ACLS Welcomes New Staff
The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is pleased to announce six new hires to support its evolving portfolio of programs, as well as the organization’s operations.
Derisa Grant joined ACLS as Program Officer for US Programs on May 2, 2022, and Johnny Brennan joined as Program Officer for International Programs on July 5. On June 21, Morgan Day started as Program Associate for International Programs. ACLS also welcomed Cindy Grant as Senior Accountant, Mona Rad joined as Executive Assistant to the President, and Zachary Shuster as CRM Specialist in May.
Derisa Grant most recently served as an assistant teaching professor at the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. Her research interests include the classroom experiences of learner-centered faculty of color. Grant holds a PhD in the sociology of education from the Stanford University Graduate School of Education; MAs in the social sciences and in communication from the University of Chicago and Stanford University; and a BA in government from Harvard University.
Johnny Brennan returns to ACLS having served as a Program Associate from 2013 to 2016. He went on to earn a PhD in philosophy from Fordham University and was a postdoctoral teaching fellow in the philosophy department there. His research focuses on the ethics and epistemology of trust. Brennan holds a MA from The New School for Social Research, and a BA from Bard College.
 Johnny Brennan |  Morgan Day |  Cindy Grant |  Mona Rad |  Zachary Shuster |
Morgan Day previously worked in field organizing, as well as provided English literacy tutoring to adult learners. She graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 2019 with a BA in German Language and Literature and International Relations.
As the Senior Accountant, Cindy Grant supports the CFO and finance department. Prior to ACLS, she worked at Mosholu Montefiore Community Center and Selfhelp Community Services. She holds an MBA in accounting from Colorado Technical University.
Before joining ACLS, Mona Rad worked as a program manager at a Northern Virginia nonprofit focusing on affordable childcare. She received her BA and MA in sociology from George Mason University. In her new role, Rad provides administrative support to ACLS President Joy Connolly.
Zachary Shuster most recently worked in Microsoft Dynamics CRM in the private sector. In his new role, he maintains and optimizes the ACLS CRM system. Shuster earned a BS in environmental geoscience from Bloomsburg University.