Board of Trustees

Professional Background: Emmanuel is Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Vital Services Corporation, Inc. (VSC), a Gaming system, Operation & Management company founded in 2009. His company has direct overall vendor management responsibility for the District of Columbia Sports Wagering, Lottery and Related Systems contract, managing a $250 million annual book-of-business. Emmanuel is the only minority operator of a State GSE Lottery Central System contract in the $87 Billion U.S. Market. In 2023, VSC was awarded a Sports Wagering Mobile Operator’s License by the State of Maryland, becoming the first unanimously approved Licensee by the Maryland Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC).

Emmanuel has over 25 years combined experience in Finance & Banking, Secondary Mortgage Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, and Lottery & Gaming Systems Management. Prior to founding VSC in 2009, Emmanuel served as a Vice President of Fannie Mae, holding multiple business and line positions during his 15-year career. Emmanuel served on the Board of Safe Shores - The DC Children ’s Advocacy Center; the Greater Washington Urban League; past Executive Board Committee Member of the Greater Washington Boys & Girls Club of America; and past Chairman and President of the Board of Directors for the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation. Emmanuel currently serves on the Board of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce. Emmanuel holds a B.A. from Eastern Kentucky University and an MBA from the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Professional Background: David works as a Pediatric Hospitalist and in the Emergency Department locally at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital and Suburban Hospital. Dr. Eigner retired from the US Army in 2022 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) after a 26-year career. During his Army service, he served as Chief of Pediatrics at 2 different hospitals and was the clinic chief at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center prior to his retirement. He also deployed with active duty troops as a general medical officer overseas with tours in Korea, Afghanistan, and Kuwait. As a trustee, his priorities are to continue academic excellence at Bullis, maintaining a welcoming and collaborative environment for all students, and ensuring the Athletic Department meets the needs of the recreational and elite student-athletes. David has two daughters and is married to Manisha.

Professional Background: Seema is a physician and Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at George Washington University. She was born and raised in New Zealand and attended medical school at the University of Auckland. Dr. Kakar completed her residency in Internal Medicine at George Washington University and subsequently joined the faculty. She taught medical students and residents and built an innovative curriculum during her 20 years there. She is a board-certified Internist and a certified culinary medicine specialist. She currently serves on the Advisory Council for the GW SEVA Teaching Kitchen. She is a co-founder and board member of SevaTruck Foundation, which provides free hot meals for food-insecure children at Title I schools and afterschool homework support. Seema is a physician volunteer with Operation Walk which provides free hip and knee replacement surgeries in third world countries for patients who would not have the opportunity to receive this care. She also serves on the board of a nonprofit that provides higher education scholarships to students in India. Seema and her husband Sonny have two children.

Professional Background: Drew is chief of the NIH Clinical Center's Department of Perioperative Medicine. His current interests include developing pain therapies using gene therapy; targeting pain pathways with selective agonists, toxins, or fusion proteins; and improving the diagnosis of disease states using proteomic and genomic techniques.

He has written widely in books and medical journals on such topics as advances in cancer pain management, gene therapy for pain, and neurosurgical intervention approaches to pain relief. He is board certified in anesthesiology and fellowship-trained in pain management.

Drew is a member of the American Medical Association and is on the editorial advisory board of Open Pain Journal.

Professional Background: Paul is the Director of Business Services at the Bush School of Government and Public Service in Washington, D.C. Under the banner of Texas A&M University, the Bush School’s new D.C. Center opened in the summer of 2020. In his current role, Paul oversees all aspects of the Bush School D.C.’s business operations, managing the Information Technology, Human Resources, Facilities, Operations and Administrative Service Departments, as well as the Business Office. A member of the Bush School D.C. Senior Leadership Team, Paul works with the executive leadership in both Washington, DC and College Station, Texas to craft the long-term strategic goals of the institution. Previously, Paul served as the Director of Governance, Facilities and Operations at the Daniel Morgan Graduate School of National Security in Washington, D.C.

