TEam

John Heffernan
Board President

Debra Gold Linick
Board Member

Tracey Briscoe Monroe
Board Member

Kelley Szany
Board Vice-President

Dr. Samuel Torres
Board Member

Alexandra Zapruder
Board Secretary

Kate Weckesser English
Executive Director

Antonella Giordano
Human Rights Research

Matthew Good
Librarian

Juillson Kavakerwa
Education Coordinator, International

Kim Klett
Deputy Executive Director

David Ndagijimana Education Coordinator, International

Carrie A. Olson, PhD
Curriculum Director

Jeryl Payne
Education Coordinator, International

Colleen Tambuscio
Dispatches Coordinator

Kelly Watson
Education Coordinator, International

Dr. Alma Žero
Education Coordinator, International

Board of Director Bios

Drew Beiter, Board Treasurer

Drew Beiter (he/him) is a co-founder of the Educators’ Institute for Human Rights and teaches eighth grade social studies. Drew is also a USHMM Museum Teacher Fellow, Education Director for the Holocaust Resource Center of Buffalo, a Teacher Fellow for the Lowell Milken Center, and a consultant for the Robert F. Kennedy Center's Speak Truth to Power program. He also directs the Academy for Human Rights in Buffalo, New York, an annual conference for students. He holds a BA in political philosophy from Michigan State and a MA in education from Fredonia State College. He was inducted into the National Teachers’ Hall of Fame in 2021. Back to the top

Dr. Al Fuertes, Board Member

Al (he/him) is a field practitioner and consultant who specializes in community-based trauma healing as an integral component in peacebuilding and conflict transformation. He travels extensively, particularly to places affected by war, armed conflict, and natural disaster. He is the faculty director of the global education program in the Philippines concerning human trafficking, environmental issues, and grassroots peacebuilding through George Mason University's Center for Global Education (CGE). Dr. Fuertes received the 2019 Global Peacebuilder Award, the 2019 Outstanding Sillimanian Award, and Alumni Recognition (2019) for his work in peacebuilding and conflict transformation by the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary. He is a covenant minister of United Church of Christ Wellspring in Centreville, VA. Back to the top

John Heffernan, Board President 

John (he/him) is the President of the Foundation for Systemic Change. He has over thirty years of experience in development, human rights, rule of law, democracy and governance, humanitarian relief, and post-conflict reconstruction projects in the United States, Africa, South America, Asia, and Europe. He has served as executive director of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights’ Speak Truth To Power; director of the Genocide Prevention Initiative at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum where he established the Genocide Prevention Task Force; senior Investigator with Physicians for Human Rights; chief of party for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs in Guyana, South America; founder and executive director of the Coalition for International Justice; and country representative for the former Yugoslavia and Sudan for the International Rescue Committee. He was trained as a community organizer by Fred Ross. He serves as the board chair for Disability Rights International and is on the board of Social Documentary Network. Back to the top

Debra Gold Linick, Board Member

Debra (she/her) is the principle of “Pictures with Prose,” (PwP), a digital storytelling and portrait  photography service inspired by her connections with both Holocaust survivors and cancer survivors. Debra worked for the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of Greater Washington where she assisted with curriculum development and anti-bullying training, as well as organizing JCRC’s region-wide Holocaust commemorations She continues to support a local Holocaust survivor group and the German non-profit, “Action Reconciliation Service for Peace.” Debra has experience as an agreements negotiator and contingency operations budget director for the Department of the Army and with the US Department of State overseeing non-proliferation assistance programs in the former Soviet Union. Debra holds an MBA from Georgetown University's School of Business and an undergraduate degree in international relations from Tufts University. Back to the top

