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CBCA Welcomes a New Judge

June 2024

Judge Daniel B. Volk earned a B.S. with honors and a B.A. cum laude in 2005 from the University of Maryland and a J.D. with honors in 2008 from the George Washington University Law School. A Presidential Merit Scholar at George Washington University Law School, he served as Editor in Chief of the Public Contract Law Journal. After law school, he clerked for former Chief Judge Edward J. Damich at the United States Court of Federal Claims from 2008–2010. Judge Volk then served with the United States Department of Justice National Courts Section, Commercial Litigation Branch, Civil Division, first as a Trial Attorney from 2010–2019 and then as Senior Trial Counsel from 2019–2024, litigating on behalf of the United States before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the United States Court of Federal Claims. He appeared as counsel of record in approximately 140 cases and as principal appellate counsel on matters that originated with the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals and the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals. In addition, Judge Volk taught a government contracts course at George Washington University from 2010–2016. He became a member of the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals on June 2, 2024.

CBCA Welcomes Four New Summer Clerks

May 2024

Mr. Alexander Chase is a rising third year law student at the George Washington University Law School, where he is concentrating in government procurement law. In 2018, Alexander earned a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin with a double major in Plan II Honors and Economics. In his time before law school, Alexander taught high school math, college test preparation, and essay writing.

Mr. Patrick S. Finneran is a rising third year evening student at Georgetown University Law Center with a focus in government and national security issues. Before arriving at the Board, Patrick served in the United States Navy for fifteen years, mostly in Hawaiʻi and Maryland. Patrick earned a B.A. in Chinese from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 2016.

Mr. Sawyer McDuffie is a rising third-year law student at the George Washington University Law School, where he is concentrating in government procurement law. Sawyer is a Dean's Fellow first-year legal writing co instructor, a member of the Public Contract Law Journal, and the Chair of the Dean's Advisory Board. Sawyer previously interned with the District of Columbia Office of Contracting and Procurement and the Offices of General Counsel of the General Services Administration and the Department of Homeland Security. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of South Carolina with a B.A. in Political Science in 2022.

Ms. Nicole Sanders is a rising second year law student at Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, where her primary interests are space law and administrative law. Prior to attending law school, Nicole worked at several law firms and a voting rights non profit. Nicole received a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in International Studies from the University of Wyoming in 2021.

Fall 2023

CBCA Welcomes a New Attorney

In October 2023, the CBCA hired Carolyn Carmody as a full-time Attorney Adviser in its legal department. Carolyn is a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center and Swarthmore College. Prior to joining the CBCA, Carolyn advised contractors for sixteen years on federal government procurement proposal requirements and wrote and conducted compliance reviews of proposal deliverables. She previously spent five years as a Firefighter/Medic for the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department and seven years litigating cases at private law firms.

CBCA Welcomes a New Judge

Judge Jonathan L. Kang earned a B.A. with honors in 1996 from Vassar College, and a J.D. with honors in 2001 from The George Washington University School of Law, where he was a member of the Public Contract Law Journal. From 2001 until 2004, he served as an associate with Wiley Rein & Fielding LLP. In 2004, he joined the United States Government Accountability Office, Procurement Law Group, Office of the General Counsel, where he served until 2023 as a Senior Attorney, Deputy Assistant General Counsel, and Assistant General Counsel. In addition, Judge Kang served on the Government Accountability Office Contract Appeals Board as a Member from 2013 to 2017, Vice Chair from 2017 to 2018, and Chair from 2018 to 2023.

CBCA Welcomes Three New Legal Administrative Specialists

Mr. Anthony Haskins recently joined the Board as a Legal Administrative Specialist following two years as an appeals processing clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC). Prior to his time with the CAVC, Anthony served as an intake clerk and case manager for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division. Mr. Haskins received his B.A. in Political Science from West Virginia University in 2012.

Mrs. Isabelle Leon recently joined the Board as a Legal Administrative Specialist following four years as a courtroom clerk for the District of Columbia Superior Court. Prior to serving as a courtroom clerk, she was a deputy clerk in the Probate Division at the Superior Court. Mrs. Leon received her B.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

Ms. Dakota Miles recently joined the Board as a Legal Administrative Specialist following five years of experience as a legal assistant in various fields, including estate planning and tax law. Previously, she interned as a policy analyst for the Department of Public Safety—Ward 2 and the Gray Panthers of Metropolitan Washington-Ward 8. Ms. Miles received her B.A. in Criminology with a minor in Strategic Legal Management and Communications from Howard University in 2019.

