Meet our Board of Directors for 23-24!
Co-Chairs
Sarina Deb
Co-Chair
she / her
sdeb7@stanford.edu
Sarina Deb is a coterminal masters student in communications (journalism track) and a political science major from San Mateo, California. She has been involved with Stanford in Government since her freshman year, serving in several different roles on the programming and communications teams. She is passionate about public service, specifically in the areas of criminal justice reform and gender equity, and has interned for Senator Cory Booker, Congresswoman Jackie Speier, The King Center for Global Development, the Stanford Center for Racial Justice, the Stanford-MIT Healthy Elections Project, California Appellate Project, and the ACLU to develop these passions. This year, she hopes to engage more students in public service opportunities and promote a culture of civic engagement on campus. After college, Sarina hopes to attend law school and work in the public sector.
Evian Jiang
Co-Chair
she / her
evianj@stanford.edu
Evian Jiang (’24) studies economics and international relations. After holding positions as Vice Chair of Operations and as Director of Community Service, Evian is extremely excited to oversee all of SIG’s public service and civic engagement opportunities. Outside of SIG, Evian is a research assistant to LTG McMaster and will be writing her honors thesis with CISAC. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, hiking, and playing piano.
Operations
Chris Badillo
Vice Chair, Operations
he / him
badilloc@stanford.edu
Chris Badillo (’25) is a junior studying Sociology with a minor in Education. Chris is passionate about education policy and worked for a School Board member in Miami-Dade, driving his passion for understanding the intersections of local and federal education policy. Now, Chris works with Matriculate and Education Justice Academy to advance educational equity, both through college advising and training future school board members and advocates. Additionally, Chris serves as a public narrative and community organizing coach, helping students leverage their stories to create change. In his role as VC of Operations, Chris hopes to strengthen community within SIG by ensuring that SIG operates in an effective, efficient, and inclusive manner. Outside of SIG, you can find Chris consuming obscene amounts of coffee, navigating various databases, and editing exclamation marks out of his emails.
Ava Acevedo
Director of Community Inclusion and Belonging
she / her
avaace3@stanford.edu
Ava Acevedo (‘26) is a sophomore from Lodi and Stockton, CA who plans to study Political Science and Public Policy with a focus on environmental and social justice. This year, she aims to help foster a SIG environment where every member is valued, represented, and provided equitable opportunities. Ava is also highly involved in the Green Schools Campaign, Fossil Free Stanford, SWIP, Mariachi Cardenal, the Periphery podcast, and Leadership-Organizing-Action Fellowship. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with family and friends, taking her dogs on long walks, watching cartoons with her sister, as well as singing and playing ukulele and guitar.
Devan Bhumralkar
Co-Director of University Partnerships
he / him
bhum@stanford.edu
Devan Bhumralkar (’25) studies international relations and economics and was previously a member of the University Partnerships team at SIG. Originally from the Bay Area, Devan spent years living in Amsterdam and developed an interest in foreign policy and international trade. He has worked as a political strategy consultant in the Bay Area and in a European economic policy think tank in Brussels. Outside of SIG, Devan writes for the Stanford Economic Review, is a member of the Stanford Student Alumni Council, and serves as President of the Stanford Real Estate Club.
Elizabeth Evers
Co-Director of University Partnerships
she / her
elievers@stanford.edu
Elizabeth Evers (’25) is a junior from San Francisco, CA majoring in Human Biology and minoring in Human Rights. Her HumBio concentration includes Health and Health Policy with a specific focus on migration. Throughout her time at Stanford she has worked as a research assistant at Stanford Health Policy as well as the King Center on Global Development. This summer, she spent the first month in Oaxaca for Stanford’s Community Health Program and then worked at the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area as a Legal Support Fellow. Her second year directing University Partnerships, she looks forward to hosting more events with centers and groups on campus, creating resources for Stanford students to navigate public service opportunities, and working with her Co-Director to foster community. She will be studying abroad in Madrid this fall but looks forward to meeting new SIG members in January.
Ben Kinder
Director of Finances
he / him
bkinder@stanford.edu
Ben Kinder (’26) is a sophomore considering majoring in Public Policy and Data Science and Social Systems. He was on the Finance Committee of SIG last year and is excited to continue helping SIG operate. True to his Pacific Northwest roots, outside of classes you can probably find Ben out in nature hiking, biking, and skiing. Ben also loves music and plays the French horn in the Stanford Wind Symphony.
