Our Team
Dr. John Mateja
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John is an experimental nuclear physicist with research interests in the area of light heavy-ion reactions. After earning B.S and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Notre Dame in 1972 and 1976, he was a post-doctoral research associate at Florida State University. In 1978, he became a member of the physics faculty at Tennessee Technological University where he developed one of the first federally-funded research programs in the nation to involve physics undergraduates in research. In 1988, he joined the Argonne National Laboratory staff where he oversaw the laboratory’s college outreach programs.
In 1994 he joined the staff at Department of Energy headquarters to help establish the Department’s new EPSCoR program. John was appointed Dean of the College of Science at Murray State University in 1998. During his tenure as Dean, the College successfully competed for a Howard Hughes Medical Institute award, NSF Collaborative Research at Undergraduate Institutions award, NSF Course, Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement grants, and NSF Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research award. He was the founding Director of MSU’s Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity Office and served as the Director of MSU’s McNair Scholars Program.
From 2008 – 2010, John served as a Program Officer in the Division of Undergraduate Education at the National Science Foundation. In 2016, John was named the third President of the Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. He has been the President of the Council on Undergraduate Research and the Chair of the American Physical Society’s Committee on Education. He is a Fellow of the Council on Undergraduate Research and of the American Physical Society.
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President/Executive Secretary
Mrs. Shellby Padgett
Administrative Officer-
Shellby Padgett is the Goldwater Foundation’s Administrative Officer with more than 11 years of experience supporting executive leadership, managing cross-organizational programs, and building efficient, people-centered operating systems across federal, nonprofit, and mission-driven organizations.
Known for her analytical approach and ability to identify gaps in processes, Shellby specializes in creating sustainable systems that improve efficiency, communication, and organizational health. She has led workflow redesigns, implemented new operating procedures, and conducted strategic analyses that improved time management, reduced burnout, and enabled senior leaders to focus on high-impact priorities.
Prior to the Goldwater Foundation, Shellby held leadership and operations roles across the nonprofit and government sectors. Her work has included managing six-figure budgets, securing grant funding, building partnerships, scaling programs, and developing policies that automated administrative operations and saved organizations significant annual costs. She has also supported advocacy and training initiatives, led donor strategies, and expanded services for families and communities in need.
Shellby holds a Master of Nonprofit Management from Regis University and a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts with Elementary Education Licensure from Colorado Christian University.
At the core of Shellby’s work is a passion for supporting people, strengthening organizations, and building systems that allow missions, and the people behind them, to thrive.
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Board of Trustees
Dr. John H. Yopp
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John H. Yopp is immediate past Associate Provost for Educational Partnerships and International Affairs at the University of Kentucky. He is currently Director of Strategic Partnerships, Tuning USA, for the Institute for Evidence-Based Change (Lumina Foundation funded). Yopp is also past Vice President for Graduate and Professional Education at Educational Testing Service, past Associate Vice Chancellor at Southern Illinois University and Dean of the Graduate School, where he was also Professor of Biology.
John has served on the Board of Directors and Board of Trustees of the Council on International Educational Exchange (2004-2016) and currently serves on the Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation (President Obama appointment, approved by the U.S. Senate).
A long-time presenter at the European Association for International Education (EAIE), EAIE’s National Association of Foreign Student Advisers (NAFSA) Workshops, Conferences of the U.S.–European Fulbright Commissions, American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), Council of
Graduate Schools (CGS), Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA), and NAFSA on international higher education, especially the Bologna Process and Tuning.John’s awards include: Outstanding International Educator, awarded by AACRAO (2009); Andrew Heiskell Award for Innovation in International Education, awarded by the Institute of International Education (2012) to the US-Germany Fulbright Commission and the University of Kentucky for the Discover Germany-Discover USA Minority Exchange Program created through his partnership with the US–German Fulbright Director; and the Transatlantic Leadership Award, awarded by the EAIE (2012).
Yopp’s degrees in biology are from Georgetown University (B.S.) and the University of Louisville (Ph.D.)
