Science Alumni Chapter

Dr. Ida Kondori is a healthcare leader, educator, clinician, and advocate whose career reflects a commitment to improving lives through education, prevention, innovation, and service. A 2004 graduate of George Mason University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, she earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Master of Health Services Administration from Xavier University. Her career spans clinical practice, healthcare operations, higher education, workforce development, and organizational leadership, with a focus on translating knowledge into meaningful impact for individuals and communities.

Dr. Kondori maintains leadership roles across academic, healthcare, professional, and community organizations. Her work focuses on quality improvement, patient safety, workforce development, technology integration, prevention, and expanding access to care through education and collaboration. She is passionate about developing future leaders, strengthening communities, and advancing initiatives that improve health and well-being.

As President of the George Mason University College of Science Alumni Chapter, Dr. Kondori is committed to strengthening connections among alumni, students, faculty, and industry partners while supporting the College's mission of innovation, discovery, and workforce readiness. Proud to be a Mason alumna, she remains dedicated to creating opportunities for future Patriots to learn, lead, serve, and make a lasting impact in their professions and communities.

Noelle Dallas grew up in Northern Virginia and earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from George Mason University. She now lives in Los Angeles County, California. Her time at Mason was both meaningful and transformative, inspiring a lifelong commitment to learning and professional growth. Noelle also carried forward a strong sense of community from her Mason experience, along with a lasting passion for supporting others both locally and beyond.

As a student at Mason, Noelle was a member of the Chi Omega Fraternity, served on the Honor Committee, cheered for the university, and worked part-time in the chemistry lab. Today, she has built a nearly 20-year career as a Field Engineer in the transportation industry, where she is known for her expertise in operational analytics, process efficiencies, and delivering strong performance results. Outside of work, Noelle enjoys spending time with her family and her lovable, fluffy labradoodle. She also serves as a chapter officer for the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and supports dog rescue efforts.

In her own words: “I want the world to know about the exceptional institution that is George Mason University. Mason has helped make dreams come true for so many Patriots, and its students and alumni continue to make meaningful contributions in communities around the world. I am proud to represent our alumni and to work alongside others in creating opportunities to support our alma mater.”

Scott L. Hansen, MD, FACS, was born in Tacoma, Washington, and spent his childhood in various locations, including North Dakota, Chicago, Wisconsin, and Virginia. After completing high school, he initiated his college journey at Radford University and later transferred to George Mason University upon choosing a Pre-Med major. Dr. Hansen continued his education at Eastern Virginia Medical School.

For his General/Plastic Surgery Training, Dr. Hansen chose UCSF as his destination. During this period, he undertook a significant 3-year NIH sponsored research fellowship with David Young in the SFGH Surgical Laboratory, focusing on the study of wound healing. Following the completion of his Plastic Surgery training, Dr. Hansen pursued a Hand and Microsurgery Fellowship at UCLA.

In 2007, Dr. Hansen returned to UCSF, taking on the pivotal roles of Chief of Plastic Surgery at ZSFG and Chief of Hand Surgery at UCSF. His clinical interests encompass a wide range, including hand and wrist surgery, microsurgery, and the treatment of sports-related injuries. Notably, he serves as the Hand and Wrist Surgeon for the San Francisco Giants baseball team.

Beyond his professional achievements, Dr. Hansen is happily married to Christyna and is a proud parent to four children, consisting of two girls and two boys. During weekends, he can often be found on the sidelines of various sports events, including basketball games, water polo matches, soccer fields, or swim meets.

Mrs. Cauffman most recently served as Deputy Director of the Astrophysics Division in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at Headquarters until her retirement on December 31, 2025. In this role, she provided executive leadership and strategic direction for the agency’s multi-billion dollar Astrophysics portfolio, overseeing programs and missions focused on understanding the universe, its origins, and the search for Earth-like planets.

From 2016 to 2021, she served as Deputy Director of the Earth Science Division and as Acting Director for 17 months, helping lead NASA’s Earth-observing missions to advance understanding of our planet.

Prior to Headquarters, Mrs. Cauffman spent over 28 years at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, 3 years as a contractor before becoming a civil servant, where she held senior leadership roles including Project Manager for the Gravity and Extreme Magnetism Explorer (GEMS), Deputy Project Manager for the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission, and Deputy Systems Program Director for the GOES-R Series. She began her NASA career supporting major missions such as the Hubble Space Telescope First Servicing Mission.

She is a recipient of the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, a three-time NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal awardee, and a four-time recipient of the NASA Acquisition Improvement Award. She is also a Senior Fellow of the Council for Excellence in Government and an honorary member of both the National Academy of Sciences of Costa Rica and the Colegio Federado de Ingenieros y de Arquitectos.

Her contributions to STEM and outreach, particularly in Latin America, have been widely recognized. In 2017, the Government of Costa Rica honored her with a commemorative postage stamp, and in 2022 she received a Doctorate Honoris Causa from the University of Costa Rica.

