System messages
Our Team
We have offices in New York City and Portland, OR, as well as staff in remote locations all over the world.
Staff
Put Barber, Senior Advisor
Amelia Byers, Director of Operations
Dan Colish, Developer
Ami Dar, Executive Director
Kim Davidson, Community Moderator
Celeste Hamilton Dennis, Researcher, Writer, Idea Detective
Craig Dennis, Programmer
Josh Elsasser, Systems Engineer
Ero Gray, Technical Support Representative
Elise Hoffberg, Product Owner
Diana Hsu, Community Moderator
Hannah Kane, Scrum Master
Jason Kirtland, Developer
Sara Lewis, Accounting/Office Manager
Chris Machuca, Program Manager
Elena Martin, Spanish Program Coordinator
Kara Montermoso, HR and Operations Manager
Eric O'Connell, Front End Coder
Joshua Richey, Lead Web Designer
Mike Sayre, Program Coordinator
Julia Smith, Communications Manager
Lorene Straka, Chief of Staff
Interns
Kevin Kennedy, Grad Fair Intern
Staff Profiles
Put Barber, Senior Advisor (Seattle)
Put Barber joined Idealist in 2004. As a senior advisor, he consults with colleagues about strategy and program development and occasionally represents the organization at conferences and other events for nonprofit organizations. He also serves on the board of directors of Washington Nonprofits, an organization formed to build strong nonprofits and strong communities in his home state. Put is a Senior Lecturer in the Master of Public Administration program of the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington, a member of the Charities Advisory Council appointed by Washington's Secretary of State, and active in discussions of nonprofit laws and policies at both the state and federal levels.
Amelia Byers, Director of Operations (New York)
Prior to working at Idealist, Amelia worked in various positions in the private and nonprofit sectors. Her experience includes communications, community outreach programs, volunteer management, human resources, and event planning. A political junkie, she loves a good debate, reading, music, and traveling as often as possible.
Dan "Oh let me just land this patch" Colish, Developer (Portland)
After successfully defeating the Minotaur, Dan earned the ability to update SQL while drinking coffee. In his off time he enjoys writing code for Xapian, raising chickens and working on his home.
Ami Dar, Executive Director (New York)
Ami is the founder and executive director of Idealist. Built in 1996 with $3,500, Idealist.org has become one of the most popular nonprofit resources on the web, with information provided by 70,000 organizations around the world and 100,000 visitors every day. Ami was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Peru and in Mexico, and lives in New York.
Kim Davidson, Community Moderator (New York)
Kim left sunny Honolulu for the big city in 2005 to attend Columbia University, where she majored in History and Anthropology, led hiking trips, and planned lu'aus. She also spent a semester in Nepal riding horses in the desert, eating lentils, and trekking around in the name of research. Previously, she worked for an English language camp in China, a music venue in the Village, and the tourist office in the Empire State Building. One day, while poking around Idealist.org, she found they'd posted a job for themselves, and she's super excited to be involved. Kim also enjoys doing Polynesian shows all over the East Coast with her dance group and ordering delivery food online. Her mom back in Hawaii probably has this page printed out and pinned to her cubicle wall.
Celeste Hamilton Dennis, Researcher, Writer, Idea Detective (Portland)
Celeste spends her days trying to understand where good ideas come from, how to implement them, and how they spread. She spends her nights writing short fiction, reminiscing with Craig about their Peace Corps days in Guyana, and trying to prevent her teething baby from chewing off her big toe. Read Celeste's blog posts here, listen to her podcasts here, and if you ever have a question about how to bowl a turkey or where to find sassy fabrics, email her at celeste [at] idealist [dot] org.
Craig Dennis, Programmer (Portland)
Craig is a nerdy hippie. Most of his professional life has been spent cultivating the professional nerdy side of his brain. In 2003 he realized his hippie side was being neglected and joined the Peace Corps and taught computers at a technical university in Guyana. After the Peace Corps experience, Craig bounced around a bit from Chicago, returning to his hometown of Tempe, AZ, and finally landed in New York. Craig has a serious crush on one of the employees here at Idealist, and he finds it somewhat difficult to discuss himself in the third person. He is very excited to have obtained a job where he can both be a nerd and a hippie at the same time!
Josh Elsasser, Systems Engineer (Portland)
Josh grew up in Oregon and claims that he really doesn't mind the rain at all. He spends most of his time tinkering with open source software and obsolete hardware. At Idealist he is responsible for keeping the hamsters in the data center fed and happy. When he's away from his computers, he's probably out riding his bike or enjoying local Portland brews.