Board Chair
Dr. Stewart DeSoto
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Stewart Desoto is a Principal Data Scientist at Accenture, leading advanced analytics within the Data AI team and applying statistics, machine learning, and mathematical modeling to solve mission-critical problems for some of the world’s largest corporations. With a decade of experience in data science, his career blends rigorous physics training with practical engineering and leadership roles in academia and industry. He holds a Ph.D. in Physics and an M.S. in Physics, both from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a B.S. in Physics and Mathematics from Wheaton College. Previously, he served as Professor of Physics and Department Chair at Wheaton College, where he pioneered modern curricula and significantly increased physics majors. His early work spans design engineering at Texas Instruments and mentoring in autonomous driving at Udacity, underscoring a breadth from hardware to AI-driven software. Based in California, he combines cross-disciplinary insight, research depth, and a track record of turning complex requirements into scalable, auditable solutions.
Board Member
Mrs. Peggy Goldwater Clay
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Peggy Goldwater Clay has more than 40 years of entrepreneurial experience and community involvement in public relations, marketing, sales, product development, customer relations, fund raising, event planning, volunteer management and community relations.
She is part owner and former president of Goldwater’s Foods of Arizona. She just retired from the position of Community and Political Relations for Working Wardrobes. She was previously Executive Director of the Mission Pageant Foundation, Director of major gifts for the Irvine Barclay Theatre, Director of client relations for the Career Company, and owner and president of Peggy Jane’s Inc. which she sold to Knotts Berry Farm Foods.
Mrs. Clay was a trustee of The UCI Foundation and served as president of the UCI Brain Imaging Center Advisory Board for 16 years. She received the UCI Medal in 1996 and a UCI Alumni Association Lauds and Laurels Award for University Service in 1993.
She is a board member of the Air Force Academy Foundation, and PBS SoCaL. She was a member of the National Council of Trustees of the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. President Bush appointed her to the board of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship Excellence in Education Foundation, where she has Chaired for 12 years. Mrs. Clay was past president of the board for the Children’s Bureau of Orange County.
Mrs. Clay has been recognized as the Distinguished Woman of the Year by the Orange County Soroptomists, Woman of the Year by the 70th Assembly District and Assemblywoman Marilyn Brewer, and Woman of Valor by the American Diabetes Association of Orange County. She also received a YMCA Reach Out Award and was honored by the Alzheimer’s Association of Orange County and the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge.
Mrs. Clay is the youngest daughter of former Arizona senator and statesman Barry Goldwater.
Board Member
Dr. Joseph Green
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Dr. Joseph M. Green, Ph. D. is an educational access and success consultant, leader, and grant writer. Throughout his career in higher education in United States, Dr. Green has served numerous universities over the past twenty-five years. Joe’s work history includes serving as teacher and administrator at The University of North Carolina Greensboro a public R2: Doctoral Universities-High Research Activity in Greensboro, North Carolina; Marquette University a Catholic, Jesuit university, R2: Doctoral Universities-High Research Activity located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill a public research university considered a public Ivy, R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity; The University of Central Florida a public research university R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity, in Orlando Florida; North Carolina A & T State University (NCAT), a public historically black land grant doctoral granting high research activity university located in Greensboro, North Carolina.
During his tenure Dr. Green has focused much of his career preparing first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students for post-secondary education and graduate study. Dr. Green has supervised professional staff comprised of university faculty, administrators, and graduate students. Dr. Green has been awarded over twenty-eight (28) million dollars in grants and special projects throughout his career. His scholarly work addresses mentorship, student success, development, and leadership. Joe was elected to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education and served as a member of the State of North Carolina’s Department of Public Instructions, Advanced Placement Advisory Council. Dr. Green has provided research presentations and talks for national and international audiences throughout his career.
Dr. Green was director of four federal TRiO programs and academic support centers. A former director of the Office of Federal TRiO Programs in the Office of the Provost at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was a member of the teaching faculty at North Carolina in its School of Education’s Culture Curriculum and Change Program. He is the author of “Your Past and the Press,” a book which focuses on the media’s impact on the presidential appointment process. Dr. Green attended graduate school at the University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota, and he holds a doctoral degree in political science and public administration from Howard University in Washington, DC.
