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
Senior Vice President
Allison Jegla was named Senior Vice President in 2020 after having previously served as Vice President for Program Development, 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 holds a Master's in Higher Education from 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.
Frances Nan
Director of the Joyce Ivy College Admissions Workshop/Symposium
Fran was born and raised in the Bay Area, where they are now living for the first time since age 16. After graduating from Pomona College with a double major in English Literature and Philosophy/Politics/Economics, Fran worked in the Pomona Admissions Office for 4 years, on the Diversity Team. They left in 2016 to attain an M.S.Ed. in postsecondary education from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, where they also took classes on Asian American activism and college campus movements for social justice. For the last 3 years, they have worked at Asian Americans United, a grassroots community organization in Philadelphia's North Chinatown, leading anti-oppression workshops for youth. Over the summer, after moving back to California, they led the College Admissions course for the Princeton University Preparatory Program, and are now seeking to work back in college counseling. They are also an emerging and published poet, under the name francxs gufan nan.
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,
Erica Cameron
Director
Erica is a Partner in the Cleveland office of Cerity Partners and leads the Estate and Financial Planning practice for the firm. She advises individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofits providing comprehensive wealth management services. Erica earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Ohio University with a concentration in Finance and Management Information Systems (MIS), and a Masters of Business Administration in Finance from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio. She is a CFP® professional and a member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA). Within the Cleveland-area community, Erica is a member of Soroptimist International and serves on its membership committee. She serves on the Associate Board of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and the Alumni Committee of the Cleveland Leadership Center. She is a graduate of the 2013 class of Bridge Builders program of the Cleveland Leadership Center. Erica lives in Westlake, Ohio with her husband, Sean, and two daughters, Claire and Grace.
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.
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.
Tiffany Taylor
Director
A proud native Detroiter, Tiffany C. Taylor currently serves as the inaugural Chief People and Impact Officer at Global Silicon Valley Ventures and ASU + GSV Summit, an education technology-focused venture capital fund. Prior to joining the GSV team, Taylor spent 11 years at Teach For America as a national Vice President and Deputy Chief People Officer as well as Executive Director of the Detroit region. After graduating from University of Michigan in 2004, Tiffany worked as a sixth-grade special education teacher in Philadelphia. She then deepened her understanding of issues affecting underrepresented communities through her work as an education policy consultant and affordable housing developer. Supporting various equity-minded organizations, including most recently an appointment by Governor Whitmer as Commissioner of Huron-Clinton Metroparks and serving on the board of directors of the Joyce Ivy Foundation, the AI Education Project, Black Family Development Training Institute, and Boys Hope Girls Hope of Detroit, Taylor uses her voice and action to redefine education as a means to liberation. A builder and convener committed to excellence in education and creating the conditions that empower thriving spaces and communities, Taylor believes in our collective responsibility to move toward a world of unlimited opportunity and equitable access defined not for our children, but by them. Tiffany graduated from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Afro-American and African Studies. She also earned a Master’s degree in education from St. Joseph’s University and a Masters’ degree in Urban Planning from the University of Maryland with a concentration in Economic Development and Real Estate Development. Most recently, Tiffany completed the Leading Change and Organizational Renewal program at Harvard Business School.
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.
ASSOCIATE BOARD
Aditi Adhikari, JIF '14
Aditi Adhikari is originally from the Metro Detroit area and currently works as an Associate Consultant at Bain & Company in Atlanta, Georgia. In the summer of 2014, she received a scholarship from Joyce Ivy to study neuroscience at Brown University, and has been heavily involved with the Foundation ever since. Since 2014, she has served as Co-Director of Fellows, Scholar Selections Committee member, College Admissions Symposium Planning Committee Member, and Senior Fellow, among other roles. She was a Morehead Cain Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she graduated in 2020 with majors in Public Policy and Economics.
Katharine Janes, JIF '12
Katharine Janes was named an Associate Board Member and Co-Chair of the Summer Scholars Selection Committee in 2020, after having previously served as a Senior Fellow, Michigan Geographic Circle Leader, and College Admissions Symposium Planning Committee Member. Katharine is currently a third-year JD/MA History candidate at the University of Virginia, where she serves as the Law School's student body president. Katharine is passionate about criminal and juvenile justice reform and has worked with organizations including the Juvenile Law Center, the United States Department of Justice, and public defender services across the country. Katharine grew up in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and holds a BA in political science from the University of Notre Dame.
Ashley Lane, JIF '15
Ashley Lane graduated Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service in May 2020, where she studied Science, Technology & International Affairs and Persian. She is the recipient of a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant grant to Uzbekistan for the 2020-2021 academic year. In 2018, she received a Critical Language Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State to study Persian in Tajikistan. Born and raised in Otsego, MI, Ashley was selected as a Joyce Ivy Summer Scholar in 2015 and used her scholarship to study at the Brown University Leadership Institute.