Thea MacFawn, Board Member

Thea (she/her) is a National Board Certified educator and a former high school English teacher in upstate New York, where she developed curriculum on human rights in the 21st Century, American diplomacy and contemporary genocide. She currently serves as a middle school administrator. Thea founded and leads the Capital Region Institute for Human Rights, which hosts annual conferences for teens and educators across New York State. She is a frequent panelist and presenter at education conferences, leading professional learning workshops and courses focused on instruction, creating safe and inclusive schools, and human rights education for educators and schools. Thea holds a BA in English and education and MA in teaching English from the University at Albany. She completed graduate certificates in school district and school building leadership through The College of Saint Rose. She is also a Museum Teacher Fellow at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. In recognition of her contributions to human rights education, she was awarded the Empire State Excellence in Teaching award in 2018. Back to the top

Tracey Briscoe Monroe, Board Member

Tracey (she/her) is an investment management professional working with institutional investors including public pensions, corporations and endowments and foundations. Tracey has supported educators through her service as Board Treasurer for The Archer School for Girls in Los Angeles and board member for College Track and previously for Teach for America. Originally from the Washington, DC area, she now lives in Southern California. Back to the top

Kelley Szany, Board Vice-President

Kelley (she/her) is Senior Vice President of Education and Exhibitions at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie, where she provides strategic leadership and planning for education initiatives and exhibitions. Previously, Szany oversaw all initiatives for educators and students, public programing, and training for docent volunteers and law enforcement. Kelley has been instrumental in the development of the Museum’s broader genocide and human rights mission and vision. She is a recognized leader in contemporary genocide education, addressing audiences not only on the Holocaust but the genocides of Armenia, Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur, as well as the power of social change and youth activism.  Back to the top

Dr. Samuel Torres, Board Member

As Deputy Chief Executive Officer for the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition Dr. Torres (he/him) has been a fundamental part of the team since 2019. Torres first joined NABS as the Director of Research and Programs where he has led research teams through several projects such as the Indian Child Removal Study, development of Indian boarding school research and coordinating with the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative. Samuel has a doctorate in Educational Leadership for Social Justice from Loyola Marymount University. With his extensive experience as a researcher, writer, educator, and leader, Dr. Torres works to decolonize fixed knowledge systems, centers ancestral knowledge and histories, and promotes Indigenous futures. Torres is Mexica/Nahua on his father's side, and Irish/Scottish on his mother’s. He actively practices Nahua language, traditions and ceremonies, and is a member of the Mexica kinship community, Kalpulli Yaocenoxtli, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Back to the top

Alexandra Zapruder, Board Secretary

Alexandra (she/her) was on the founding staff of the USHMM where she served on the curatorial team for the museum’s exhibition for young visitors, “Remember The Children, Daniel’s Story.” In 2002, Alexandra completed her first book, Salvaged Pages: Young Writers’ Diaries of the Holocaust, which won the National Jewish Book Award in the Holocaust category. She curated a permanent exhibition titled “And Still I Write: Young Diarists on War and Genocide” which opened at Holocaust Museum Houston in 2019 and currently serves as the Education Director of The Defiant Requiem Foundation. Alexandra is a graduate of Smith College and earned her MA in education at Harvard University in 1995. She has been published in Parade, LitHub, Smithsonian Magazine, and The New York Times. Back to the top

Staff Bios

Kate Weckesser English, Executive Director

Kate (she/her) has served EIHR in executive leadership and board positions since EIHR’s inception in 2011. Kate taught for 18 years in Connecticut and Virginia public schools and has been recognized as District-wide Teacher of the Year, received the Joseph Zola Holocaust Educator Award, and serves as a Museum Teacher Fellow for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM). Kate attended Summer University Srebrenica, served as a Teaching Excellence and Achievement (TEA) Fellow in Ukraine through IREX and the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, as well as a Positive Peace Ambassador with the Institute for Economics and Peace. Back to the top

