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Staff Directory

The APSA national office is supported by staff professionals, guided by 4 senior directors and the executive director. The APSA Council and committees govern association programs and activities. The APSA national office is located in an historic rowhouse in Dupont Circle, in Northwest Washington, DC.

Executive Director: Steven Rathgeb Smith

General Inquiries

American Political Science Association
1527 New Hampshire Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20036-1203

Phone: (202) 483-2512
Fax: (202) 483-2657
Email: [email protected]

 

Staff
Executive Management

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Steven Rathgeb Smith
Executive Director
Steven Rathgeb Smith is the executive director of the American Political Science Association. Previously, he was the Louis A. Bantle Chair in Public Administration at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. He also taught for many years at the University of Washington where he was the Nancy Bell Evans Professor of Public Affairs at the Evans School of Public Affairs and director of the Nancy Bell Evans Center for Nonprofits & Philanthropy. In addition, he has taught at Georgetown, Duke, American University, and Washington University in St. Louis. From 1997 to 2004, he was editor of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly and, from 2006 to 2008, president of the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action. Dr. Smith has authored and edited several books including, Nonprofits for Hire: The Welfare State in the Age of Contracting (with Michael Lipsky), Governance and Regulation in the Third Sector: International Perspectives (co-edited with Susan Phillips) and, most recently, Nonprofits and Advocacy: Engaging Community and Government in an Era of Retrenchment (The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014) (co-edited with Robert Pekkanen and Yutaka Tsujinaka). He is currently president of the International Society for Third Sector Research. Email ››  View CV ››


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Dan Gibson
Senior Director, Communications, Information and Operations

Dan Gibson serves as APSA senior Director of Communications, Information and Operations. He is responsible for APSA media/press relations, branding, and web communications. He is a veteran communications and marketing professional. He has worked primarily in the association field for more than 20 years using his expertise to deliver clear, consistent messaging and promote the interests of organizations and their memberships. His travels include the IEEE Computer Society, United Rentals, the American Gas Association, the National Association of Workforce Boards, the International Franchise Association, and the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals. He received a BA Communications from Salisbury University in Salisbury, Maryland and has received numerous awards in marketing and communications. Email ››


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Kimberly Mealy
Senior Director, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Strategic Initiatives
Kimberly A. Mealy, is the APSA senior director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Strategic Initiatives. She engages in strategic program development in the areas of diversity, inclusion and accessibility, professional ethics, mentoring, and recruitment and retention of individuals from historically underrepresented groups. She also serves as the staff lead for the APSA Committee on Professional Ethics, Rights and Freedoms and six of the APSA Status Committees. During her time at APSA, Kimberly has supported two APSA presidential task forces (Political Science in the 21st Century (2010) and Negotiating Agreement in Politics (2013)) and directed the annual APSA Teaching and Learning Conference (2017-2014). Prior to joining APSA in 2007, Kimberly taught in the political science department at Wellesley College, as a teaching fellow and a visiting assistant professor. She earned her PhD in political science and public policy from Indiana University, where she directed mentoring and professional development programs for the Office of the Dean for Women’s Affairs and taught courses in political science. Most recently, Kimberly  designed and implemented  the development of the annual meetings ombuds resource (2017) and created the association-wide RESPECT campaign (2018). In May of 2019, Kimberly published a co-authored piece in Diverse: Issues in Higher Education entitled “Social Justice in Action: Creating a Climate of RESPECT at Associational Meetings”. She regularly consults on association resource development in the areas of diversity and inclusion, sexual harassment, professional climate, and the role and structure of the organizational ombuds.  Email ››


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Ashley Vande Bunte
Senior Director, Meetings and Events
 Ashley Vande Bunte is the Senior Director of Meetings and Events. She organizes and executes the Annual Meeting and the Teaching & Learning Conference. Prior to joining APSA in 2013, Ashley managed exhibits and registration at the Retail Industry Leaders Association for four years and studied International Relations at Grand Valley State University. Ashley enjoys traveling,  learning new languages, reading about meteorology, and exploring the local area with her husband and son . Email ››


 

