University College Staff

Brad Knight (he/him)

Senior Director, AU Core and University College
 

Hometown: Fremont, NE
Favorite place on campus: The sunlit SIS atrium & steps, which are good places to meet students or colleagues for a Dav coffee and to people watch. 
Favorite place or thing to do in DMV: A run along the National Mall (a round trip from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial) is just shy of an easy 5 miles. 
Talk to me about... Fantasy novels, Politics, Being a first generation college student and/or LGBTQIA+, Research/career advice, My beagle

Ashley Owens (she/her)

Assistant Director, Academic Living-Learning Communities

 

Hometown: LeRoy, NY
Favorite place on campus: New to campus, looking forward to exploring!

Brigid Maher (she/her)

Faculty Director, Complex Problems
 

Hometown: Bainbridge Island, WA
Favorite place on campus: The Dav
Fun fact: Brigid is an award-winning documentary filmmaker focusing on women, from women's issues in the Middle East to women's health and beyond!

Kyrsten Novencido (she/they)

Coordinator, Living-Learning Communities

 

Hometown: Northlake, IL
Favorite place on campus: Quad space in front of the Library
Favorite place or thing to do in DMV: Hiking followed by a big lunch
Talk to me about... your favorite food spots, your DnD OC, cozy games, horror movies

Tanishka Talagadadeevi (she/her)

Program Assistant, UC and AU Compass

 

Hometown: Reading, PA 
Favorite place on campus: Cherry blossom path behind EQB
Favorite place or thing to do in DMV: The FDR Memorial is quiet and beautiful, go during cherry blossom season for the best views!
Talk to me about... food, anime, cats, social justice, SPA, and all things LLCs!

Luke Waters (he/him)

Program Coordinator, AU Cornerstone

 

Hometown: Memphis, TN
Favorite place or thing to do in DMV: I absolutely love the atrium of the American Art Museum, one of my favorite places to work.
Talk to me about... Music, NBA, politics, movies, TV, podcasts, and all things AUCS!

Baba Zak Kondo (he/him)

Part-time Coordinator - Internships & Employer Relations, AU Cornerstone

 

Did you know... Baba is author of the most authoritative work on Malcolm X’s assassination (currently being revised) and other works and has served as a consultant on and/or was featured in seven films focusing on Malcolm X and/or the Black Panthers, including Spike Lee’s motion picture, “Malcolm X,” the award-winning documentary “41st and Central” (on the LA Black Panthers), and the Netflix documentary, “Who Killed Malcolm X?”. He's also spoken at over 45 colleges and universities!

Kashvi Chandok (she/her)

Program Assistant, AU Cornerstone

 

Hometown: New Dehli, India

Favorite place on campus: The Dav

 

Fall 2024 Senior Program Leaders

Meet our Fall 2024 Senior Program Leaders!

Megan Wysocki (she/her)

Senior Program Leader, Cohort Ara

 

Major: Political Science and Econ

Star Sign: I'm a proud Leo!

Fav UC memory: I loved the Cohort Cup competition last year and playing Kahoot! at the End of Semester celebration!

Jules Greenberg (she/her)

Senior Program Leader, Cohort Vega

 

Major: Political Science and Criminal Justice

Star Sign: Aquarius

Fav UC/AUCS memory: My freshman seminar “Death Penalty Perspectives” inspired me to double major in criminal justice. From speaking to a death row exoneree, to many meaningful debates, this class truly has had a lasting impact on me.

Andrew Murray (he/him)

Senior Program Leader, Cohort Cygnus

 

Major: CLEG

Star Sign: Aries

Fav UC memory: Seeing the Frederick Douglass house with my students while we were reading his book in class!

Eva Helfter (she/her)

Senior Program Leader, Cohort Orion

 

Major: Political Science (History and Theatre Minors)

Star Sign: Capricorn

Fav UC memory: My favorite memory would have to be my third night at AU my freshman year! My UC cohort had a group chat and at least 25 of us decided to go night monumenting to bond. We unfortunately chose a night where the metro and buses had severe detours and we had to cluelessly (but hysterically) find our way home, also through a sudden downpour! Bu

Norah Nasser (she/her)

Senior Program Leader, Cohort Cassiopeia

 

Major: Justice and Law with a Sociology minor

Star Sign: Aries

Fav UC memory: All the incredible people I met through UC my freshman year, especially the people living on my floor. Some of my best friends at AU today were also in my UC cohort freshman year and meeting them is one of my favorite memories from the program.

Jeremy Schaefer (he/him)

Senior Program Leader, Cohort Pegasus

 

Major: SIS

Star Sign: Scorpio

Fav UC/AUCS memory: Interning as part of the Cornerstone program with the World Affairs Councils of America!

Alya Elhassani (she/her)

Senior Program Leader, Cohort Gemini

 

Major: CLEG

Star Sign: Leo

Fav UC memory: My favorite memory would definitely be study sessions my freshman year with people from my class!