Staff

• Steven Rathgeb Smith, Executive Director
• Betsy Super, Deputy Director
• Janna Deitz, Senior Director of Academic and Professional Development Programs and Congressional Fellowship Program
• Kimberly Mealy, Senior Director of Diversity and Inclusion Programs
• Dan Gibson, Senior Director of Communications and Marketing
• Larry Burner, Finance Director
• Tianrui Cai, Senior Accountant
• Nicole Price, Accounting Manager
• Meghan McConaughey, APSA Fellow and Program Associate
• Tim Perkins , Executive Assistant and Operations Administrator
• Amanda Grigg, Associate Director, the Centennial Center for Political Science and Public Affairs
• Karima D. Scott, Director of Marketing and Communications
• Clarissa Westphal Nogueira, Communications and Web Services Specialist
• Jason Sapia, Development Director
• Julia Walters, Development Coordinator
• Annalisa Dias-Mandoly, Program Coordinator of Diversity and Inclusion Programs
• Monyai Chavers, Program Assistant for Diversity and Inclusion Programs
• Andrew Stinson, Associate Director of International Programs
• Ashley Vande Bunte, Director, Meetings and Events
• Kristin Kessler, Meetings Manager
• Casey Harrigan, Associate Director of Member Services
• Kristy Silva, Program and Administrative Assistant for Member Services
• Tanya B. Schwarz, Associate Director, Academic and Professional Development Programs
• Laura Leddy, Program Assistant of Academic Programs, Professional Development, and Congressional Fellowship Program
• Abby Paulson, Program Coordinator, Government Relations and Public Engagement
• Jon Gurstelle, Director of Publishing
• Celina Szymanski, Managing Editor of PS: Political Science and Politics
• Nicholas Townsend, Publishing Associate
• Erin McGrath, Research Manager
• Megan Davis, Program Assistant Research

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 ››

 

Larry Burner, 

Finance Director

 

 Email ››  

 

 

Tianrui Cai, Senior Accountant

 

Tianrui (Rina) Cai is the Staff Accountant II on the finance and administration team. She is responsible for supporting the accounting manager in carrying out the responsibilities of the finance department. Prior to joining APSA in 2015, she worked as a tax preparer at DC EITC Campaign (IRS VITA Program) and a finance intern at Relief International. She earned an MA in Accounting from the George Washington University in 2015 and a BA in Business Administration from the Ocean University of China. Rina keeps an open mind and enjoys travelling, cooking, yoga and classical music. Email ››

Nicole Price, Accounting Manager

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 ››

Meghan McConaughey serves as APSA Fellow and Program Associate in the Executive Director’s office. She provides support for APSA governance logistics and organization, contributes to research and analysis in developing APSA policies, and provides research support for the Executive Director. Meghan has a PhD in political science and an MPP from Georgetown University. In her spare time, Meghan enjoys learning more about the world, especially through travel and cooking. Email ››

Amanda Grigg serves as the Associate Director of the Centennial Center for Political Science and Public Affairs. She leads all aspects of the Centennial Center mission, operations, and program development, including Centennial Center research grants, Visiting Scholar and Pracademic Fellowship Programs, and teaching workshops in Washington, DC, as well as supporting the New Partnerships for Progress presidential task force. Prior to joining APSA, she taught in the political science department at the University of Michigan, where she worked closely with first generation student programs. Her research has been published in The Oxford Handbook of Feminist Theory,and Politics, Groups, and Identities, among others. Amanda earned her BA with high honors in Political Science and Women’s Studies from The University of Michigan and her PhD in Political Science from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Karima Scott serves as the 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 ››

Clarissa Westphal Nogueira is the Communications & Web Services Specialist. 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 projects relating to this area. Prior to joining APSA in 2018, she worked at the Inter-American Development Bank as the Web Editor Assistant for the Retirees Association, in charge of website updates, graphic design projects and translations. Clarissa earned her degree in Graphic, Web and Industrial design at 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 reading, scrapbooking and videogames. Email ››

