leadership
Brittany (Carlson) Knight
Executive Director
Brittany Knight was named Executive Director in 2018 after having previously served as the Director of the Joyce Ivy College Admissions Symposium in 2015-2016. Brittany is a Midwesterner and has spent time living in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and currently resides in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Brittany began her career in education by working in the Admissions Office at Middlebury College, where she cultivated her interest in college access. She then went on to lead all efforts relating to the recruitment, selection, and matriculation of traditionally underrepresented student populations at Lafayette College before joining the Joyce Ivy Leadership Team. Brittany received an AB in Chinese from Middlebury College and an EdM from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Allison Jegla, JIF '10
Vice President for Program Development
Allison Jegla was named Vice President in 2017 after having previously served as the Director of Fellows and Innovation, as the inaugural Senior Fellow, and as a member of the Summer Scholars Selection Committee. Allison is an alumna of the Summer Scholars program and grew up in Portland, Michigan. She used her Joyce Ivy scholarship to study at Brown University for the summer and went on to attend the University of Pennsylvania. While in college, Allison worked in the Penn Admissions Office. She graduated in 2016 with a degree in Health and Societies and a Spanish minor and moved to Washington, DC to work in consulting. Allison is a current Master's in Higher Education candidate at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Chris Balduino
Chief Information Officer
Chris Balduino oversees The Foundation's online application development, website, and online communications. He is a Senior Manager with Akamai Technologies in Cambridge, MA. He previously worked as a Program Manager at Bose Corporation and as a Senior Consultant with CSC. He holds an MBA from Boston University and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from The University of Vermont.
Jeremy Weprich
Chief Design Officer
An education professional committed to building more equitable universities, Jeremy's work sits at the intersection of design and policy. As an admissions officer and designer at MIT, Jeremy develops creative communication strategies to elevate the voices of a diverse community and shape an exceptionally talented undergraduate class. Though he earned his bachelor's degree from Boston University and master's degree from Harvard University, Jeremy is a midwesterner at heart—born in Kansas and raised in Indiana.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Erich Bagen
Director
Erich is an independent consultant in San Francisco, CA. Erich has held various leadership positions in the philanthropy sector, including Strategy Officer at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation where he worked to enhance the Moore Foundation's strategic and organizational capabilities and Program Officer at the Tiger Foundation, where he oversaw a portfolio of grants focused on education, job training, and youth services. Erich has also worked in management consulting at McKinsey & Company, venture capital at Rho Ventures, and investment banking at J.P. Morgan. He attended high school in Kettering, Ohio, graduated from the University of Chicago, and holds an MBA degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Fred Blanck
Director
Fred Blanck is currently a small business advisor and investor who lives in Ann Arbor, MI. Prior to his current work, he spent 15 years as part owner of a mid-size manufacturing business in Southeast Michigan. He had previously founded a custom publishing business which he sold after 10 years of award-winning publications. Fred was born and raised in the Birmingham, MI area. He studied history at the University of Michigan where he also earned a master's in journalism.
Valerie Brader
Director
Valerie Brader is the CEO of Rivenoak Consulting and a co-owner of Rivenoak Law, P.C.. Her professional life revolves around navigating the intersection of business and government, primarily in the energy and environmental spaces. Known as a change agent, Brader has worked in both the public and private sector. Most recently she served as the State of Michigan’s cabinet member for energy. A Rhodes Scholar and published author in both the legal and scientific presses, Brader has degrees from Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges, Oxford University, and Georgetown University Law School, and has taught at the University of Michigan Law School.
Carrie (Hadler) Booher
Director Emerita
Carrie Booher is the Chief Marketing Officer and social media marketing specialist at Online Optimism in New Orleans. Prior to her current position, she worked for and with a variety of print and radio media outlets throughout the U.S., Asia, and Africa. Carrie has also worked as a teacher at charter schools in both Detroit and New Orleans, and runs the independent record label Top Magic Records. She has a Bachelor's degree from Brown University in economics and post-1800 American history, and received her MBA from Boston University in 2014. Carrie grew up in Ann Arbor,
Allyson Carpenter, JIF '12
Director
Allyson Carpenter is the Director of Public Engagement for the Office of Councilmember Bonds and Committee on Housing & Neighborhood Revitalization in Washington, DC. At age 18, Allyson was elected to serve as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in the District of Columbia, making her the youngest elected official in the history of the nation’s capital. She has been profiled by MSNBC as a rising star in politics and featured in the 2015 Root’s 25 under 25: Young Futurist list. She is a recipient of prestigious academic awards, including the Harry S. Truman Scholarship and the Luard Morse Scholarship. Allyson received her BA from Howard University where she studied Political Science & Government and Community Development and was the Student Body President in 2016-2017. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Allyson was selected as a Joyce Ivy Summer Scholar in 2012 and received a scholarship from the Joyce Ivy Foundation to attend a summer program at Harvard University. She currently resides in Washington, DC and is the first Joyce Ivy alumna to join the Board of Directors.
