Meet Our Leadership
Book office hours with our Leadership Group members. Our organization is run as a partnership between the optiMize department in the University of Michigan College of LSA and the optiMize student organization at the University of Michigan. Our first guiding principle is student-led education, youth-led change, and all decisions for the organization are made by consensus among our student leaders and full-time staff. We are proud of the democratic, participatory model we are creating together — hopefully illuminating possibilities for more just, sustainable, and joyful ways of building institutions and working collaboratively. You can learn more about us and schedule time to meet with any of our Leadership Group members below.
Not sure who to meet? Email us at optimizemi@umich.edu and we’ll help you find the right person to speak with!
Peer Mentors
Evelyn Reyes
Peer Mentor, Cohort 7 Summer Fellow
Jonae Maxey (she/her)
Peer Mentor, Business & Community Engagement, Cohort 8 Fellow
Kemi Dauda (she/her)
Detroit Track Lead, Cohort 7 Fellow, Peer Mentor Fellowship Coordinator
Rachel Kennelly (she/her)
Peer Mentor, Arts & Media, Design, Cohort 8 Summer Fellow
Social Innovation Challenge (SIC) Leads
Caroline VanDam (she/her)
SIC President, Fellowship Coordinator
David Hargitt (he/him)
Mentorship Challenge Lead
Jack Wu (he/him)
Operations Challenge Lead
Megha Kunju (she/her)
Storytelling & Marketing Challenge Lead
Mike Misiak (he/him)
Technical Operations Challenge Lead
Sweta Mahapatra (she/her)
Community & Organizational Culture Challenge Lead
Community and Organizational Culture
Steve Marics (he/him)
Challenge Events, Data, & Finance
Creative Team
Kirsten Lam (she/her)
Social Media & Promotion, Community Partnerships
Community Partnerships
Dina Ahmad (she/her)
Community Partnerships
Nesreen Ezzeddine
Community Partnerships
Mentorship
Ponette Rubio
Mentorship Lead
Mellon Fellows
Alaa Shahin (she/her)
Mellon fellow
Caroline Slack (she/her)
Mellon fellow
Dallas McGhee-Henry (he/him)
Mellon fellow
Elyas Perry
Mellon fellow
Kaitlin Clark
Mellon fellow
Stephany Mendez Ortega (she/her)
Mellon fellow
Wala Sailan
Mellon fellow
Full-time staff
Jeff Sorensen (he/him)
Co-founder and Director
Katie Avila (she/her)
Community Partnerships Manager
Not sure who you want to connect with?
Email us at optimizemi@umich.edu and we will help you find the right person!