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Karima D. Scott
Senior Director, Marketing and Communications
Karima Scott serves as the Senior Director of the Communications and Marketing department. She is responsible for all communications and marketing efforts of the association including branding and promotion of APSA program initiatives, managing and monitoring of the association website and social media channels, implementation of new marketing materials and campaigns, as well as serving as one of the association’s layout and design specialist. She supports and collaborates with all departments and teams to best serve APSA members. Prior to joining APSA in late 2013, Karima served as an AmeriCorp Public Ally after receiving her BA from George Mason University where she studied media communications, sociology and theater. Karima is a Washington, D.C. native. She enjoys live entertainment, traveling, art, and painting. Email ››


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Michelle Allendoerfer
Senior Director, Teaching and Learning

Michelle Allendoerfer serves as the Senior Director of Teaching and Learning. She coordinates APSA’s teaching and learning programs and professional development programs. Prior to joining APSA, Michelle was the faculty coordinator for the International Politics cohort of the Women’s Leadership Program at the George Washington University where she taught political science courses. In addition to her research on human rights, Michelle has published on pedagogy. She received her BA in Political Science at Carleton College and her PhD in Political Science from the University of Michigan. In her free time, Michelle enjoys running, travel, and food. Email ››



Accounting

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Mellissa Bell
Director, Finance

Mellissa Bell is the Director of Finance. She oversees Accounts Payables, Payroll, Accounts Receivables, and monthly and year end closing processes. Prior to joining APSA in early 2022, Mellissa was Director of Operations at a preschool/daycare where she was responsible for all financial aspects of the school. Throughout her career, she has also spent time as a consultant, accounting manager and auditor. Mellissa has a BS in Accounting and Business Administration from Washington and Lee University. In her free time, Mellissa enjoys traveling, reading, cooking, hiking, and spending time with her husband, two adult sons and rescue dog, Molly.

Email ››



Nicole Price 
Manager, Accounting
Nicole Price supports APSA’s financial processing, analysis, reporting, and policy functions in her role as Accounting Manager. She brings fifteen years of nonprofit finance, contracts and operations experience, working under a variety of funding environments, from other Washington, DC-based nonprofit organizations including Shakespeare Theatre Company, Environmental Working Group, and Consortium for Ocean Leadership. Nicole enjoys gardening, theater, true crime podcasts, and spending time with her pit bull, Gidget, and two cats, Pop and Iggi. She holds a BA in Government and Politics, with a minor in Philosophy, from the University of Maryland. Email ››


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Heena Sultani 
Senior Accountant

Heena Sultani is a Senior Accountant at APSA. Before joining APSA in 2022, She worked as a Senior Staff Accountant at ITSA. Heena has 10 years of accounting experience for non-profit organizations in the United States and overseas. She has a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration – Accounting and in her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 kids, listening to live music and travel. Email ››







Congressional Fellowship Program

Meghan McConaughey
Director, Congressional Fellowship Program

Meghan McConaughey serves as Director of the Congressional Fellowship Program. She leads all aspects of the Congressional Fellowship Program, including supporting fellows in preparing for, securing, and being successful in their placements; organizing the fellow recruitment and selection process; and managing relationships with program partners and host offices. She is always happy to connect with potential fellows, hosts, partners, or alumni. She also provides support for APSA governance logistics and organization. Meghan has a PhD in political science and an MPP from Georgetown University.  Email ››




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Nathan Bader
Program Associate, Governance and the Congressional Fellowship Program
Nathan Bader serves as the Program Associate for Governance and the Congressional Fellowship Program. He began with APSA in 2019 as an Operations Assistant before being promoted to Program Associate in 2021. Nathan holds a BA in History and Nonprofit Administration from Dakota Wesleyan University and an MA in Statecraft and National Security Affairs from The Institute of World Politics. He was an Associate Editor of Statecraft and has been named a McGovern Scholar and Rumsfeld Fellow. Nathan is originally from South Dakota and enjoys hiking, playing trivia, watching science fiction films, and cheering on his favorite sports teams. Email ››

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Katherine Sledge
Manager, Research Grants
Katherine Sledge serves as the Manager, Research Grants for the Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants program at APSA. Prior to joining APSA in 2022, Katherine served as the Deputy Director of Projects and Operations for Youth and Education Privacy at the Future of Privacy Forum. She also has previous experience at the National Network to End Domestic Violence, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the National Alliance to End Homelessness. She received her MPA with a concentration in Applied Politics: Women, Public Policy, and Political Advocacy from American University. Originally from Tennessee, Katherine attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she earned her B.A. in Political Science.Email ››