Mary Jo Dawson
Director
Mary Jo Dawson is the former Director of College Counseling at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Prior to transitioning to college counseling, Mary Jo was a member of the advancement team at Sacred Heart. She continues to work with students through her private consulting practice and through pro bono relationships with charter schools and mentoring programs in Detroit. Mary Jo served on the inaugural Counselor Advisory Board for the Joyce Ivy Foundation and is active with both the National Associate of College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and the Michigan Association of College Admission Counseling (MACAC). She also serves on the National Christ Child Society Board of Directors. Mary Jo grew up in Orchard Lake, Michigan. She holds a BA in Sociology from George Washington University and MA in Counseling from Oakland University.
Audrey DiMarzo
Director
Audrey DiMarzo is Principal and General Counsel of Rizvi Traverse Management, a private equity firm based in Birmingham, Michigan with offices in New York City and Los Angeles. Prior to joining Rizvi Traverse, Audrey's law practice focused on private equity, venture capital, mergers and acquisition and securities law compliance. A native of Ann Arbor, Audrey received her AB in Economics from Dartmouth College and her JD from Harvard Law School.
Kim Easter
Director
Kim Easter is the Regional Director of Development at the University of Michigan Law School. Kim grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan and is a graduate of Pioneer High School. She received her BA from Yale University and her JD from the University of Michigan Law School. She serves on the board of the Arts Alliance in Washtenaw County and on the ACLU Lawyers' Committee of Washtenaw. She moonlights as a jazz singer.
Anne Hiller
Director Emerita
Anne Hiller is a Founding Director of the Joyce Ivy Foundation, where she initiated and shaped its still-current mission of assisting young women as they transition from high school to college. Anne is a successful entrepreneur, and over the course of a 30-year career in the technology industry she has helped launch numerous start-up technology companies in California, Texas, Arizona, and Michigan, with a focus on marketing and sales. A native of Ann Arbor, Anne is a graduate of Michigan State University and received her MBA from Santa Clara University.
S. Caroline Kerr
Director
Caroline Kerr is an education leader and strategist, who helps build and advise organizations. She served as Joyce Ivy CEO from 2012-2018 and previously as Executive Vice President and member of the Counselor Advisory Board. She grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and has worked in the field of college access as an admissions officer, college counselor, and consultant. Caroline received her AB from Dartmouth College and EdM from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She serves on multiple boards including the Dartmouth Board of Trustees, Nelson A. Rockefeller Center Board of Visitors, William Jewett Tucker Center Board of Advisors, and DGALA Board of Advisors.
Greg Lewis
Director
Greg Lewis is currently a temporarily retired, stay-at-home dad. For 15 years prior to retiring in October 2016, he was a management consultant and partner at McKinsey & Company. He is a native of Kansas City, Missouri and graduated from Harvard College in 1986 where he studied Russian and Soviet History and Computer Science. Greg received his MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business in 2001. He has also lived and studied in Spain and the Soviet Union. Greg worked as both a Proctor and an Assistant Dean at the Harvard Summer School in the mid-1980s.
Stephen R. Miller
Director Emeritus
Stephen Miller is associate professor of law and director of the Economic Development Clinic at the University of Idaho, College of Law in Boise. His articles have appeared in publications from Cambridge University Press, Harvard University, as well as a number of law reviews and professional publications. He has been named Faculty Adviser of the Year by the Idaho Law Review and also received the university's Alumni Award for Faculty Excellence. He also serves as a commissioner on the Boise City Planning and Zoning Commission. Stephen graduated from Brown University with a degree in English and American Literature. He also holds a Master in City and Regional Planning from University of California, Berkeley, and a Juris Doctor from University of California, Hastings College of Law. Stephen is a native of Dayton, Ohio.