Muhammad Dhafer
Director of Anaytics
he / him
mdhafer@stanford.edu
Muhammad Dhafer (’25) is a junior from Singapore, interested in economics and computer science. Dhafer has interests in digital government, the Asia-Pacific region and digital economy. He previously served on SIG’s Strategic Planning committee after joining his freshman year. He has previously interned in ministries in Singapore and worked as a research assistant with Stanford’s Institute for Economic Policy Research. In his free time, Dhafer enjoys reading about maps, public transit systems and visiting galleries. This coming year, he looks forward to strengthening SIG’s analytics of its internal and outward-facing activities.
Andrea Reyes
Director of Service Programs
she / her
andrea03@stanford.edu
Andrea Reyes (‘25) studies political science and economics and serves as the Director of Service Programs for SIG. Originally from Corpus Christi, Texas, Andrea has always had an interest in politics, especially local level. Before coming to Stanford, she worked for a mayoral campaign in Corpus Christi. Andrea previously worked on the Democracy Day team in SIG as well as Operations. Next year, Andrea will spend the fall in Washington, DC with the Stanford in Washington program. Outside of SIG, Andrea is loves watching sports, reading books, and watching TV.
Communications
Lauren Howe
Vice Chair, Communications
she / her
lauhowe@stanford.edu
Lauren Howe (’24) is a Senior studying International Relations. This is Lauren’s second year in the communications branch, and she’s passionate about improving Political Literacy through streamlined communication and marketing. Outside of SIG, Lauren is a multiple time national medalist for Stanford Lightweight Rowing, avid reader, and matcha enthusiast. Feel free to email her to talk SIG Comms, Environmental Policy, or even just to meet new people on campus!
Christina Cheng
Director of Web Development
she / her
ccheng26@stanford.edu
Christina Cheng (’26) is a sophomore who intends to major in History, minor in East Asian Studies and pursue a co-term in Computer Science. She spent last summer in Riga, Latvia doing a foreign policy internship at the China Studies Centre at Riga Stradins University. Before coming to Stanford, she spent her gap year living in London and interrailing around Europe (photo from a short stop in Zurich). She is also a research assistant for Professor Richard Roberts in the History department. In her free time, she enjoys playing piano and trumpet, watching movies, scrolling political twitter and re-watching Succession and New Girl over and over again.
TBD
Director of Design
Passionate about design, policy, or public service? If that sounds like you, you could be our next director of design! Please email lauhowe@stanford.edu if interested
Programming
Isabelle Coloma
Vice Chair, Programming
she / her
icoloma2@stanford.edu
Isabelle Coloma (’24) is a senior studying IR with a Translation Studies minor. Isabelle is passionate about issues concerning democratic development, historical memory, curriculum formation, and language! She joined the Public Policy Forum freshman year, continued on to Academic Programming, and found SIG overall to be a collaborative and innovative space. Now in this role, she hopes to continue facilitating engaging policy conversations as well as career development discussions to encourage interest in public service. Outside of SIG, she enjoys watching travel cooking shows and exploring the language collections at Green Library.
Gabriel Frank-McPheter
Director of PPF
he / they
gabefm@stanford.edu
Gabriel Frank-McPheter (‘26) is studying urban studies and political science, and planning to coterm in Public Policy and go to law school. Originally from Los Angeles, Gabriel has a passion for urban local and State policy, particularly on issues of economic justice like housing and healthcare access. As a member of Public Policy Forum last year, Gabriel was excited to share his passions on these topics, and is excited to make changes to PPF this year that will encourage more participation and accessibility for fellow policy-wonks.
Eden Hadar
Director of Academic Programming
she / her
edenhadar@stanford.edu
Eden Hadar (’26) is a sophomore interested in studying Symbolic Systems and minoring in International Relations. Growing up in both Los Angeles and Israel, Eden’s passion for politics and public service stem from her multicultural experiences. Eden joined SIG’s Academic Programming Committee her freshman year. She is excited to be leading the committee this year, encouraging discussions related to public service among students, faculty, and other professionals. Outside of SIG, Eden enjoys traveling, cooking, and being active.