Mrs. Cauffman holds bachelor’s degrees in Physics and Electrical Engineering, and a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from George Mason University, which recognized her in 2018 as one of its distinguished alumni.
 

George Dodson is a 1973 George Mason University graduate who currently resides in East Tennessee who is serving his second term on the alumni board. Dodson has a PhD in Nuclear Physics from the College of William and Mary. Before retiring he worked at Boston University, MIT, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Currently, he is a Research Affiliate at MIT.  Having spent a large fraction of his professional life in academia he brings a wealth of knowledge to the bard. 

In his own words, “I am passionate about understanding how the universe works. What we call the Standard Model is incomplete. There are currently many observations of phenomena that we simply cannot explain with the current framework. So, there is a revolution coming and I want to be a part of it. That is why I continue to work, after retirement from ORNL, with MIT as a Research Affiliate, we are currently working to measure properties related to the decay of the neutron.”

Starting his career as a laboratory technician for Fairfax County government, Mark is retired from Virginia state government in Richmond after nearly 40 years of service to the citizens of the Commonwealth.  While in Richmond, he served many state agencies where his responsibilities included all aspects of administrative, finance, and support services, ranging from training to budgeting and accounting to strategic planning and disaster recovery to procurement and contracting to human resources and information systems to fleet and physical plant management to the operation of state government offices in foreign countries.  Mark retired from the Department of Health Professions in 2014 where he served as Deputy Director, responsible for the agency’s administration, finance, licensing, and support services.  Mark served 2 terms (2015-2022) as a citizen member of the Virginia Board of Nursing, first appointed by Governor Terry McAuliffe and then reappointed by Governor Ralph Northam.  In addition to being a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from George Mason University’s College of Science, Mark is a recipient of the Patrick Henry Award for distinguished service to the Commonwealth, given by Governor James Gilmore.

Mark received his BS in Biology from George Mason University in 1974, an MSA with a concentration in Public Administration from The George Washington University in 1977, and a certificate in Information Systems from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1990.  Mark is also a graduate of the Commonwealth Management Institute, the Virginia Collaborative Leaders Program, and the Virginia Executive Institute. 

Mark is a very active Mason alumnus, currently serving on the Board of Trustees and is the past president of the College of Science Alumni Board. As a donor, Mark has established 3 endowments through the GMU Foundation.  A firm believer in life-long learning, he takes classes at Mason each semester through the Senior Citizens Tuition Waiver program. 

Mark is the first of 8 of his extended family who are Mason alumni, including his brother, his 2 children, his son-in-law, and his step daughter.  Mark lives in Fairfax with his partner Alice and has two grandchildren (whom he hopes will both be Mason alumni one day).

Dr. Pragyansmita Nayak, PhD Computational Sciences and Informatics ’15, is the Chief Data Scientist at Hitachi Vantara Federal, where she leads the design of advanced data and AI solutions for mission-critical US Federal environments. In her role, she works at the intersection of data architecture and analytics, orchestrating data, APIs, and machine learning capabilities to enable scalable, secure, and AI-ready platforms across defense and civilian agencies. Dr. Nayak earned her PhD from George Mason University and a BS in Computer Science from BITS Pilani, India. She remains actively engaged with the academic and professional community, frequently speaking at forums such as AFCEA TechNet, NLIT, and BrightTalk, and contributing to thought leadership in data and AI. Based in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, she enjoys cooking, photography, travel, and puzzles, and is passionate about mentoring and fostering the next generation of data and AI professionals.

In her own words, “My journey - from academia to leading data and AI innovation - has shown me the power of mentorship and connected communities. I’m excited to bring that perspective to the College of Science Alumni Association, strengthening engagement and expanding opportunities across our network. The shared experience of our alma mater is a powerful foundation - one we can build on in innovative ways to support each other and grow together.”

Dr. Kellie Perry is an infectious diseases and biosciences technical expert who is dedicated to making strong contributions and developments that will ensure the safety of the United States and its citizens by implementing novel practices and policies that will prevent, curtail, or counteract emerging infectious diseases and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) epidemics or incidents and to assist in furthering advancements of pretreatments and therapeutics for infectious diseases research to improve the overall quality of life for health challenged and health compromised individuals. Professor Perry is an adjunct professor who has taught at the undergraduate and graduate levels. She is committed to helping kids and young adults stay engaged and excited about various bioscience disciplines. She also mentors undergraduate students and has volunteered for the USA Science and Engineering Festival. She is a molecular microbiologist by training who holds a doctorate in Biosciences- Microbiology and infectious diseases, an MS in Medical Research and Technology-Biotechnology, and a BA in Biology.

In her own words, "Mason has a sense of community that extends beyond graduation. I've been a member for a few years and have volunteered for College of Science Day to speak to undergrad students about what the Alumni Board has to offer after graduation and alternative careers in bioscience. I'm also a Mason Science mentor. I've enjoyed working with the Board and the students over the years and would like to take a more active role."