Social Security

Matt Weinberg earned a BS in Physics from Old Dominion University while playing as a full time musician on the East Coast.  After graduation, he then headed to the Midwest, earning a JD from the University of Michigan Law.  During his time in Ann Arbor, Matt gained a myriad of experience engaging in moot courts, studying intellectual property and labor law, as well as leading intramural flag football and soccer teams to championship glory. 

Laura Heigert graduated with her MBA from Arizona State University in 2009.  While completing her MBA coursework, she worked full-time as a Patient Services Coordinator for The ALS Association Arizona Chapter and provided individuals diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease resources, information, support and a connection to other resources valuable to living with ALS.  In 2003, Laura earned her Master’s Degree in Music Therapy from Illinois State University and soon moved to Phoenix, Arizona.  She then spent several years providing music therapy services to children and adolescents diagnosed with a variety of neurological impairments.  Laura is still active with The ALS Association Arizona Chapter on a volunteer basis to assist with fundraising events. 

Henry Hollenbeck grew up in South Dakota where he earned a B.S. in Computer Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.  While there, he was active on several campus organizations including, the Leadership Development Team, Freshmen Orientation Leader Team, Student Senate, and Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity.  Following his undergraduate studies, he joined the US Army and was stationed in Germany for 4 years.  He deployed twice to Iraq as Team Leader for his unit’s IT department and he served as a LAN Manager overseeing network operations.  In 2009, Henry graduated from the University of Maryland University College with a M.S. in Information Technology and obtained a graduate certificate in Information Assurance.  Henry is now works as an Information Technology Specialist in the Regional Office (Center for Automation). 

Annabelle Yang graduated from Amherst College with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Psychology.  She recently earned a law degree from the University of Chicago Law School.  While in law school, she served on the board of the Chicago Law Foundation, an organization dedicated to raising funds for students working in the public interest, worked on the staff of the Chicago Journal of International Law, and sang with the law school’s a cappella group, the Scales of Justice.  Before law school, she worked in educational publishing for several years. 

Brandon Yu earned a BA in Political Economy from the University of California, Berkeley and a JD from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.  Prior to joining SSA, he worked as a summer clerk at the California Office of the State Public Defender conducting legal research on behalf of indigent death row state prisoners seeking habeas relief before the California Supreme Court.  During law school, he also served separate stints as a federal judicial extern for the Honorable Claudia Wilken and Magistrate Judge Wayne Brazil of the district court for the Northern District of California in Oakland.  After graduating from UC Berkeley, Brandon worked as a policy researcher for the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability, focusing on the peaceful denuclearization of North Korea.  Brandon also served alongside the Dean of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, Orville Schell, as co-editor of a monthly series of columns on the democratization of China that were translated and published in major foreign newspapers around the world.  Brandon is a Labor and Employee Relations Specialist working in the Regional Office.

Thomas Radwick graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and later earned a Master of Public Administration Degree from San Francisco State University.  During his master’s studies, he worked as a Manager of Administrative Services at First Republic Bank in San Francisco and had a summer internship as an Analyst at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).  Prior to these jobs, Thomas was employed as a Documentation Specialist for a software company in Sofia, Bulgaria. As a PMF at SSA, Thomas worked as a Human Resources Specialist with the Employee, Training and Development Team; as a Management Analyst with the Field Facilities Team; as a Claims Representative in the Downtown San Francisco District Office; and as a Management Support Specialist in the Downtown Oakland District Office, where he currently works as an Operations Supervisor.

Catherine Lewis is a PMF transfer to the San Francisco Region from the SSA Office of Disability Programs in Baltimore, Maryland.  Catherine graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a B.A. in Psychology and Social Behavior.  She worked as a paralegal for a civil litigation firm and in non-profit social services management for agencies serving people with disabilities before earning her Master’s in Public Administration from California State University - East Bay. While with the Office of Disability Programs in Baltimore, Catherine worked on the development, evaluation, and interpretation of agency-level medical policies. After the birth of their daughter, she and her husband returned home to the San Francisco Bay Area to be closer to family. Catherine subsequently worked as a disability quality reviewer in the San Francisco Office of Quality Performance and now works as a Management Analyst in the San Francisco Regional Office of Disability Adjudication and Review.

Jim Russell is a PMF transfer to SSA from the USDA Forest Service in Idyllwild, California. Jim graduated from University of California at Santa Cruz with a B.A. in Environmental Studies.  After a two-year rock-climbing hiatus exploring the U.S. and Canada, including seven days on Yosemite’s El Capitan, Jim joined the Peace Corps and spent two years as a volunteer in Nicaragua. While in the Peace Corps, he helped build a baseball stadium, dug latrines and utilized his bilingual skills to teach in both elementary and high schools.  Before returning home, he spent a year managing a beach bar and restaurant just north of the Costa Rican border.  Eventually, he returned to California to get his Master’s in Social Work from San Jose State University.  Jim is the District Manager in the Watsonville District Office in Northern California.

Jackie Chapin is a PMF transfer to the San Francisco Region from the SSA Office of Disability Programs in Baltimore, Maryland. She began her professional career as a registered nurse but returned to school to study sociology. While earning her doctorate from the University of California at Riverside, she conducted both quantitative and qualitative research projects on gender, work and family finances. Between completing her master’s and her doctorate, she taught courses in sociology at colleges and universities in both Oregon and California. She also spent several years employed as a teaching mentor for other graduate students. Jackie is permanently assigned to the SSA District Office in Fontana, California.

