Staff
Office of the President
Executive Assistant to the President
Mona Rad is the Executive Assistant to the President. Before joining ACLS, she worked as a Program Manager at a non-profit in Northern Virginia which focused on affordable childcare. Mona received both her bachelor’s and master’s degree from George Mason University, where she studied Sociology. She recently…
Program Officer, Higher Education Initiatives
Stacy Hartman is the Program Officer for Higher Education Initiatives with ACLS. Previously,she worked as a researcher, facilitator, writer, project manager, and consultant with expertise ingraduate student professional development. From 2018-2023, she served as the director of thePublicsLab at the Graduate Center, City University of New…
Program Manager, Doctoral Futures
Treviene Harris is the Program Manager for Doctoral Futures. Previously, she worked as a research consultant and facilitator on ACLS projects, the Design Workshop for a New Academy and the Intention Foundry, respectively. At the University of Pittsburgh, she coordinated the Graduate Student Teaching Initiative, and managed career exploration…
Director of Society Relations
Camilo Villalpando is the Director of Society Relations, working to support ACLS’s 86 member societies. Prior to his arrival at ACLS he served as Director of Talent and the UIA Fellows program at the University Innovation Alliance and in a variety of leadership roles in the educational and non-profit…
Office of the Chief Operating Officer
Chief Operating Officer
Pranita A. Raghavan is the Chief Operations Officer. She joined ACLS in 2026 after 4 years as the Assistant Chair for Planning and Operations at the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), where she served in the Chair’s office and oversaw all of NEH’s administrative operations, including grants management,…
Events Manager
LaToya Jackson is the Events Manager. Her responsibilities include coordinating and organizing all event and meeting logistics that engage ACLS staff, fellows, grantees, constituencies, partners, and public audiences both within and beyond the academy. Prior to joining ACLS, LaToya worked at the City University of New York (CUNY). She…
Human Resources Director
Tina Li is the Human Resources Director at ACLS and is responsible for the administration, management, and strategy of the HR function. Tina has over 20 years of HR experience in both public and private organizations and holds an MA in social-organizational psychology and a BA in biology, both…
Office Manager
Servio Moreno is the Office Manager. In that position, he makes himself available for tasks from all departments. Servio joined ACLS in 1990. He previously worked at the Council for Interracial Books and Africa Tours.
Administrative Associate
Jordan Baptista is an Administrative Associate with an emphasis on supporting the logistics and organization of robust event programming at ACLS, both internal and external. He has a foundational background in the arts and nonprofits, having previously contributed organizational assistance to a privately-owned art advisory as well as the…
Executive Assistant and Special Projects Coordinator
Risca is the Executive Assistant and Special Projects Coordinator. Her role at ACLS helps her to develop her project management skills and gives her the opportunity to oversee various projects. She is currently working on her Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) and strives to be a certified…
Intentional Design for an Equitable Academy (IDEA)
Senior Program Officer
Keyanah Nurse is a Senior Program Officer for Intentional Design for an Equitable Academy (IDEA) Programs, where she leads both the Digital Justice Grants Program and the Intention Foundry. Before joining the ACLS staff in September 2021, she served as an ACLS Emerging Voices Postdoctoral Fellow at the University…
Director of Mellon Mays Operations
Kelly Buttermore is the Director of Mellon Mays Operations. In this role, Kelly designs and leads the annual reporting, renewal, and regranting process for the 47 institutions and consortia that participate in the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowships (MMUF) program. She partners closely with staff at ACLS and the Mellon…
Senior Program Officer
Saarah Jappie is a Senior Program Officer in the Intentional Design for an Equitable Academy unit, where she works closely on the Mellon Mays Graduate Programs. From 2019-2025, she served as Program Officer at the Social Science Research Council. At the SSRC, she co-led grants and fellowship programs driving…
Program Associate
Katie Reis is a Program Associate for Intentional Design for an Equitable Academy (IDEA). She graduated from Cornell University in May 2020 with a degree in Government and a minor in Global Health. While astudent, she wrote for the Cornell Daily Sun and taught outdoor education classes. She…
Project Coordinator
Christiana Ares-Christian is the Project Coordinator for Intentional Design for an Equitable Academy (IDEA)’s Intention Foundry. She earned her B.A. in English Arts from Hampton University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in English from UCONN. Her work centers on the precarious situations of graduate students and contingent faculty, especially…
