JSAF Staff

In addition to serving as the CEO of the Junior State of America Foundation, Rachel Kaganoff Stern serves on the Board of the Sanford Public Policy School at Duke University. She spent five years as a board member and member of the Executive Committee of the Alliance for College Ready Schools, and served for eleven years on the Women in Leadership Steering Committee at Princeton University. She is the former Co-Chair of the Women’s Political Committee, a Los Angeles-based political action committee that raises money for Democratic women candidates for office. She was a long-time member of the Board of Planned Parenthood’s Advocacy Project.

Rachel spent 15 years as an Associate Political Scientist at the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica. She worked across a number of research areas including health care, civil justice, and national security policy. Her primary responsibilities were to design and implement case studies. Her final project at RAND was a two-year study evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the programs used to compensate losses resulting from the September 11 Terrorist Attacks (*Compensation for Losses from the 9/11 Attacks, *RAND 2004). Prior to working at RAND Rachel spent two years working as a researcher at the Institute for Defense Analyses in Washington, D.C. Rachel graduated magna cum laude with an A.B. in Politics from Princeton University and has a master’s degree in Public Policy from Duke University.
Rachel was a member of JSA from 1978 to 1982, serving on State Cabinet in a number of positions, and as Chapter President at Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta, California. She attended Summer School at U.C. Davis in 1980, and attended the first Washington D.C. Summer School in 1981. She worked as a Resident Advisor for the Junior State at UC Davis, Stanford and Georgetown, and in 2014 she served as Interim Program Director for the Southern California region. Rachel served on the JSAF Board of Directors for nine years, serving first as National Fundraising Chair, then Vice President of the Board, and served three years as President of the Board.

Andee joined Junior State of America Foundation in January of 2020 as Senior Program Director for Southern California. Andee was a passionate JSA Teacher Advisor for ten years at Palm Valley School in the Palm Springs area, where she also served as Head of Upper School. She taught ten different social studies courses to students from 6th - 12th grade in her 15 years of educational experience. Prior to transitioning into education, Andee worked in local, regional, and national politics.

In addition to her work with JSA, Andee is the Founder and President of the College Admissions Partnership, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing quality college admissions guidance to underserved students in the Coachella Valley.

Andee started her own educational experience at College of the Desert where she served as the Vice President of the Associated Students, and was honored at the annual Women’s History Month celebration for her work in transforming the campus’s aging library into a Student Center. She later transferred to and earned her BA from UCLA in Political Science with an emphasis in American Government. In 2019, Andee completed her Doctorate in Education and Administration at UCLA.

Born in Los Angeles, Andee grew up in the great state of Alaska. She and her husband James later returned to Southern California where they have lived with their son for more than 20 years. If you follow her on Instagram, you will see that beyond her passion for JSA and student activism, she is an avid knitter and cook.

Ed Banayat is the Program Director for the US Territories and Freely Associated States. This is Ed’s second tour with the Junior State of America Foundation. He previously served as the Registrar for the Northern California Territory and Admissions Director for the Stanford Summer School and also assisted with the California Symposia.
Originally from Elk Grove, California, he was the President of the Elk Grove High School JSA Chapter. He has worn many hats in his professional career, from matching funds auditing for presidential campaigns, working as a Marketing Director for Kaplan, Inc. to small business consulting. Prior to returning to JSA, he was the President/CEO of the Millbrae Chamber of Commerce.

Ed received his B.A. in Political Science from UC Santa Barbara and an MBA from Notre Dame de Namur University. He likes to spend his spare time boxing, biking, surfing, snowboarding, playing rugby and the stereo. You may find him outdoors hiking with his dog Elko. Ed currently resides in Palo Alto, CA.

Colette joined Junior State of America Foundation in 2020. She has over a decade of experience in youth development and community engagement at various non-profits, non-formal educational organizations, and schools. Her roles have included: facilitator, mentor, teacher, community partner, student, coordinator, and researcher. She has had the opportunity to facilitate and teach service-learning and community engagement from elementary school to post-secondary education in school and out-of-school programming.