Sophia Kobrin graduated in 2002 with her B.A. in Ethnic Studies with a concentration in Chicano Studies and Spanish (double major) from California State University at Sacramento.  Upon graduation, she completed an internship with the Asian/Pacific Islander Youth Violence Prevention Center as a researcher with tours of duty in both Honolulu, Hawaii, and Sacramento, California.  In 2004, she earned her Master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA) from California State University, Stanislaus.  While working on her MPA, she also served as a researcher on an evaluation of multi-jurisdictional Drug Task Forces in California counties for the Governor’s Office of Criminal Justice and Planning.  She chose SSA because it is an agency with strong public service values and is committed to the well being of its employees.  Sophia is the Assistant District Manager in the Stockton District Office.

Darrel Onizuka graduated from American University in Washington, D.C. with a Master’s in International Communication.  He earned a B.A. in speech and a certificate in ethnic studies from the University of Hawaii.  Darrel serves as a Staff Weather Officer and an Army Support Team Leader in the California Air National Guard.  He is also part of the Intercultural Management Quarterly Journal Editorial Review Board. Darrel gained some experience conducting audits and gathering research during graduate school through an internship with the Department of State, Office of the Inspector General.  He grew up in Kaneohe, Hawaii and then joined the U.S. Air Force at age 19.  Darrel was stationed in Germany for 4 years and has also worked temporarily in Italy and Okinawa.  Darrel is currently the Assistant District Manager in the Inglewood District Office. 

Tarana Quinsaat is a PMF transfer to SSA from the Congressional Research Service in Washington, D.C. She has a JD from the University of Miami, and a BA in Political Science from the University of Arizona. Prior to her PMF experience, Tarana interned with the Departments of Justice and State, the British Refugee Council, and the Florida Immigration Advocacy Center. She completed a part of her legal education at the University College London in the United Kingdom. During her undergraduate career, she interned with California Senator Raymond Haynes and U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer. She has participated in volunteer programs such as her law school's Helping Others Through Pro Bono Efforts (H.O.P.E.) and Big Brothers Big Sisters.  Tarana is the temporary Deputy Area Director in the Tri Counties Area.

Dawn Heywood joined SSA in July 2002 as a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF) in the Boston Region. During the PMF program, she held a variety of positions including Claims Representative, Area Staff Assistant, Program Analyst and Public Affairs Specialist. In 2004, Dawn was promoted to the position of Operations Supervisor in the Quincy, Massachusetts District office. She transferred to the San Francisco Region in 2006, where she was assigned as an Operations Supervisor in the North Sacramento District Office. In 2007, Dawn joined the Area Director’s staff and has held the positions of Public Affairs Specialist and Area Administrative Assistant. She has also held the position of District Manager of the Feather River District Office and currently holds the position of District Manager of the Auburn District Office. Dawn holds a Master's Degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, both from Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts.

Tom McMahon joined SSA in September 2002 as a PMF in the New York Region and transferred to the San Francisco Region.  As a PMF, Tom held a variety of positions in the field, Regional Office and in Central Office (CO), including Claims Representative, Management Support Specialist, Analyst in Field Facilities, and a Program Analyst in Division for Systems Security and Program Integrity in CO.  Prior to transferring to the San Francisco Region, he held the position of Financial Management Team Leader in the New York Regional Office. In the San Francisco Region, Tom became the Area Director's Office Supervisor in the Southwest Area Office.  Tom holds a Master's Degree in Public Administration from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the State University of New York at Oneonta.  Prior to joining SSA, Tom worked for the New York City Department of Probation and the State of New York.

Hung Sa Kloeung is a PMF transfer to SSA from the Department of Justice in Washington, DC. He is the District Manager for the Santa Barbara District Office. He received both his Bachelor of Arts in History and his Master’s of Public Administration from Arizona State University. Prior to his PMF experience, he was a Management Assistant with the Town of Queen Creek, Arizona, and an Instructional Specialist with Arizona State University Academic and Professional Programs.

Jen Mitchell joined the Regional Office in August 2002 after obtaining her graduate degree from UC Berkeley in May 2002 in Social Welfare (MSW) with an emphasis in Management and Planning. She obtained her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.  Prior to obtaining her MSW, Jen worked as a program manager in a Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Center and as a coordinator of a youth mentoring program. She also spent three summers working for the U.S. Forest Service in Northern California.  Jen chose SSA in the San Francisco Region for her PMF appointment because she felt the Agency most closely matched her public service values and provided flexibility in choosing assignments. Jen works as a Disability Program Administrator in the Center for Disability, San Francisco Regional Office. She also serves as the president of the child care board for La Petite Day Care Center at the Regional Office.

Marijke D. Adams is a Special Project Officer of the Regional Chief Judge, Office of Disability Adjudication and Review.  She graduated from Texas Southern University with a Master’s Degree in Public Administration.  Marijke also received her Bachelor of Arts in English from Texas Southern University.  A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Marijke joined the San Francisco Region because of the numerous opportunities and diversity the PMF Program offered.  

Maria J. Perez began her career with SSA in 1997 as a PMF in the San Francisco Region. During her two-year fellowship she completed assignments as a Title 16 (Supplemental Security Income) Claims Representative in the Whittier District Office, a Specialist with the SSI Policy Team, the Financial Management Team, the Center for Disability, the Disability Redesign Team in Central Office and the two California State Disability Determination Services implementing the disability Prototype process. Prior to her SSA career, she worked as an account executive for a small environmental consulting/public relations firm. She earned her Master's Degree from the University of Michigan, School of Public Policy and her undergraduate degree from the University of California at Los Angeles. Maria is the Manager in the Long Beach District Office.