TOPOS PARTNERSHIP - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Executive Administrator
- Research Assistant
Amy is a research assistant and transcriber for Topos Partnership. She has a BFA in painting with experience in classical realism and mural painting. Her work history includes accounting, tech support and training for both nonprofit and corporate entities such as an open and inclusive church organization, a travel association dedicated to responsible tourism in the Pacific Asia region, and a major cruise line. She is interested in holistic health and healing and is a certified health coach.
Andrew Brown, PhD is a cultural anthropologist whose research has looked at the interaction between culture, rhetoric and public discourse. His work has included cross-cultural research in the US, Ireland and the former Soviet Union. He has taught at Colby College and the University College Cork.
Charles Lord, Ph.D. began his academic training in cultural anthropology, exploring the interactions of culture and education in North Africa, and ultimately received his doctorate in Higher Education from the University of Michigan, based on ethnographic study of US community colleges.
Job Titles:
- Senior Impact Strategist, VP of Field Building for Topos Public
Elaine is an experienced public policy advocate and nonprofit communications expert. She joined Topos in 2022 after several years with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and Dēmos. Before that Elaine served as the Director of the North Carolina Budget and Tax Center, where she led successful campaigns to increase the minimum wage, raise taxes on top-earners, and establish a state Earned Income Tax Credit. Elaine also brings her leadership insights to her role as a Board member of the North Carolina Budget & Tax Center and The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.
Isaiah Bailey specializes in education policy, political communication, and race politics. He has served in numerous research roles, including as Survey Research Manager within the Tennessee Department of Education and more recently at the Hub Project. He is a graduate of the University of Richmond (B.A.), and a graduate of the University of Michigan (M.P.P.; M.A.).
Jamila Gilmore, M.Sc., is a sociologist with research background in race, inequality, and liberation movements in the U.S. and Cuba.
Joseph Grady, PhD is a cognitive linguist whose academic research and publications have focused on the role of metaphor in thought and communication. Before founding Topos, Grady taught linguistics at Georgetown University and the University of Maryland, and also spent a number of years as a consultant helping to analyze and develop brand names. He received his PhD from the University of California at Berkeley.
Margy Waller is a veteran policy advocate and communicator whose past work has included serving as Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution, Senior Advisor on domestic policy in the Clinton-Gore White House, Senior Fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute, and Director of Public Policy at United Way of America.
Job Titles:
- Analyst
- Senior Project Manager
Mariya Taher, MSW, MFA, worked in the anti-gender violence field for ten years in the areas of research, policy, program development, and direct service. In 2015, she cofounded Sahiyo to empower Asian communities to end female genital cutting. She is a prolific writer whose articles have appeared on NPR, Ms. Magazine, Huffington Post, Brown Girl Magazine, Solstice Literary Magazine, The San Francisco Examiner, Cecile's Writer's Magazine, and more.
Julia Offen has a PhD in cultural anthropology, an MA in Sociology and an MFA in English, and has conducted ethnographic research among circus performers in central Europe.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Communications Strategist
Meg Bostrom is a veteran communications strategist with a unique perspective resulting from her rich and varied experiences as communicator, public opinion analyst, advertising agency executive, and political consultant. As co-founder of the Topos Partnership, she has researched public opinion and analyzed communications strategies on a wide range of social issues.
Job Titles:
- Director of Project Management
Nohely studied Political Science, International Relations & Diplomacy. As a lead project manager, she is involved in the planning, implementation, reporting, and analysis of cross-cultural community outreach and engagement projects. Nohely's mission is to nurture relationships and partnerships with stakeholders (communities, government, non-profits, and other organizations and institutions) to make a positive social impact through the development of projects that are of national and international interest. Being a polyglot has helped her to understand and communicate effectively with multilingual audiences.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Senior Project Manager
Nora is a seasoned nonprofit executive in community and resource development. As Principal Consultant of Praxis LLC, she worked at the intersection of equity and organizational design. Before that, she was in the leadership of Chinook Fund, a statewide public foundation funding community organizing. Nora earned her BA from DePaul University in Communications and Gender Studies and a Masters in Multicultural Communication.
Axel Aubrun, PhD, is a psychological anthropologist who focuses on long-term culture change. He has authored articles in publications ranging from the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute to Non-Profit Quarterly. Aubrun is a graduate of Amherst College, Oxford University, and the University of California, San Diego, where he spent a year lecturing in cultural anthropology before co-founding Topos.
Sabine brings more than 15 years of public policy analysis, issue advocacy, applied qualitative research, and program management experience to her current role as Senior Impact Manager. Sabine has worked with state-level advocacy, legal services, and philanthropy supporting organizations to advance people-centered economic and social justice public policies and practices. She holds a MA in Social Science Research from the University of Chicago and a JD from University of California at Berkeley School of Law.
Sara Tomczuk, PhD is a sociologist who studies interethnic relations and culture. She has conducted fieldwork on Roma-Majority relations in Slovakia and the Czech Republic and has been an instructor at University of Washington and North Seattle College.
Stephanie Maez brings more than 15 years of public policy, strategic communications, civic engagement, issue advocacy, campaign management, and non-profit management experience to the Topos team. She holds a Master's Degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Political Science from the University of New Mexico.