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Amy Shook | Finance Team Manager
Amy is a nerd of stellar proportions. When asked how she enjoys spending her spare time she will answer, "Graphing and analyzing statistics, creating awesome spreadsheets, and reconciling financial accounts." However, being that she also has a great displeasure for math, she will balance her fondness for numbers with her passion for photography and knitting.
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Holly McCready | Staff Manager
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A proud Hufflepuff, Holly joined the HPA in February 2009 because of her desire to save the world. After graduating college a few years ago with degrees in Anthropology and Philosophy, Holly joined the AmeriCorps program and recently finished two terms for a rural United Way. Holly loves all things Joss Whedon & Doctor Who, tearing through geek TV shows, and themed movie marathons.
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Jennifer Dorsey | Communications Manager
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Jennifer came to the HPA because of Harry Potter and an unhealthy love for activism. When she's not managing the communications team, writing press releases, or talking to reporters she works for the government doing basically the same thing. She graduated with a BA in political science and an MA in communication in 2010 from American University and is therefore also a political nerd. Look for her name on your ballot in 10 years.
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Kayla Brown | New Staff Manager
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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 Deathly Hallows. When she's not working, she can usually be found reading or walking her dog Jake.
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Lauren Bird | Visual Media Coordinator
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Lauren, a Gryffindor and undergrad at NYU, has been impassioned by JK Rowling's story for over a decade since she first opened Sorcerer's Stone at age nine. When she’s not immersed in the fandom or defending the rights of wizards and muggles alike, Lauren revels in creating art and seeking out adventure.
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Michelle Coleman | Fundraising Team Manager
Michelle joined the Harry Potter Alliance in February and serves as the HPA’s Bookkeeper and Fund-raising Team Manager. This means she’s not afraid to ask questions and gets a lot of satisfaction in finding answers. She has a B.B.S. In Public Relations and her adamant love for people and cultures drive her passion to spend time helping others. For fun she spends hours watching KERA programs, talking too much or dancing fiendishly to wrock music.
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Amanda Bolton
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 helping both young and old break out of the “Muggle mindset.”
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Audrey Miller
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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 (mostly), Audrey is excited to be working for the HPA. Audrey is a proud Hufflepuff. Currently, Audrey is junior at Tufts University where she is majoring in English.
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Cheryl Studdy
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Cheryl is a Good Slytherin from Ontario, Canada. When not doing Fandom Research and Livestream for the HPA, she enjoys reading whatever she can get her hands on, watching epic shows like LOST, Dexter, and Mad Men and preventing her children from burning the house down.
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Ciara Molloy
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Ciara used to be a normal six year old girl, when she discovered Harry Potter. Now, ten years on, she’s combined her love of reading and internet, into being a HPA volunteer. The only one in Ireland, she’s tackling both the horrors of the leaving cert and the joy of Ning staffing. The joy outweighs the horror.
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Danielle Gillen
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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. Danielle joined the HPA staff in 2009 and is part of the Chapters and Video teams. In the Muggle world, Danielle is a medical transcriptionist.
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Delana Gray
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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 script and selling crocheted items. Delana became a Harry Potter fan after reading SS in 2001. In 2005 she became a Transcription Elf for Pottercast. In 2009 she joined the HPA staff. You can find Delana on the HPA Ning and Facebook as well as on Twitter and the Leaky Lounge under Overcast.
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Devyn Burton
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Devyn is a Slytherin from Michigan. He spends his time planning and attending author events across America. Devyn spends his spare time writing, reading, traveling & hanging out with his friends. He joined the Harry Potter Alliance in 2011.
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Erin Millar
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Erin is a Ravenclaw (with Gryffindor tendencies) who graduated from Ohio Northern University with a degree in Creative Writing. She first fell in love with Harry Potter during the fall of 2000, after thoroughly convincing herself that she would hate the books. Clearly that wasn't the case! Erin spends her free time writing novels and trying to get published, reading anything within reach, reviewing theatrical events in her hometown for a freelance publication, and Irish Dancing.