Program Associate
Mariame Sissoko (they/them) is the Program Associate for the Mellon Mays Fellowship at the American Council of Learned Societies. Before joining ACLS, Mariame graduated from Barnard College in 2024 and worked at The Posse Foundation. As a Mellon Mays Fellow themselves, their research explored how Black trans and genderqueer…
U.S. Programs
Senior Director, US and International Programs
Christopher Thornton is the Senior Director of US and International Programs. He joined ACLS in 2025 after seven years as Director of the Division of Research Programs at the National Endowment for the Humanities, overseeing grants and fellowships in support of academic and public scholarship. While at NEH, he created and…
Senior Program Officer
Desiree Barron-Callaci is a Senior Program Officer in U.S. Programs. She helps to maintain and enhance aspects of the Council’s rigorous peer-review processes and contributes to various projects in ACLS’s evolving portfolio of fellowship and grant programs, contributing to program design, management, and evaluation, with a particular emphasis on…
Senior Program Officer
Alison Chang is a Senior Program Officer on the US Programs Team, focusing on fellowship programs including the Getty/ACLS Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Luce/ACLS Dissertation Fellowship in American Art, and the Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship. In her role, Alison oversees the administration of these programs from competition launch, peer review,…
Program Officer
Nike Nivar Ortiz is a Program Officer in US Programs. Nike received his Ph.D. in Comparative Studies in Literature and Culture from the University of Southern California, with a focus on Latin American Studies and Media Studies. He also holds a B.A. from Vassar College in English and Hispanic…
Program Officer
Jessica Taylor is a Program Officer in US Programs. She supports grant and fellowship projects and processes, especially those related to innovation in doctoral education and publicly engaged scholarship. In addition, she undertakes research projects aimed at understanding and supporting ACLS’s work. Prior to joining ACLS, she was…
Program Officer
Claudia Kinkela is a Program Officer. She joined ACLS in 2025 after sixteen years at the National Endowment for the Humanities, where she led the Fellowship Program and later served as Assistant Director of Research. In these roles, she contributed to a wide range of research initiatives, agency-wide…
Project Manager, Amplifying Humanistic Scholarship
Sarah McKee is the Project Manager for Amplifying Humanistic Scholarship, working to support a healthy publishing ecosystem across disciplines and institutions. Prior to her arrival at ACLS she administered Digital Publishing in the Humanities, sponsored by the Mellon Foundation and based at Emory University’s Fox Center for…
Program Manager
Tami Shaloum is a Program Manager in US Programs. Prior to joining ACLS in 2018, she spent a combined 10 years in international and experiential education, first with InterExchange’s working abroad program and, more recently, as assistant director of student affairs and administrative services at Long Island University’s Global…
Program Manager
Jaelen Floyd is a Program Manager in US Programs. Jaelen works to ensure each puzzle piece of administering ACLS’s ever-growing portfolio of programs is accounted for and fits into its appropriate place. He first joined the team in 2016 as a Program Associate. Before that, he lived in Philadelphia…
Program Associate
Sophie Griffin is a Program Associate in U.S. Programs. Before joining ACLS, she worked at a literary journal, for local newspapers, and at a bakery. She graduated from Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Film Studies and a certificate in Social, Cultural, and Critical Theory.
Program Associate
John Zepke is a Program Associate in U.S. Programs. Before joining ACLS, he served at a New York non-profit devoted to educational documentaries. He graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts in East Asian Studies and a certificate in International Diplomacy. In his free time, John enjoys…
International Programs
Program Manager
Laura Mowry is the Program Manager for International Programs. Before joining ACLS, Laura developed relationships with grantee partners and analyzed new initiatives and grants within the education in emergencies space at the Catalyst Foundation for Universal Education. Laura previously worked at NYU Law, supporting career programming and fostering employer…
Program Officer of China Studies
JM Chris Chang is the Program Officer of China Studies. He is a historian of modern China whose research focuses on issues of bureaucracy, archive, and surveillance in the 20th century. His study of Maoist dossiers—the socialist system of personalized files on Chinese citizens—utilizes a wide range of unconventional…
Program Officer of Buddhist Studies
Daphne Weber is the Program Officer of Buddhist Studies at ACLS. Daphne received her PhD in Anthropology with expertise in Theravada Buddhism and gender studies, particularly in the context of Thai Bhikkhuni (female monastic) communities. Her dissertation and publications address issues of gender, body, and healing in Buddhist contexts.
