Kathy Postel Kretman, Ph.D., is the Director of Georgetown University’s Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership and Research Professor 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 1,700 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
Luisa Boyarski, Ph.D. is the Associate Director Georgetown University’s 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 recently 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
Gary Bass is Senior Fellow at the Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership and Executive Director Emeritus of the Bauman Foundation. Gary is known within philanthropic circles for his leadership in promoting a fair and accurate census, drawing fair congressional and state district lines, and other civic engagement issues, particularly those related to economic inequality and promoting government accountability. Prior to working in philanthropy, he founded and, for twenty-eight years, directed OMB Watch, a nonprofit organization promoting greater government accountability, transparency, and increased citizen participation in public policy decisions, which merged with Project On Government Oversight in 2016. An expert on federal budgetary, program management, regulatory and information policy issues, Gary has published extensively, testified before Congress, appeared on national television, and presented to groups across the country. He has received numerous awards, served on various boards of nonprofit organizations, and participated in multiple federal government committees. Prior to OMB Watch, Gary worked for the Human Services Information Center and the U.S. Council for the International Year of Disabled Persons. Gary earned his doctorate from The University of Michigan.
Cedric Brown is a Visiting Practitioner at the Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership. Cedric is an award-winning leader for social justice, with 20+ years of deep and varied experience in philanthropy and nonprofits. He has a significant track record of working to ensure pathways to opportunities for people of color in the U.S. through tech sector inclusion, college readiness, arts/cultural representation, and voter education/civic engagement. Cedric has an extensive history as a funder, directing a California-based family foundation for over a decade. During this time, he was an active and dedicated advisor and board member to numerous local and regional nonprofits, affinity groups, and projects. Most recently, Cedric managed global leadership programs for the Obama Foundation, where he designed and launched two initiatives in direct consultation with the former president. He currently serves on the boards of the Panta Rhea Foundation, TheGuardian.org, and Atlantic Fellows for Racial Equity. Cedric holds a Masters in Education Policy from Stanford University and earned an Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership. He recently launched Blue Skies Advising, a consultancy offering high quality program development for philanthropy and nonprofits.
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.
Andreas Kern is visiting Assistant Professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy. He teaches in the areas of international political economy and development economics. His research mainly concentrates on the political economy of macroeconomic and financial governance in developing and transition economies, and has been published in internationally renowned journals. Previously, Dr. Kern has been a Senior Research Fellow at the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence for European Integration at Freie Universität Berlin. In this role, he has been engaged in various scientific and consultancy projects for the European Commission and the German government. Andreas Kern earned his Ph.D. in Political Economy from Freie Universität Berlin and holds an M. A. in economics from Ludwig Maximilians Universität in Munich.
Daniela Mengesha is a 2023-2024 Eisenberg Public Interest Fellow at the Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership as well as a second-year Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellow at the McCourt School of Public Policy. She received her bachelors from the University of Virginia where she majored in Foreign Affairs and minored in Middle Eastern Studies. During her undergraduate studies, she interned at the Justice Center for Legal Aid in Amman, Jordan and on Capitol Hill through the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. After her undergraduate studies, Daniela worked for a political Public Relations firm in Washington DC where she gained valuable messaging and communications skills. Most recently, Daniela interned at US Embassy Montevideo in the Public Diplomacy section focused on strategic messaging and digital communications.
Nile Adhami is a senior at Georgetown University studying government. He was born and raised a proud hoosier from Fort Wayne, Indiana, to parents who immigrated to the United States from Pakistan. On campus, he has served as President of the Muslim Student Association. He has previously interned at the White House in the Office of the First Lady, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union, the US Department of Education, and the Department of Justice. He is passionate about making the world better through policy and government. He loves Basketball and all things Indiana.
Mayah Grandison is a senior in the Walsh School of Foreign Service majoring in Culture and Politics with a concentration in Linguistics and Migration and minoring in French. On campus, she currently serves as the Co-President of the Georgetown Admissions Ambassador Program and has worked in the undergraduate admissions office. She has previously interned at the Washington International Trade Association and the Council on Foreign Relations. After graduation, she hopes to go to law school to study trade law.