Ero Gray, Technical Support Representative (Portland)
Ero joined Idealist in May 2012 after managing IT and communications for several New York nonprofits. His previous background includes jobs building websites, removing malware, and composing advertising jingles. In his spare time he creates very strange music, bakes pies, and tries to be near trees.
Elise Hoffberg, Product Owner (Portland)
Elise has a longstanding commitment to using technology for good. She joined Idealist in 2007 and has worked in Buenos Aires, New York, and now Portland, OR, always focused on making sure the website delivers value to our users. As Product Owner, she represents the interests of Idealist stakeholders to the Development Team (read: she translates human speak into geekspeak). She transitioned into this role after managing our Community Support Team. Before joining Idealist, she helped research and build software solutions to improve language access for immigrants in the health care system. Outside of work, Elise regularly incapacitates herself by laughing at jokes, crying over a superb sandwich, or (the best!) doing both at the same time. Actually, let's be honest: she does that at work, too.
Diana Hsu, Community Moderator (New York)
Diana was born and raised in California, but was lured to Pennsylvania with promises of an Honor Code and Amish ice cream (of the cinnamon variety, although pumpkin is also amazing). She spent a year abroad studying in the south of France and gallivanting through western Europe, and then graduated from Haverford College with a French degree and an anthropology minor. After a bit of exploring in Manhattan and a brief but life-changing visit to India, Diana has finally settled in Brooklyn and has since developed an unhealthy obsession with her bike. When not on two wheels, she is learning Spanish, dreaming about travel, or fueling her inner do-gooder at the Idealist office in New York.
Hannah Kane, Scrum Master (Portland)
Hannah joined the staff in the summer of 2003 as a Campus Organizer with the Idealist On Campus program, and has since worn several hats including Campus Conference Director, Director of Community Outreach, fedora, bowler, and panama. In her current role as Scrum Master, she gets to hang out with the web development team, and her friends have commented that she's getting nerdier as a result. Hannah blogs about theme parties and scavenger hunts at EverybodysInvited.net, is the winner of the 2010 Pietopia: Life In a Pie recipe contest, and can solve a Rubik's Cube in under three minutes. She is a Space Camp alum.
Jason Kirtland, Developer (Portland)
Jason is a software developer, and in the past primarily built proprietary systems using free software tools and technologies. These days, he is an active author of and contributor to open source software and a minor community rabble rouser. He lives in Portland, OR, a town with a fabulous convergence of creative technical energy and good beer. He can be spotted at local tech events, out on the trails, or at a sidewalk cafe with his dog, Lupe.
Sara Lewis, Accounting/Office Manager (New York)
Sara Lewis is a native of Orlando, FL. A graduate of Indiana University and Manhattan School of Music, she holds both Bachelor and Masters degrees in Music. When not managing the office and finances at Idealist, Sara is a classical trombonist and can be found performing around the city with the Westchester Chamber Orchestra, Gothic Brass at St. John the Divine, and various other orchestras and shows. She is also the Finance Diva for Opera On Tap, a nonprofit with the mission of bringing opera to a broader audience while providing fiscal support and performance opportunities for developing singers. Sara lives in Brooklyn with her husband and son – but at work, she's the Harry to Amelia's Sally.
Chris Machuca, Program Manager (Portland)
Chris Machuca manages Idealist's Grad Fairs, traveling several months each year to host events where aspiring grad students can meet with admissions professionals from hundreds of different degree programs. Chris moved to Portland in 2006 and was delighted to discover the city's thriving nonprofit community; some of his most rewarding local experiences have included receiving the Rotary Youth Leadership Award and serving on the board of directors at the St. Ignatius School Foundation. A native of the Philippines, Chris attended the Ateneo de Manila University all 16 years of his academic life, where he was very active in theater groups and music ministries – a background that has served him well at Idealist karaoke nights.
Elena Martin, Spanish Program Coordinator (New York)
Elena is from Madrid, Spain and landed at Idealistas in 2010. As the face behind our Spanish site and blog, she spends her days encouraging organizations and individuals to turn good intentions to action both online and offline. Passionate about engaging, inspiring, and sharing, Elena is also on the core team of the Idealist Network and works toward a day when, no matter where you are, there will be someone close by who will help make it possible to do whatever you want to do for the common good. When not in the office, she loves to explore Brooklyn – and taste as many new flavors as she can find along the way.
