KATHERINE SLEDGE, CHIEF OF STAFF
Program: Master of Public Administration
Email: None Submitted

Katherine Sledge is a Tennessee native and graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. After graduating with her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Katherine worked at an environmental group where she provided administrative, technical, and logistical support for radiological projects across the country.

Katherine is now perusing her Master of Public Administration at American University with a concentration in Applied Politics: Women, Public Policy, and Political Leadership and is serving as the Chief of Staff for the School of Public Affairs Graduate Student Council. She has recently worked as the Federal Advocacy Intern at the National Alliance to End Homelessness, where she coordinated state delegations in the Alliance’s Capitol Hill Day.

Katherine usually has multiple print and audiobooks in progress at any given time and unwinds with long walks and re-runs of The West Wing.

LAUREN RICCI, VICE PRESIDENT
Program: Master of Public Administration
Email: None Submitted

Lauren Ricci is a second year Master of Public Administration (MPA) candidate at the American University, School of Public Affairs, concentrating in Nonprofit Management. Currently, Lauren is Vice President of the School of Public Affairs Graduate Student Council. She currently works at the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) as a policy intern, advocating for federal policies that promote and preserve safe, affordable, and decent housing, which she views as critical tools for addressing poverty and achieving social justice.

Previously, Lauren worked as a Summer Associate at Opportunity@Work, a social enterprise with a mission to expand access to career opportunities so that all Americans can work, learn, and earn to their full potential. During her time there, she supported the development of an innovative, learner-centered financing model for sectoral workforce development programs, with an initial focus on the IT sector.

Previously, she supported local community stakeholders in the implementation of federal grants as a Training and Technical Assistance Specialist with the Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center. She began her career providing direct services to survivors of human trafficking as an advocate and a hotline supervisor with the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

When Lauren isn’t working or studying, you can find her exploring the city with her dog Nellie, a precocious and loveable 10-month-old mini goldendoodle. She grew up in North Kingstown, Rhode Island and holds a B.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University Elliott School of Public Affairs.

TBA, SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL & EXTENDED STUDIES LIAISON
GRADUATE LEADERSHIP COUNCIL – American University

TAYLOR WEBSTER, TREASURER
Program: Master of Strategic Communication
Email: tw8617a@american.edu

Taylor Webster is pursuing her Master of Strategic Communication with a focus in crisis management and communication. In addition to serving as treasurer of the graduate School of Communication, she also works with Professor Dario Bernardini as a teaching and research assistant.

Prior to joining American University, Taylor went to the University of Louisville where she graduated with a Bachelor’s in Communication. While at Louisville, Taylor played lacrosse, served as President of the Student Athletes of Color Club, worked as Features editor for the school paper and wrote sports and opinion articles for the school paper. Taylor has also worked for a major public relations firm, MWW and a local Louisville television station, MetroTV. Taylor continues to write articles for blogs, newspapers and websites while at American.   

As President of the Student Athletes of Color Club, Taylor collaborated with the International Student Athletes Club to raise awareness about the poverty in Louisville, Ky. Together, the clubs collected over 500 pounds of canned goods. This act of community service awarded both clubs “The Community Service Award” at the University of Louisville.  

DARIUS BOOKER, VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS
Program: Master of Strategic Communication
Email: db2215a@american.edu

Darius Booker (he/him/his) is currently pursuing his Master of Arts in Strategic Communication with a concentration in Corporate Communication. In the Spring of 2018, Darius graduated from Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia with a Bachelor of Business Administration with minors in Public Relations and Communication Studies.

As an avid student leader during his time at Marshall University, Darius held numerous leadership positions in his fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi, Fraternity Inc., as well as, the Public Relations Student Society of America where he served as president, the National Pan-Hellenic Council serving as president and the Student Government Association where he served as the Diversity Liaison.  

Darius is a very detail-oriented student leader who has experience advocating on behalf of the student body and implementing initiatives that will ultimately benefit students and university stakeholders.

