Advisory Board
The Fellowship for the Common Good program is supported by an Advisory Board of experts.
Mark Abbott, JD
Distinguished Executive-in-Residence, Georgetown University
Mark is a Distinguished Executive-in-Residence at Georgetown, where he teaches and works
on projects for the Provost’s office, including as a member of the working group that developed
Fellowship for the Common Good.
After practicing corporate law at Latham and Watkins, Mark helped launch Major League Soccer
as its first employee in 1993. He was the architect of the League’s original business plan and
was deeply involved in every aspect of the League’s business and development over its first 30
years. He served as the President and Deputy Commissioner of MLS until 2022 and remains an
advisor to the Commissioner’s Office. In 2025, he was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of
Fame and named by the Sports Business Journal as one of the 125 most influential sports
executives of the last 25 years.
Mark earned a J.D. in 1989 from Berkeley Law School at the University of California, where he
was the Managing Editor of the California Law Review. He is a 1986 graduate of the
Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.
Jim Casselberry
Chief Investment Officer, Health Forward Foundation
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Known
Jim Casselberry is Chief Investment Officer of Health Forward Foundation, where he leads
investment strategy and oversees the foundation’s financial resources in support of its mission to
advance health equity, racial justice, economic inclusion, and healthier communities. With more than
30 years of institutional investment experience, Jim has served as a chief executive, chief
investment officer, portfolio manager, consultant, and advisor across foundations, endowments,
pension funds, family offices, and alternative investment firms. He has helped raise more than $4
billion in institutional capital, participated in over $50 billion in investment transactions, and advised
organizations on investment policy, governance, asset allocation, and strategic planning. In addition
to his role at Health Forward, Jim is Co-Founder and Chairman of Known Holdings and serves on
the boards of several mission-driven organizations, including Morehouse College, the National
Urban League, and the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator. He holds a Bachelor of Science in
Economics from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of
Business.
Janet Foutty
President of Corporate Partnerships, RAISE US
Janet is a nationally recognized technology and business leader who spent 33 years at Deloitte, culminating her career as CEO of Deloitte Consulting and Executive Chair of Deloitte US. During her tenure, she led the firm through significant transformation driven by technology, talent, and purpose.
Janet remains active in technology through board and advisory roles. She is increasingly focused on the intersection of artificial intelligence and the future of work, working with companies, educators, and policymakers on the implications of AI for jobs, skills, and economic opportunities. She is also co-author of the best-selling Arrive and Thrive and works to advance women’s health.
Paul Kalb
Senior Scholar, O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law
Paul is a physician and lawyer with a deep understanding of the healthcare and life sciences sectors. He is a Senior Scholar at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown Law Center and a Professor of Medicine (adjunct) at Georgetown University School of Medicine. He is a member of the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative’s 2024 cohort.
Paul chairs the boards of Science to People, a not-for profit enterprise building AI-enabled technology to facilitate accurate, trustworthy, and understandable communications about science, and SoKey Science, Inc., an early-stage biotech company. He also serves on the boards of the Analysis Group, a leading international economic consulting firm, and Bearacuda Re, the captive insurer for Children’s National Hospital. He previously served as vice-chair of the board of Children’s National.
An innovative law firm leader, Paul was a member of Sidley Austin’s Executive Committee for 15 years, a founder of Sidley’s Global Life Sciences practice, and leader of the firm’s Healthcare and FDA Group. In his legal practice, he defended life sciences companies and leading healthcare providers in high-profile government investigations.
Andrew Scott
Principal Scientist (Economics), Ellison Institute of Technology
Andrew J. Scott CBE is Principal Scientist (Economics) at the Ellison Institute of Technology and Professor of Economics, Oxford University. He is also a Research Fellow at the Centre for Economic Policy Research and a co-founder of The Longevity Forum. He holds a PhD from Oxford University and previously held positions at London Business School, Harvard University, and the London School of Economics.
His work focuses on major long run trends that change the economy and society now and in the future. His current work focuses on two strands. One is around the economic impact of AI and Robotics in general and with a particular focus on how it will influence the speed and direction of scientific and technological progress. The other is focused on helping individuals, organisations and governments adapt to long run demographic changes. In particular, how do we respond to an ageing population by creating a longevity society.
He is the author of The Longevity Imperative (2024) and the global best seller The Hundred Year Life (2016), both runner-ups in the FT Business Book of the Year Award. Scott has advised a range of corporations, governments and international organizations and his work is regularly featured in the media.
Francis Vella, PhD
Inaugural Director, Emerging Studies Institute
Edmond V. Villani Professor in the Department of Economics
Francis Vella is the inaugural Edmond V. Villani Professor in the Department of Economics. His area of
research is econometrics. He received an undergraduate degree from the University of Sydney, a
Masters degree from the Australian National University, and a PhD from the University of Rochester.
Prior to joining Georgetown, he held positions at Rice University, Rutgers University, NYU and the
European University Institute. His research has been published in leading journals including
Econometrica, The Review of Economic Studies, The Journal of Econometrics and The Journal of Political Economy. He is an elected fellow of the Econometric Society and the International Association of Applied Econometrics. He has also served as the Co-Editor of The Journal of Applied Econometrics.
He has had several administrative roles at Georgetown including Special Advisor to the President for
International Engagement, Director of Georgetown Center for Economic Research, Director of
Georgetown Center of Econometric Practice, and Developmental Director of the Emerging Studies
Institute.
Maria Velleca
Professor Emeritus, Georgetown University
Maria Velleca is Professor Emerita at Georgetown University, having joined the faculty of the Department of Biology in 2006, granted tenure in 2010 and promoted to Full Professor in 2016. At Georgetown, she served as the Program Director for Neurobiology, an Executive Committee member for the Interdisciplinary graduate program in Neuroscience, and as Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Strategic Planning for the College of Arts & Sciences. She left Georgetown to become the Dean of Arts & Sciences at William & Mary in 2020.
Dr. Velleca received her PhD in Neuroscience from Washington University and served as a faculty member at Yale University School of Medicine for over 10 years before coming to the Hilltop, where she co-founded and directed the undergraduate Neurobiology major. At Georgetown, Velleca ran a developmental neuroscience laboratory funded by federal and private grants and directed the University’s Howard Hughes Medical Institute-funded research scholars program. Widely published in leading scientific journals, she mentored dozens of undergraduate and Ph.D. students as well as post-doctoral fellows. She was recognized by Georgetown College with several awards for excellence in undergraduate teaching as well as mentoring awards in each of the PhD programs in which she served.
In addition to faculty and administrative responsibilities at Georgetown, Dr. Velleca participated in the 19th annotation retreat, the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, and was invited by Georgetown’s then-President to a year-long study of the Jesuit Constitutions, experiences that deepened her connections to Georgetown’s mission. Dr. Velleca was active in the Engelhard Program, bringing the safety net into the classroom, and was a Doyle fellow, focused on encouraging students to engage in diverse experiences and understand different backgrounds. Since retiring from academia, Dr. Velleca serves on nonprofit boards and a public commission, consults with educational institutions, travels widely and reads lots.