Kevin Khadavi
Director of Alumni Relations
he / him
kkhadavi@stanford.edu
Kevin Khadavi (’26) is a sophomore studying classics, history, and politics. He’s a seasoned public speaker with experience in speechwriting, research (both in the sciences and humanities), debate, and communication. He’s a published author of historical papers and have undertaken numerous oral history projects with prominent historical figures, including Vice President Walter F. Mondale and Freedom Rider Jerome Smith; the topics of his work range from the 2nd Russo-Persian War to the 1963 meeting between James Baldwin and Robert Kennedy. He also has experience lecturing on military history. He is deeply passionate about addressing societal challenges in our country and around the world and care particularly about education inequality—what he believes is the root of many other societal problems—and is devoting time and energy to this cause through my work with RFK Human Rights and the Memorial Foundation. In his free time, he enjoys listening to historical speeches (RFK’s Cleveland City Club Address is my favorite), reading Stoic philosophy, and jumping into Stanford’s fountains. He’s fascinated by spaceflight and am a big fan of Transcendental poetry.
Avinash Thakkar
Director of Special Events
he / him
avinash3@stanford.edu
Avinash Thakkar (’25) is a junior from Baltimore, Maryland, with interests in economics and philosophy. This year, he will lead SIG’s Special Events on campus. Avinash aims to help facilitate meaningful conversations about governmental and societal policies on campus. He is driven by the core belief that with diverse and respectful inter-community dialogue, we can bridge our divides and help uplift and unify humankind. One of Avinash’s foremost goals is to help make service accessible to all by organizing events that shed insight into the lives of individuals who serve their community in myriad ways. He firmly believes that such opportunities of engagement can go a long way toward promoting the ideal of civic engagement while inspiring the next generation of service leaders in communities fear and near.
Fellowships & Stipends
Karsen Wahal
Co-Vice Chair, Fellowships & Stipends
he / him
kwahal@stanford.edu
Karsen Wahal (’25) is double majoring in Economics and Mathematical and Computational Science (MCS). He’s excited to expand Stanford’s public service opportunities and form a strong community within his team. He has previously worked for Propel (a public interest tech startup), the U.S. Department of the Treasury, U.S. Senate, and for government agencies like the Millennium Challenge Corporation. He’s passionate about leveraging economics and data science to alleviate poverty and improve policy. In his free time, Karsen enjoys road trips with friends, reading, and playing with his dog.
Enrique Flores
Co-Vice Chair, Fellowships & Stipends
he / him
jeflores@stanford.edu
Enrique Flores is a political science (’24) and sociology (’25) student from Keizer, Oregon. After a year-long hiatus, he is excited to return to SIG as Co-VC of the fellowships and stipends committee—after having previously served as a director and committee member for F & S during his first two years at Stanford. As Co-VC, he looks forward to making fellowships and stipends an increasingly more accessible branch of SIG for all Stanford students and hopes to foster greater diversity in the applicants and awardees of SIG fellowships and stipends through greater outreach. Outside SIG, he is an active member of Stanford’s club triathlon team, serves as a Cardinal Quarter peer advisor, and enjoys learning new languages.
Tracy Nyguen
Director of Local & State Fellowships
she / her
trcyngyn@stanford.edu
Tracy Nguyen (’25) is a third-year student studying Political Science and Physics. Her public service interests include reducing poverty and education equity. After spending spending two years in the Programming Committee, she is excited to be working under Fellowships and cannot wait for the new experiences and challenges to come!
Lauren Salaz
Director of National Fellowships
she / her
lsalaz@stanford.edu
Lauren Salaz (’26) is majoring in Political Science. She aims to advance public service by connecting students to organizations and funding, especially those from marginalized and nontraditional backgrounds. She is committed to creating social justice through law and government and served as a legal researcher for the South Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking. Lauren enjoys keeping up with news and goofing around with her younger siblings.
Emma Park
Director of International Fellowships
she / her
emmapark@stanford.edu
Emma Park (’25) is a junior at Stanford studying History and Economics. She was on the Fellowship Committee last year and is excited to return to SIG F&S this year!
