Who We Are
Luisa Boyarski, Ph.D.
Luisa Boyarski, Ph.D. is Director of the Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership and Associate Research Professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy. She is involved in developing and executing the Center’s many executive education and customized programs, and representing the Center at Georgetown University and in the broader community. She researched and wrote How to Lead Systems Change Work and Advancing Racial Equity Within Nonprofit Organizations. Luisa frequently conducts workshops and gives keynote addresses on NGO Management and High Impact NGOs to international delegations, including trainings in China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Mongolia, Panama, Romania, and St. Vincent. She has also co-taught an undergraduate course on Philanthropy and Social Change. Prior to working at CPNL, she was the Executive Director of a D.C.-based nonprofit, working on global warming prevention with Arctic indigenous people. She currently leads a coalition of grassroots groups in Virginia, representing over 15,000 residents. Luisa received her Ph.D. in Comparative Government from Georgetown University, with a research focus on the role of nonprofit coalitions in public policy advocacy. Click for more
Vyomika Gandhi
Vyomika Gandhi is the Program Coordinator at the Center for Public & Nonprofit Leadership. In her role, she will support the Center’s nonprofit executive certificate and customized programs. This past summer, she worked for the MEPI Student Leaders Program at the Center for Intercultural Education and Development, supporting students from the Middle East & North Africa regions throughout their exchange program in the U.S. Vyomika is also a graduate student in the M.S. in Integrative Neuroscience program at Georgetown University, where her research focuses on glial cells and drugs of abuse. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University’s College of Arts & Sciences in Psychology.
Kathy Postel Kretman, Ph.D.
Kathy Postel Kretman, Ph.D., is a Senior Advisor at the Center for Pubic & Nonprofit Leadership and Research Professor Emerita at the McCourt School of Public Policy. She has devoted most of her career to the development of leaders in the public, nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. One of the highlights of Dr. Kretman’s career has been directing Georgetown’s nationally recognized nonprofit executive certificate program, which now has more than 1,900 alumni across the globe. Additionally, she has directed customized leadership programs for organizations such as the USAID, the Qatar Foundation, United Way International, the International Monetary Fund, National Urban League, and the National Hispana Leadership Institute. Earlier in her career, Dr. Kretman advised chief executive officers on corporate social responsibility; researched community and economic development issues in New York City; and investigated discriminatory practices in employment, voting rights, and municipal service delivery for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Maryland, an M.A. in Public Administration from George Washington University, and a B.S. from the University of Texas at Austin. Click for more
Lynsey Wood Jeffries
Lynsey Wood Jeffries is a Visiting Practitioner at the Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership and the CEO of Higher Achievement, which serves middle school scholars in three states with year-round, research-proven expanded learning and mentoring. After five years as a Higher Achievement volunteer mentor, Lynsey joined the professional staff in 2005 and has served as CEO since 2012. Prior to joining Higher Achievement, she served as a program officer for the Fannie Mae Foundation, and a congressional liaison at NeighborWorks. Her commitment to equity extends from education to affordable housing and full communities. Lynsey served as a National Fellow with the Kellogg Foundation, focused on racial equity and healing from 2014 – 2017. She is a founding board member and former board chair of Mundo Verde Public Charter School and a board member for the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. Lynsey holds a B.A. in English and Sociology from Wake Forest University and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Pittsburgh, with a concentration in nonprofit management.
Ryann Alonso
Ryann Alonso is a 2025-2026 Waldemar A. Nielsen Philanthropy Fellow at the Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership and a first-year student at the McCourt School of Public Policy. They attended the University of Arkansas and received a degree in Political Science and Communications, where they did research on presidential rhetoric and its effect on gun policy. While in Arkansas, Ryann engaged in political organizing, working on multiple local campaigns and registering over 500 students to vote during the 2016 election. They have spent the last four years living and working in Washington, D.C. at the Alliance for Justice as a Senior Program Coordinator, helping nonprofits and grant makers understand compliance laws around tax exempt entities’ ability to do advocacy and lobbying. Ryann is also a Harry S. Truman Scholar, and was part of the inaugural class of finalists for the Hillary Rodham Clinton Award for Peace and Reconciliation.
