Washington DC

Nic works on intelligence and national security policy on Capitol Hill, drafting legislation and conducting congressional oversight. He served in the U.S. Army on active duty for over ten years and remains a member of the Army Reserve. From his work overseas and in the Senate, Nic is optimistic about our country’s future and always appreciates fruitful conversation about our shared American values and ideals. He is excited to bring Americans together, break down barriers and promote dialogue aimed at finding common ground and understanding different perspectives in our society.

New York NY

Originally from Moundou, Chad, Njekwa lived in Texas for two decades before moving to New York City. Since 2005, he has worked in the wine industry, which has made him appreciate our connectivity at the table and through the food chain. His parents allowed him to experience so many different, beautiful cultures and appreciate peoples’ innate similarities, and he sees American Tributaries doing those same things to foster relationships and community among Americans from different regions.

New York NY

Elisabeth is a humanities teacher at Booker T. Washington MS54 in Manhattan, and the founder of College Students for Enrichment in Secondary Schools. A New York City Teaching Fellow, she received Bachelors and Masters degrees in Arabic and English literature from Harvard (2006), a PhD in Arabic Literature from Princeton (2012), and a Masters in Education from St. John’s University (2014). As an educator and citizen, she believes in open-hearted exploration of experiences beyond one’s own, so she is delighted to support the work of American Tributaries.

Brooklyn NY

Chloe Mata Crane has worked in public relations since 2000. As Executive Vice President and Partner of Baltz & Company she directs media strategy and communications for clients including José Andrés Group, Marcus Samuelsson Group and the non-profit World Central Kitchen. Earlier experience included fundraising for the Oakland Military Institute and Human Rights Watch. A California native, Chloe is a graduate of Brown University. Chloe believes in the transformative power of travel and in the importance of promoting civil civic engagement among the next generation.

Hopkinton MA

Rob has worked as a financial executive in biotechnology for more than 20 years with roles at Amgen, Moderna Therapeutics, and, most recently, Checkmate Pharmaceuticals as Chief Financial Officer. He received an MBA from the Wharton School and a BS in civil engineering and strategic management from the University of Pennsylvania. Rob believes American Tributaries is a novel and exciting approach to enhancing, through our youth and their supportive families, the current degraded state of politics and discourse in our country.

Alexandria VA

Josh hails from Annapolis MD and has traveled the world while serving in the US Navy since 1993. He holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and the Naval Postgraduate School. He enjoys time with his family, including biking, chauffeuring kids and outdoor activities. As a career Naval Officer who takes an oath to support/defend the Constitution, he's encouraged by the American Tributaries’ initiative to find those things that unite us as citizens and people and find a better way forward for the nation.

Brooklyn NY

Katie is an actor, voice over artist, teacher and coach. She moved from Nashville, Tennessee to New York City in the spring of 2000 to train at Atlantic Acting School where she has also taught speech and voice since 2003. She thinks that American Tributaries is a brilliant way to begin to mend the fractured state of our country. By getting young people to truly see and listen to people of all ages from across the country (live and in person!) and to be seen and heard themselves, will enable everyone to see that we're not so different after all.

Greenville SC

Eric brings extensive experience from a variety of corporate and non-profit practitioner and leadership roles, going back to 1999. His interest in American Tributaries coincides with personal work he led in his community to bring together diverse-minded people to develop a shared understanding. That work led him to Braver Angels, where he currently serves at the co-Chair of their Palmetto Alliance in upstate South Carolina. Eric graduated with a BA from Wofford College and an MBA from The Ohio State University.

Bronxville NY

Erin has worked in book publishing since 1997. She is Vice President and Publicity Director at W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., managing publicity campaigns for some of today's most prominent fiction and non-fiction authors. She is on the Board of Concordia Conservatory and the Bronxville Non-Partisan Committee, which interviews and endorses candidates for the School Board. She graduated from the University of Virginia. Having attended school in the South and now living in the North, Erin is passionate about American Tributaries’ mission to bridge the geographic divides in our nation.

Brooklyn NY

Thornton is Executive Editor of The Daily Upside and a lifelong Brooklynite. Previously, among other positions, he was the Money & Markets reporter at MarketWatch, covered Wall Street for The New York Post, and was Executive Editor of the financial blog Dealbreaker. He is a graduate of Middlebury College and New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. Thornton believes promoting our commonalities and understanding our differences is essential to a healthy society and economic system becoming ever-more specialized.

San Francisco CA

David Sarratt grew up in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and attended the University of Virginia, where he obtained both his undergraduate and law degrees. He subsequently served as a federal law clerk and federal prosecutor, before becoming a partner in the litigation department of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP in their New York City office and, now, their San Francisco office. David believes that American Tributaries’ promotion of mutual understanding among Americans is essential in a country so vast in size and population and diverse on so many different levels.

Brooklyn NY

Elijah Sivin is a lifelong Brooklynite who has been teaching since he worked at Summerbridge in San Francisco and got hooked on the magic of the classroom. He has taught Grades 9 and 10 world history courses and a wide range of electives (including American Politics, History of the 1960s, and History of New York City) and has been leading Poly Prep’s Service Learning program since 2011. Elijah received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Brown University. He sees American Tributaries as a great way to expand on his commitment to open dialogue, intellectual exchange and experiential learning.

Clark NJ

Frank has been a social studies teacher since 1998, teaching various courses including US History, US Government, Criminal Justice and Holocaust & Genocide Studies and participating in many activities including athletics and student council. Since 2006, he has taught at Cranford High School (NJ), where he was selected the school’s Teacher of the Year for 2012-13 and is active on the school’s Relay for Life committee. Frank loves America and traveling and is thrilled to be working with students via American Tributaries Travel.