Staff
Senior Staff
Andrew Slack · Co-founder & Executive Director · andrew@thehpalliance.org · Twitter
Andrew is a teacher, social organizer and human rights activist, comedian, actor, and writer. He spent years performing sketch comedy for hundreds of colleges across the US only to stop touring so that he could devote himself full time to the HP Alliance which he co-founded in 2005. Andrew has also co-written, acted in, and produced online videos that have been viewed more than six million times and continues to perform stand up comedy in the Boston area. He has trained at an acting conservatory in London and studied under peace and civil rights activists in both Northern Ireland and the United States. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Brandeis University, Andrew is dedicated to learning and extrapolating how modern myth, new media, and expressive therapy can transform our lives both personally and collectively. He is incredibly grateful and humbled by everyone who has helped the HP Alliance come into existence and continue to work toward putting the magical lessons that we have learned from Harry, Hermione, and Ron into our world.
Kate Looby · Staff Coordinator · kate@thehpalliance.org · Twitter · Blog
Kate is a graduate student in the Linguistics Department at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, which yes, means she lives in Hawaii and spends a lot of time thinking about syntactic constructions. Although she hovered around the fringes of the online fandom for years, Kate did not join the HPA Staff until early 2008. She does a little bit of everything at the HPA. You can find more about her from her bitingly-witty and tragically-neglected blog.
Karen Bernstein · Senior Staff· karen@thehpalliance.org · Twitter
Karen first got hooked on Harry Potter when she accidentally read Chamber of Secrets before Sorcerer’s Stone in the summer of 1999 – the same summer she planned her first community service project. These passions finally merged when she joined the Harry Potter Alliance staff in 2008 in the then-brand-new position of Chapter Coordinator. After two-and-a-half years with chapters, she stepped down to focus on her work with Senior Staff. Karen is passionate about the arts and social justice, and recently graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she studied Journalism, Drama, and Creative Writing (go Tar Heels!). She currently teaches middle school social studies in St. Louis.
Acacia Ludwig · Lead Designer · Website
Managers
Arletta Gustafson · Staff Manager · arletta@thehpalliance.org · Twitter
Arletta is a proud Seattlite. She is, by an overwhelming majority vote, the hippie activist of the family. She got her first taste of civil disobedience in seventh grade and hasn’t stopped fighting for what’s fair and right since. Her friends and family are always on the look out for ways to detox her of her book addiction. Often having 5 books going at the same time, booksellers see her coming and rejoice. Arletta began one year ago as the HPA’s Social Networking Manager. Basically, she spends her days giving everybody else jobs to do. When she’s not bossing folks around, she is working at a small law firm, cuddling with her cat and nearly sixteen year old dog, or causing trouble with the Instigators, the Washington chapter of the HPA.
Taekia Blackwell · New Staff Manager · taekia@thehpalliance.org · Twitter
Taekia is a Film Studies major at the University of Pittsburgh and is currently studying abroad at The University of Edinburgh. She discovered the HPA in the summer of 2007 when she dived head first into the HP fandom! She is extremely happy to be working on the staff of the HPA, especially in a position that means she can bring new staffers into the family. Taekia hopes to become an elementary school teacher because, against her better judgment, she really loves working with kids. However, she’s still holding out hope that she will marry rich, live in a gorgeous brownstone in NYC, and work HPA campaigns and projects. Warning: she can be an embarrassing fangirl, especially when it comes to Wizard Rock and Joss Whedon.
Eileen Smith · Assistant Staff Manager · Eileen@thehpalliance.org · Twitter
Eileen discovered the Harry Potter books at the ripe old age of 17 and hasn’t stopped loving them since. She discovered the HPA in 2006 and was inspired to make a difference in her community. Over the course of her college years, she spent many spring breaks and weekends volunteering in places like Washington DC and Philadelphia. She also participated in her college’s Road for Hope – a 130 mile walk that raises money for local charities. Yes, she did walk the entire 130 miles. While she isn’t working various temp jobs, hanging out with her friends, attempting to write her first novel, and helping out the other HPA staffers, Eileen enjoys reading and sleeping.
Staff
Amanda · amanda@thehpalliance.org · Twitter
Amanda is a true Ravenclaw and a real life “Professor of Muggle Studies” (teaching Psychology to Muggles). She’s been involved with activism and education on environmental issues and human rights since she was 11 when, with the help and inspiration of an amazing teacher, she learned that kids can make a difference and started a school eco-club. Now she loves working with the HPA and its many incredible members, helping both young and old break out of the “Muggle mindset.”