Teaching and Learning

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Bennett Grubbs
Manager, Teaching and Learning and Editor, APSA Educate
Bennett l. Grubbs serves as Manager for Teaching and Learning and Editor for APSA Educate. He manages and curates APSA Educate, the soon-to-be launched online-library showcasing exceptional teaching materials and resources, peer-reviewed research on political science higher education and timely discussions on innovative practices in political science learning. Prior to joining APSA, Bennett taught at both the New School’s Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts and the City College of New York’s Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership. He has presented research on American politics at multiple annual meetings of the American Political Science Association. Bennett earned his BA in political science from Le Moyne College and his MA in political science from Northern Arizona University. He is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Politics at the New School for Social Research, where he is completing a PhD thesis on the course of progressive reform in early 21st century American politics. email ››


Centennial Center

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Abby Paulson
Director, Government Relations, and Public Engagement

Abby Paulson is the Director for Government Relations and Public Engagement. Abby joined APSA in 2016 after completing her MSC in politics and communication at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Prior to her graduate studies, Abby worked with a coalition of organizations dedicated to government accountability and transparency. She earned a Bachelor’s degree at Ithaca College, where she also found a love of rowing. email ››

 



 

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Sean Delehanty
Associate Director, Centennial Center for Public Affairs
Sean Delehanty serves as Associate Director of the Centennial Center for Public Affairs. In his role, he oversees the day-to-day operations of the Centennial Center’s 13 grant programs and provides planning and support for the annual meetings of APSA’s Institute for Civically Engaged Research. He is currently also a Ph.D. candidate in History at the Johns Hopkins University, where he is in the final stages of completing a dissertation on the history of the idea that corporations exist primarily to create value for their shareholders. Prior to joining APSA in 2022, Sean received an MBA from the Simon Business School at the University of Rochester in 2016 as well as a BA in History and International Relations from the University of Rochester in 2013 and worked in digital marketing and communications. In his free time, Sean enjoys reading, trivia contests, exploring the D.C. area for restaurants, playing video and board games, and listening to lots of podcasts. email ››

Communications & Marketing

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Clarissa Westphal Nogueira
Manager, Communications & Web Development
Clarissa Westphal Nogueira is the Communications & Web Development Manager at APSA. She serves as technical support to staff and members, providing both web and database maintenance for the APSA Website as well as related pages. As part of the Communications team, she works and assists on graphic design projects for APSA's many programs, as well as monitoring/organizing Social Media. Prior to joining APSA in 2018, she worked at various associations and startups in charge of website updates, graphic design projects, copywriting and translations. Clarissa earned her degree in Graphic, Web and Industrial design at the Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina (UNISUL) in Florianopolis, Brazil. Born in D.C and growing up in Argentina, she considers many cities to be her home and enjoys traveling, drawing, singing in her local choir and videogames. Email ››


Human Resources

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Jess Okeze
Associate Director, Human Resources

Jess is the Associate Director, Human Resources(HR). In this role, she oversees all people operations and is responsible for working closely with the Executive Director to develop APSAs people strategy to ensure that APSA meets the highest standards in making the association a desirable place to work and foster an organizational culture that promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect, including actively dismantling those practices and processes that uphold systemic racism and inequity. Prior to joining APSA, Jess worked at Freshly as a Human Resource Generalist advising people leaders in HR operations, managing team member onboarding, and leading the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. Jess earned her Master of Science degree in Human Resources and Knowledge Management from Lancaster University, UK in 2014 and is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) by the Human Resource Certification Institute and a Senior Certified Professional by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM-SCP). Jess is originally from Nigeria and in her spare time, she loves to travel, dance, watch true crime documentaries, collect local wine labels, meet new people, and gain new experiences.