Kara Montermoso, HR and Operations Manager (San Francisco)
Kara holds a B.A. in Public Policy from Brown University and moved to New York City upon receiving a Fellowship with Common Ground — a position she found on the Idealist site! With a few other nonprofit experiences under her belt, plus a stint waiting tables, running through the streets of New York for the marathon, and her certification in Massage Therapy completed, she joined Idealist in 2003. Kara has worked in various capacities throughout the organization and is very excited to have a role in supporting an amazing staff everyday. In 2007, Kara headed back to her home state of California where she enjoys beautiful weather and long runs year round – not to mention a little more living space to accommodate her many DIY projects.
Eric O'Connell, Front End Coder (Portland)
Eric O'Connell is a student at Portland State University, steadily working toward achieving a bachelor's degree in computer science. He enjoys combining elegant design with beautiful code and looks forward to bringing those together as a front-end coder at Idealist. He is married to his best friend Marjorie, a Masters student at PSU in speech language pathology, whom he loves dearly. In his free time he cycles, swims, runs, and plays with his dog, Cholula.
Joshua Richey, Lead Web Designer (Portland)
A graphic designer, artist, and photographer, Joshua has spent the last 15 years honing his talents as a visual craftsman (and the last 36 minutes writing this sentence). He spends most of his time reading, playing his bass, and going on long walks around Portland with his retired racing greyhound named Conquer.
Mike Sayre, Program Coordinator (New York)
Mike was raised in Elkhart, IN – the RV capital of the world! Drawing on this rich tradition, he grew up as a tent-pitching, backpack-toting, canoe-hoisting outdoorsman. He also specialized in the eminently practical fields of Nerf weaponry, Star Wars-themed computer games, and Rube Goldberg devices. Somewhere in between all of this fun, he also started playing the French Horn at the age of 10, dreaming that he might one day go on to irritate everyone in his building in Queens. Some dreams do come true. Following studies in Journalism, Media, and Music at Ball State University, he decided to move to New York and pursue a career as a freelance musician. He swung through New Jersey, picked up a Master’s Degree in French Horn performance from Rutgers, and set about breaking into ‘the biz’. That’s when he learned about the Idealist Network. He joined the Idealist squad at the beginning of 2011 to help make it a reality.
Julia Smith, Communications Manager (New York)
Since 2006, Julia has managed projects at Idealist ranging from campus events and community outreach to new media and resource development. When she's not editing blog posts or baking treats for Idealist's weekly teatime, Julia is a core organizer with a NYC-based collective called RISE: Social Work to End Oppression as well as a freelance photographer. In 2007 she co-founded of 826DC, a nonprofit in Washington, DC that offers free creative writing field trips and drop-in tutoring for students in grades K-12. Find her on Twitter at @juliacsmith – and at @idealist, of course.
Lorene Straka, Chief of Staff (New York)
Two weeks after moving to New York in October 1999, Lorene met Ami on the subway. Three weeks after moving to New York, Lorene became an intern at Idealist. Two months later, she was hired on as a program coordinator, doing administrative work and anything else needed to help an organization with a staff of three. More than a decade after moving to New York from her hometown of Woodstock, VT, Lorene is delighted to still be working at Idealist. In the early days, she developed the Kids & Teens website, oversaw the development of the Spanish, French, and Russian versions of Idealist, and, in 2004, moved to Buenos Aires to help Juan Cruz, Matías, and Rochi open the first AWB office outside the United States. She returned to New York in May of 2005. Lorene graduated from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in 1998.
Interns
Kevin Kennedy, Grad Fair Intern (Portland)
Kevin is native Portlander, born and raised in the City of Roses. He attended the same middle school and high school as his mother. During his time in high school, Kevin was a local performing artist for Radio Disney where he rubbed elbows with stars like Miley Cyrus. As his senior year came to an end, Kevin headed south to the University of Oregon to study public relations. In Eugene, he worked for organizations like the prestigious Bach Festival and Allen Hall Public Relations, the university's student-run PR firm. Kevin has made his triumphant return to Portland, eager to support the efforts of the Idealist Grad Fairs. He hopes to further develop his skills as a communicator and give back to his community. In his spare time he enjoys rediscovering the city he left four years ago, exploring new restaurants, and perfecting his electric karaoke skills.