Angelia · angelia@thehpalliance.org · Twitter · Blog
Angelia, a Gryffindor with Hufflepuff tendencies, is currently a freshmen at Suffolk Community College. She was first captivated by the Harry Potter books when she was in fourth grade, unfortunately though, she had to stop reading them because the reading level was too difficult. However, she found her way back into the Potter world around the winter of 2006! Ever since then, she has been a fanfiction, fanart and podcast junkie for all things related to Potter. Angelia really started getting into the HPA around March 2009. On April 6th, 2009, she found a blog post named “Calling Harry Potter to the Rescue”- an Invisible Children post- and it changed her life forever. Immediately after reading this, she started filling the Ning with anything that had to do with Invisible Children. This resulted in her becoming a staff member on the “best staff EVER!”
Audrey · audrey@thehpalliance.org · Twitter
Audrey received Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for her 10th birthday and spent the next year waiting for her Hogwarts acceptance letter. Now that she’s grown up (and a Hufflepuff), Audrey is excited to working for the HPA. Currently, Audrey is sophomore at Tufts University where she is still major undecided.
Austin · austin@thehpalliance.org · Twitter · YouTube
In January of 2007, Austin watched a video on YouTube called “Brotherhood 2.0: Eating Toilet Paper” by the vlogbrothers, and she didn’t know it yet, but that’s when everything changed for her. Becoming a nerdfighter, suddenly, being a nerd (or Ravenclaw) was cool. She became much more serious online, participating in charity projects and social media experiments. IRL Austin has a history with the film industry and has worked on various film sets, she currently works at the Gulf Islands Film & Television School as the Technical Director and part time Screenwriting Mentor. Austin is from small town Vernon, BC and lives part time on even smaller Galiano Island. Besides filmmaking she enjoys travel above all else and hopes to one day circumnavigate the globe in 80 days.
Brenna · brenna@thehpalliance.org · Twitter
Brenna McCaffrey is a 17 year-old student who reads too much. She has pretty much been known as the Harry Potter girl since second grade, when she read the first four books. When she isn’t finding more ways to integrate Harry Potter and social justice, Brenna enjoys writing, dancing, running clubs, teaching kiddies how to dance, putting balsamic vinegar on everything and reading anything in sight. She considers Harry and the Potters concerts and walking across bridges to be religious experiences. She baffles many people with her dislike of milk, mashed potatoes, and watermelon. She keeps pictures of Eleanor Roosevelt, Luna Lovegood, Anne Frank, Sylvia Plath and Jo Rowling at her desk for inspiration. She wants to live in NYC, study anthropology and human rights, and work for a human rights organization in the future.
Cíara · ciara@thehpalliance.org · Twitter · Blog
Cíara is from Ireland, and joined the staff in July 2009. She lives in Ireland, and loves playing guitar, reading and writing, talking with her friends, and making bios sound like personal ads on dating websites.
Danielle · danielle@thehpalliance.org · Twitter
Danielle started reading the Harry Potter books as a high school student in 1999 and quickly became a fan of all things Potter. She started a community chapter of the HPA in the fall of 2008 called Dumbledore’s Army of Delaware County. The DA of Delaware County has participated in many awesome projects, including Accio Books, Magical Acts of Kindness, and genocide intervention projects. Danielle joined the HPA staff in 2009 and is part of the Chapters and Livestream teams. In the Muggle world, Danielle is a medical transcriptionist. She also enjoys dance, fitness, and knitting.
Delana · delana@thehpalliance.org · Twitter· Blog
Delana graduated from R.I.T. with a BA in Film/Video. An aspiring director/writer, she is currently in the process of writing a sci-fi novel, a script, and selling crocheted items, amongst other things. Delana became a Harry Potter fan after reading the first book in 2001. In 2005 she became a Transcription Elf for PotterCast. In 2009 she joined the HPA staff. You may also know her as one of the co-hosts of Filkcast: Potter Style which began in 2006. You can find Delana on the HPA Ning and Facebook as well as on Twitter and the Leaky Lounge under Overcast.