Abril Rangel Pacheco, JIF '13
Abril Rangel-Pacheco is an alumna of the Summer Scholars program and attended Johns Hopkins University in the summer of 2013. She has since served as a Senior Fellow and Recruitment and Advocacy Co-Chair for the Joyce Ivy Foundation. In 2019, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Creighton University in her hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. She is currently a 2nd year doctoral student in the School Psychology program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Graduate Research Assistant at the Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools. Recently, she co-authored a book chapter titled “Parenting into Two Worlds: How Practices of Kinship Fostering Shape Development in Namibia, Southern Africa” in the book Parents and Caregivers Across Cultures.
Emma Taylor Philip, JIF '15
Emma Taylor Philip is a Joyce Ivy alumna and attended Barnard College's program in the summer of 2016. She has been involved with Joyce Ivy as a fellow since her summer program, and most recently served as Senior Fellow for Data. She graduated cum laude from New York University in 2021 and currently works at the NYU Stern School of Business. She is originally from Gaylord, Michigan.
Jasmyn Samaroo, JIF '08
As a JIF '08 alumna, Jasmyn Samaroo looks forward to being able to support and scale the work Joyce Ivy does to create opportunities and possibilities for midwestern women. She studied English and International Relations at Brown University, then completed an M.S. in Biotechnology at Johns Hopkins, followed by an MBA. She led strategy and operations teams in finance, product support, customer service, and physical distribution, and is now an Operations Manager for Google Books and special projects in Ann Arbor. She is especially passionate about mentoring women and people of color and leads chapters of the Black Googler Network, Michigan Education Outreach, and career development groups at Google, among other community volunteer roles.
Abby Waugh, JIF '15
Abby Waugh has been involved with the Joyce Ivy Foundation in the Fellows program since being named a scholar in 2015. She grew up in Jackson, Ohio and attended Yale University, where she received her B.S. in Neuroscience in 2020. She now attends the Yale School of Public Health where she is a candidate for a Master of Public Health degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences. Her public health research interests lie in the relationship between regional resources and health inequity in the United States, particularly in children and adolescents. She is excited to work with the Joyce Ivy Foundation to expand access to quality education to young women from the Midwest.
Michelle Zabat, JIF '13
Michelle Zabat is currently an MD candidate and Silverstein Scholar at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine. Prior to medical school, she worked in Boston, MA as a strategy consultant in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries. Michelle is a former U.S. Fulbright Fellow to the Philippines, and she graduated from Brown University in 2018 with a BA in Health & Human Biology. Originally from Rochester Hills, MI, Michelle was named a Joyce Ivy Summer Scholar in 2013, and she previously served as a Senior Fellow and Fellow from 2014 - 2020.
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
Senior Vice President
Allison Jegla was named Senior Vice President in 2020 after having previously served as Vice President for Program Development, 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 holds a Master's in Higher Education from 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.
Frances Nan
Director of the Joyce Ivy College Admissions Workshop/Symposium
Fran was born and raised in the Bay Area, where they are now living for the first time since age 16. After graduating from Pomona College with a double major in English Literature and Philosophy/Politics/Economics, Fran worked in the Pomona Admissions Office for 4 years, on the Diversity Team. They left in 2016 to attain an M.S.Ed. in postsecondary education from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, where they also took classes on Asian American activism and college campus movements for social justice. For the last 3 years, they have worked at Asian Americans United, a grassroots community organization in Philadelphia's North Chinatown, leading anti-oppression workshops for youth. Over the summer, after moving back to California, they led the College Admissions course for the Princeton University Preparatory Program, and are now seeking to work back in college counseling. They are also an emerging and published poet, under the name francxs gufan nan.
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,
Erica Cameron
Director
Erica is a Partner in the Cleveland office of Cerity Partners and leads the Estate and Financial Planning practice for the firm. She advises individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofits providing comprehensive wealth management services. Erica earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Ohio University with a concentration in Finance and Management Information Systems (MIS), and a Masters of Business Administration in Finance from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio. She is a CFP® professional and a member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA). Within the Cleveland-area community, Erica is a member of Soroptimist International and serves on its membership committee. She serves on the Associate Board of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and the Alumni Committee of the Cleveland Leadership Center. She is a graduate of the 2013 class of Bridge Builders program of the Cleveland Leadership Center. Erica lives in Westlake, Ohio with her husband, Sean, and two daughters, Claire and Grace.
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.
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.
Tiffany Taylor
Director
A proud native Detroiter, Tiffany C. Taylor currently serves as the inaugural Chief People and Impact Officer at Global Silicon Valley Ventures and ASU + GSV Summit, an education technology-focused venture capital fund. Prior to joining the GSV team, Taylor spent 11 years at Teach For America as a national Vice President and Deputy Chief People Officer as well as Executive Director of the Detroit region. After graduating from University of Michigan in 2004, Tiffany worked as a sixth-grade special education teacher in Philadelphia. She then deepened her understanding of issues affecting underrepresented communities through her work as an education policy consultant and affordable housing developer. Supporting various equity-minded organizations, including most recently an appointment by Governor Whitmer as Commissioner of Huron-Clinton Metroparks and serving on the board of directors of the Joyce Ivy Foundation, the AI Education Project, Black Family Development Training Institute, and Boys Hope Girls Hope of Detroit, Taylor uses her voice and action to redefine education as a means to liberation. A builder and convener committed to excellence in education and creating the conditions that empower thriving spaces and communities, Taylor believes in our collective responsibility to move toward a world of unlimited opportunity and equitable access defined not for our children, but by them. Tiffany graduated from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Afro-American and African Studies. She also earned a Master’s degree in education from St. Joseph’s University and a Masters’ degree in Urban Planning from the University of Maryland with a concentration in Economic Development and Real Estate Development. Most recently, Tiffany completed the Leading Change and Organizational Renewal program at Harvard Business School.