Since relocating to Washington, D.C., Darius has begun to get involved with campus initiatives as he is currently serving as the graduate student representative, on the 2018-2019 AU School of Communication Diversity Council.  Darius looks forward to serving the School of Communication Graduate Student Council as Vice President of Communication, building relationships and connecting students.

In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with family and friends. He also thoroughly enjoys photography, exploring the city and trying new food.

Darius is committed to the success of the School of Communication Graduate Student Council’s 2018-2019 goals and objectives.

KIP DOOLEY, PRESIDENT
GRADUATE STUDENT COUNCIL – School of Communications
Email: kip.dooley@student.american.edu
Programs: Master of Journalism and Public Affairs

Kip Dooley is pursuing his M.A. in Journalism and Public Affairs with a focus in Investigations and Multimedia.

Prior to coming to AU, Kip worked as a high school humanities teacher while earning his M.S. in Education. He hails from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Madison Shomaker, PRESIDENT
GRADUATE STUDENT COUNCIL – College of Arts and Sciences (M.A. Public Anthropology)
Email: ma9098a@american.edu 

Shubhankar Agarwal, DIRECTOR OF CLUBS AND CAMPUS RELATIONS
GRADUATE LEADERSHIP COUNCIL – American University
Master of International Affairs: Global Governance, Politics, and Security – SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL SERVICE
 

Shubhankar (Shub) is a current American University Student in the Global Governance, Politics, and Security (GGPS) program at the School of International Service. Shubhankar received his Bachelor’s in International Affairs and Political Science from the University of Delhi, India. He has extensive policy planning and implementation expertise with think tanks and NGOs. His major focus lies in the Indo-Pacific region on issues of economics such as trade and cooperation and gender issues. At AU, he was the former advisor to the Director of International Experience for the 2022-23 year and worked as one of the representatives for the international students at AU. He is currently also serving as the editor for the Journal of International Service at SIS, AU.

During his undergrad in New Delhi, India, he served as the president of Parivartan: The Gender Forum where he led workshops and events focused on the nuances of gender, sexuality, and intersectionality. He has previously worked with the government of India at NITI Aayog, the government of Delhi, and the International Institute of SDGs and Public Policy Research. He is also serving as one of the program ambassadors for the GGPS program, where he interacts with current and prospective students. 

With more than 3 years of content writing, research, policy planning, event planning, and leadership experience, he is excited to advocate on behalf of the AU graduate committee and make students’ graduate years at AU wholesome and worthwhile. 

Please reach out to Shub with any questions!

Keiyada Sanford, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
GRADUATE LEADERSHIP COUNCIL – American University
Email: dir.communications@auglc.org
School of Public Affairs – M.A. Political Communication

Keiyada Traione Sanford is a 2nd-year graduate student at American University in the Master of Political Communication program through the School of Public Affairs. She received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Louisiana State University. Sanford has worked on various campaigns, especially in her home state of Louisiana. She previously worked with the House Committee on Homeland Security and now serves as Digital Press Secretary for Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. of Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District. 

Keiyada is passionate about issues that affect marginalized communities such as criminal justice reform and reproductive justice. She enjoys combining her love for politics and communication to advocate for equity and change.

Abolaji Omitogun, DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING
GRADUATE LEADERSHIP COUNCIL – American University
School of Business – MBA

Abolaji is a final year MBA student at the Kogod School of Business, with a passion for youth development, engagement, and community building. I am Kogod Ambassador and currently serve as Director of Programming for the GLC and President of the Private Equity and Venture Capital Club (PEVC). 

He loves to engage, connect, and build a strong and thriving network. He has work and programming experience in youth development programming in the international development sector, he is also a business strategist and entrepreneur with interest in the venture capital and private equity space. Abolaji derives pleasure from dancing and his favorite dessert is Tiramisu. 🙂