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 moved to… Read More
Grants Officer
Emily Carroll is Grants Officer at ACLS, where she works closely with the Chief of Staff, 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,… Read More
Office of the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
James Shulman became vice president and chief operating officer of the American Council of Learned Societies in July 2018. Prior to joining ACLS, Shulman was a Senior Fellow at The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation where he worked with the foundation’s president on strategic issues concerning higher education, philanthropy, and cultural… Read More
Director of Mellon Mays Operations
Kelly Buttermore is the Director of Mellon Mays Operations. In this role Kelly leads the administration of the Mellon Mays Graduate Programs, partnering closely with staff at The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in this effort. Prior to assuming this position, Kelly worked in a variety of roles at ACLS, most… Read More
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 Humanistic… Read More
Manager of Member Society Relations
Camilo Villalpando is the Manager of Member Society Relations, working to support ACLS’s 80 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… Read More
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 has… Read More
Human Resources Manager
Tina Li is the Human Resources Manager. She is responsible for the administration, management, and strategy of the HR function. Before joining ACLS Tina had spent over 15 years in HR in both public and private organizations, most recently at a consulting firm for nonprofits. Tina received an MA in… Read More
Executive Assistant and Special Projects Coordinator
Risca is the executive assistant and special projects coordinator for the Office of the VP and COO. 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… Read More
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 contemporary… Read More
Intentional Design for an Equitable Academy (IDEA)
Senior Program Officer for IDEA Programs
Keyanah Nurse is the 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 of… Read More
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 also… Read More
Digital Humanities Program Intern
Chinaza Ruth Okonkwo is the Digital Humanities Program Intern. Prior to ACLS, Chinaza graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy with Distinction (Honors) and History and minors in Africana Studies and Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. Chinaza… Read More
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 those… Read More
U.S. Programs
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 programs… Read More
Program Officer
Alison Chang is a 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, award announcement,… Read More
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 Studies. Read More
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 the Louis… Read More
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 College. Read More
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 as… Read More
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 dancing,… Read More
Program Associate
Edelyn Lau is a Program Associate in the U.S. Programs. Prior to joining ACLS, she received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award to teach in a junior high school in Taiwan in hopes of facilitating cross-cultural dialogue through education. She graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts in… Read More
International Programs
Director of International Programs
Deena Ragavan is the Director of International Programs. Prior to joining ACLS, Deena worked in institutional fundraising and grant writing for a wide range of nonprofit organizations primarily serving under-resourced communities. In that time, she has helped raise more than $15 million in funding from public and private sources. Her… Read More
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 relationships… Read More
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. Daphne’s… Read More
Special Projects Researcher
JM Chris Chang is a Special Projects Researcher for International Programs. 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… Read More
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 and… Read More
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 has… Read More
Development Coordinator
Melissa Sakow is the Development Coordinator. 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 holds an M.A. in Media,… Read More
Development Data Intern
Ella Chang is the Development Data Intern. She is currently a senior at Barnard College,majoring in Ancient Studies. Before joining ACLS, she worked in arts administration andpublishing through internships at the Rubin Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of AmericanArt, and Hachette Book Group.
Communications
Director of Communications
Heather Mangrum is the Director of Communications. 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 House… Read More
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. Prior to that she served as Media Relations… Read More
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 joining ACLS,… Read More
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.
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 (CUNY).
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).
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.
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.
Digital and Information Technology
CRM Specialist
Zachary Shuster is the CRM 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 from Bloomsburg University… Read More