PRESIDENT

Matt (he/him) is a senior in Columbia College pursuing a major in Political Science and a concentration in Human Rights. He is a Saltzman Student Scholar and is deeply interested in the causes of mass violence, international human rights law, and climate justice. Matt spent time this past summer as an intern both in Senator Amy Klobuchar's office and at the National Academy of Public Administration. Previously, he has worked as a District Field Organizer for two Minnesota Senate Campaigns and as a research assistant for a Columbia professor's book chapter on humanitarian intervention. He served as the secretary of CPI his sophomore year and the Center Director of the E&E Center his junior year. Matt is also an avid follower of all things soccer.

VICE PRESIDENT

Soham (he/him) is a senior in Columbia College studying Statistics and Philosophy. He formerly led the Institute’s Technology Policy Center and is interested in designing institutions and rules that foster competitive, democratic innovation. This summer, Soham was a Google Fellow crafting AI regulation and online speech policy. He previously worked at the Knight First Amendment Institute and regulated discriminatory algorithms at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Outside of CPI, Soham is the Editor-in-Chief of The Gadfly (Columbia’s philosophy magazine) and conducts AI governance research at Cornell Tech. In his free time, Soham avidly follows politics in his home state of Arizona, plays the Spanish Guitar, and loves hiking (despite being afraid of heights) but, in reality, he spends most of his time doom-scrolling on Twitter (sorry X).

SECRETARY

Carrie (she/her) is a sophomore at Barnard studying Sociology and Public Health. This summer, she spent two months in Austria and Germany studying European history and politics, and spent the rest of her time interning for the Georgia Justice Project researching criminal record expungement laws in the US. Outside of CPI, she’s an attorney on Columbia’s Mock Trial team and and student assistant in the Barnard History department. In her free time, Carrie loves baking, live music, watching plane crash documentaries, and trying all of the coffee in New York.

OUTREACH DIRECTOR

Kira (she/her) is a sophomore at Barnard College studying Political Science and Philosophy. She is particularly interested in election policy, political theory, and municipal politics. This summer, Kira spent time interning on Joyce Craig’s New Hampshire Gubernatorial Campaign, and working as the Coordinator for the NH Democratic Party’s Manchester City Committee. She has also worked in Social Media Marketing for various brands and for NH State Representative Alexis Simpson. Kira joined CPI as part of the Democratic Access Center in the fall of 2022. In her free time, Kira trains in various styles of dance, and enjoys listening to music and exploring the city.

TREASURER

Alicia (she/her) is a sophomore at Barnard College majoring in a combination of sustainable development and political science (a special major she has yet to complete crafting) and minoring in French. She spent this past summer studying translation at Columbia’s Reid Hall in Paris, working as a counselor for an American & Japanese exchange program, and conducting research for the Earth Law Center. Outside of CPI, she’s involved with the CULR, ColumbiaVotes, Artists Reaching Out, and SproutUp. She’s originally from San Francisco, she hopes to one day become an environmental lawyer, and in her free time, you can find her painting, reading, running, and obsessing over Harry Styles.

TECHNOLOGY POLICY CENTER DIRECTOR

Daniel (he/him) is a senior in Columbia College studying Political Science-Statistics and Hispanic Studies. He is invested in the intersection of data with politics and is currently researching both the structures of independent redistricting commissions in the US and the development of new regional identities into political forces in Spain. He has previously interned for the PIT Data Science Corps, where he used NYC Open Data to inform a pedestrian mobility app developer, for a congressional campaign, and for a Michigan State Legislator. Outside of academics, Daniel enjoys hiking, playing Cities Skylines, trivia boardgames, and reading the news.

EDUCATION CENTER DIRECTOR

Jorge (he/him) is a junior in Columbia College and holds the position of Education Center Director. He is majoring in Political Science-Statistics with a concentration in Sociology. He possesses a profound interest in understanding the housing catalysts behind educational disparities, particularly in investigating how neighborhood integration can be harnessed to diminish gaps in educational opportunity and achievement. Presently, Jorge is a research assistant at the Energy, Equity, Housing and Health Program. In this capacity, he employs grounded theory qualitative methods to unveil the lived experiences of New Yorkers facing energy insecurity through semi-structured interviews. Beyond his involvement with CPI, Jorge has been appointed as the Vice Chair for the Undergraduate Committee on Global Thought as a Bartsch Fellow. Moreover, he is assuming the role of Publicity Editor for the Journal of Global Health. His education advocacy has traversed all levels of the policy process – from local school boards to the Department of Education – and he is deeply excited to extend this commitment to CPI.

