Staff Biographies

Abdulwahab Alkebsi is the Regional Director for Africa and MENA. Prior to joining CIPE, Alkebsi served as the Director of the Middle East and North Africa division at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), where he oversaw a portfolio that included Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, North Africa, the Levant, the Gulf nations, and Yemen. Prior to working at the NED, Alkebsi served as the Executive Director at the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID), a non-profit think tank, based in Washington DC, dedicated to studying Islamic and democratic political thought and merging them into a modern Islamic democratic discourse. He has appeared several times in American, European, and Middle Eastern media. He has been interviewed or quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, U.S. News & World Report, United Press International, PBS, CNN, CNBC, BBC, Al-Jazeera, Al-Arabia, Al-Hurra, MBC, Abu Dhabi TV, ANA, Nile TV, and many others. Mr. Alkebsi was born in Yemen, and resides in Potomac, Maryland with his wife and three daughters.

John J. Callebaut

John J. Callebaut is the Regional Director for Asia, managing CIPE's portfolio of programs in East and South Asia, with special emphasis on China, Vietnam, and Indonesia. He has more than 15 years of experience in promoting expanded economic relations between the United States and Asia. A staff member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce since 1987, he has served in a number of capacities managing Asia-related activities. Callebaut joined CIPE in 1994. Before joining the U.S. Chamber, he served as a senior manager of the U.S.-China Business Council from 1984 to 1987. Callebaut has a master of International Affairs degree from Columbia University and a bachelors degree, cum laude, from Georgetown University. He has traveled extensively throughout Asia, and speaks and reads Mandarin Chinese.

Steven B. Rogers

Steven B. Rogers is the Deputy Director for Operations. He joined CIPE in 1984 and has over 20 years of experience in non-profit organizational management, international program management and evaluation, and U.S. government grants and contracts management. Rogers has broad expertise in areas from proposal writing and budgeting to overseas office management, auditing, and government grant regulations. At CIPE, Rogers is responsible for the financial and grants management division and internal evaluation. He is the author of several evaluations of CIPE programs and was the Washington-based manager of a seven-year program of economic policy reform in Hungary.

Jean Rogers

Jean Rogers is Deputy Director for Programs at CIPE, collaborating with regional program staff on strategies and program development and overseeing a variety of communications, training and special projects. From 1995-1999, she headed CIPE’s USAID-funded office in Budapest, Hungary, furthering the Center’s mission of strengthening democracy through the promotion of private enterprise and market-oriented reform. During her tenure, the Budapest Center worked with top level government and Parliamentary officials to tackle complex issues of economic growth and, perhaps more importantly, assisted dozens of local groups in their efforts to become part of the policy-making process, advancing the concept of open exchange and advocacy as pillars of a strong democracy. Rogers also has led sessions on regional trading blocs in Africa, small business growth in Central Europe, cross-border program models, and the development of think tanks, as well as trained business associations and women’s groups from throughout the world in strategic planning, project evaluation, and management. Earlier in her career she was Director of Programs and Services for the EFT Association, where she helped shape policy solutions for issues such as transaction security and electronic benefits payments to individuals. She holds a masters degree in International Transactions (Commerce and Policy) from George Mason University in Virginia and a bachelor’s degree with honors in German from the University of Georgia. She has done graduate work in political management at the George Washington University and has been an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University.

Mark J. Schultz

Mark J. Schultz is the Operations Manager for CIPE and brings more than 30 years of financial and operational management experience. Prior to joining CIPE, Mark had a successful career in healthcare, including serving as a hospital chief financial officer. He has also been an associate professor at Columbia Union College and served in roles of increased responsibility with the Hospital Financial Management Association. Mark began his work in international development with a long-term overseas assignment to Egypt as Hospital Finance Advisor on a large USAID healthcare project in the mid-90s. Mark then became an advisor on a USAID population project, also based in Cairo. He has also served as the CFO for an Egyptian paint manufacturer, as a result of work with the Cairo American Chamber of Commerce. Mark has a master's degree of business administration in management from Mount St. Mary’s University, a bachelor's degree in accounting from Loyola University of Baltimore and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Maryland. In addition to being on several historical society committees and the local planning commission, Mark and his wife Kim reside in a historical Victorian home in New Windsor Maryland, with their four children scattered throughout the United States.   

In addition, Mark has over 20 years of sports coaching and umpiring.

Caroline L. Scullin is Director of Communications at CIPE. She brings more than 20 years of communications and external relations experience to CIPE, working at a strategic level to develop and disseminate CIPE communications to stakeholders, direct the day-to-day production of CIPE publications, and expand the use of outreach vehicles. Prior to joining CIPE in 2008, Scullin was Director of Public Relations for the United States Government Printing Office (GPO), serving as the key point-of-contact for the press and the public, relaying GPO’s work on products such as the U.S. passport to the American people. From 2001 until early 2007, she operated her own project management consulting practice. In her practice and career, Scullin has worked with a variety of organizations including: The International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims, Conservation International, Save the Children, the U.S. - Japan Leadership Council, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Francis Scott Key Foundation, and the National Portrait Gallery. She also spent more than a decade as Chief Aide and Press Secretary to Robert C. McFarlane, former National Security Advisor to President Ronald Reagan. Scullin is a graduate of Georgetown University, where she sits on the Board of Governors of the Alumni Association, serves as Vice Chairman of the Communications and Campus Engagement Committee, and is Alumni Ambassador to the McDonough School of Business. She is the recipient of the university’s William Gaston Award for outstanding service and leadership.