Colette’s personal early experience with community engagement in middle and high school was extremely transformative and shaped her education and career path. These community engagement opportunities lead her to found a non-profit, Baragwanath Blessings Inc., while in high school which she continues to run today. Colette is excited to join the JSA team and support youth in making a positive impact on local and global communities.

Colette was born and raised in the Bay Area. She has a Master’s of Science Degree in Child Development from UC Davis and a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Human Development & Family Studies and Consumer & Community Studies from the University of Utah. Colette is also continuing her studies pursuing a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Saint Mary’s College of California. Her main areas of study and research are youth service-learning and community engagement, which align strongly with JSA’s work.

Arnela Colic recently completed her Master's in International Education Policy Analysis at Stanford University where she also served as the Academic Program Manager for the university's Summer Session. Her research focuses on education's role in conflict transformation and examines curriculum and policy as avenues for reform and progress. Prior to her time at Stanford, she served for two years in the United States Peace Corps as an English teacher and teacher trainer in rural Kosovo, which inspired her to pursue a career in education research and policy development. Arnela holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from UC Berkeley and is fluent in Bosnian, Albanian, and Russian. In her time at JSA, Arnela served as the Golden Gate Region Mayor (2011-2012), Northern California Governor (2012-2013), and attended the JSA summer programs at Georgetown University (2011) and in Beijing, China (2012).

Alzeta Wilson is serving JSA as an Outreach Associate. Previously, she taught English as a Second Language in Asia and Central America. Additionally, she has worked with nonprofit organizations, such as the International Rescue Committee, serving newly arrived refugees in Atlanta, Georgia, and most recently with Discovering Justice, a civic education organization serving students in Boston, Massachusetts. She hopes to apply skills developed in each of such positions to assist with organizational growth, partner communication, recruitment and research for JSA programs.

Alzeta received her Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology from Georgia State University, and is in the process of obtaining her Master’s Degree in Sociology and Demography from the University of Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona, Spain). She is focusing on quantitative data analysis in order to identify determinants of persistent economic and educational inequalities facing minority populations in the United States.

Alzeta Wilson is from Georgia; however, belonging to a military family, she spent much of her upbringing moving throughout the U.S. and Central America. The constant change in environment instilled an appreciation for diversity and a passion for serving others. During her downtime, she enjoys playing piano, studying Spanish, and exploring Barcelona with friends.

Jonathan is a former JSA alumnus who spent two summers attending the AP U.S. History program at UVA and the summer institute at UCLA. At the chapter level, Jonathan served as one of the 4 co-presidents leading a delegation of nearly 100 members. Later, the Neuwirth Leadership Academy chapter went on to receive JSA's National Civic Impact Award for its dedication to civic engagement and political awareness.

During his undergraduate career, Jonathan returned to many of JSA's overnight conventions (about 25) and the summer programs at UCLA, UC Davis, Princeton, and Stanford University. He graduated from the University of California-Riverside with a bachelor's degree in English in the hopes of one day stepping back into the classroom and inspiring the next generation of JSA's leaders.

Gabby always enjoyed working with communities to make a positive difference. During her time at UC Berkeley, Gabby ran the on campus thrift store and club called ReUSE, dedicated to reducing waste on campus while giving students affordable clothing, furniture, books, and more. After that, she worked as an Executive Assistant at a non-profit called GRID Alternatives, which worked to install solar panels on low income housing and give solar job training to disadvantaged communities. She earned her Salesforce Admin Certification while at JSA, working to improve the experience for our students and assist our busy and passionate team. In her free time, she creates mixed-media and digital artwork.

An experienced nonprofit and for-profit leader with a passion for aligning an organization’s operations with its strategic vision and goals, Adrienne returned to JSA in 2019 for a second engagement as CFO. Her purpose in the CFO role is to build the infrastructure needed to connect talented people with the information, resources and support they need to flourish in their work, especially during times of organizational change. While never a JSA participant during her school years, Adrienne holds JSA’s mission in high esteem and is heartened by the civic engagement of JSA students throughout the country.