Antonella Giordano, Human Rights Research

Based in Buenos Aires, Antonella (she/her) is a researcher for EIHR. She develops pedagogical materials for educators in both Spanish and English covering subjects ranging from crimes against humanity in Argentina and the Holocaust, to present-day international human rights concerns and mass atrocities in Latin America. Antonella works in Corporate Citizenship at Accenture Argentina. She has worked on institutional development at the Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS), and has been a professor of international relations theories, international security and international politics at Catholic University of Cordoba in Argentina. She has a licentiate in international relations and a Master's degree in peace culture, conflicts, education and human rights.  Back to the top

Matthew Good, Librarian

Based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Matthew (he/him) reviews and evaluates media resources in support of EIHR’s mission, curating and compiling bibliographies and other aids to the development of curriculum and materials. Matthew is a full-time college librarian and former secondary school librarian. Matthew is the 2024 recipient of the John Phillip Immroth Memorial Award from the Intellectual Freedom Round Table of the American Library Association (ALA). Matthew’s essay, When Schools Ban Books, They Silence Diverse Voices, was published as part of Equity Planning for School Leaders Approaches to Student Diversity, Access and Opportunity by McFarland. He is a USHMM Museum Teacher Fellow, an alumnus of the Holocaust and Jewish Resistance Teachers’ program and The Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights (TOLI) Leadership Institute.  Back to the top

Juillson Kavakerwa, Education Coordinator, International

Based in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Juillson is co-founder of the Program of Action for Sustainable Development (PADS), an organization aspiring to a peaceful cohabitation and conflict transformation in the Great Lake region in Africa. Juillson has over a decade of experience in humanitarian and development assistance. He serves as a Program Management Specialist in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement at the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa. He taught History, Geography, and Civics at Kyambogho Institute, a secondary school located in Bukendo, North Kivu province. He holds an MBA in Global Business and Sustainability from the Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan in Italy and an Executive Diploma in Diplomatic Practice from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. Juillson is a Positive Peace Ambassador with the Institute for Economics and Peace, and in the summer of 2023, attended the Summer Institute on Genocide Studies and Prevention at Keene State College. Back to the top

Kim Klett, Deputy Executive Director

Kim teaches English in Gilbert, Arizona, where she developed a semester-long Holocaust Literature course, Kim (she/her) is a Museum Teacher Fellow through the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and a member of the museum’s Regional Education Corps. She also is a trainer for Echoes and Reflections, a professional development program for teachers of the Holocaust, and a Carl Wilkens Fellow. Kim is an active member of the anti-genocide movement and sponsors clubs at her school in support of these efforts, including STAND and ADL's A World of Difference. She has worked with the East Valley Jewish Community Center, and is on the board of the Phoenix Holocaust Survivors' Association. Back to the top

Allie Lane, Development Assistant

Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, Allie (she/her) was introduced to human rights by a high school teacher. She obtained her BA in international relations with a concentration in war and peace studies and a minor in women and gender from SUNY Geneseo. As a selectee of the SUNY Global Engagement Program, she relocated to New York City and interned at Human Rights First. She also volunteered in the Peace Corps in the Kyrgyz Republic. Allie sees education as a human right and believes a quality education should be available to all children everywhere. In addition to her work for EIHR, she is Program and Operations Associate for the Academy for Human Rights, a nonprofit that furthers human rights education for students and teachers. Allie is currently pursuing her law degree at Suffolk University in Boston.  Back to the top

Nataliia Naiavko, Education Coordinator, International

Based in Edmonton, Nataliia (she/her) has taught for 24 years in Ukraine and serves as a Special Language Advisor. She is a USHMM Museum Teacher Fellow dedicated to the prevention of mass atrocities and building sustainable peace. She has a particular interest in Ukrainian history and international equity education. Over the last 15 years, Nataliia has helped organize numerous activities and projects on human rights, youth engagement and foreign language education. She was a Ukraine national fellow in the Teaching Excellence and Achievement (TEA) program administered by IREX and the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. As part of that program, Nataliia studied curriculum design at George Mason University. She also completed the Teaching English To Young Learners (TEYL) online course from the University of Maryland.  Back to the top

