Staff

Eric Anderson Eric Andersen -- Director, Fellows and Study Groups Program
Eric Andersen became the Institute of Politics (IOP) Fellows and Study Groups Programs Director in September 2003, responsible for recruiting and fielding applications from fellowship candidates; outreach to the Harvard campus in promotion of the program; coordinating the involvement and participation of student leadership, including coordinating the Student Fellows Selection Advisory Committee; helping the fellows create and develop their study groups; and the daily management of the fellows lives and the overall success of the study groups programs. Andersen joined the IOP in the fall 2001 as the Fellows and Study Groups Programs Assistant. Andersen began his tenure at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in 1999 as a Staff Assistant at the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. Andersen is a graduate of St. Mark’s School in Southborough, MA and received a B.A. in Government and French from Skidmore College. He is currently a Master’s Degree (ALM) Candidate at the Harvard School for Continuing Education. A devoted Red Sox fan, Andersen also enjoys collecting LP records. Andersen is married to Carey Capone Andersen. They are proud parents of Liam Lincoln Andersen.
Jeff Barnes Jeff Barnes -- Forum Assistant
Jeff Barnes is a native of Cambridge, MA and Pétionville, Haiti. Prior to joining the IOP in September, 2009, he served as Programs Assistant at the Open Society Institute in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and as Global Village Program Developer at Habitat for Humanity in Haiti. While an undergraduate at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, he interned at the Office of the Mayor of New Bedford, and coordinated new student and family orientation programs. As Forum Assistant, Jeff is responsible for forum publicity, planning and organizing, student and community outreach, and forum logistics. Jeff graduated in 2007 from UMass Dartmouth with a B.A. in political science and a minor in French.
Kerri Collins Kerri Collins -- Staff Assistant / Receptionist
As the IOP's staff assistant, Kerri Collins runs the IOP's front desk/reception area, handles requests for IOP room reservations, helps staff IOP events, directs incoming phone calls, and assists the Director, Executive Director, IOP Fellows and guests. Kerri graduated with a degree in Travel and Hotel management. Prior to joining the IOP, she worked in guest relations and catering sales departments at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge for 10 years. Kerri is an active volunteer with the Boston chapters of Make a Wish Foundation and the Jimmy Fund.
John Della Volpe John Della Volpe -- Director of Polling
John Della Volpe is Director of Polling at the Institute of Politics and has been affiliated with the IOP since the late 1990’s. Each semester, John leads a public opinion survey group of students who develop, field and report on the attitudes of young Americans (Millennial Generation) toward politics and public service. Since 2000, the IOP survey has tracked pre- and post-9/11 attitudes; accurately predicted the spikes in youth turnout in 2004, 2006 and 2008; addressed the growing importance of religion in the lives of young people; marked the generational shift in attitudes toward foreign policy; and provided insight into the ways in which Millennials communicate and form opinions. John was honored to receive an Eisenhower Fellowship (China, Korea) in 2008 and selected as a delegate to the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission on Media in 2011. In addition, John is a member of the University of Massachusetts Civic Initiative Board of Advisors and is Founder of SocialSphere, Inc. an insight-based strategy company located in Harvard Square, Cambridge.
Christian Flynn Christian Flynn -- Director of Special Projects and Conferences
Christian Flynn is Assistant Director of Special Projects at the IOP. In that role he is responsible for some of Harvard University's highest profile conferences and events for elected officials and political operatives, including: Program for Newly Elected Members of Congress; Campaign for President: The Managers Look at the Presidential Campaign; and IOP Director's Dinners. Flynn also works on program development for undergraduates, including an annual field trip he organizes to Washington, DC for Harvard undergraduates. Flynn has worked at Harvard for 12 years. His previous position was scheduling Senator Kennedy's family during the 1994 Senate campaign. Flynn and his partner, Dan Schutt have a son named Derrick and live in Providence, RI. He can also run nearly 4 miles in scorching heat.
  Heather Gain -- Forum Coordinator
Before joining the IOP in Fall 2011, Heather managed the event and marketing programs at Harvard Book Store, as well as a visual arts project based in Harvard Square. She graduated summa cum laude from Emerson College with a B.F.A. in Writing, Literature, and Publishing and served for four years on the board of Cambridge READS, a one city/one book project. Originally from southern California, Heather has also lived in Washington D.C. where she interned in the national office of the National Organization for Women. As Forum Coordinator, Heather is responsible for the logistics and implementation of Forum events, engagement with HKS students and student groups, and web publicity and marketing.
Trey Grayson Trey Grayson -- Director
Two-term Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson became Director of Harvard’s Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government on January 31, 2011.