Board Member
Honorable Mark Kelly
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Mark Kelly has served his country as a U.S. Navy combat pilot, a NASA astronaut,
and now as a U.S. Senator for Arizona. He is an independent leader who came to
the Senate to serve Arizona’s working families, not corporate special interests.As the son of two police officers, Senator Kelly learned the value of public service at an
early age. He attended public schools from elementary school all the way through
graduate school. Senator Kelly earned his B.S. degree in marine engineering and nautical science from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and later an M.S. degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School.As a Navy pilot, he made multiple deployments on the aircraft carrier USS Midway and flew 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm. Senator Kelly is the recipient of the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, and multiple Air Medals. He has logged more than 5,000 flight hours in more than 50 different aircraft and has over 375 carrier landings. Senator Kelly retired from the Navy with the rank of Captain.
In 1996, he was selected as an astronaut in the same NASA class as his identical twin brother Scott. Senator Kelly’s first of four trips into space was as pilot of STS-108 in December 2001, during which he helped deliver equipment, supplies, and additional crew members to the International Space Station. All in all, Senator Kelly has spent more than 50 days in space — traveling over 20 million miles. He retired from NASA in 2011 after commanding Space Shuttle Endeavour on its final flight.
Now, Senator Kelly has embarked on his next mission — serving as a U.S. Senator for Arizona, in the seat once held by Senator John McCain. After being sworn in on December 2, 2020, Senator Kelly went right to work helping Arizona get through the COVID-19 pandemic. He helped pass the American Rescue Plan, which put shots in arms and direct relief in the pockets of Arizonans. The Community Navigator Program, which Senator Kelly championed in the American Rescue Plan, is helping Arizona’s small businesses access the resources they need to keep their doors open and save local jobs.
Senator Kelly has broken through Washington gridlock to deliver real results for Arizonans. In his first year, he played a key role in shaping and passing the historic bipartisan infrastructure law, which is improving Arizona’s roads, bridges, water systems, ports of entry, high-speed internet access, wildfire response, and much more. He’s taking on Washington corruption by introducing bold proposals to ban stock trading by members of Congress and put an end to corporate PACs. Senator Kelly has also introduced a resolution that would require all members of Congress to publicly post their official schedule online. He is leading the effort to bring more transparency and accountability to Washington.
Senator Kelly also worked on a bipartisan basis to secure the Senate passage of a $52 billion deal that’ll increase domestic microchip manufacturing to create high-paying Arizona jobs, strengthen supply chains to lower costs, and bolster national security. Additionally, he helped negotiate a landmark deal to drive down prescription drug prices and lower out-of-pocket costs for seniors.
Senator Kelly’s focus remains on working with both Republicans and Democrats to create good-paying jobs, cut taxes for middle-class families, and lower costs for Arizonans.
Senator Kelly serves on the Armed Services, Environment and Public Works, Energy and Natural Resources, Aging, and Joint Economic Committees. He is Chair of the Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he focuses on making sure the U.S. has the research and technology needed to outcompete our adversaries like China.
Senator Kelly is married to former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and they live in Tucson.
Senator Kelly has two daughters: Claire, a graduate of Arizona State University, and Claudia, who lives in Tucson and is a student at the University of Arizona. His favorite hobbies include spending time with family (especially his baby granddaughter Sage!), going to the gym, riding his bike around Tucson with Gabby, hiking, and exploring Arizona’s outdoors.
Board Member
Mr. Charles R. Korsmo, Esq.
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Charles R. Korsmo is a Professor of Law at the Case Western Reserve University School of Law, where he teaches courses in corporate law, mergers & acquisitions, corporate finance, and torts. Korsmo’s articles have appeared in the Iowa Law Review, the William & Mary Law Review, the Washington University Law Review, the Delaware Journal of Corporate Law, and the Journal of Corporation Law, among others. His work has been cited by the Delaware Chancery Court, the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals and in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Prior to joining the faculty at Case Western, Korsmo was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Brooklyn Law School. Korsmo clerked for the Honorable Ralph K. Winter on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and practiced in the New York offices of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. From 2001-2003, Korsmo worked at the Environmental Protection Agency and for the U.S House of Representatives as staff for the House Policy Committee and the Homeland Security Committee. In 2011, President Obama appointed Korsmo to the Board of Trustees of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. He holds a BS in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a JD from Yale Law School.