Bo Belotti
Bo Belotti is a 2025-2026 Pablo Eisenberg Public Interest Fellow at the Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership and a first-year student at the McCourt School of Public Policy. They attended Virginia Commonwealth University and earned a degree in Political Science and LGBTQ studies, where they focused their research on the class mobility of transgender and gender nonconforming people in the US South. During their time at VCU they were awarded the Gavin Grimm Courage Award and nominated for the Burnside Watstein Award for his work in LGBTQ rights in Virginia. While in Richmond, Virginia, Bo engaged in grassroots organizing and legislative advocacy, including co-authoring multiple model policies. They have spent the last 2 years living and working in Washington DC as a Development Manager at HIPS, a harm reduction nonprofit that serves the district.
Cassie Guerena
Cassie Guerena is a 2025-2026 Waldemar A. Nielsen Philanthropy Fellow, and a second-year student at the McCourt School of Public Policy. Born and raised in San Diego, she earned a bachelor’s degree in International Studies and Political Science from the University of California, San Diego. While at UCSD, she implemented programming for immigrant and refugee students in San Diego schools through the International Rescue Committee. She later served as an Education Coordinator for the Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association, advocating for tribal TANF families navigating IEPs, school discipline, financial aid, college access, and other educational barriers. Before graduate school, Cassie worked as a Program Specialist on the San Diego Foundation’s Education Initiatives team, designing grant programs to expand equitable access to higher education for San Diego students. Most recently, she was a Summer Student Analyst with the Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation’s Family Benefits Lab, researching ways to improve access to benefits and higher education for young mothers.
Doris Mwikali
Doris Mwikali is the 2025-2026 Kathy Kretman Leadership Fellow at the Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership and is also pursuing a Master’s in Policy Management. She brings extensive experience as a lawyer, education advocate, and global policy professional within the United Nations ecosystem. Most recently, Doris served as a consultant with UNICEF–Giga, the joint initiative between UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) that aims to connect every school to the internet by 2030. In this role, she advanced efforts to improve school connectivity as a pathway to digital inclusion and community development. From 2022 to 2023, Doris represented the global youth constituency on the United Nations SDG4 High-Level Steering Committee hosted by UNESCO. where she led the ‘Youth Declaration’ process presented at the 2022 United Nations Transforming Education Summit, capturing the voices of more than 450,000 young people from over 170 countries. She also contributed to advancing the 133 United Nations Country Commitments adopted at the summit. Earlier in her career, Doris served as an Education Program Coordinator at UNICEF, where she supported youth in Namibia, Sierra Leone, Thailand, and Uzbekistan in shaping education policies that addressed sustainability challenges, such as climate change. Beyond the United Nations, she serves on the International Panel on Social Progress Advisory Board and, from 2021 to 2023, was a member of the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre Youth Advisory Board, championing education as a driver of global sustainability. Her legal training enhances her policy and advocacy work, underscoring her deep commitment to building inclusive and resilient education systems worldwide.
Carol Rangel
Carol Rangel is a 2025-2026 Pablo Eisenberg Public Interest Fellow at the Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership and a first-year master’s student pursuing a degree in Data Science for Public Policy. Originally from Brazil, she brings a background in political and economic journalism to her academic work, with a foundation and a solidified interest in nonprofit media and its role in strengthening democratic accountability. Prior to her time at the McCourt School, she worked as a segment producer at TIMES BRASIL, a business news channel operating under the CNBC license, where she covered U.S. trade and economic policy. She also worked at CNN in Washington, D.C., as a news associate for Inside Politics with Dana Bash, covering major political developments. Her experience includes roles at nonprofit media outlets such as FRONTLINE PBS and C-SPAN. Carol earned her B.S. in Journalism from Emerson College. Her research interest involves using data to explore the impact of nonprofit media in news deserts and its role in fostering civic engagement.