Grayson was elected to office in November of 2003 as the youngest Secretary of State in the country. In 2007, he became one of only two Republican state-wide elected constitutional officers to win a second consecutive term in modern history. After taking office, Grayson quickly emerged as a recognized leader in elections, civics, business services, and government innovation. Grayson modernized the Office of the Secretary of State by bringing more services online, enhancing Kentucky’s election laws through several legislative packages, and reviving the civic mission of schools in Kentucky by leading the effort to restore civics education in the classroom.

During his tenure, Grayson served as President of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) in 2009 and 2010 and held a variety of prominent national leadership positions including chair of the Republican Association of Secretaries of State. He also served as NASS Treasurer; chair of the NASS Elections committee; co-chair of the NASS Presidential Primary subcommittee; and vice-chair of the NASS committee on voter participation and became a national authority on presidential primary reform and election administration.

Grayson held the post of Vice Chair in the Institute of Politics’ Student Advisory Committee before graduating with honors from Harvard College (A.B., Government, 1994) and later served as a member of the Institute’s Senior Advisory Committee (2004-2010). Grayson holds graduate degrees from the University of Kentucky (J.D. 1998, M.B.A., 1998) and was as an attorney with Greenebaum Doll & McDonald and Keating, Muething & Klekamp prior to his 2003 election.
Amy Howell Amy Howell -- Director of Internships
Amy Howell joined the IOP in August 2005. A New Hampshire native, Amy earned her BA from the University of California, Berkeley. After graduating, Amy returned to her home state to work on the Jeanne Shaheen for Senate campaign, serving as the national travel and fundraising coordinator. Following the campaign, Amy went to Washington, DC, to work for EMILY's List as the Major Gifts Coordinator. Since April of 2007, Amy has coordinated the IOP’s Director's Internship Program, the IOP Stipend Program, Research Assistantships with the Kennedy School of Government, IOP Summer Senior Thesis Research Grants, IOP hks Campaign Stipends, and the IOP Summer in Washington Program. Amy resides with her children, Kathryn and Huntting, and her husband, Carson, at Thayer Academy in Braintree. MA.
Catherine Mclaughlin Catherine McLaughlin -- Executive Director
Catherine McLaughlin has served as the Executive Director of the Institute of Politics (IOP) since 1994. McLaughlin served as the Director of Alumni Affairs and the Coordinator of the Press and Public Liaison Office at the John F. Kennedy School of Government from 1986 - 1989. She left the Kennedy School in 1989 to serve as the Tour Manager for a nationally known band, New Kids on the Block, traveling extensively in the US and across Europe, Asia, South America and Australia. Over the years, Ms. McLaughin has worked on several presidential campaigns including the Vice President Mondale's campaign in 1984 and the Gov. Dukakis' campaign in 1988. Ms. McLaughlin also served as an advance person during the Clinton administration.
Kara Minar Kara Minar -- Director of Career Services
A native of Massachusetts, Kara started her career on Capitol Hill as an intern and later as a staffer for Senator John Kerry. Following graduate school at Columbia University where she earned a Master’s Degree in International Affairs, Kara worked on the 1992 Clinton/Gore Campaign which then led to a position in the White House as Associate Director of Presidential Advance. In that capacity she traveled extensively both domestically and internationally to direct and implement the political, logistical and media planning for the President’s and First Lady’s travel. She then served as communications director and national security spokesperson to Madeleine Albright while she was U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in New York and a member of President Clinton’s cabinet. Kara worked as a consultant to NYU Law School and a number of other non-profit institutions in New York City before moving back to Massachusetts in 2004. She has previously served as a Fellowship Program Director for the Advanced Leadership Initiative at Harvard. She commutes to Harvard University from the rural town of Harvard, MA where she resides with her husband and daughter. She was elected to the town of Harvard’s planning board and appointed as its representative to the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission
Cathey Park Cathey Park -- Fellows and Study Group Program Coordinator
Cathey Park coordinates the Institute's "Women’s Initiative in Leadership”, (WIL) a program created in September 2006 to address the interest and importance of female students at Harvard in developing leadership skills. She also works on special events and conferences.  Before taking this position, Park served as the staff assistant in the Forum Office responsible for student outreach publicity, and staffing 80-100 Forum events during the academic year. Cathey has been at the IOP for three years and previously worked for former Kennedy School Dean, Joseph S. Nye, Jr. A native of Portland, Oregon, she attended Boston University and majored in Political Science.
Esten Perez Esten Perez  -- Director of Communications
Esten Perez joined the IOP at the end of August of 2004 as the IOP's Communications Director, responsible for communications outreach, management, and strategy. Before coming to the IOP, Perez' experience included serving as a press secretary for the 2004 Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) in Boston, as a Communications Director for the Women's United Soccer Association in Washington, D.C., and as an account executive with Fenton Communications, a D.C.-based public relations firm. Perez also served for over five years in various legislative positions on Capitol Hill for Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey (D-NY).
Noelia Rodriquez