Dylan Vergara
Director of Stipends
he/him
dylanv26@stanford.edu
Dylan Vergara (’26) studies Political Science, American Studies, and Sociology. Coming from the Los Angeles area, Dylan is interested in democracy reform, constitutional law, and education policy. Outside of SIG, Dylan is a member of the Stanford ACLU, Stanford Undergraduate Law Review, and the California Policy Collective. Additionally, Dylan serves as a Peer Advisor for the Haas Center and has conducted research in FSI, the d.school, Stanford Medicine, and the Clayman Institute. Dylan loves to play volleyball, jam on the guitar, and watch Suits.
Rachelle Zavalza-Arellano
Director of Faculty Relations
she / her / ella
rachzav3@stanford.edu
Rachelle Zavalza-Arellano (’26) is a sophomore from Salem, Oregon who intends to study a mixture of Political Science, Sociology and ILAC! She is interested in topics relating to migration, labor and the economy. At Stanford, she is a part of Derechos and is a peer advisor for Human Rights 108. This past summer she completed a Cardinal Quarter with the Immigration Institute of the Bay area where she worked as a Spanish interpreter, helped immigrants fill out their naturalization forms, and led DACA renewal workshops. In her free time, she likes to learn Portuguese, workout and listen to reggaeton.
StanfordVotes
Lexi Kupor
Vice Chair, Stanford Votes
she / her
alkupor@stanford.edu
Lexi (‘26) is a junior and Bay Area native studying History and Digital Humanities. After spending last year as Director of Voter Education at StanfordVotes, she’s excited to take the role of Vice Chair, and she looks forward to expanding student voting accessibility and educational opportunities. She also serves as Director of Legislative Advocacy on the Every Vote Counts national student board. Outside of SIG, Lexi assists with research at the Clayman Institute, hikes the Dish, and chugs Coupa matcha.
Emily Tianshi
Vice Chair, Stanford Votes
she / her
etianshi@stanford.edu
Emily Tianshi (’25) is a junior from San Diego studying Data Science and International Relations. She has been a part of Stanford in Government since freshman year and is incredibly excited to lead StanfordVotes in the fall. Emily is a Technology Ethics and Policy Fellow and Women in National Security Scholar and has worked at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Stanford Internet Observatory, and Stanford Law School’s Non-Practicing Entity Database. Talk to her about llamas, Fleabag, and the latest trust and safety news.
Sophie Szew
Director of Voter Education
she / they
sophiesz@stanford.edu
Sophie Szew (she/they) is a Los Angeles-born mental health activist, writer, and public speaker. She was a youth leader at MTV’s Mental Health Youth Action Forum at the White House, where she helped guide the Biden-Harris administration on how to best serve the needs of youth in the mental healthcare system. Sophie is also an internationally recognized poet, serving as an inaugural poet to Mayor Karen Bass. She has advised numerous organizations on their youth mental health policies, including Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation, Mental Health America, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). She is pursuing a double-major in American Studies and Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, with two minors in Human Rights and Creative Writing. Sophie hopes to combine their own experiences with injustice brought about by mental healthcare inequity with her passion for writing, advocacy, and leadership to help promote civic engagement!
Nicholas Harvey
Director of Institutional Relations
he / him
nharvey@stanford.edu
Nicholas Harvey (26′) is a sophomore and linguistics major at Stanford. As Director of Institutional Relations, Nicholas looks forward to working with existing StanfordVotes partners while also expanding the role of StanfordVotes on campus. Specifically, he is keen to expand StanfordVotes’s operations to involve international students as well. Outside of Stanford, Nicholas enjoys spending time outdoors, reading, engagement with local and state politics, and being with his family.
Aubrey Merrill
Director of Civic Programs
she / her
merrilla@stanford.edu
Aubrey Merrill (’26) is a sophomore from Southern Oregon planning to major in Political Science and co-term in Public Policy. This is her first year in SIG. As the Director of Civic Programs, Aubrey is looking forward to collaborating with StanfordVotes and the Democracy Day Committee to plan amazing events to get students excited about democratic due process. Specifically, Aubrey hopes to collaborate with community organizations and clubs on campus to bring attention to voting inequalities among marginalized identities. In addition to SIG, you can find Aubrey in Stanford ACLU meetings, a Stanford Light Opera Company production, reading a good book, or at the rock climbing gym.