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.
ASSOCIATE BOARD
Aditi Adhikari, JIF '14
Aditi Adhikari is originally from the Metro Detroit area and currently works as an Associate Consultant at Bain & Company in Atlanta, Georgia. In the summer of 2014, she received a scholarship from Joyce Ivy to study neuroscience at Brown University, and has been heavily involved with the Foundation ever since. Since 2014, she has served as Co-Director of Fellows, Scholar Selections Committee member, College Admissions Symposium Planning Committee Member, and Senior Fellow, among other roles. She was a Morehead Cain Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she graduated in 2020 with majors in Public Policy and Economics.
Katharine Janes, JIF '12
Katharine Janes was named an Associate Board Member and Co-Chair of the Summer Scholars Selection Committee in 2020, after having previously served as a Senior Fellow, Michigan Geographic Circle Leader, and College Admissions Symposium Planning Committee Member. Katharine is currently a third-year JD/MA History candidate at the University of Virginia, where she serves as the Law School's student body president. Katharine is passionate about criminal and juvenile justice reform and has worked with organizations including the Juvenile Law Center, the United States Department of Justice, and public defender services across the country. Katharine grew up in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and holds a BA in political science from the University of Notre Dame.
Ashley Lane, JIF '15
Ashley Lane graduated Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service in May 2020, where she studied Science, Technology & International Affairs and Persian. She is the recipient of a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant grant to Uzbekistan for the 2020-2021 academic year. In 2018, she received a Critical Language Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State to study Persian in Tajikistan. Born and raised in Otsego, MI, Ashley was selected as a Joyce Ivy Summer Scholar in 2015 and used her scholarship to study at the Brown University Leadership Institute.
Abril Rangel Pacheco, JIF '13
Abril Rangel-Pacheco is an alumna of the Summer Scholars program and attended Johns Hopkins University in the summer of 2013. She has since served as a Senior Fellow and Recruitment and Advocacy Co-Chair for the Joyce Ivy Foundation. In 2019, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Creighton University in her hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. She is currently a 2nd year doctoral student in the School Psychology program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Graduate Research Assistant at the Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools. Recently, she co-authored a book chapter titled “Parenting into Two Worlds: How Practices of Kinship Fostering Shape Development in Namibia, Southern Africa” in the book Parents and Caregivers Across Cultures.
Emma Taylor Philip, JIF '15
Emma Taylor Philip is a Joyce Ivy alumna and attended Barnard College's program in the summer of 2016. She has been involved with Joyce Ivy as a fellow since her summer program, and most recently served as Senior Fellow for Data. She graduated cum laude from New York University in 2021 and currently works at the NYU Stern School of Business. She is originally from Gaylord, Michigan.
Jasmyn Samaroo, JIF '08
As a JIF '08 alumna, Jasmyn Samaroo looks forward to being able to support and scale the work Joyce Ivy does to create opportunities and possibilities for midwestern women. She studied English and International Relations at Brown University, then completed an M.S. in Biotechnology at Johns Hopkins, followed by an MBA. She led strategy and operations teams in finance, product support, customer service, and physical distribution, and is now an Operations Manager for Google Books and special projects in Ann Arbor. She is especially passionate about mentoring women and people of color and leads chapters of the Black Googler Network, Michigan Education Outreach, and career development groups at Google, among other community volunteer roles.
Abby Waugh, JIF '15
Abby Waugh has been involved with the Joyce Ivy Foundation in the Fellows program since being named a scholar in 2015. She grew up in Jackson, Ohio and attended Yale University, where she received her B.S. in Neuroscience in 2020. She now attends the Yale School of Public Health where she is a candidate for a Master of Public Health degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences. Her public health research interests lie in the relationship between regional resources and health inequity in the United States, particularly in children and adolescents. She is excited to work with the Joyce Ivy Foundation to expand access to quality education to young women from the Midwest.
Michelle Zabat, JIF '13
Michelle Zabat is currently an MD candidate and Silverstein Scholar at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine. Prior to medical school, she worked in Boston, MA as a strategy consultant in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries. Michelle is a former U.S. Fulbright Fellow to the Philippines, and she graduated from Brown University in 2018 with a BA in Health & Human Biology. Originally from Rochester Hills, MI, Michelle was named a Joyce Ivy Summer Scholar in 2013, and she previously served as a Senior Fellow and Fellow from 2014 - 2020.