Meet Our Vets

Ebenezer K. Gyasi is a native of Newark, NJ and currently a 3L. He is a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy and Williams College, where he majored in History and Philosophy while participating as a member of the Varsity football team. Before law school, he spent three years as a public-school teacher in Baton Rouge, LA and Chicago, IL. His experience working with students and families in underserved and often marginalized communities provided him renewed and concrete purpose about the importance of serving others, particularly the most vulnerable. During his time at Penn Law, he has been involved in and served on the boards of several groups and organizations including, Council of Student Representatives, Christian Legal, American Constitution Society and the Federalist Society to name a few. He has continued working with students through his volunteer efforts teaching Constitutional law to seniors at Overbrook High. Ebenezer worked at Kirkland & Ellis in their New York office as a 2018 summer associate. Upon graduation, he will report to Officer Development school to be officially commissioned as a lawyer and an officer in the United States Navy.

Aaron graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2007, earning a Bachelor of Science in Leadership with Honors and a commission in the U.S. Army Infantry. He was assigned to the 3rd Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, WA, where he served as a Platoon Leader and Company Executive Officer. During his subsequent assignment to the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, NC, he served as a Special Forces Detachment Commander and Company Executive Officer. Aaron has completed multiple overseas deployments and continues to serve as a member of the Army Reserve as an Operations Officer for the 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne). He is enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania’s Francis J. & William Polk Carey JD/MBA Program and is active in various student organizations such as the Federalist Society and the Veteran’s Law Project. He currently resides in Philadelphia with his wife and two sons.

Frank grew up across the river in South Jersey. He commissioned in the Marine Corps in 2009 after graduating from the George Washington University. Frank served as an intelligence officer at MCAS Miramar in San Diego and deployed twice to Afghanistan. After leaving active duty in 2013, Frank earned a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and joined the office of Rep. Ann McLane Kuster (NH-02) as a legislative assistant. At Penn Law, Frank is the Editor-in-Chief for Law Review and has been involved with the American Constitution Society, First Generation Professions, and the Veterans Law Project.

Machael enlisted into the Navy after graduating high school. After serving in the Navy, Machael enrolled and graduated from the University of Minnesota-Carlson School of Management with a Bachelor in Business Science in Finance and Accounting. Since then, he has focused his career in helping municipalities and government agencies better serve their constituencies.

Reid Hopkins is a third year law student from Houston, TX and a graduate of Texas A&M University. Reid commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps after completing Officer Candidates School in August 2017. After graduating from Penn he will serve on active duty as a Judge Advocate.

Brendan Walden is the Vice President of Operations. Brendan was born in New York, raised in Northern New Jersey, and graduated from Rutgers College in New Brunswick, NJ with a B.A. in Psychology in 2010. A year later Brendan enlisted in the United States Coast Guard, serving most of five years as an Operations Specialist at the Joint Harbor Operations Center in San Diego, California. While at Penn, Brendan has interned with the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General as well as the Defender Association of Philadelphia through the Criminal Defense Clinic. Brendan was a Summer Associate at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP in New York this past summer and plans to return if he can pass the bar. This school year Brendan is working with the Youth Education Partnership and leading the Journal of Law & Public Affair’s (JLPA) 2019 Symposium, Addicted to the War on Drugs.

Ted graduated magna cum laude from Duke University in 2007 and was commissioned into the United States Marine Corps. After initial officer training and flight school, he joined Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 169 as a UH-1Y “Venom” pilot and deployed to the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. While deployed, Ted flew more than 230 combat flight hours and executed 127 combat missions. After returning from Afghanistan, Ted earned a position on the US Modern Pentathlon National Team and competed in numerous national and international competitions, including the 2015 World Championships.

Nick is from St. Paul Minnesota and graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 2008 earning a degree in Political Science and a Commission as an Intelligence Officer. After initial training, Nick supported various aircraft and mission sets across the spectrum of Air Force Intelligence. Additionally, he is a distinguished graduate of the Air Force’s Weapons Instructor Course. He is currently in his second year of the JD/MBA program. At Penn, Nick is a McNulty Leadership Program Nonprofit Board Fellow and is involved with the American Constitution Society, First Generation Professionals, and Veterans Club.