Emeline · emeline@thehpalliance.org · Twitter
Emeline has been on staff since 2009. She thoroughly enjoys being a part of such an amazing organization. When she is not designing logo necklaces or working on videos for Protego Earth, she is volunteering for another great organization, Surfrider Foundation. In her free time, (ha!) she can be found on Salem State campus, where she is an education grad student to become a middle school English teacher. She has a passion for books, one of her New Year’s Resolutions being to read every single book in her house, (there are over 200 between her shelves and her brothers). For fun, Emeline enjoys reading the Quibbler, playing quidditch, and hanging out with friends. She doesn’t care what she is doing, so long as she is doing it with the people she loves.
Emma · emma@thehpalliance.org · Twitter · Youtube
Emma is not only a staffer for the HPA, but also a geography bee champion. Do you know the capital of Laos? Emma does. That’s why she’s a geography bee champ. She also makes Youtube videos focusing on the HPA with six other girls. When she isn’t doing snazzy Harry Potter related things, she sleeps and goes to school. Occasionally, she even gets invited to parties where she talks about Harry Potter and the capitals of foreign countries. Emma believes these topics to be humorous and hip. Most others disagree.
Hallie · hallie@thehpalliance.org · Twitter
Hallie is a full-time Hufflepuff and a part-time fan artist with an impressively long name: Hallie Alexa Marie Torrey Jaworski LeFebvre. On the HP Alliance Ning she is known simply as “Hallie” and enjoys her duties as Hufflepuff prefect. (40) Hallie has a Masters degree in Applied Math, but aspires to be a professional illustrator. She is a Rocky Mountain baby with two cats from Indiana. Her favorite color is white, and her favorite word is “now.”
Heather · heather@thehpalliance.org · Twitter · Website
Heather Huston is a graduate of the Art Institute of Orange County California and holds a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design. She currently lends her design skills to both the HPA and her local church and her work can be found at www.designedwithgrace.com. She discovered Harry Potter in 2000 when a co-worker suggest she read Sorcerer’s Stone and after putting it off and finally relenting to read a “kids’” book, she’s been obsessed ever since. She has yet to find that perfect design job but holds out hope that it is coming. When not working as an administrative assistant by day and designing for the HPA she likes to read, watch movies/TV, hang with friends, travel, and laugh until her stomach hurts. She loves chocolate, sappy romance novels, fully embraces her inner nerd, and wishes that everyone could just extend a little more love and learn to get along with one another.
Heather · heatherm@thehpalliance.org · Twitter · Blog
Heather Murray fell in love with Harry Potter thanks to her incredible middle school librarian and hasn’t looked back since. She is a devoted Gryffindor, always ready to spring into action. She got involved with the Harry Potter Alliance during the Standfast campaign, and she came on staff in April 2010 when she found out Accio Books! was targeting Mississippi communities in which she grew up. Heather currently works with the writing team, making sure all of the HPA’s sentences have commas in the right places and follow all the lovely grammatical rules. Yep, she likes that kind of stuff.
Holly · holly@thehpalliance.org · Twitter
Holly is thrilled to be the Archives Manager for the HPA. She has loved Harry Potter for over a decade and has been aware of the HPA since the Philadelphia Yule Ball in December 2007. After graduating college a few years ago with degrees in Anthropology and Philosophy, Holly joined the AmeriCorps program and works full time for a rural United Way. When not surrounded by HPA and UW work, she can usually be found watching the collected works of Joss Whedon, falling into a good book, or enjoying a themed movie marathon.
Hope · hope@thehpalliance.org · Twitter · YouTube
Hope is a theater major, creative writing minor student in college who first fell for Harry Potter her junior year of high school. She loves to Live Action Role Playing, video games, comics, anime, going to conventions, and bringing her knowledge of other fandoms to the table. She is an active vlogger on YouTube and enjoys spreading the love and news of the HPA through her videos. Her favorite part of the Harry Potter fandom is Wizard Wrock and fanfiction. Her favorite characters are Snape, Lupin, and Lucius Malfoy. Her least favorite characters are Tonks and Umbridge. She wants to be a professional Stage Manager for a theatre and a writer when she graduates.