Program Coordinator
Morgan Day is a Program Coordinator in International Programs. Before joining ACLS, she worked in field organizing, as well as provided basic literacy and English literacy tutoring to adult learners. She graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in both German Language and Literature…
Development
Chief Development Officer
Mary Richter is the Chief Development Officer, working closely with Joy Connolly and the ACLS Board of Directors to raise funds from individual donors through the annual appeal, major gifts and other efforts. Mary has spent more than 20 years in development in New York, mostly in education, and…
Project Manager, Strategy and Development
Melissa Sakow is the Project Manager of Strategy and Development. She has more than a decade of experience in nonprofits, including as Communications Director at SHARE Cancer Support and Older Adults Technology Services, where she helped develop innovative events and strategies to increase giving and raise mission profiles. She…
Development Coordinator
Edelyn Lau is the Development Coordinator, working closely with the Chief Development Officer in the day-to-day operations of the department. Prior to this role, she was a Program Associate in U.S. Programs, supporting fellowship and grant programs with an emphasis on publicly engaged scholarship. Before joining ACLS, she was…
Communications
Chief Communications Officer
Heather Mangrum is the Chief Communications Officer. Heather brings more than 20 years of experience in marketing, PR, and digital and traditional communications strategy. Most recently, she served as Managing Director of Communications with the Drug Policy Alliance. Prior to that, she established and led communications teams at International…
Communications Manager
Anna Polovick-Waggy is the Communications Manager. Prior to joining ACLS Anna served as International Communications Manager with NYC Tourism + Conventions, where she helped develop market-specific media strategies across 28 countries and wrote compelling content for the official NYC tourism website. Previously in her career, she served as Media…
Communications Associate
Maria Cordova is the Communications Associate at ACLS. Before joining ACLS, Maria worked as a Digital Communications Assistant at Boston University while completing her graduate studies. Prior to that, they served as a Project Coordinator at the Wellness and Prevention Center in San Clemente, California. Maria holds an M.A.
Media Outreach Intern
Carissa Zhao is a Media Outreach intern for the communications team at ACLS. She is currentlya junior at Williams College, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in American Studies and Chinese.Prior to that, she was a Communications intern at the Williams College Museum of Art. Aftergraduation, they hope…
Finance and Administration
Chief Financial Officer
Matt Sapienza is the Chief Financial Officer. In this role, Matt supports and leads a team of dedicated finance professionals to ensure the integrity, accuracy, and efficiency of ACLS accounting and financial systems, and serves as a key resource to the President and Chief Operating Officer. Prior to…
Senior Accountant
As the Senior Accountant Cindy will support the CFO and finance staff. Prior to ACLS Cindy worked at Mosholu Montefiore Community Center and Selfhelp Community Services. She holds a Master of Business Administration in Accounting from Colorado Technical University.
Accounting Officer
Irvin Lozano is the Accounting Officer. Irvin is responsible of all accounts payables and provides support to the finance department. Prior to joining ACLS, Irvin worked as a Junior Accountant for Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice. Irvin holds a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting.
Grants Officer
Emily Carroll is Grants Officer at ACLS, where she works closely with Finance, and program staff to manage ACLS’s diverse portfolio of grants. Prior to that, she worked directly on ACLS programs as Manager of International Programs. Emily has worked with the Social Science Research Council, The National Women’s…
A/R Accountant
Tsering Dolkar is the Accounts Receivable Accountant. She is responsible for all Accounts Receivable along with providing support to the finance department as needed. Tsering has previously worked at JASA and prior to that she worked at The Child School. She has a BBA in accounting from Baruch College…
A/P Accountant
Cesar Then is the Accounts Payable Accountant. He is responsible for all accounts payable along with providing support to the finance department. Prior to joining ACLS, Cesar worked as a Staff Accountant at Selfhelp Community Services, Inc. He earned a BA in Accounting from Lehman College (CUNY).
Digital and Information Technology
CRM Data Integration Specialist
Zachary Shuster is the CRM Data Integration Specialist. His responsibilities include maintaining and optimizing the ACLS CRM system to allow for the best possible experience for his colleagues. Prior to Joining ACLS, he worked in Microsoft Dynamics CRM in the private sector. Zachary earned a BS in Environmental Geoscience…