StoryCorps » About » Our Team

Executive Team

Dave Isay,
Founder & Executive Director

Dave Isay is the founder of StoryCorps and its parent company Sound Portraits Productions. Over the past two decades his radio documentary work has won nearly every award in broadcasting, including five Peabody Awards, two Robert F. Kennedy Awards, the Edward R. Murrow award, and two Livingston Awards for young journalists. Dave has also received a Guggenheim Fellowship (1994), a MacArthur Fellowship (2000), and a United States Artists Fellowship (2006). He is the author (or co-author) of four books based on Sound Portraits radio stories including: Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago (Scribner, 1997), Flophouse (Random House, 2000), and the first-ever StoryCorps book, Listening Is an Act of Love: A Celebration of American Life from the StoryCorps Project (The Penguin Press, 2007).

Donna Galeno,
Director of StoryCorps

Donna Galeno worked for twenty years at the American Red Cross in
Greater New York, managing their Homeless Services Department. Her work
focused on two major areas: the creation, development and management of
nationally-recognized models of service for homeless families, and the
shaping of public policy and awareness related to housing and
homelessness throughout the United States. She has served in leadership
positions on numerous boards, coalitions and committees focused on
issues of housing, homelessness, and hunger. Subsequent to the tragic
events of September 11th, Donna functioned as the American National Red
Cross’ first Administrator in charge of creating and implementing the
Red Cross’ Long-Term Recovery Program.

Kara Fagan,
Director of Development

Kara comes to StoryCorps directly from Chicago with an extensive
background in nonprofit experience. Most recently she served as
Director of Development for Chicago Foundation for Women and previously
led the fundraising efforts for the Chicago Department of Cultural
Affairs. She holds a Masters in Management of Nonprofit Administration,
with a concentration in fundraising management, from North Park
University. With an undergraduate degree in Fiction Writing and
originally from Connecticut, Kara is thrilled to be back on the east
coast working at StoryCorps helping to collect stories for all to
cherish.

Development Staff Bios

Chris Novak,
Director, Marketing & Communications

Chris comes to StoryCorps from ClearAgenda, a consultancy she co-founded to help nonprofits clarify their message, raise their visibility, increase their funding, and better achieve their missions. Her work has produced dramatic results for clients such as Yale University, StoryCorps, and the Center for Reproductive Rights. Prior to ClearAgenda, Chris pioneered integrated marketing at major agencies such as Ogilvy and FCB, where her work won every industry award for creativity and effectiveness. As a SVP, Client Service Director, she led national and global communications for corporate clients such as AT&T, Merck, Johnson & Johnson and PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay. Chris has an MBA from Harvard and a B.A. in History of Art from Yale.

Marketing & Communications Staff Bios

Matt Ozug,
Deputy Director of StoryCorps

Since first joining Sound Portraits as a production intern in 2002,
Matt Ozug has worked on and produced a variety of pieces including
"Parents at an Execution," which won a 2004 Thurgood Marshall Award
from the Death Penalty Information Center. Matt has been with
StoryCorps since its conception, becoming MobileBooth Manager in April
2004. Previously, he worked as a freelance producer for Maine Public
Radio and as a researcher at Blackside Inc./California Newsreel. He was
named a Fall 2006 Fellow at Johns Hopkins’ International Reporting
Project, where he reported on HIV and refugee resettlement issues in
Cambodia. Matt graduated from Harvard College and also studied at the
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine.

Heather Burke,
Deputy Director of Development

Heather comes to StoryCorps from a career in publishing. After graduating from Wesleyan University with a degree in English, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked as a writer and editor for the Library of Congress. Returning toher hometown of New York City and settling in her adopted borough of Brooklyn, she continued in book publishing until departing for StoryCorps to further pursue her love of great stories—spoken as well as written.

Kathrina C. Proscia,
Executive Assistant

Kathrina Proscia graduated with an A.O.S. in business/occupational
studies from the Wood Tobe Coburn School, Manhattan and received her
B.S. with a major in historical studies from Empire State College.
Kathrina has held executive assistant positions at Ted Bates
Advertising, Agrexco (USA) Ltd., SAGE Foods, and Sun World
International. Kathrina was also a substitute teacher, co-founded and
chaired her parish golf outing for eight years, and was president of
the PTA. Kathrina and her husband of twenty-five years live in Queens
with their two daughters.

 

Administration Staff

Stephanie Roth,
Manager, Administration

Stephanie Roth joined StoryCorps in 2008 after receiving an MPA from the School of Public Affairs at Baruch College, CUNY. Stephanie has worked at several nonprofit organizations based in New York City and continues to show her passion for the nonprofit sector through volunteer work. Stephanie holds a B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Law from Binghamton University, SUNY.