Annalisa Dias-Mandoly serves as program coordinator for diversity and inclusion programs. She coordinates the Minority Fellowship Program, Ralph Bunch Summer Institute application cycle and marketing, Minority Student Recruitment Program, Fund for Latino Scholarship, APSA Mentoring Program, and assists with several of APSA’s Status Committees related to diversity and inclusion in the discipline of political science. Prior to joining APSA in 2016, Annalisa worked for 5 years in intercultural programs at The Catholic University of America. Outside of her work at APSA, Annalisa works professionally in theatre as a playwright, director, and performer. Her work, which focuses largely on the performance of identity, race, and power, has been staged nationally and internationally. Annalisa is also Co-Founder and Co-Director of the DC Coalition for Theatre & Social Justice, and was selected as one of Theatre Communications Group’s Rising Leaders of Color in 2016. Annalisa holds an MA in Theatre History and Criticism from The Catholic University of America and a Dual BA in English and Religion from Boston University. Email ››

Monyai Chavers is the Program Assistant for Diversity and Inclusion Programs. She is responsible for application processing, alumni outreach, and supporting diversity and inclusion initiatives. Monyai earned her Bachelor of Science in Political Science, and Bachelor of Arts in English from Tuskegee University in 2015. She is currently completing a Master of Arts in Political Science at Howard University with a focus in International Relations and Black Politics. Her research interests include land reform, food security, development policy, and African diaspora studies. In her spare time, Monyai enjoys reading, exercising, and spending time with friends and family.  Email ››

Ashley Vande Bunte is the 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 ››
 

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>>

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 ››

Kristy Silva, Program Associate 

Kristy Silva is the Program Associate for Member Services. Prior to joining APSA in 2018, Kristy served two years as an AmeriCorps Member and Team Leader with City Year Sacramento. Kristy is originally from Phoenix, Arizona and received a BS in Political Science with a minor in Social Work from Northern Arizona University. In her spare time, Kristy enjoys reading, board games, and visiting amusement parks. Email ››

Tanya Schwarz is the associate director of academic and professional development. She manages APSA’s programs in teaching and learning, professional development, and departmental services. Before joining APSA in 2018, Schwarz was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Hollins University. From 2016-2017, she was a Visiting Research Fellow at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. She has authored a book, Faith-Based Organizations in Transnational Peacebuilding and published journal articles on religion and international relations, critical interpretivism, and pedagogy. Schwarz received a PhD in political science from the University of California, Irvine and a BA and MA in political science from the University of California, Riverside. Email ››

Laura Leddy provides administrative and logistical support to academic programs, professional development, and the congressional fellowship program. Prior to joining APSA in 2017, Laura received a BA in History from the University of Virginia and worked as a legal assistant in her home state of New York. In her spare time, Laura enjoys hiking, frequenting museums, and appreciating DC’s many dogs. Email ››

Abby Paulson is coordinator 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 ››

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 ››

Celina Szymanski is the managing editor of PS: Political Science and Politics. She has worked as journal assistant under interim editors Phillip Ardoin and Paul Gronke of Appalachian State University since August 2014. Formerly, she worked as journal assistant to New Political Science: A Journal of Politics and Culture. She graduated from Frostburg State University in 2013 where she served on the President’s Leadership Circle. She will graduate from Appalachian State University in May with a master’s degree in political science concentrating in environmental politics and policy. Celina enjoys travelling as well as kayaking and hiking in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Boone, North Carolina. Email ››

Nick Townsend is APSA’s Publishing Associate. Nick compiles and designs the "association" section for each issue of PS: Political Science & Politics. He coordinates and produces new books, brochures, and APSA publications. He also manages existing publications and order shipments. Prior to joining APSA in late 2017, he worked in Alexandria, VA for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Nick grew up in Rochester, NY and is a 2017 graduate from Syracuse University with a dual degree in Public Relations and International Relations. In college, Nick was an active member of SU’s athletic bands and participated in Model UN. In his free time he likes to sing, listen to music, hike, and travel. Email ››

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 ››

Megan Davis serves as the program assistant to the research and development team. She cleans and analyzes data for use in reports, online dashboards, and other outputs, as well as provides administrative support to the Deputy Director. Prior to joining APSA in 2018, Megan attended the College of William and Mary, where she majored in Public Policy, and minored in Economics. While at William and Mary, Megan was involved in undergraduate research at AidData and the Center for African Development and worked part-time at The Cedars Bed and Breakfast. In her free time, Megan loves to hike, camp, and travel. Email ››