A closer look D.C.'s Board members:

President Melissa Green is a 1994 USC graduate and got her degree in English. Originally from Sterling, Va., Melissa chose Carolina , she says, because her South Carolinian father and two cousins attended USC and the university’s journalism and English programs had great reputations (still do).

Following graduation, Melissa returned to Virginia to take a job as associate editor of the official publication of the National Automobile Dealers Association. In 1998, she began work as a producer for News in Motion, a visual component of the media company Knight Ridder/Tribune. She was responsible for the editorial content for her department that created daily visual elements for television news stations nationwide, including news animations and graphics. After a stint as associate director of communications for The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (USC even has a chapter!), Melissa is now marketing manager for Patton Boggs, a law and lobbying firm in Washington, D.C.

“Some of my favorite memories as an undergrad at USC stem from being a Carolina Coquette and performing at the football games, pep rallies and other events,” she says. “It is the most amazing feeling being down on the field for Cocky’s 2001 during the pre-game festivities. The energy at Williams-Brice is just electric.” Melissa was also a student orientation leader, which allowed her, she says, “to see Carolina through hundreds of different eyes and to spend some time with (then president) Dr. Palms. Years later as an alum, I ran into him in Pittsburgh during the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and he even remembered me.”


Vice President Neil Baumgardner is a 1998 Carolina graduate originally from Goose Creek near Charleston, S.C. Neil chose USC for its international studies program, with an eye towards eventually moving to the Washington area to pursue a career in the area of national security issues. In fact, Neil moved to Northern Virginia just one week after graduation in order to take up an internship with the Business Executives for National Security organization. After the brief internship, Neil joined the trade publication Defense Daily, where he worked for the next five years. Initially a general assignment reporter and production assistant, Neil soon rose to become Defense Daily’s Army reporter and international editor. In these two roles, he was responsible for coverage of the U.S. Army’s equipment acquisition programs and transformation efforts, as well as international projects. Neil has traveled to various military bases and defense industry sites across the United States and Canada, as well as in Europe to cover exhibitions like the Farnborough and Paris airshows in the U.K. and France . In August 2003, Neil made the move into industry, joining Boeing to work on international business development for the Army’s Future Combat Systems program. Neil now analyses the requirements and acquisition projects of U.S. allies and attends such exhibitions as the Eurosatory land systems show in Paris. In January 2005, Neil started on his Master's degree in Georgetown University's Security Studies Program.

Neil says he enjoys working in his chosen career and traveling the world, “but my heart is still in South Carolina . My family is there, many friends are still there, and of course there is USC and Gamecock athletics. Even when I’m overseas, I stay on top of how the Gamecocks are doing. I also enjoy being able to return to South Carolina every few months to ‘rehabilitate’ from the hustle and bustle of beltway life. The alumni club is another great way for me to reconnect with my roots.”

Neil first became active with the alumni club in 2000, and became vice president in 2001. Neil is also the president of the National Capital Regional Gamecock Club, which was established in 2004.

Secretary Ronald Burleson, B.S. Marketing, USC '72, has lived/worked in 20 countries over two decades, creating and leading technology enterprises in telecommunications, Internet, wireless, cable TV, geographical information systems, large scale logistics, light manufacturing, printing & publishing and systems integration. Two of the companies he created/re-engineered later went public for almost one half billion dollars and today he directs his own international consulting company. Mr. Burleson has taught undergraduate leadership and business management courses in three countries and has an MA in Communications from the University of Missouri, is fluent in Spanish, and is a veteran of the United States Air Force.

Treasurer Kevin Youmans is the Business Development Coordinator at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Virginia. In this role, he coordinates business plan development for hospital growth initiatives in addition to managing strategic planning activities for the campus.

A native of Hampton, SC, Kevin now lives with his wife Lolita, a Carolina graduate, and three of their four children in Fairfax, VA. Kevin earned a BS in Physical Education from USC in 1987. Following graduation, he worked for Toyota Motor Corporation as a sales representative. After a 16 year career with Toyota, Kevin earned a Master in Health Administration from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston

Social Director Crista Gaffney graduated from the Darla Moore School of Business in 1998. A native Washingtonian, Crista lives in Arlington, Va. and works in technology sales.

“I enjoy living in D.C.,” Crista says. “This is my hometown. Besides the numerous events and opportunities there are here, there are always new people coming to our city, which is what makes it such a unique place to live. Being involved with the alumni club has been a great experience for me to meet new people and get more involved in Carolina events, but it’s also given me an opportunity to enjoy new D.C. experiences, as well.”

Crista first became involved in the alumni club through the co-ed flag football team 5 years ago. Since then, she has also participated in community volunteer activities, social and sporting events with the DC alumni Club.

Steph Serven, Membership Director, received her Master's degree from Carolina in Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) in 2006.  She has been living in Arlington since August 2006 and works at Marymount University as the Assistant Director of Student Development, working primarily on student leadership programs and commuter student services.  She originally hails from New England, and completed her Bachelor's degree in Psychology at the College of the Holy Cross in 2004.   All signs pointed South following college graduation, and she made an escape to warmer climates to pursue her Master's degree in the reputable HESA program and follow her passion for working with college students.  

Undergraduate Admissions Liasion Gretchen Tusing Hendricks is a 1992 graduate of USC with a B.A. in Psychology and a 1997 graduate of Marymount University with an M.A. in Psychological Services. She is currently an adjunct psychology professor with an extensive background in human resources and career services programming for higher education, government and the private sector. She lives just outside Washington, DC with her husband, four-year-old daughter and the cat she acquired at USC named Bubba.

Members At-large

Gordon Speed is a vice president of business development with Cassidy & Associates, a DC-based lobbying firm.

Gordon came to Cassidy & Associates in 2004 from his former post as Manager of Corporate Affairs at American Community Schools, Ltd., where he was responsible for developing, maintaining, and expanding business leads in the United States and Canada. Prior to his work at ACS, Gordon was Client Relationship Manager at Power Television News, Grassroots Campaign Manager with Citizens for a Sound Economy, and Deputy for Communications in the office of Mayor John A. Delaney from Jacksonville, Florida. In addition, he served on Capitol Hill as Project Coordinator for a Florida Republican Member of Congress.

Gordon received his B.A. in History from the University of South Carolina and attended the Washington Program at Boston University.