conducted research on biopolymers, a modeling tool for the EPA, drug crystallization, transdermal drug delivery, and graphene catalysts for alternative fuels production. He most recently worked as an R&D Process Engineer for Danimer Scientific, a world leading biopolymer company producing biodegradable PHA plastic at a commercial scale.

THuffardTrevor Huffard is a Research Associate. Trevor received his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Santa Clara University and his Bachelor of Science in Commerce from the Levy School of Business. He formerly worked at Daversa Partners and is excited to begin in the world of science and technology policy.

RLoewenRosalie Loewen works as a Research Economist for the Potomac Institute. Ms. Loewen has broad experience in economic and policy research and analysis with a focus on quantitative methodologies. In the research arena, Ms. Loewen’s experience includes work in British Columbia measuring and predicting the effects of new genomics technology uptake. Within the public sphere, Ms. Loewen was privileged to serve two overseas tours with the US government as a diplomatic officer. Ms. Loewen spent her early career in the private sector, in finance, as a mergers & acquisitions analyst with a focus on modelling net present value. Ms. Loewen holds a master’s degree in Economics from the University of British Columbia, a master’s degree in International Relations from Johns Hopkins’ SAIS, and graduated from Harvard College magna cum laude.

KHarringtonKevin graduated from Western Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science in Law Enforcement & Justice Administration and minors in Homeland Security and Criminalistics in May of 2019. As an undergraduate, he worked as a research assistant on projects pertaining to terrorism research. After graduating, he interned at the Homeland Security Investigations-Chicago in the financial crimes unit. In January 2020, he co-authored an article published in Security Magazine titled "Death by Association: Family Terror Networks." He also earned his Master of Arts in Public Safety Administration from Western Illinois University in July 2020. As a graduate student, he worked as a teaching assistant in the Law Enforcement & Justice Administration Department. He looks forward to contributing as much as he can to the International Center for Terrorism Studies.

Joseph Parrish brings analysis and academic research skills to the Institute as a Research Associate. After graduating high school, he served as an Infantryman in the Marine Corps for over six years. After his military service, Joseph would earn a Bachelor of Science in Diplomacy & Military Studies from Hawaii Pacific University. While there, he worked as a research assistant, studying the history of US-Kurdish relations. He also studied counterterrorism and Islamic fundamentalism at the University of Haifa in Israel, where he participated in the 21st Century Peace & Conflict Seminar. Before joining the Institution, his most recent position was as a Research Analyst at Diligentiam LLC., where he researched, analyzed, and evaluated developing trends in the geopolitical sphere.

Sabrina Worcester is the Human Resources Manager and Strategic Planning Analysis Research and Concepts Research Associate at Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. In this role, she is currently supporting research efforts relating to strategy and execution, including Science and Technology Transition Planning to the Defense Health Agency (DHA) Research and Development Directorate (J-9). She has also worked on several efforts that tailor science and technology policy options for government customers including the Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative (ADL), Office of Naval Research (ONR) and Indian Head EOD Technology Division (IHEODTD). In addition to working as a Research Associate, Ms. Worcester currently serves as the HR Manager.