Email ››

Development

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Julia Walters
Associate Director, Awards & Development
Julia Walters provides administrative support to a wide range of APSA awards, grants, and fellowships. She acts as the primary contact for travel grants to the APSA annual meeting and TLC. Prior to joining APSA in 2017, Julia received a BA in Public Policy and Peace, War, and Defense from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Julia is a native Arlingtonian who enjoys food trucks and college basketball. Email ››






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Gabriella Creeser
Program Associate, Awards & Development
Gabriella Creeser joined APSA in 2021 and serves as a Program Associate for the Development department. She works closely with her team members to provide administrative assistance to APSA programs like travel grants and award committees. She graduated from Elon University in 2020, with a B.A. in International Studies and minors in Geography, Spanish, and Environmental Studies. In her free time, she loves to garden, cook, and crochet. Email ››






Membership

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Casey Harrigan
Director, Member Services
Casey Harrigan is the Associate Director for Member Services. Prior to joining APSA in 2017, Casey received a BS in Political Science from Towson University and an MPA, with a focus in health policy, from Baruch College. Casey is originally from New York, in her spare time she enjoys traveling, cooking, and refinishing antique furniture. Email ››







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Brenna Dames
Manager, Member Services

Brenna Dames is the Manager for Member Services. Prior to joining APSA in 2020, she worked at Dance Place, a DC based arts non-profit where she served as the Education Manager, a teaching artist and a dancer. She received her BA in Political Science as well as her BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from Elon University in 2015. Brenna is originally from Maryland and enjoys dancing, traveling, and finding the perfect piece of pizza. Email ››

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Maura Wittkop
Program Assistant, Departmental Services

Maura Wittkop is a Program Assistant, Departmental Services at APSA. Prior to joining APSA in 2022, Maura received her BA in political Science from Rollins College in 2020. She is currently working on her master’s degree at American University with a focus in Global Security. Maura is originally from North Carolina and in her free time, she enjoys exploring DC, spending time with friends, and finding a great book to read.Email ››




Diversity and Inclusion Programs



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India Simmons
Program Associate, Diversity, and Inclusion Programs
India Angelique Simmons (she/her) serves as the Program Associate for Diversity and Inclusion Programs. India is obtaining her MA in Intercultural and International Communication from American University's School of International Service. India received her BA in Human Rights, Political Science, and International Studies from Southern Methodist University in 2020 while minoring in Arabic, History and Women and Gender Studies. She primarily focuses on Global South relations, race and IR, and human security. She enjoys gardening, fitness and traveling.Email ››

 


International Programs

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Andrew Stinson
Director, Grant Initiatives and International Programs
Andrew Stinson leads APSA’s efforts to engage with political science communities across the world. This includes management and planning for the Asia and MENA Workshops, as well as various collaborative projects with other national political science associations, area-studies associations, universities, research institutes, and scholars. Before joining APSA in 2011, Andrew taught English in Kazakhstan as a Peace Corps Volunteer and supported several non-profit efforts in early-childhood education and American voluntourism. He has a MA in International Studies from Rhodes University in South Africa and a BA in Political Science and History from Gettysburg College, PA. Andrew currently lives with his family in Guilford, CT.  Email ››

Dana El-Issa
Manager, MENA

Dana El-Issa serves as the Manager for MENA Workshops and International Programs. In her role, she supports APSA’s international programming and program development and takes a lead role in supporting the Association’s various projects in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Prior to joining APSA, Dana worked on the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program as an Arabic interpreter and cultural liaison. Dana holds an MPA with a language concentration in Arabic from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and a B.S. in Linguistics from California State University, Northridge. Email ››


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Samantha Wirth
Program Assistant, Centennial center, and International Programs

Samantha Wirth serves as the Program Assistant for the Centennial Center and International Programs. In her role, she supports APSA’s international programming, with special focus on the Asia Pacific region, alongside the Centennial Center’s grants and awards programs. Prior to joining APSA in 2022, Samantha worked in public policy and fundraising in New York City. She received her BA in Global Studies from Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, where she also traveled the country with the University of Notre Dame Band. In her free time, Samantha enjoys ceramics, listening to music, and learning new languages. Email ››


Meetings & Events

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Kristin Kessler
Director, Meetings and Events

Kristin Kessler serves as the Meetings Manager. Her responsibilities include programing and logistics for APSA’s Annual Meeting, conferences and small meetings. Prior to joining APSA in 2019, Kristin managed various meeting logistics, including exhibits and the call for abstracts, at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing for five years. She received a BA in Sociology from Elon University. A native to the DC metro area, Kristin enjoys live music, rock climbing and traveling. Email>>

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Lynanne Lowry
Virtual Meetings Specialist

Lynanne Lowry serves as APSA’s Virtual Meetings Specialist, managing the virtual portion of the Annual Meeting and all virtual APSA events. Prior to joining APSA, Lynanne organized event logistics for academic programs and conferences at the Institute for Humane Studies. In 2016, she received a BA in History and minor in Political Science from Florida Gulf Coast University. A Florida native and D.C. transplant, Lynanne enjoys traveling, video games, beach days, and petting every dog she can.