Board Member
Honorable John Larson
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After serving 12 years in the Connecticut State Senate, John Larson (D-CT) was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1998, serving in the House ever since. In 2016, Representative Larson was appointed to the Goldwater Foundation Board of Trustees by the House leadership.
Larson has a long abiding interest in education. He began his career as a high school history teacher and subsequently served on the East Hartford Connecticut Board of Education. In the U.S. House of Representatives, John has been an education advocate, stating, “In order to compete in the global economy, our Nation needs the world’s finest education system.” Representative Larson sees his service on the Goldwater Foundation Board as helping to achieve this end.
Representative Larson formerly served on the Armed Services Committee, Science Committee, and as Ranking Member of the House Administration Committee. Today, Larson serves on the influential House Ways and Means Committee and is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittees on Tax Policy and Social Security.
John Larson, born and raised in the federal housing project of Mayberry Village in East Hartford, fondly says he is the product of public housing, public education and public service. John graduated from Central Connecticut State University in 1971.
John and his wife, Leslie, have three children and live in East Hartford, CT.
Board Member
Honorable Burgess Owens
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Burgess Owens is the Congressman from Utah’s Fourth Congressional District. Raised in the segregated South, he saw people of all backgrounds come together to work tirelessly against adversity.
As a young man, Burgess was one of the first four black athletes recruited to play football at the University of Miami and the third black student there to receive a scholarship, ultimately earning BS in biology and chemistry. He was the 13th pick in the first round of the 1973 NFL draft and joined the New York Jets, later playing safety for ten seasons in the NFL for the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders, winning the Superbowl with the 1980 Raiders’ team.
After retiring from the NFL, Burgess worked in the corporate sales world and eventually moved the Owens family to beautiful Utah. Before being elected to Congress, he started Second Chance 4 Youth, a non-profit dedicated to helping troubled and incarcerated youth.
Burgess now serves as a member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Burgess believes in dreaming big and follows the four guiding principles of faith, family, free markets, and education.
Board Member
Ms. Maria E. Rengifo-Ruess
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Maria E. Rengifo-Ruess is the CEO & Founder of LSCW, LLC a consulting firm focusing
on helping clients address their most important aspects of strategic planning, business
development, organizational culture, personal brand, and STEM outreach. Additionally,
she is a lecturer at California State University Monterey Bay.Prior to that, Maria was the Vice President of International Business Development for
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. In this position, she was responsible for all
aspects of international business development for Space Systems’ portfolio including:
Commercial Satellites, Earth Observation Satellites, Launch Services, Civil space,
Military space, etc. Prior to this role, she held several executive positions with Lockheed
Martin in business development, strategy, and capture management in global markets.
She has continuously focused on customer relationships, cultural understanding,
leveraging market domain and competition, and bringing complete solutions to secure
business. Additionally, she has held various positions of increasing responsibility in
business development, program management, engineering, and finance with Comsat
International, Global One/Sprint International, and MCI.Maria is a Board of Directors member for Great Minds in STEM (GMiS) and the Chair of
the Strategy committee. She received the 2009 Pioneer Award from Hispanic Engineer
National Achievement Awards Corporation (HENAAC) and in June of 2011 she received
an award as one of the “2011 Most Influential Hispanics in Technology.” In May of 2011,
Maria was nominated by President Obama to the Board of Trustees of the Barry
Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation and confirmed by
congress in September of 2011. Maria continuously volunteers in mentoring and round
table events with young professionals and K-12 students.Maria received a BS in Industrial Engineering from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
and an MBA from George Washington University. She has completed executive
education courses at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, the Darden
School at the University of Virginia, and the Kellogg School of Management of
Northwestern University.veriana and an MBA from George Washington University. She has completed executive education courses at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, the Darden School at the University of Virginia, and the Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University.
Board Member