Our Staff

Paul Eisenstein, Director of Operations

Since graduating from Saint Louis University, Paul Eisenstein has focused his efforts on bringing people of diverse backgrounds together in community service. As a youth program coordinator in San Francisco, Paul developed an after-school program for over 50 children in a low-income housing development where he utilized volunteers to successfully run programs ranging from teen empowerment groups to tutoring programs. At Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS), Paul equipped over 200 volunteers with the training and skills to be safe and effective mentors. He also led various communications and fund development projects as a project manager at BBBS.

Outside of his professional life, Paul is working to improve the St. Louis region through various projects. He is the secretary for the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of St. Louis and a co-facilitator in the Bridges Across Racial Polarization project. Paul is also a member of several local and national organizations including Metropolis St. Louis, FOCUS St. Louis, the Community Service Public Relations Council, and the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Paul is currently the Director of Operations at the Center for Citizen Leadership (CCL) where he oversees the development and execution of its program, development, communications, and administration efforts. His experience in bringing together diverse groups of volunteers through community service is enabling the CCL to expand its reach and impacts across the nation.

Chris Marvin, National Director of The Mission Continues

Chris Marvin was raised in Central Illinois and is a 1997 graduate of Bloomington Central Catholic High School. He attended the University of Notre Dame on an Army ROTC scholarship and graduated with a degree in Accountancy in 2001. Upon graduation Chris was commissioned as an Army Officer.

Chris attended flight school in Ft. Rucker, Alabama, and was named the Distinguished Honor Graduate of his Officer Basic Course class in 2002. He completed the UH-60L Blackhawk Aircraft Qualification Course in 2003 and was subsequently assigned to the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawai‘i. Chris served as a Platoon Leader in B Company, 2-25 Aviation Regiment for eighteen months, including four months in combat, deploying to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in April 2004. As a member of Task Force Diamondhead, Chris participated in multiple combat missions including joint military and combined multi-national operations. On August 12, 2004, Chris was seriously injured in a helicopter crash while conducting combat operations near the Pakistan border.

Chris continues to recover from his injuries through multiple surgeries and physical therapy. He remains on active duty as an Army Captain. He joined the Center in October 2007 as a Veterans Outreach Coordinator. In May 2008, Chris took over as the Executive Director of The Mission Continues.

Katie Wells, Veterans Outreach Coordinator (Southeast Region)

Katie Wells graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude from Sewanee (The University of the South) with a BA in Russian language and a concentration in Russian literature in 2005. Katie is also a graduate of the Middlebury Language School where she completed the nine-week Russian language summer immersion program.

Katie has worked as a White House intern in the Public Liaison Office and Office of Presidential Correspondence in Washington, DC. At the end of her internship, Katie became the Acting Associate Director of the White House Comment Line while the Associate Director was called to active duty in the Navy.

Katie was invited in April 2005 to become a military peer visitor at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The military peer visitor program at Walter Reed enables amputees like Katie to visit wounded veterans on a weekly basis. Following the military peer visitor training and certification, Katie's main role at Walter Reed was helping the amputees with their adjustment process from the intensive care unit until they were discharged. Katie is thrilled to join the Center's team as a Regional Veterans Outreach Coordinator for the Southeast.

As Veterans Outreach Coordinator, Katie recruits and manages Mission Continues fellows in the Southeastern region of the United States.

Daniel H. Connell, Veterans Outreach Coordinator (Washington, DC)

Dan Connell grew up in a Coast Guard family, moving around the United States before settling in southern New Jersey.  While attending Seton Hall University, Dan was involved in the Academic Teaming Assistant program, which provided in-residence tutors to students free of charge within their dormitories.  In 2002, he completed the University Honors Program and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History.  He was engaged in a variety of internships during and after college, including stints with the Ocean County (NJ) Major Crimes Investigation Unit and the Ocean County Historical Society, as well as an opportunity to work for a United States Congressman in Washington, DC. 

In September 2004 Dan was commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy through Officer Candidate School.  He was subsequently assigned to an EA-6B squadron in Whidbey Island, where he served as a Division Officer and completed a deployment to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom during the Spring of 2006.  The following Spring Dan deployed again; this time to al Anbar Province in Iraq.  After his tour in Iraq, Dan was stationed in Seoul, South Korea.

Dan remains on active duty in the Washington, DC area and was recently promoted to Lieutenant.  He resides in Northern Virginia. Dan joined The Mission Continues in September 2008 as a Veterans Outreach Coordinator for the Washington, DC area.

Jonathan M. Wiens, Veterans Outreach Coordinator (Washington, DC)

Jonathan Wiens grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, and attended the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona.  At the U of A, Jon was actively involved in multiple public service organizations as both a leader and volunteer.  In 2002, he completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology and a Bachelor of Arts degree in German and Political Science.  Immediately following, Jon moved to the Midwest where he began graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, earning a Masters degree there in International Political Economy in 2004.

Upon completion of graduate school, Jon sought to serve the nation and joined the United States Navy.  He completed Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida, where he was commissioned in the summer of 2004.  Since then, the Navy has taken Jon across the country and back: first to Virginia Beach for intelligence officer training; then to Washington State for service with an aircraft carrier-based aviation squadron; and most recently to Washington, DC, where Jon is assigned to a national agency.  He has twice deployed in support of the Global War on Terrorism.  In 2005, Jon deployed to Southeast Asia in support of a Joint Special Operations Task Force, and in 2007-2008 he deployed to Iraq, where he was assigned to a Joint Task Force in al Anbar Province.  Jon remains on active duty as a Navy Lieutenant. 

Jon and his wife, Kathryn, live in Washington, DC, with their two golden retrievers, Inman and Earnest.  Jon joined CCL in September 2008 as a Veterans Outreach Coordinator in the DC area.  

Rachel Wald, Executive Assistant to the Chairman

Rachel is a graduate of Duke University, where she earned bachelors degrees in International Relations and Spanish. During her time at Duke, Rachel was an active member of the Duke University Chorale, an Ambassador for the Duke University Undergraduate Admissions Office, and a Triangle Institute of Security Studies Wickersham Fellow.

Rachel worked at the Embassy of Mexico as an assistant to the Secretary of Human Rights and Special Affairs. For the Embassy, Rachel attended congressional hearings and reported necessary information to the Secretary, in addition to tracking legislation important to the US-Mexican relationship. Most recently, Rachel conducted extensive research for Dr. Bruce Jentleson's upcoming publication, Profiles in Statesmanship. Her work profiling Nelson Mandela and Yitzhak Rabin earned her campus wide recognition.

In addition to her Duke career, Rachel has also studied abroad with institutions in Costa Rica and Spain. She is a fluent Spanish speaker. In the future, Rachel hopes to pursue an advanced degree in International Affairs.

Rachel leads the Center for Citizen Leadership team in conjunction with the office of the Chairman.

Ryan Alban, Intern

Ryan is a third-year Senior at Webster University, where he will earn a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Media Communications. During his time at Webster, Ryan has been an active member of the Residential Housing Association, serving as its Student Advisor (2007-2008), Communications Coordinator (2007), and Interim Vice-President (2006). The National Association of College and University Residence Halls has recognized his leadership by awarding him the Bronze Pin award 2 years running.

Upon graduation, Ryan plans to pursue a Masters degree in Security Studies and a law degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Ultimately, he would like to utilize his political and communications skills in statewide and national congressional races.

Ryan is responsible for executing the Center's communication processes and is focusing his internship's research on responses to improve the transition for military personnel to civilian life.