Elisa A. Ostafin
Director Emerita
Elisa A. Ostafin, M.D. is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan School of Medicine and a Founding Director of the Joyce Ivy Foundation. Lisa graduated from Dartmouth College, Wayne State University School of Medicine and completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of Michigan where she has held a faculty appointment since 1985.
Michael S. Pritula
Director
Mike Pritula is an investor and advisor in technology and data-related arenas, and works with leading financial institutions globally. Mike has served as President of RMS, and he was a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, based in its New York Office, for 35 years. He is a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and is a graduate of Princeton University and Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.
Melissa Soderberg
Director
Melissa Soderberg grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, earned her BA from Middlebury College and MA from Teacher’s College of Columbia University as a Joseph Klingenstein Fellow. She has worked as a college advisor and history teacher at both St. George’s School in Newport, Rhode Island, and Breck School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, before serving as dean of students, director of college counseling and upper school director at Breck. In 2013 she was named Head of School of Columbus Academy, Columbus, Ohio, as the first female and 8th Head of School in its 103-year history. She lives in Columbus with her two teenage sons and her archaeologist husband, Dr. John Soderberg.
Emily Taylor
Director
Emily Taylor is a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. Prior to joining McKinsey, Emily was a fundraiser at liberal arts colleges in the Northeast, Smith College and Skidmore College. She is a graduate of Smith College and holds MBA and MS degrees from the University of Michigan. Emily also serves on the board of World's Window and previously served on the Smith College Board of Trustees.
Sheila Trautner
Director
Sheila Trautner owns and operates Taste Hospitality Group, a hospitality focused company with restaurants, catering, and conference facilities based in Columbus, Ohio. An entrepreneur at heart, she enjoys developing concepts and seeing them come to life. She is a native of Columbus, Ohio, and received her BBA from Emory University. She is a member of the Leadership Columbus Class of 2017 and also serves on the boards of Columbus Academy Alumni Association and Ohio Restaurant Association.
Clint Wallace
Director Emeritus
Clinton G. Wallace teaches tax law at the University of South Carolina. Clint was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He attended New York University School of Law, and Princeton University where he graduated from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.
Executive Director
Brittany Knight was named Executive Director in 2018 after having previously served as the Director of the Joyce Ivy College Admissions Symposium in 2015-2016. Brittany is a Midwesterner and has spent time living in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and currently resides in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Brittany began her career in education by working in the Admissions Office at Middlebury College, where she cultivated her interest in college access. She then went on to lead all efforts relating to the recruitment, selection, and matriculation of traditionally underrepresented student populations at Lafayette College before joining the Joyce Ivy Leadership Team. Brittany received an AB in Chinese from Middlebury College and an EdM from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Allison Jegla, JIF '10
Vice President for Program Development
Allison Jegla was named Vice President in 2017 after having previously served as the Director of Fellows and Innovation, as the inaugural Senior Fellow, and as a member of the Summer Scholars Selection Committee. Allison is an alumna of the Summer Scholars program and grew up in Portland, Michigan. She used her Joyce Ivy scholarship to study at Brown University for the summer and went on to attend the University of Pennsylvania. While in college, Allison worked in the Penn Admissions Office. She graduated in 2016 with a degree in Health and Societies and a Spanish minor and moved to Washington, DC to work in consulting. Allison is a current Master's in Higher Education candidate at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Chris Balduino
Chief Information Officer
Chris Balduino oversees The Foundation's online application development, website, and online communications. He is a Senior Manager with Akamai Technologies in Cambridge, MA. He previously worked as a Program Manager at Bose Corporation and as a Senior Consultant with CSC. He holds an MBA from Boston University and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from The University of Vermont.