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Heather Murray
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Heather Murray was handed her first Harry Potter book in middle school and hasn’t looked back since. She joined HPA 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. Yep, she likes that kind of stuff. She and her puppy Neville are full of Gryffindor pride.
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Jami Harmon
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As a kid, Jami didn't read because cool kids didn't read. She begrudgingly read Sorcerer's Stone with her gram when she was 10, fell in love, and decided to embrace the nerd within. She is now an acting major at UNH, a singer/songwriter, and a Ravenclaw who loves her some brave Gryffindors. She thinks Luna, decreasing world suck, and the fact that the HPA makes them related are really awesome.
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Jenny Bobrow
Jenny, a loyal Hufflepuff, joined the HPA staff as Merchandise Coordinator in May 2010. She first heard about the HPA in 2007, and in 2008 started an HPA chapter at her high school. Jenny is a sophomore at Northeastern University studying Business and just enjoyed a short semester abroad in Italy. In her free time Jenny enjoys reading, knitting, nerdfighting, wrock concerts, and watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Doctor Who as frequently as possible.
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Jodi Butler
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Jodi has been an HPA Staffer since February 2010, and couldn't be more thrilled to be heading the Twitter task force! She is a very proud Hufflepuff, and when she isn't increasing the world's awesome quota, she is writing, watching films, running around backstage during theatre productions, spending too much time on social networking websites and wishing she had a kitty.
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Julian Gomez
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First learned about Nerdfighteria in 2007 and was later introduced to the HPA by associating with other Nerdfighters that were avidly working on campaigns. Is huge Harry Potter fan and wanted to get more involved, so here he is. He's a student, likes to write poetry, and make videos. Is currently in the Engagement Team and vlogs weekly for the HPA every Monday.
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Kaci Ferrell
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Kaci graduated from West Virginia State University in May 2010 with a B.S. in Communications and joined the HPA's then-new Communications Team six months later when, during the HPA's Five Year Anniversary Blowout, Andrew declared he wanted the HPA to go after the coal industry. She didn't realize until months later that she may have misheard him. Thanks to her work with the HPA, Kaci has decided to dedicate her life to making the world a better place.
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Kara O'Brien
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Kara is a misplaced Romantic who spends far too much time reading and gets inordinately excited about odd things like dusty old books, Beethoven symphonies, unusual words, and misused semicolons. After finally giving up on being a Hogwarts student (dashed owl must have got lost), she decided to go for Rogue Victorian instead, and went about learning to make a proper cup of tea. She lives in Colorado, where she studies voice and creative writing and is the leader of a D.A. chapter called The Hogwarts Irregulars. You can find her on twitter or the HPA ning as TrickShadow.
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Katie Miller
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Katie (Gryffindor) is convinced that her Hogwarts letter got lost flying over the Atlantic so in the meantime she is attending school as a Music Business major. She has been involved in social activism for years and joined the HPA in early 2010, she is super excited to be involved with such a spectacular and magical organization.
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Katie Twyman
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Most people would describe Katie as a bit overly-enthusiastic. More realistically, she’s pretty much crazy. As a hardcore Hufflepuff, Katie devotes quite a bit of time to helping others, both within the HPA and outside of it. As a Nerdfighter, she helps to run the blog Eff Yeah Nerdfighters, as well as Your Pants. At nineteen, Katie is now attending college in Minnesota and is double-majoring in psychology and Spanish. She is pretty freaking great.
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Kelly Danver
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Kelly is a communications major at The George Washington University. She heard how much fun her sister was having while working for the HPA and promptly decided that she must join as well. Her favorite Harry Potter book is probably Order of the Phoenix. She is a true Hufflepuff and proud of it. Her favorite pastimes include honing her skills at Name That Tune, watching nerdy YouTube videos, reading books, and bringing the swag. She also enjoys painting and photography and will meet/work for the author, Dave Eggars, if it’s the last thing she does.
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Monica Watson
Monica Watson is a journalism major at the Park School of Communications at Ithaca College and is the co-president of the Harry Potter Alliance chapter there. When not running around the town of Ithaca hunting down sources for news stories, Monica can be found watching Doctor Who reruns or reading a good book.