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Journals & Publications


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Jon Gurstelle
Director, Publishing
Jon Gurstelle has spent over a decade in academic publishing at Blackwell Publishing, Springer, and most recently, John Wiley & Sons. He spent many years as a book and journal editor in Political Science at Springer and was most recently an Executive Editor for Statistics at Wiley. He has been a regular attendee at the Annual Meeting since 2008 and was active in several publishing industry groups including the AAP’s Professional and Scholarly Publishing division. Jon is based at the APSA Headquarters and oversees the 21 APSA and affiliated journals as well as the other association publications including books and brochures. Email ››

 


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Dragana Svraka
Editor, American Political Science Review
Dragana Svraka is an editor at the American Political Science Review. She earned Ph.D. in political science from the University of Florida, where she studied comparative politics, focusing on ethnic politics in Europe. She lived and studied in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Netherlands, and the United States. For three years, she worked as an editorial assistant for Perspectives on Politics.

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Jen Boylan
Editor, Managing Editor, Perspectives on Politics.
Jennifer C. Boylan is the managing editor of Perspectives on Politics. She has worked for the journal since June 2017 and, before that, earned a PhD in Political Science and African Studies from the University of Florida. Jennifer is originally from Rockville, Maryland, and enjoys spending time at home with her husband, Jason, two children, dogs and chickens.

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Marah Schlingensiepen
Managing Editor, P.S

Marah Schlingensiepen is the managing editor of PS: Political Science & Politics. Before joining the journal in January 2022, she earned her PhD in Political Science from the University of Florida. There, she also worked on the editorial team of Perspectives on Politics for four years.

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Madelyn Dewey 
Associate Editor, Political Science Today
Madelyn Dewey serves as Associate Editor for Political Science Today, APSA’s recently-established member magazine. She began with apsa in 2021. Aside from editing, Madelyn also works on Graphic Design and helps out with other APSA magazines when needed. Madelyn holds a BA in Political Science and a BA in English from the State University of New York at Geneseo. She was Arts and Entertainment Editor of the Lamron Newspaper. Madelyn is originally from Rochester, New York and in her free time, she enjoys writing fiction pieces, watching the buffalo bills, listening to audiobooks, and creating all different kinds of art

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Research

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Erin McGrath
Manager, Research
Erin McGrath began in February 2019 as Research Manager for APSA. She leads research efforts for APSA, coordinating research on all aspects of the profession, and supporting research efforts across all departments and programs at APSA. Prior to joining APSA, McGrath was a post-doctoral researcher in computational social science at the University of Maryland’s National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) on an NSF-funded project to predict contentious activity using non-traditional sources of data on grievances (e.g. social media data, unstructured text data). Research on this project has been published by the Journal of Conflict Resolution (2018) and in outlets in other disciplines, e.g. computer science and data science. McGrath completed her Ph.D. (2015) in Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. Her training in Turkish, in-depth fieldwork in Turkey, and dissertation research on authoritarianism and Turkish constitutional politics was funded by a State Department scholarship (2009) and is forthcoming from Cambridge University Press (2019). McGrath has an MPP (2005) from Central European University in Budapest, Hungary, where she focused on social policy in old and new Europe, and a BBA (2000) from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where she focused on corporate social responsibility. She lives in Cleveland Park with her partner Paul, their four children, and a GSP puppy named Blitzen. Email ››


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Ana Diaz
Program Assistant, Research

Ana Diaz began in May 2021 as a Program/Research Assistant for APSA. Before joining APSA, she obtained her master's degree in International Affairs from The George Washington University. In 2019, she earned her bachelor's degree in Political Science at the University of Florida. As Ronald E. McNair scholar, Ana presented her research regarding the "2015 Refugee Crisis" in various conferences and served as a Junior Fellow in the Political Science department at the University of Florida. Previously, she worked at the Cisneros Hispanic Institute as a Graduate Fellow and served as a Research Assistant for the School of Media and Public Affairs at GWU, and as a Foreign Affairs trainee at the European Parliament Liaison Office. Ana's areas of interest are migration and security issues in Eastern Europe and the United States.

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