Jeremy Weprich
Chief Design Officer
An education professional committed to building more equitable universities, Jeremy's work sits at the intersection of design and policy. As an admissions officer and designer at MIT, Jeremy develops creative communication strategies to elevate the voices of a diverse community and shape an exceptionally talented undergraduate class. Though he earned his bachelor's degree from Boston University and master's degree from Harvard University, Jeremy is a midwesterner at heart—born in Kansas and raised in Indiana.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Erich Bagen
Director
Erich is an independent consultant in San Francisco, CA. Erich has held various leadership positions in the philanthropy sector, including Strategy Officer at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation where he worked to enhance the Moore Foundation's strategic and organizational capabilities and Program Officer at the Tiger Foundation, where he oversaw a portfolio of grants focused on education, job training, and youth services. Erich has also worked in management consulting at McKinsey & Company, venture capital at Rho Ventures, and investment banking at J.P. Morgan. He attended high school in Kettering, Ohio, graduated from the University of Chicago, and holds an MBA degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Fred Blanck
Director
Fred Blanck is currently a small business advisor and investor who lives in Ann Arbor, MI. Prior to his current work, he spent 15 years as part owner of a mid-size manufacturing business in Southeast Michigan. He had previously founded a custom publishing business which he sold after 10 years of award-winning publications. Fred was born and raised in the Birmingham, MI area. He studied history at the University of Michigan where he also earned a master's in journalism.
Valerie Brader
Director
Valerie Brader is the CEO of Rivenoak Consulting and a co-owner of Rivenoak Law, P.C.. Her professional life revolves around navigating the intersection of business and government, primarily in the energy and environmental spaces. Known as a change agent, Brader has worked in both the public and private sector. Most recently she served as the State of Michigan’s cabinet member for energy. A Rhodes Scholar and published author in both the legal and scientific presses, Brader has degrees from Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges, Oxford University, and Georgetown University Law School, and has taught at the University of Michigan Law School.
Carrie (Hadler) Booher
Director Emerita
Carrie Booher is the Chief Marketing Officer and social media marketing specialist at Online Optimism in New Orleans. Prior to her current position, she worked for and with a variety of print and radio media outlets throughout the U.S., Asia, and Africa. Carrie has also worked as a teacher at charter schools in both Detroit and New Orleans, and runs the independent record label Top Magic Records. She has a Bachelor's degree from Brown University in economics and post-1800 American history, and received her MBA from Boston University in 2014. Carrie grew up in Ann Arbor,
Allyson Carpenter, JIF '12
Director
Allyson Carpenter is the Director of Public Engagement for the Office of Councilmember Bonds and Committee on Housing & Neighborhood Revitalization in Washington, DC. At age 18, Allyson was elected to serve as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in the District of Columbia, making her the youngest elected official in the history of the nation’s capital. She has been profiled by MSNBC as a rising star in politics and featured in the 2015 Root’s 25 under 25: Young Futurist list. She is a recipient of prestigious academic awards, including the Harry S. Truman Scholarship and the Luard Morse Scholarship. Allyson received her BA from Howard University where she studied Political Science & Government and Community Development and was the Student Body President in 2016-2017. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Allyson was selected as a Joyce Ivy Summer Scholar in 2012 and received a scholarship from the Joyce Ivy Foundation to attend a summer program at Harvard University. She currently resides in Washington, DC and is the first Joyce Ivy alumna to join the Board of Directors.
Mary Jo Dawson
Director
Mary Jo Dawson is the former Director of College Counseling at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Prior to transitioning to college counseling, Mary Jo was a member of the advancement team at Sacred Heart. She continues to work with students through her private consulting practice and through pro bono relationships with charter schools and mentoring programs in Detroit. Mary Jo served on the inaugural Counselor Advisory Board for the Joyce Ivy Foundation and is active with both the National Associate of College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and the Michigan Association of College Admission Counseling (MACAC). She also serves on the National Christ Child Society Board of Directors. Mary Jo grew up in Orchard Lake, Michigan. She holds a BA in Sociology from George Washington University and MA in Counseling from Oakland University.
Audrey DiMarzo
Director
Audrey DiMarzo is Principal and General Counsel of Rizvi Traverse Management, a private equity firm based in Birmingham, Michigan with offices in New York City and Los Angeles. Prior to joining Rizvi Traverse, Audrey's law practice focused on private equity, venture capital, mergers and acquisition and securities law compliance. A native of Ann Arbor, Audrey received her AB in Economics from Dartmouth College and her JD from Harvard Law School.
Kim Easter
Director
Kim Easter is the Regional Director of Development at the University of Michigan Law School. Kim grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan and is a graduate of Pioneer High School. She received her BA from Yale University and her JD from the University of Michigan Law School. She serves on the board of the Arts Alliance in Washtenaw County and on the ACLU Lawyers' Committee of Washtenaw. She moonlights as a jazz singer.