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Quinn Kess
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Quinn is a late twenty-something Hufflepuff currently living in the suburbs of Hartford, Connecticut. She has worn many hats in her life, from retail monkey to park ranger to campaign worker, and is currently helping out at the Connecticut General Assembly. In her free time, she sings and corrals kids and arranges music for her local choir. When she's not working, she is followed around by Administrative Daleks, bidding her to ADMINISTRATE.
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Rhiannon Teague
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Rhiannon is a British nerd who has adored Harry Potter ever since she was six and read Philosophers Stone for first time, she wants to be an astronomer and get out into the world to cast her patronus.
Other people wish they could have gone to Hogwarts; Rhiannon grew up there.
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Sasha Leykin
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Sasha is a nerd from Wisconsin with a serious addiction to books, the Potter fandom and anything relating to Joss Whedon and Battlestar Galactica. She is a journalism student who spends her spare time with her friends and family. She loves to travel and watches too 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.
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Shrima Pandey
Shrima joined the chapters staff in November 2010 and absolutely loves it. She is a firm believer that fiction and fantasy are a healthy and wonderful set of arms to hug when reality seems meager. When not working with the HPA, she spends her time reading and watching television shows that have long since been canceled or don't even exist in the States. Shrima is an aspiring anthropologist and author who loves alliteration and a...learning.
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Zack Flynn
Zack is a 19 year old from Western Pennsylvania. He is a sophomore at Youngstown State University. As a Ravenclaw, he likes to pretend he majors in math. Zack has been on the HPA's admin team since April 2011. Zack really enjoys spreadsheets. It's kind of disgusting. When not doing math homework, Zack is known to listen to the Mountain Goats and also he loves wrock and the Harry Potter fandom. Did I mention that?
Acacia has been working with the HPA since 2007, literally shaping the face of the organization with her artwork and attitude. When not reading Harry Potter to her son or playing rock shows with her band, she drinks a lot of coffee and tries to think of ways to save the whales.
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. 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.
Sara thought she was way too cool for Harry Potter at age 10. Of course, that meant she was destined to fall in love with it by the time she was 11. As a fourth year, Foreign Affairs major at the University of Virginia, she has no idea what she wants to do in life, except travel, eat and read. Oh, and continue to decrease worldsuck with the coolest organization ever, of course.
Taekia discovered Harry Potter when she was forced to read Chamber of Secrets in sixth grade and never looked back. She was excited to join the HPA staff over two years ago, combining her love of helping others with her near obsession with the Boy Who Lived. As recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh she is both thrilled and terrified to begin planning the rest of her life and knows that Harry and the HPA will be a huge part of it.
Abby fell in love with the Harry Potter series in 1999 when her dad forcibly read her the first book. (She didn’t want to read it because it was a recommendation from her older brother, which felt like a hand-me-down. She got over this.) She co-founded a chapter of the HPA in 2008 and officially joined staff in 2011. In real life, Abby is a 17 year old Ravenclaw who lives in North Carolina.
Eileen discovered the Harry Potter books at the ripe old age of 17 and hasn’t stopped loving them since. She was overjoyed when she found out she was a part of the HPA staff. A recent college graduate, Eileen majored in English at Saint Anselm College. While she isn’t working various temp jobs, hanging out with friends, attempting to edit her first novel, and helping out the other HPA staffers, Eileen enjoys reading and sleeping.
Jessica picked up her first Harry Potter book at the age of 12 and 11 years later is as big a fan as ever! She graduated Simmons College in Boston with a BA in Arts Administration and Political Science. When not working with the HPA to rid the world of suck, she enjoys running around with her camera, working as an auction assistant, daydreaming in her favorite museums & spending time with her family & friends.
Victoria is a little (in size) Canadian born a Ravenclaw but aspiring to be a Hufflepuff. She has been obsessed with Harry Potter since the age of 11 and now, entering her first year of medical school, is somehow still equally obsessed. She is incredibly honored to be a part of the HPA and would like to spend the rest of her life attempting to make this world a more awesome place.
