Alumni/ae

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Rachel van Horn

President

Rachel Van Horn is a Senior Program Officer at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a Congressionally funded non-profit in Washington, D.C. that supports democratic initiatives around the world. At the NED, Rachel works on the Eurasia Programs team, drawing on her experience as a regional affairs specialist to manage a portfolio of grants to civil society initiatives throughout the former Soviet space. 

Rachel’s professional career has included experience in government, private sector, and NGOs, and several postings abroad including in Russia, Georgia, and Poland.

Rachel holds a BA in Political Studies and Russian from Bard College and an MA in Russian, Eastern European, and Central Asian Area Studies (REECA) from Harvard University.

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Yousif Yahya

Vice President

Yousif Yahya is an entrepreneur, investor, and ecosystem builder focused on emerging markets, particularly in Africa. As the Founder of Savannah Innovation Labs, he has played a pivotal role in fostering startups, and leading venture-building initiatives in Sudan and beyond. His work spans venture capital, market research, and advisory services, helping businesses navigate complex markets.

Yousif’s experience includes commodity trading, agribusiness, and financial services, positioning him at the intersection of industry and investment. He has managed projects exceeding €5 million, collaborating with diverse stakeholders, from governments to the private sector. A global citizen Sudanese born in Zimbabwe and raised across Kenya, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, and the U.S., Yousif is passionate about unlocking Africa’s economic potential.

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Amanda Turcios

Secretary Amanda Turcios is a first generation Latina Bronx native who is deeply passionate about youth development, community organizing, and writing. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Ursinus College in Anthropology and Sociology, with minors in Latin American Studies, Gender & Women’s Studies, and Politics. She completed BGIA in the Summer of 2019 and was an intern with the Harlem Educational Activities Fund. Her experience coincides with local grassroots organizing in the South Bronx, and promoting positive youth development to the new generation. She has worked with the Alexandria Ocasio Cortez for Congress campaign, Safe Horizon, Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club, the Sadie Nash Leadership Project, and is now a Program Coordinator at the Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education where she offers free after school and summer day camp programming to elementary children of the South Bronx.

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Ruth Tekleab

Community Chair Ruth Tekleab Mekbib is originally from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration (MPA) at Columbia SIPA with a concentration in Economic and Political Development and a specialization in Technology, Media and Communications. Prior to graduate school, Ruth worked as a Communications Officer for the first female Chief Justice of the Federal Supreme Court of Ethiopia for over three years, where she led different projects to implement reform in the judiciary. Ruth enjoys storytelling through her podcast Internationalie by Ruth where she interviews and discusses the experiences of international college students. She's also a TEDx speaker where she highlighted lessons learned from her podcast emphasizing the importance of sharing our authentic stories. She holds a BA in Sociology from Smith College.

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Stephon Camara

Stephon Camara is the Programs and Research Associate at Project CETI. Prior to working with Project CETI, Stephon has worked with the Stephen Gaynor School as an Educational Administrative Assistant, supporting students, parents, and faculty with logistical and fiscal matters and managing communication lines. Before the Stephen Gaynor School, Stephon supported the Clara Lionel Foundation with their climate justice and climate resilience programs providing necessary background research to help implement sustainable and impactful initiatives in the Caribbean.

As a young professional, Stephon is interested in helping create transformative measures that will improve the livelihoods of marginalized communities and drive creative and impactful solutions to issues like climate change. 

Stephon holds a B.A in Global International Studies and an M.A in Global Studies from Bard College.

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Regina Fuller-White

Regina Fuller-White, Ph.D. is an applied anthropologist and evaluation expert focused on using data across the social impact sector. With over a decade of experience in international development and US non-profits, her work has encompassed research and evaluation projects across Africa, Central and South America, and Asia. She has worked across the fields of education, gender, and sexual and reproductive health and rights.
 
