Congratulations to JSA alums Mariah Sklyr, Yuwynn Ho, and William G. Godwin for being named 2023-24 White House Fellows. JSA alums will gain first-hand experience working at the highest levels of the Federal government. Mariah is placed at the Department of Veteran Affairs, Yuwynn is placed at the Office of the First Lady: Joining Forces Initiative, and William is placed at the Office of the National Cyber Director.
From the White House Official Announcement
The President’s Commission on White House Fellows is pleased to announce the appointment of the 2023-2024 class of White House Fellows. Founded in 1964, the White House Fellows program offers exceptional young leaders first-hand experience working at the highest levels of the Federal government. Fellows spend a year working with senior White House Staff, Cabinet Secretaries, and other top-ranking Administration officials, and leave the Administration equipped to serve as better leaders in their communities. Fellowships are awarded on a non-partisan basis.
This year’s Fellows advanced through a highly competitive selection process, and they are a remarkably gifted, passionate, and accomplished group. These Fellows bring experience from across the country and from a broad cross-section of professions, including from the private sector, local government, academia, non-profits, medicine, and the armed forces.
Mariah Sklyr is from Chicago, Illinois, and is placed at the Department of Veterans Affairs. As Deputy Executive Director of the Wisconsin Association for Perinatal Care, Mariah focused on broadening the health care workforce by incorporating culturally adept providers, thereby fostering a patient-centric system that effectively addresses diverse needs and circumstances. Previously, Mariah served as a Maternal Child Health and Child Protection Social Worker where she partnered with the most vulnerable, institutionally neglected populations to engender systems of shared accountability to ensure they have structural opportunities to thrive. As a member of the Wisconsin Maternal Mortality Review Team, Mariah reviews every maternal death in the state to determine preventability and recommend policy and procedural changes that center patients and mitigate risk for poor outcomes. She earned an M.A. in Social Work from the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work and a B.A., Cum Laude, from Marquette University.
Yuwynn Ho is from Carlsbad, California, and is placed at the Office of the First Lady: Joining Forces Initiative. He is a judge advocate and foreign area officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. He previously served as congressional liaison for the Department of Navy’s Legislative Affairs Office. He was also adjunct professor at the Naval Academy, commanding officer for recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot-San Diego, and defense attorney. He served at ISAF Headquarters and the U.S. Embassy while deployed to Afghanistan. Prior to military service, he worked at Sun Microsystems and Wilson Sonsini. He volunteered with the Innocence Project, and served as military mentor for the U.S. Senate Youth Program. He is a 2023 Presidential Leadership Scholar. Yuwynn came to the U.S. from Malaysia at age 11 to pursue the American Dream. He received his B.A. from U.C. Berkeley, J.D. from U.C. Hastings College of Law, and LLM from the Army JAG School.
William G. Godwin is from Jackson, Tennessee, and is placed at the Office of the National Cyber Director. William is an attorney, real estate broker, and former President of the Gary City Council. He resides in Gary, Indiana, where he founded Godwin Realty Company, a brokerage company serving Chicago, Northwest Indiana, and Southwest Michigan. In 2019, he was elected to serve on the Gary City Council as 1st District Councilman. Previously, he served as External Affairs Manager for Communities In Schools of Chicago, Associate Vice-Chancellor of Workforce & Economic Development at City Colleges of Chicago, and an Associate at McDermott Will & Emery LLP. He completed the General Course at The London School of Economics and earned a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, M.A. from Chicago Theological Seminary, and a B.A. in Sociology, magna cum laude, from Georgetown University where he was a Truman Scholar.