Jenni · Chapters Manager · jenni@thehpalliance.org · Twitter
Jenni became a Harry Potter fan in 2002 while studying in the UK and joined the HPA in February 2009. Jenni got involved with the chapters staff immediately and has loved every minute. Her favorite parts about working with chapters not only include being involved in every project the HPA works on, but helping out and hearing from people who are brining the HPA into their communities. Jenni also helps record and edit the HPA’s Potterwatch, which she finds occasionally enjoyable and always a fun and interesting challenge, when her computer is not infected by nargles. Aside from her rabid love of Harry Potter, reading, and watching far too much TV, Jenni’s other favorite activities are mixed martial arts, Irish set dancing, knitting, volunteering for her sorority, and seeing her favorite wizard rock bands perform.
Jodi · Jodi@thehpalliance.org · Twitter
Jodi got her first taste of Harry Potter back in the summer of 1999, and ever since has lived Potter, which meant that she signed up for the HPA as soon as she heard about it. In February 2010 she joined the staff and is now on the Graphic Design and Social Networking teams and couldn’t be more thrilled! She would like to tell you about her non-Potter life, but there is very little to tell. Though she would like to tell you one more important fact about her – Jodi is a very proud Huffleclaw.
Katie · katie@thehpalliance.org · Twitter
Katie is your average Gryffindor. She will be attending college as a music business major and in her spare time enjoys music, and Harry Potter (shes not a particularly complex individual.) Katie has been involved in social activism for years and joined the HPA in early 2010, and is super excited to be involved with such a spectacular and magical organization. She fell in love with Harry around the age of seven and is convinced that her Hogwarts letter got lost flying over the Atlantic.
Kayla · kayla@thehpalliance.org · Twitter
Kayla Brown is a college student that lives in Seattle, Washington. She has been involved with the Harry Potter Alliance for several years and is a Chapter Coordinator for the NW Instigators chapter. Kayla considers herself a Slytherin and her favorite book is Order of the Phoenix. Her hobbies are watching black and white movies and walking her dog.
Malory · malory@thehpalliance.org · Twitter
A proud Slytherin, Malory has been a HPA staffer since spring 2009. Malory first joined the HPA after seeing Andrew talk at a Harry and the Potters concert and became a staff member because her interest in literacy coincided with forming the HPA book club and helping with the Accio Books campaign. As liaison to HP Meet-Up groups, Malory works to help spread HPA news and goals with other HPA fans. This year she will earn her teaching certification in Childhood Education and start a masters program in New York City.
Michelle · michelle@thehpalliance.org · Twitter · Blog
Michelle has been a long time observer and new participant of the Harry Potter fandom. After finishing her PR degree from Hardin-Simmons she made a sudden move to Dallas (possibly just for the love of being around more people). Her adamant love for people and cultures drive her passion to spend time volunteering and helping others. For fun you will find her spending hours glued to KERA programs, giving a Toastmasters’ speech or dancing fiendishly to wrock music.
Sara · sara@thehpalliance.org · Twitter · Blog
Sara is a student of Foreign Affairs at the University of Virginia. She was an astute 11 year old who ignored Harry Potter because everyone else liked it, until one day her fifth grade teacher started reading it out loud. She fell in love and has been reading and rereading them ever since. Side note: she likes adventures and crime shows. She is also a mess – as in she doesn’t know what color her carpet is. She is super happy to be involved with the HPA and looks forward to using her ability to geek out and talk about Harry Potter for hours and hours for the greater good.
Sasha · sasha@thehpalliance.org · Twitter
Sasha is a nerd with a serious addiction to books, the Potter fandom and anything relating to Joss Whedon. When she isn’t doing nerdy things, Sasha is a student majoring in Journalism and Mass Communications and minoring in Information Resources and aspires to be a book editor. Sasha spends her spare time with her friends and family. She also watches many films and television shows. She is a proud Hufflepuff (Helga did NOT enslave the house elves!) and a Walt Disney World Cast Member. Sasha is originally from Belarus; she loves to travel and currently lives in Wisconsin.
Tita · tita@thehpalliance.org · Twitter
A good Slytherin at heart, Tita has been an HPA member since 2007 when she first stumbled upon their MySpace page. She first worked as a mod and then as a manager for the now-defunct HPA Forums. After taking a few months off for personal reasons, she came back into the action and is happy to be able to fight the dark arts alongside such amazing people. She currently lives in Los Angeles (SoCal), with her husband and Snuffles (a whippet/lab mix named after Sirius). She loves listening to WRock, watching TV and re-reading all her favorite books.