CO-ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT CENTER DIRECTOR

Savannah (she/they) is a sophomore at Columbia College. Majoring in Political Science with an emphasis on international affairs, Savannah hopes to pursue a career that is holistic in its applications of the liberal arts and sciences. They gave a speech at the Kentucky Capitol detailing the importance of a balanced education. They worked with CPI’s Human Rights Center as Research Leader to create a report on Columbia’s former homeless shelter. She was a research assistant for an international climate change project (Fungi in a Warmer World) that aims to better understand the reactions of fungi and bacteria to warming climates. They are the co-author of a published research paper detailing the initial findings of Miocene Climate Optimum fungal diversity. Savannah also keeps an eye on Kentucky politics (which can be very stressful), is an avid enjoyer of The Legend of Zelda series, and hopes to finally get into the political science classes she wants.

CO-ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT CENTER DIRECTOR

Nicole Xiao (she/her) is a sophomore at Columbia College studying Climate Systems Science and Statistics. She is deeply interested in the nexus of ecological politics and climate research, and using science-based data to enact and implement bold, effective climate policy. Outside of CPI, she co-founded Climate Justice League, a youth climate coalition in her hometown of Moscow, ID, which successfully spearheaded the first 100% clean energy municipality commitment in Northern Idaho and is passionate about bringing grassroots organizing to climate activism. Nicole spent this past summer working at Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory’s Tree Ring Lab, analyzing tree ring data to construct a paleoclimate temperature record of the greater Mexican peninsula. In her spare time, she is also a member of the dance group Orchesis on campus, an aspiring member of Columbia’s ultimate frisbee team, and an avid hiker and explorer of the outdoors. She can also be found at any on-campus event that caters free food.

FOREIGN POLICY CENTER DIRECTOR

Avian (they/he) is a junior in Columbia College studying Sustainable Development and History. They are the Foreign Policy Center Director and Administrative Deputy Editorial Page Editor at Columbia Daily Spectator. They spent their past two summers working at the UNDP in Cambodia, and most recently as a Research, Litigation, and Communications Intern for the Knight First Amendment Institute. They are looking forward to publishing more multimedia projects involving CPI and highlighting underrepresented voices in the public policy space. They are also a member of the New York Southeast Asian Network and when they’re not pursuing journalism or progressive academia, you can find them crawling through the city’s Chinatowns trying to find good durian.

HEALTHCARE CENTER DIRECTOR

Kathan (he/him and pronounced like Nathan, but with a K) is a senior in Columbia College and the Healthcare Center Director. He is studying Political Science on the premedical track, with a focus on issues in public health and healthcare today. Kathan currently works as a clinical research assistant at Mount Sinai, where he studies the longitudinal effects of discount food pricing on population health, and has previously interned for humanitarian and advocacy groups like International Medical Corps and Beyond the Bomb. He’s an avid news junkie who loves getting to know new people around campus, so don't hesitate to say hi!

CO-HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER DIRECTOR

Charlie (he/him) is a junior at Columbia College studying history and political science. He recently spent six weeks working for the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service in Melbourne, Australia, assisting their Criminal Law and Client Feedback teams. He has also conducted research on settler colonialism in Australia and the United States, and last year headed the Democratic Access Center in the Policy Institute. Charlie is passionate about LGBTQIA+, and more specifically trans, and voting rights. In his spare time, he likes running, playing rugby, being outside, and nerding out about dinosaurs and obscure moments in history.

CO-HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER DIRECTOR

Glynis (she/her) is a junior in Columbia College studying Urban Studies with a focus on Political Science. She has been the Human Rights Center Director for two years, works as a student mediator for the Bureau of Consumer Frauds and Protection, and serves as the general body coordiantor for Columbia's Housing Equity Project. She’s worked on eight political campaigns, and spent the last summer working as a mapping intern for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. She’s passionate about housing policy and reproductive justice, and will talk for hours about walkable communities.

CO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CENTER DIRECTOR

Marie (she/her) is a student of Economics-Political Science and Human Rights at Columbia College, working towards a career in atrocity deterrence. She spent this past summer interning with the Undersecretary of Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights at the Department of State, while pursuing separately supported research projects on viable legal pathways for persecuted LGBTQ+ individuals, and the U.S.' reluctance to acknowledge the Armenian genocide. Currently, she is focusing on human rights compromised by investor-state contracts with the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment. Marie was recently named a Saltzman Scholar, as well as a Phyllis Stevens Sharp Fellow.

CO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CENTER DIRECTOR

Rose (she/her) is a sophomore at Columbia College studying Economics-Political Science. She is particularly interested in international relations and economic inequality. Last year, she worked in the Economic Development Center as a Research Coordinator to create a paper exploring Columbia’s role in gentrification as a neighbor and landlord. Outside of CPI, Rose is VP of Curriculum for Youth for Debate, teaching public speaking and debate to NYC public schools. In her free time, she enjoys drawing, going to the gym, and napping.