Community Outreach Staff

Adam Wilson,
Manager, Community Outreach

Adam Wilson joins the StoryCorps senior team after almost ten years of
union and community organizing, most recently as the Managing Director
of the Prewitt Organizing Fund (POF). Before POF, he worked for UNITE!
and the Offshore Mariners United in campaigns around the United States.
Until Hurricane Katrina, Adam lived in New Orleans and was a member of
Community Labor United and the Frederick Douglas Coalition, a
multi-racial, multi-generational organization committed to social
change through Story Circles. A recent arrival to Brooklyn, Adam is
proud to join the Outreach team and contribute to the realization of
the StoryCorps mission. He is originally from Wisconsin, and a graduate
of the University of Wisconsin.

Melvin Reeves,
Manager, the Alaska Initiative

For nearly twenty-five years, Melvin Reeves held leadership
positions within the American Red Cross. In 1985, he created and
managed the social services department for a ninety-unit motel
converted into temporary housing for single, homeless mothers with
children. He then served as the Director of HELP I, a 200-unit
emergency housing program for homeless families, before becoming the
Director of Disaster Services for the American Red Cross in Greater New
York. In addition to managing the Red Cross response to TWA Flight 800
and numerous other disasters, he also created the statewide disaster
response plan for the Red Cross in New York. In 2001, he was working
with the Bay Area Red Cross when he was urged to return to New York
City because of September 11th. He subsequently created and managed the
social services department for the organization’s long-term recovery
program for September 11th clients, serving more than 10,000
individuals in fifty states and sixty-five other countries. In the wake
of Hurricane Katrina, he designed a long-term recovery plan for the
American National Red Cross. Melvin graduated from Harvard College in
1979 with a B.A. in psychology and social relations.

Dina Zempsky,
Senior Outreach Coordinator, Memory Loss Initiative

Dina has a twenty-year employment history with social service
programs in the fields of industry and aging. She holds a B.F.A. from
Syracuse University and an M.S.W. from Columbia University. Prior to
coming to StoryCorps, she was the Director of Partnership for
Eldercare, an eldercare case management program at the New York City
Department for the Aging. She currently has a private practice in
geriatric care management. At StoryCorps, she is thrilled to blend her
passions for the arts and human services.

Veronica Ordaz,
Senior Outreach Coordinator, New York City Outreach

A Guatemalan and native New Yorker, Veronica has worked directly with
people in various settings—from translating for non-English speakers in
New York City courtrooms to teaching pre-schoolers to rock-climb. She
has knocked on doors informing people about environmental and public
health issues in New York, instructed high-school students in creating
and running after-school programs for children, and more. She put all
these experiences to use as a StoryCorps Facilitator from 2005–2006 and
maintains her love of people and stories.

Rachel Daniell,
Coordinator, Outreach

Rachel Daniell has pursued her love of independent media by creating databases, spreadsheets, and online resources for such organizations as AK Press, The New Press, Seven Stories, Downtown Community TV, and Berkeley Community Media. She was part of the collectively-run nonprofit technology organization Media Jumpstart/May First and has been involved with Paper Tiger TV, Bluestockings Women’s Bookstore, Blackout Books, and the microradio movement. She is currently pursuing an M.A. in liberal studies with a concentration in international studies at CUNY Graduate Center.

Andre Lancaster,
Coordinator, New York City Outreach

Amongst his accomplishments as a storyteller/playwright and activist, he is a founding company member and current Artistic Director of Freedom Train Productions. His plays have been performed in New York at HERE Arts Center, Collective:Unconscious, and BRIC Studio. Contemporary social movements have inspired much of his work in theatre. Andre’s contribution to
StoryCorps’ Community Outreach Team reaffirms a personal value he holds in his theatre work: every story matters. He is a proud native Texan and avid Houston Rockets fan.

Development Staff

Matt Herman,
Development Associate

Matt Herman earned a B.A. in American studies from Columbia University, where he also managed WKCR (89.9 FM) for two years. Before joining StoryCorps, Matt was the publicist of the Vision Festival, New York’s premier avant-garde jazz concert series. He hails from Katonah, New York, with a slight Vermont infusion.