CBCA Welcomes Three 2023-2024 Law Clerks

June 2023

Ms. Sophie Marsh is a 2023 graduate of The George Washington University Law School where she received a J.D. with a concentration in Government Procurement Law. While in law school, Ms. Marsh was a Senior Articles Editor on the Public Contract Law Journal and was the recipient of the Ruth Burg Government Procurement Law Scholar award. Her Note, Inflated Health Care Costs: Why Hospital Billing Practices Are Problematic And How Federal Procurement Can Help, will be published in the fall 2023 issue of the Public Contract Law Journal. Ms. Marsh also interned at the CBCA, U.S. Court of Federal Claims, Office of Special Masters, and Children’s Law Center during law school. Ms. Marsh worked as a legal assistant at LexisNexis prior to starting law school and received her B.A. in Philosophy and Psychology, with a minor in Communication Studies, from the University of Denver in 2018.

Ms. Taylor McDaniels is a 2023 graduate of The George Washington University Law School. While in law school, Ms. McDaniels was the Senior Managing Editor of the Public Contract Law Journal. Her Note, Improving Broadband in Appalachia: How Municipal Broadband Networks Can Bring High-Speed Internet to Millions, was published in the fall 2022 issue of the Journal. She also interned at the General Services Administration’s Acquisition Policy Division and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement. Prior to law school, Ms. McDaniels received her B.B.A. in Management, summa cum laude, from the University of Kentucky with a minor in Communications.

Ms. Allison Moors is a 2023 graduate of The George Washington University Law School, where she received a J.D. with a concentration in Government Procurement Law. While in law school Ms. Moors was a member of the Public Contract Law Journal and co-chaired the 2023 Arnold & Porter Government Contracts Moot Court Competition. She has interned at the Transportation Security Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, the Court of Federal Claims, and the law firm Bass Berry & Sims. Prior to law school, Ms. Moors worked as a contract manager in the aerospace industry. She received her B.A. in Economics and International Relations from Claremont McKenna College in 2016.

June 2023

The Civilian Board of Contract Appeals is very saddened to share the news of the death of Judge Jerome M. Drummond on June 24, 2023. After a distinguished career as a federal civil servant during the 1980s and 1990s, Judge Drummond was appointed to the Department of Housing and Urban Development Board of Contract Appeals in 1999. He served on the HUD Board until 2007 when he became a member of the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals at its inception. Judge Drummond had a B.S. from Eastern Kentucky University and a J.D. from Howard University School of Law. Judge Drummond was a well-respected, well-liked, thoughtful, and dignified judge and colleague. He will be missed.

May 2023

CBCA Welcomes Three New Summer Clerks

From left to right: Shalom Samuels, Judge Erica Beardsley (Chair), Jack Kellerman, and Kyle Coopersmith.

Mr. Kyle Coopersmith is a rising third-year law student at The George Washington University Law School. Kyle is pursuing a concentration in government contracts law and is a Notes Editor on the Public Contract Law Journal. Kyle has served as Senator and Compliance Officer for the Student Bar Association. He received his B.A. in Politics and Philosophy, summa cum laude, from the University of Pittsburgh in 2020.

Mr. Shalom Samuels is a rising second-year law student at The George Washington University Law School, where his primary interests are entertainment law and litigation. Prior to attending law school, Shalom was the lead bankruptcy paralegal at Balisok & Kaufman, PLLC in New York City. Shalom received his B.A. in Political Science from Touro University in 2021.

Mr. Jack Kellerman is a rising second-year law student at the Washington and Lee University School of Law. He serves as a mentor to first-year law students as a Kirgis Fellow and focuses on appellate litigation and government contracts. Jack graduated summa cum laude from Wabash College in 2018 with a B.A. in both Political Science and Rhetoric, where he focused on constitutional law and presidential rhetoric. Before law school, Jack joined Teach for America and taught algebra to seventh and eighth graders in Indianapolis, Indiana, while earning a Master of Arts in Teaching in secondary math education.