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Five recent UT graduates have been selected as Presidential Management Fellows. The honor places the recipients, who have all recently received a graduate degree, in an elite employment pool for management positions in the federal government.

Administered by the US Office of Personnel Management, the program chose 663 finalists from a pool of more than 12,000 this year. Fellows hold two-year paid appointments, during which they are given opportunities, gain experience and develop their talents. Such opportunities include classroom training on leadership, management, and policy, and working for a government agency.

Presidential Management Fellows at UT include

  • Buki Fatima Baruwa, of Cary, North Carolina, who received a law degree
  • Christopher Thomas Benson, of Knoxville, who recently received a master’s in public administration
  • Abigail Rene Bordeaux, of Maryville, Tennessee, who received a master’s in public administration
  • Cherwanda Lavet Lancaster, of Knoxville, who received a master’s in public health
  • Sean Timothy McGonigle, of Knoxville, who received a law degree

The Presidential Management Fellows Program develops a cadre of government leaders to help fill roles in agencies across the nation. It was created in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter. Three subsequent executive orders renamed and refined the program, laying out the rules by which it would be administered by the Office of Personnel Management.

For more information, visit www.pmf.gov.

C O N T A C T :

Christine Copelan (865-974-2225, ccopela7@utk.edu)