Jessica Benjamin,
Development Associate

Jessica earned her B.A. in English and Communications with a minor in Women Studies from SUNY Oswego. She then traveled halfway across the country to receive her M.F.A. in Creative Writing at Minnesota State University, Mankato. In Minnesota, she focused her studies on nonfiction writing and taught introductory English Composition and Creative Writing. Additionally, she worked as the Director of Development of The Arc of Minnesota Southwest and as a Prejudice Reduction Workshop Facilitator for the Greater Mankato Diversity Council. She has returned to New York to fuse her passion for philanthropy, writing, and storytelling at StoryCorps.

Door-to-Door and StoryBooth Staff

Elaine Davenport,
Manager, Door-to-Door

Elaine Davenport came to StoryCorps as a facilitator in 2006. After a year of traveling across the country and listening to the inspirational stories of people from New York to Iowa to Georgia, she decided to dedicate herself full-time to helping spread the word about StoryCorps. Elaine was the first member of the new Marketing & Communications department, and she is thrilled to be applying her creativity, from years of art and architecture classes, and her organizational skills from working at various nonprofit companies, to increasing awareness of and participation in this phenomenal project.

Facilities & Archive Staff

Nick Yulman,
Manager, Facilities & Archive

Nick Yulman grew up in Philadelphia, and studied English and studio art at Wesleyan University. Starting at StoryCorps
as a Facilitator, he spent four months on the Mobile Tour, traveling
between Chicago and Gulfport, Mississippi, before returning to Brooklyn
to join the Facilities & Archive team. Nick’s long-standing
interest in sound also finds an outlet in his creative work involving musical automata.

Desiree Leary,
Archive Senior Coordinator

Desiree has developed a fondness for archives and collections over the past several years. Previously she managed the archiving department for a photo-retouching studio, restored and cataloged video, and worked with various collections of art and rare books. Currently Desiree enjoys caring for all of the stories that come to StoryCorps (among her other Facilities and Archive duties). She holds a BFA in Studio Art from Alfred University, is working towards a MLIS at Rutgers with a concentration in digital libraries, has dabbled in architecture, and wishes she could master speaking Mandarin. She currently lives in Brooklyn with her dog Leela.

Michael Dougherty,
Coordinator

Mike Dougherty moved to New York from Herndon, Virginia, to study music
technology and journalism at New York University. Before joining the
team at StoryCorps, he spent two years working at New York University’s
Avery Fisher Center for Music and Media and interning at various local
publications. He is now a contributing writer for the Brooklyn-based L
Magazine.

Talya Cooper,
Coordinator

Talya Cooper grew up in Ohio and New Jersey and earned her B.A. in anthropology at Barnard College. Currently finishing a Master’s degree in library and information science at Pratt Institute, she has worked at a number of New York City’s finest academic libraries, archives, and video stores. She has also served as a staff member at several local independent radio
stations, including WBAR at Barnard and Washington Heights Free Radio.

Human Resources Staff

Chris Shutzer,
Manager, Human Resources

Chris Shutzer joined the StoryCorps Team in the Winter of 2008 after
working as the Employee Relations Specialist for the 92nd Street Y, and
Assistant Program Manager for Lehman Brothers’ Investment Management
Division. A history major from Harvard College, Chris wrote his thesis on School Shootings and the Media, and he spent a large amount of his free time singing for the Harvard Callbacks. Chris’ interest in Human Resources stems from his love of all types of people and helping those in need. In addition to his interests in Human Resources, Chris enjoys cooking, running, and golfing.

Ihsan Muhammad,
Coordinator, Human Resources

Ihsan Muhammad is an artist and media eductor. Prior to joining Storycorps she created her own series of hip-hop education youth workshops that were conducted in sixteen New York City public schools. She is co-chair and national spokesperson of UrbanMentor, a youth development commercial brand and is a lifelong poet, singer, and songwriter. She has just published her first book of poetry entitled "Break and Heal". You can read or listen to her work on her website www.ihsanm.com.

IT Staff

Phoenix Soleil,
Technology Manager

Phoenix Soleil has over 11 years experience in computer technology
field. Her computer consultancy business Dancing Trees: Nurturing Tech
Support has been written up in the NY Metro and Daily Candy and
numerous blogs for her combination of technical know-how, teaching
ability and comforting manner. She served as Manager of Multimedia
Services at Manhattan’s cable access station. Other places she has
worked include Morgan Stanley, Prodigy and American Museum of Natural
History. Her accomplishments as a published writer, filmmaker,
performer and her background in cultural anthropology make her
particularly suited to understanding StoryCorps’ social, creative and
technical goals.

Marketing & Communications

Dalton Rooney,
Webmaster

Dalton comes to StoryCorps from the Corporation for Supportive Housing, where he was Director of Information Technology for five years. He is currently finishing up his B.A. in art with a concentration in photography at Brooklyn College.