Anne Hiller
Director Emerita
Anne Hiller is a Founding Director of the Joyce Ivy Foundation, where she initiated and shaped its still-current mission of assisting young women as they transition from high school to college. Anne is a successful entrepreneur, and over the course of a 30-year career in the technology industry she has helped launch numerous start-up technology companies in California, Texas, Arizona, and Michigan, with a focus on marketing and sales. A native of Ann Arbor, Anne is a graduate of Michigan State University and received her MBA from Santa Clara University.
S. Caroline Kerr
Director
Caroline Kerr is an education leader and strategist, who helps build and advise organizations. She served as Joyce Ivy CEO from 2012-2018 and previously as Executive Vice President and member of the Counselor Advisory Board. She grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and has worked in the field of college access as an admissions officer, college counselor, and consultant. Caroline received her AB from Dartmouth College and EdM from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She serves on multiple boards including the Dartmouth Board of Trustees, Nelson A. Rockefeller Center Board of Visitors, William Jewett Tucker Center Board of Advisors, and DGALA Board of Advisors.
Greg Lewis
Director
Greg Lewis is currently a temporarily retired, stay-at-home dad. For 15 years prior to retiring in October 2016, he was a management consultant and partner at McKinsey & Company. He is a native of Kansas City, Missouri and graduated from Harvard College in 1986 where he studied Russian and Soviet History and Computer Science. Greg received his MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business in 2001. He has also lived and studied in Spain and the Soviet Union. Greg worked as both a Proctor and an Assistant Dean at the Harvard Summer School in the mid-1980s.
Stephen R. Miller
Director Emeritus
Stephen Miller is associate professor of law and director of the Economic Development Clinic at the University of Idaho, College of Law in Boise. His articles have appeared in publications from Cambridge University Press, Harvard University, as well as a number of law reviews and professional publications. He has been named Faculty Adviser of the Year by the Idaho Law Review and also received the university's Alumni Award for Faculty Excellence. He also serves as a commissioner on the Boise City Planning and Zoning Commission. Stephen graduated from Brown University with a degree in English and American Literature. He also holds a Master in City and Regional Planning from University of California, Berkeley, and a Juris Doctor from University of California, Hastings College of Law. Stephen is a native of Dayton, Ohio.
Elisa A. Ostafin
Director Emerita
Elisa A. Ostafin, M.D. is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan School of Medicine and a Founding Director of the Joyce Ivy Foundation. Lisa graduated from Dartmouth College, Wayne State University School of Medicine and completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of Michigan where she has held a faculty appointment since 1985.
Michael S. Pritula
Director
Mike Pritula is an investor and advisor in technology and data-related arenas, and works with leading financial institutions globally. Mike has served as President of RMS, and he was a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, based in its New York Office, for 35 years. He is a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and is a graduate of Princeton University and Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.
Melissa Soderberg
Director
Melissa Soderberg grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, earned her BA from Middlebury College and MA from Teacher’s College of Columbia University as a Joseph Klingenstein Fellow. She has worked as a college advisor and history teacher at both St. George’s School in Newport, Rhode Island, and Breck School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, before serving as dean of students, director of college counseling and upper school director at Breck. In 2013 she was named Head of School of Columbus Academy, Columbus, Ohio, as the first female and 8th Head of School in its 103-year history. She lives in Columbus with her two teenage sons and her archaeologist husband, Dr. John Soderberg.
Emily Taylor
Director
Emily Taylor is a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. Prior to joining McKinsey, Emily was a fundraiser at liberal arts colleges in the Northeast, Smith College and Skidmore College. She is a graduate of Smith College and holds MBA and MS degrees from the University of Michigan. Emily also serves on the board of World's Window and previously served on the Smith College Board of Trustees.
Sheila Trautner
Director
Sheila Trautner owns and operates Taste Hospitality Group, a hospitality focused company with restaurants, catering, and conference facilities based in Columbus, Ohio. An entrepreneur at heart, she enjoys developing concepts and seeing them come to life. She is a native of Columbus, Ohio, and received her BBA from Emory University. She is a member of the Leadership Columbus Class of 2017 and also serves on the boards of Columbus Academy Alumni Association and Ohio Restaurant Association.
Clint Wallace
Director Emeritus
Clinton G. Wallace teaches tax law at the University of South Carolina. Clint was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He attended New York University School of Law, and Princeton University where he graduated from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.