Noelia Rodriguez -- Director of the Forum
Noelia Rodriguez is the Director of the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum. Previously, she was selected among a competitive international field of candidates to be an IOP Fellow during the fall 2007 semester. She led a weekly study group that took an inside look at White House communications. She began her career in strategic and crisis communications and media relations in the private sector. In 1994, Noelia was named press secretary, then deputy mayor, to Mayor Dick Riordan in Los Angeles. In 2000, the Mayor appointed Rodriguez to President and CEO of the Democratic National Convention Host Committee in L.A. Her success in that post led to her being recruited by Laura Bush to serve as the first lady’s first White House Press Secretary and Director of Communications, a post she held for the first three years of the Bush administration. Though Noelia is a native Texan, she is still searching for the perfect pair of cowboy boots.
Julie Schroeder Julie Schroeder -- Executive Assistant to the Director
Julie Schroeder, the Institute's Executive Assistant to Director Bill Purcell, joined the staff of the IOP in the Fall of 2001, moving to Cambridge from Frankenmuth, Michigan. As Bill's assistant, Schroeder is responsible for managing his communication, schedule, travel and time commitments, and oversees the Institute's extensive event calendar. Julie was a news producer back in Michigan for many years and has two grown sons, one of whom was an active student at the IOP during his days at Harvard.
Laura Simolaris Laura Simolaris -- Director of National Youth Engagement
Laura Simolaris is the Director of the National Campaign for Political and Civic Engagement, a program that unites 19 colleges and universities around the country who are committed to creating a more civically engaged campus. One program the Campaign administers at Harvard is HVOTE, an intermural competition to register, educate and mobilze Harvard students to vote. She also oversees one of the Institute's newer initiatives, the Policy Group Program, which facilitates students conducting policy research and developing policy recommendations in a number of areas. Simolaris has been with Harvard University since 1999. She began at the Institute of Politics, then left to coordinate special events for the Office of the President. Simolaris recently returned to the IOP as the coordinator of the newly formed National Campaign, and now serves as the program's Director.
Terrie Verbic Terrie Verbic -- Financial Administrator
Theresa Verbic is the Institute's Financial Administrator, and has been with the IOP since September 2000. Verbic has been with Harvard University for twenty five years. Verbic began her Harvard career with the University's School of Public Health as a Financial Assistant for the School's Health Policy and Management Department. She then transitioned within the school of Public Health, moving to the School's Continuing Education Office to serve as the office's Financial Assistant.