Regina received her undergraduate degree in Spanish and International Studies from Wofford College and attended the Bard Globalization and International Affairs program in the summer of 2008. She has Ph.D. in Comparative International Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master’s in African studies from the University of Ghana. She is based in Washington, DC.

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Aram Matirosyan

Aram Martirosyan strives to balance his fascination with analyzing complex geopolitical conflicts and economic shifts with his commitment to progressive politics and coalition-building. Currently, he works as a case manager and council aide for Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez in Los Angeles City Council District 13. He covers a myriad of neighborhoods and communities, including his old home in “Little Armenia."

While at BGIA in the summer of 2018, he interned with Oxford Analytica. Aram has also worked as as a fellow, researcher, and analyst at the Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region working on advocacy and genocide prevention.

Aram obtained a Bachelor’s degree in February 2020 from Hampshire College, where he majored in International Relations and Political Economy and obtained a Five-College International Relations Certificate. His senior thesis discussed the clashes between local, regional, and international actors in the Syrian northeast and the impact of those clashes on Syrian Kurdish political and economic development.

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Kendra Mills

Kendra Mills is a third year law student at the George Washington University Law School. Kendra completed the BGIA program in the spring of 2015. She also holds an AA from Bard College at Simon's Rock, a BA from the American University of Paris, and a MSc. in Human Rights from the London School of Economics. Prior to attending law school, Kendra worked at the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect and the Center for Critical Democracy Studies.

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Liana Mitlyng Day

Liana Mitlyng Day is currently serving as a Political-Economic Officer at U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt. A member of the U.S. Foreign Service since 2020, she previously served a consular tour in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and an internship with the Office of Multilateral and External Affairs in the Population, Refugees and Migration Bureau. Prior to joining the U.S. Department of State, she worked in immigration law in the San Francisco Bay Area focused on employment-based immigration for Bay Area tech firms. Earlier experience includes research and legal work for NGOs and other research institutions. Liana has an MA in Security Studies from Georgetown University, and a BA in Political Studies from Bard College.

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Anna Pycior

Anna Pycior is a proud alumni of the spring 2008 BGIA class where she interned at CNN's Anderson Cooper 360. She currently works as Senior VP at NYS Empire State Development, a state agency focused on turning vacant government owned land into badly needed housing. In the years since graduating from Bard, Anna has worked at NYC City Hall, the NYS Assembly, the think tank Demos, and for the state of Oregon and City of Portland. She lives in the East Village and is active in local politics.

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Hector Rivera

Hector Rivera is a Queer Puerto Rican Bronx native, product of NYC public schools and non-profit cultural arts institutions, and Theater Artist. Currently serving as the Director of Equity and Inclusion at Playwrights Horizons and Trainer with the Center for Racial Justice in Education with over a decade of experience in arts education and administration. He most recently participated in the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture’s National Leadership Institute, was a founding member of both the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s Young Professionals Advisory Council and the CreateNYC: Leadership Accelerator program and lastly, Cycle IV fellow at the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute’s Innovative Cultural Advocacy fellowship. 

He holds a BA in Theater and Political Studies from Bard College at Simon’s Rock and is currently enrolled at the CUNY School of Professional Studies. His background in community engagement, racial analysis, and social justice pedagogy all form the foundation and approach for his practice.

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Jennifer Ronald

Jennifer Ronald (she/her) is the Homecare Director for Optum, serving high-risk pregnant patients in NY, NJ, PA, and DE. Jennifer’s inspiration to become a nurse was sparked by her work on community-based, gender-focused public health program development & management in Burkina Faso with the Peace Corps. She saw firsthand how complex problems like food & water insecurity, systemic poverty, and the lack of culturally-appropriate knowledge on the part of medical personnel impact the health & well-being of individuals, families, and communities. With a keen interest in access and equity in healthcare, Jennifer pivoted away from her intention of going to law school and focused on nursing.

Jennifer holds a BA in Political Science and Global Studies from Bard College and a BSN from the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and currently lives in Brooklyn with her spouse and their very energetic toddler.