Aleksandr Shkolnikov, Ph.D.

Aleksandr Shkolnikov is Director for Policy Reform programs at CIPE. He manages a variety of programs on corporate governance, anti-corruption, democratic development, and business association advocacy. He has authored a number of articles and policy papers focusing on democratic and economic reform issues in developing countries. Together with John D. Sullivan, CIPE executive director, Shkolnikov has written a column for the International Business Times and his articles also appeared in international newspapers as well as in publications by a number of different policy institutes. Shkolnikov also frequently speaks at conferences and has participated as a trainer in several programs for business associations and journalists. A native of Moscow, Russia, Shkolnikov holds a Ph.D. in Economics, a master's degree in international commerce and policy, and a bachelors degree in marketing – all from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA.

John D. Sullivan is the executive director of CIPE. As associate director of the Democracy Program, John helped to establish both CIPE and the National Endowment for Democracy in 1983. After serving as program director, Sullivan became executive director in 1991. Under his leadership CIPE developed a number of innovative approaches that link democratic development to market reforms including: combating corruption, promoting corporate governance, building business associations, supporting the informal sector, and programs to assist women and youth entrepreneurs. Today CIPE has 75 full time staff with offices in Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Pakistan, Romania, and Russia.

Sullivan joined the U.S. Chamber in 1977 in the public affairs department as a specialist in business and economic education. While in the public affairs department he ran a clearinghouse that specialized in assisting corporations, chambers, associations, and universities in developing their own in-house programs. Prior to the U.S. Chamber, Sullivan was a member of President Ford’s election campaign and worked in Los Angeles’ inner city neighborhoods helping to develop minority business programs.

Sullivan received a doctorate in political science from the University of Pittsburgh and is the author of numerous publications on the transition to democracy, corporate governance, and market-oriented democratic development. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies as well as at George Mason University Graduate School of Public Affairs. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Russian Institute of Directors’ Advisory Board, the Bretton Woods Association, and the American Political Science Association.

Born in Bisbee, Arizona in 1948, John was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He now resides in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife Patricia.

Andrew Wilson is the Regional Director for Eurasia and South Asia at CIPE. Wilson directs CIPE’s grant and technical assistance programs to the aforementioned regions and coordinates CIPE’s corporate governance efforts across the globe.  Wilson has worked at CIPE since 1996, and prior to that worked for several development non-governmental organizations focusing on economic reform and private sector development. He received his master's degree in East European area studies from the University of London, and bachelor's degree in history from Lewis and Clark College. He is a trustee of the Meadows Foundation of Dallas, Texas and a board member of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.

Gregg Willhauck

Gregg Willhauck is the director for congressional and government relations for CIPE. Willhauck is CIPE’s principal liaison to the U.S. Congress, U.S. Department of State, and U.S. Agency for International Development. He also works regularly with international development organizations such as United Nations Development Programme, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the World Bank. In addition to communicating CIPE’s activities and interests before these entities, Willhauck participates in a variety of working groups focused on issues such as improving U.S. foreign assistance effectiveness, reforming U.S. aid structures and instruments, and coordinating strategies among the development non-governmental organization community.Willhauck joined CIPE in May 2005 after working 19 years in the U.S. Senate. His last Senate position was legislative director to U.S. Senator John E. Sununu from 2003-2004, during which time Gregg was the principal staff person handling Senator Sununu’s work on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. From 2001-2002, Willhauck served as executive director of the Senate Steering Committee, a caucus of U.S. Senators that meets regularly to discuss issues of common interest and to develop strategies for accomplishing their legislative objectives. Prior to that, Willhauck served as legislative counsel to U.S. Senator Spencer Abraham handling the senator’s assignments to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources (1995-1996) and the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (1996-2000).  From 1997-2000, Willhauck also served as the majority staff counsel for the Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Manufacturing and Competitiveness, which Senator Abraham chaired, and was responsible for assembling and managing its hearings.Willhauck graduated with cum laude from Albion College in Albion, Michigan, with a bachelor's degree in Political Science. 

John Zemko is the Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at CIPE. Zemko established CIPE's award winning website, the Forum on Economic Freedom, and has moderated interactive discussion groups in cooperation with the World Bank Institute on the topic of corruption. Previously, he was a senior consultant at the accounting firm of PriceWaterhouseCoopers and an editor for the Economist Intelligence Unit in New York. Mr. Zemko has a master's degree in international business from Columbia University and a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Riverside in political science and Latin American studies.