Andrew graduated from the University of Delaware in 2014 with a degree in French Studies and Philosophy. He commissioned through the Army ROTC Program as a Second Lieutenant and, after completing Quartermaster Officer training at Fort Lee, VA, was stationed in 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC. While there, he served as a Platoon Leader and Company Executive Officer. Andrew completed one overseas deployment to Afghanistan where he served as the Battalion S-4, Commander's Emergency Relief Program project manager, and the Kandahar Airfield Sexual Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) Program representative.

Rachel enlisted in the U.S. Air Force Reserve in 2016, after graduating from Dickinson College with a Bachelor's Degree in Law and Policy. She was assigned to the 459th Air Refueling Wing as a member of the 69th Aerial Port Squadron at Andrews Air Force Base. Prior to entering the J.D. program at Penn Law, Rachel worked as a legal assistant at Wiley Rein LLP, supporting the White Collar Crime and Government Investigation's group. At Penn Law, Rachel is an active member of BLSA (Black Law Students Association), the Veteran's Club, in addition to her continued service in the Air Force Reserve.

Phil graduated and commissioned from the United States Naval Academy in 2008 with a BS in Computer Science. After completing initial Nuclear Power training, he was stationed aboard the USS SANTA FE (SSN-763) and held several positions on board, including MPA, DCA, and QAO. After earning his dolphins, he qualified as a Nuclear Engineer. Upon concluding his tour aboard SANTA FE, he was stationed at CTF-54 (now CSS-21) in Manama, Bahrain as an Assistant Officer in Charge. Following his 1 year tour, he became a NROTC instructor at the University of Southern California. While at USC, he was the freshmen and battalion advisor, also earning his MS in Computer Science. Following his 8 years of active duty, he transitioned the IRR and became a contractor for the Navy. As a contractor, he was in charge of cybersecurity for the USS GERALD R FORD (CVN-78). At Penn Law, Phil’s activities include the Veterans Law Project, Penn Men's Ice Hockey, and Penn Entertainment and Sport's Law Socuety. He is also pursuing a joint degree at Wharton through the Carey JD/MBA program.

Sean graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2013 and commissioned through the Navy’s Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate Program as a Naval Reactors Engineer. After completing initial training, he held several positions at Naval Reactors Headquarters in the Nuclear Technology and Reactor Engineering Divisions, including most recently as the lead engineer for Technology Demonstration Core design. While at NR, he completed the Bettis Reactor Engineering School and obtained his masters degree from Penn State, where he studied nuclear engineering. At Penn Law, Sean’s activities include Penn Law Lambda and Veterans Law Project. He is also an engineering duty officer in the Navy reserves.

Drawing on his experience as an aviator and attorney in the U.S. Navy, Mark Patrick Nevitt's writing examines civilian control of military institutions generally, with a focus on the intersection of environmental, international, and national security law. His publications have appeared in the Boston College Law Review (forthcoming), Oxford University Press, Cardozo Law Review (two), Berkeley Journal of International Law, and Hawaii Law Review. Mark graduated from the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) and attended law school through the Navy's Law Education Program, receiving his J.D. and LL.M. with distinction from the Georgetown University Law Center. His Navy JAG assignments have included serving as a defense counsel in Lemoore, California; operational law attorney with the U.S. Navy's Sixth Fleet in Naples, Italy; Deputy Director for Administrative Law for the Office of the Judge Advocate General; and the Department of Defense's Regional Environmental Counsel in Norfolk, Virginia. During his tenure in Norfolk, Mark tackled emerging legal and policy issues posed by the intersection of climate change and national security, among other things playing a lead role in the Hampton Roads Sea Level Rise Pilot Project—an intergovernmental initiative to develop a whole-of-government approach to sea-level-rise preparedness in Hampton Roads. More recently, Mark helped lead the Navy’s investigation into the Iranian detention of U.S. sailors in Farsi Island, investigating issues involving law of the sea, national security law, and human rights law.