Dartmouth Events

Panelists:
Brian Freeman ’11
Associate/Scientist
Abt Associates

Josh Koenig ’16
Program Officer, North America & the Caribbean
TrustLaw, Thomson Reuters Foundation

Farah Salam ’17
Community Health and Well-Being Coordinator
Arab-American Family Support Center

Derek Summerville ’11
Natl. Youth Engagement Director
YMCA Youth and Government

Panelist Bios:

Brian Freeman '11 is an Associate/Scientist in the Social and Economic Policy Division of Abt Associates. Born and raised in Windsor, Connecticut, he graduated from Dartmouth in 2011 with a major in Government and a minor in Public Policy. During his time at Dartmouth, Brian served as president of the Dartmouth College Hillel, worked in the Policy Research Shop, and interned at the U.S. Department of Education and Action for Boston Community Development. Upon graduation, Brian joined Abt Associates to work on evaluations of social programs for federal clients including the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. While earning a Master’s degree in Education Policy & Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, he worked on the Strategic Data Project at the Center for Education Policy Research. Since returning to Abt in 2014, Brian has contributed to research on topics such as college access, financial well-being, inclusive education, family leave, early childhood education, and national service.

Josh Koenig '16 joined the Thomson Reuters Foundation in September 2019. As a Program Officer for North America and the Caribbean for the Foundation’s TrustLaw program, he develops the Foundation’s relationships with non-profit and social enterprise beneficiaries across the region. He has also supported TrustLaw’s COVID-19 response, which has included a webinar series now run in 16 countries including the United States, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Brazil.

At Dartmouth, Josh actively engaged with the Rockefeller Center’s programming, including the Rockefeller Peer Mentoring Program (RPMP). He majored in Philosophy with a Public Policy minor.

Farah Salam ’17 is a community activist, public health professional, and all-around creative enthusiast. She has worked in a service capacity since 2011, and in non-profits since 2017. She works primarily with communities of color, immigrants, and refugees. Her work is centered around empowering historically vulnerable communities and advocating for others through policy and practice. She believes our power lies within community and in service, and hopes that it can promote worthwhile change in both the short and long term.

Derek Summerville ’11 currently serves as the Shared Services Director for the YMCA’s Youth and Government program in Washington, DC. In this role, he helps coordinate networks with public officials and their offices at the state and federal levels, coordinate national partnerships and federal resources for the Y’s civic education programs, and expand national opportunities for youth advocacy. He also serves as the Program Director for the Campus YMCA Congress, a nationwide public service training program for undergraduate students in Campus YMCA chapters at colleges and universities across the country.

Derek received his B.A. in History from Dartmouth College, modifying his major with Government and Education courses alongside a minor in Public Policy through the Rockefeller Center. As part of the Public Policy minor at Rocky, Derek worked on several projects through the Policy Research Shop. He also completed the Dartmouth Teacher Education Program, receiving a teaching certification in Secondary Social Studies.