Katie McGowan,
Senior Coordinator, Participant Relations

Katie McGowan’s interest in U.S. history and radio began at Smith College where she disc jockeyed for the college station WOZQ before receiving a B.A. in anthropology and government. She traveled between Kenya and Seattle, interning with United Indians of All Tribes Foundation, the Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC, and consulting with New Jerseyans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. Since February 2006, she has worked with StoryCorps participants, and currently coordinates the Inquiries, StoryKit, and Volunteer programs.

Marisa Karplus,
Senior Coordinator

Marisa Karplus joined StoryCorps upon earning her Master’s degree in Media Studies from the New School where she focused on social marketing and media literacy. She worked as associate producer on the Academy Award-nominated documentary, Street Fight, which aired on PBS, and the film Dust to Dust: The Health Effects of 9/11, which aired on The Sundance Channel on the five-year anniversary of September 11th. Her enthusiasm for StoryCorps comes from her love of non-fiction storytelling, where she finds true life consistently proves to be more interesting, entertaining, and inspiring than fiction.

Stacey Edelstein,
Marketing Coordinator

Stacey grew up in San Diego, California and earned a B.S. in Communication from the University of Miami, Florida, also studying child cognitive development at the University of Sussex in Brighton, England. Prior to joining StoryCorps in 2008, Stacey worked in public relations, marketing, and event planning that specialized in modern art and industrial design. She is also an active member of the New York Open Center in downtown Manhattan and a collaborator and designer for WideSky Designs.

Mobile Staff

Eliza Bettinger,
Manager, Mobile Department

Eliza Bettinger came to Sound Portraits as a production intern. She
joined the fledging Mobile team in September 2004. Previously, she was
a newspaper reporter whose beats included the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation
and the U.S./Canadian border. She has a B.S. in biology from Cornell
University, and hails from southern Jefferson County, New York.

Mitra Bonshahi,
Senior Coordinator

Mitra Bonshahi developed an ear for listening while working at a 24-hour diner in her hometown of Chicago. She grew to appreciate thecolorful stories she heard from the local patrons, which led her to become a Facilitator for StoryCorps in 2006. Upon witnessing a moving conversation between a husband and his wife who had Alzheimer’s, she understood the importance of capturing fading memories and celebrating the present lives of people. After her run as a Facilitator, she was inspired to become a coordinator for the Memory Loss Initiative where her natural affinity for the elderly and their stories continues to flourish.

Production Staff

Michael Garafolo,
Senior Producer

Michael Garafolo fell for New York’s panoply of voices while teaching
English as a Second Language, Literacy, and Writing in schools
throughout the city. He was a StoryCorps intern and facilitator before
joining Production in 2004. Michael also makes music using radios –
among other things — as a member of the electro-acoustic duo Latitude/Longitude. He is a Transmission Artist with the non- profit arts organization free103point9.

Katie Simon,
Producer

Before Katie joined StoryCorps in 2005, she worked as a development
officer and reporter for WBGO Jazz 88.3 FM, and as a freelancer for
NPR’s JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater. Prior to that she attended
Kenyon College; she graduated with a degree in American Studies and
Anthropology and was awarded a Henry G. Dalton Fellowship. Katie grew
up in New Jersey and continues to reside on the Hudson’s west bank.

Nadia Reiman,
Associate Producer

Nadia graduated from Kenyon College with a double major in
International Studies and Spanish Literature. Before joining
StoryCorps, she was the associate producer for the Washington-based
Spanish language radio show Epicentro.
She also reported and covered Latino issues in Congress. In addition to
obsessing over the sound of sneakers hitting gravel, Nadia is an avid
blogger, traveler, and an occasional DJ and translator. She hails from
San Jose, Costa Rica.

Lizzie Jacobs,
Assistant Producer

Lizzie Jacobs hails from Chicago and got her start at StoryCorps as a production intern. Before StoryCorps, she was an editor in educational publishing and taught in various educational nonprofits, mostly with middle schoolers. Lizzie got her B.A. at Williams College and her MFA in Creative Writing at the New School. When not at StoryCorps, she writes essays and is currently working on a book of profiles of American eccentrics.

Vanara Taing,
Production Assistant

Vanara Taing first joined StoryCorps as a Facilities and Archive Coordinator. In that role, she trained facilitators on sound recording and managed StoryBooths. Vanara has also published and produced documentaries on the Cambodian refugee experience. Her film, bloodlines, was selected for the 2006 Portland Documentary and eXperimental Film Festival. She holds a B.A. from Scripps College and an Ed.M. from Harvard University.