Paul currently serves on the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences Alumni Board at the University of Maryland, College Park. He also serves on the Young Professionals Council of the First Tee of Greater Washington. Paul earned a B.A. in Government and Politics with a Minor and History from the University of Maryland, College Park. While at Maryland, Paul served on the University Senate’s Committee on Student Conduct. 

Professional Background: Sarah Novak Nesbitt, Managing Attorney of the Family Law Division of FLAG, has focused her professional life on working with children and families. After growing up in Montgomery County, Sarah graduated magna cum laude with dual degrees in psychology and sociology at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. She obtained her Juris Doctor cum laude from the University of Maryland School of Law. A Leadership Scholar in law school, she completed an internship with Project HEAL, where she provided assistance to families with their domestic relations issues, particularly those with children with special needs.

Honored for her selfless service to others, she received the Maryland Public Interest Law Project Pro Bono Student of the Year Award. Sarah was admitted to the United States Supreme Court and frequently volunteers in the Family Law Assistance Program in the Circuit Court for Howard County. Over the course of her academic and professional careers, she has volunteered with a number of nonprofits, including the House of Ruth, and she has received several awards and honors of her outstanding professionalism and service.

Sarah serves on the Board of the Collaborative Project of Maryland, a non-profit organization that provides low-cost Collaborative Divorce services to families, and is the Bullis Parents Association President.

Sarah lives in Montgomery County with her husband, three young children, and energetic Labrador. When Sarah is not busy with her law practice and family, she enjoys spending time at the beach, cheering for the Fighting Irish football team, and cooking.

Professional Background: Lisa is a writer and editor in the Office of the Founder at the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), where she writes on a wide variety of policies, programs, and social and historical issues affecting America’s children.

Lisa received her bachelor’s degree magna cum laude and her master’s degree from Harvard University. Before joining the Children’s Defense Fund she served as an Assistant Senior Tutor, or academic dean, and teaching fellow at Harvard, and as a researcher and writer at the University’s W.E.B. DuBois Institute.

Lisa is a longtime volunteer at her children’s schools and a member of the Bullis Parents Association Board, where she is the past Board Secretary.

Professional Background: Muriel earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Frostburg State University. Over the past 30 years, she has worked in the Healthcare Industry as a pharmaceutical sales representative for various Fortune 500 companies. Muriel's active volunteerism began in 1982, when she joined the Illustrious Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, whose Motto is "Service To All Mankind." She has been a power source for organizations she believes in ever since. She has added her enthusiasm, energy, drive, and can-do spirit as a Member of the Bullis Parents Association (PA) Board for the past six years, currently Co-Chairperson for New Families and Committee Member of Advancement for Bullis. She also served as the 6th - 8th grade Bullis Fund Ambassador.

Professional Background: Paula, President & CEO, Widerlite Coaching and Consulting, is the former Chief Strategy Officer of Luminis Health, a $1.2 B not-for-profit integrated health system. Prior to that, she was the Vice President of System Strategy for 22 years at Adventist HealthCare headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Paula has led countless strategic planning processes throughout her 40-year career in non-profit health care in the Washington, DC region. In addition to additional clients in other industries, she assists Luminis Health with its strategic planning and business development efforts.

Recently, Paula became a certified leadership coach after completing Georgetown University’s Executive Certificate program. As a trained and skilled coach, she helps her clients address challenges that are barriers to their continued professional growth and development. Combining her skills as an executive and leadership coach and facilitator, she assists executive women who are members of Chief in their career and leadership growth and development.

Paula has been an active community member serving on multiple boards, including Leadership Montgomery, the Lourie Center for Children, the Jewish Social Services Agency, and the Ginger Cover Continuing Care Retirement Community. Currently, she is leading the Lourie Center Champions for Children women’s leadership circle. Paula understands the challenges facing non-profit and membership-based organizations. Some of her recognitions include community service and women in industry.