David Ndagijimana, Education Coordinator, International

A member of the inaugural EIHR Teacher Corps in Kigali, David has been part of EIHR programs in Rwanda since 2018. He began his teaching career in 2005 as a History and Citizenship teacher at Rwanda’s Agahozo Shalom Youth Village, where he continues to teach today. He has served as the Social Studies Department Head since 2018, and sponsors the Hope for the Future Club, a student group dedicated to supporting vulnerable children and the elderly.  As a leader in the education community, he is a contributor to the Rwanda Education Board (REB) A Level History book. He is also an examiner for the National Examination and School Inspection Authority. David graduated with honors from Kigali Institute of Education. Back to the top

Carrie A. Olson, PhD, Curriculum Director

Based in Denver, Carrie (she/her) develops curriculum for EIHR. Carrie has taught for more than 30 years in Denver Public Schools, including Holocaust education in both English and Spanish. She has an MA in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in language, literacy, and culture from the University of Colorado at Denver. She earned her PhD in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in Holocaust and genocide studies also at the University of Denver . She studied at Yad Vashem, is a USHMM Museum Teacher Fellow, and an independent contractor in the Council of Holocaust Education Centers program. Carrie is fluent in Spanish. She has trained teachers and professors across the US and in El Salvador. Back to the top

Jeryl Payne, Education Coordinator, International

Based in Arlington, Virginia, where she is a full-time teacher, Jeryl (she/her) is an international education coordinator with EIHR. She has a wealth of expertise in African American history and culture and contributes to program and curriculum development. She has 20 years experience teaching in primary and middle schools in the United States and South Korea and served as a science and social studies specialist. She is a Fulbright Teacher for Global Classrooms. Jeryl earned a MA in curriculum, instruction, and reading from Virginia Tech and is certified in international studies by George Mason University. Back to the top

Colleen Tambuscio, Dispatches Coordinator

Based in New Jersey, Colleen (she/her) is the coordinator of the EIHR Dispatches Project in collaboration with EIHR Board Member and author, Alexandra Zapruder. Dispatches captures the voices of young writers as they experienced COVID-19. Colleen has 34 years of experience teaching special education and social studies. She received her MA from Seton Hall University in Jewish-Christian studies and Holocaust education. She is a USHMM Museum Teacher Fellow, a consultant to the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education, president and founder of The Council of Holocaust Educators, a board member of the Gross Center for Holocaust and Genocide Education, a Princeton University Distinguished Secondary Teacher, and a pedagogical advisor to Rutgers University’s Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life. She worked with Zapruder writing educational materials for Salvaged Pages: Young Writers’ Diaries of the Holocaust published on the website of Facing History and Ourselves. Back to the top

Kelly Watson, Education Coordinator, International

Based in Noblesville, Indiana, Kelly (she/her) is the International Program Coordinator for EIHR’s work in Cambodia and assistant curriculum developer and writer for the EIHR website. She has taught eighth grade English for 28 years. Kelly is a United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Teacher Fellow, a Master Teacher with the USC Shoah Foundation, and a contractor in the Council of Holocaust Education Centers program at the USHMM. Kelly won the 2020 Hoosier Upstander Award and co-authored, with her students, Indiana Voices of the Holocaust: Teens Talk to Survivors and Liberators. She received her MA in composition and rhetoric from Ball State University. Back to the top

Alma Žero, PhD, Education Coordinator, International

Based in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Alma (she/her) is EIHR’s education coordinator in the west Balkans where she coordinates local and international initiatives and assists in curriculum development and has helped organize numerous activities on human rights, youth engagement and foreign language education. Alma is particularly interested in exploring how arts integration encourages positive interethnic relations and inclusive policies. She is USHMM Museum Teacher Fellow and dedicated to preventing mass atrocities and building sustainable peace. Alma has K-10 teaching experience and now teaches at the University of Sarajevo. She earned an MA in English language and literature at the University of Sarajevo and earned her PhD in inclusive education at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia. Back to the top