Adrienne worked as a studio and touring musician for a number of years before earning her MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. She pursued her undergraduate studies at Smith College and Stanford University, from which she graduated with a B.A in Political Science.

As the JSA Controller, Simon Muturi is responsible for the accurate and timely maintenance and reporting of financial information which reflects the current financial position and operating performance of the Foundation. He works closely with the student governors, Program Directors, and Campus Directors in reviewing and analyzing the Foundation’s budget at various stages of completion and preparation of financial projections for major school year and summer events. As a graduate of California State University, Simon holds bachelor degrees in Accounting, Corporate Management, and Taxation. Before JSA, Simon worked with a number of internationally recognized non-profit organizations, overseas and locally.
In his spare time, Simon enjoys crafting, biking, reading, word games, and volunteering in organizations that serve the community.

Zhuai joined JSA in 2017. She was born in China and lived in Hong Kong for several years. She brings a different perspective to the working environment. She graduated from San Jose State University with a Bachelor degree in Accounting.
Zhuai is very passionate about giving back to the community, and she loves volunteering and helping elderly with their daily cooking/ grocery shopping. In her free time, she likes going to movies and doing yoga/ aerobic exercise. Due to Covid-19 social distancing, she discovered that gardening has been fun and rewarding.

A highly experienced development and philanthropy strategist with a passion for creating opportunities for young leaders to thrive, Susan is pleased to join JSA as Chief Development Officer. She is proud to have helped build the strength of the Women’s Foundation of California, the National Writing Project, World Trust and Disability Rights Advocates.

Partnering with colleagues Susan has raised millions of dollars to advance educational opportunity, racial equity, disability and human rights. She is also a certified leadership coach and loves working with individuals and teams to achieve their goals and tell stories that bring together fundraising, communications and practicality with their desire to create change.

Susan pursued undergraduate and graduate degrees at Denver University in working with Deaf people as well as others with language and hearing disabilities and went on to become one of the primary innovators of the bridge building work of making concerts and theater accessible to Deaf people through sign language interpretation. She worked extensively with the New York Shakespeare Festival and was a member of the Broadway company of Children of a Lesser God.

Elliot joined Junior State of America Foundation in May of 2019 as Program Director, and transitioned to the Development team in May 2020.

Prior to joining the JSA team, Elliot spent six years working with the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL), a nonpartisan nonprofit that conducts international political exchange programs around the country and the world. He also worked on President Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns and with Summer Discovery UPenn, a pre-college program for high school students.

Elliot received his bachelor’s degree in political science from The George Washington University, where he was active in student government and Model UN. He also studied abroad at the Royal Holloway University of London. He has his master’s degree in public policy from American University, where he served as the President of the graduate student body.

A native of Massachusetts, Elliot is a diehard fan of the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots. He currently lives in Fairfax, Virginia with his wife and teammate, Emily, and their giant mini-Schnauzer, Merlin. Outside of JSA, Elliot is a Sunday school teacher with Temple Rodef Shalom Religious School, a member of the Fairfax County Human Rights Commission, and serves on the American University Alumni Association Board.

Elliot has been passionate about government and politics from a young age and is excited to support JSA’s mission to provide opportunities for high school students to learn critical leadership skills and engage in debates on current events, while encouraging them to make a positive difference in their communities and the country

Ariel is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. After completing her studies at UCSB, Ariel joined City Year Los Angeles as an AmeriCorps member, providing social-emotional support to students across the Pico-Union community of Los Angeles. There, she discovered her passion in centering education equity and eventually joined City Year LA's Development team where she focused on uplifting and empowering the stories and experiences of students and AmeriCorps members in the community.

After nearly 3 years with City Year LA, Ariel made the move to the San Francisco Bay and joined the Development team at the Junior State of America Foundation. By using her platform as the Donor Relations Manager with JSA as well as her current role as an Alumni Board member with City Year LA, Ariel strives to continue empowering students and youth to unlock their full potential.

Saryn Francis is the Communications Manager, where she serves as JSA’s primary digital storyteller and community engager. She is a JSA Alumna, having attended Summer School at Stanford University in 2010. Before working at JSA, she served as the Communications Associate for YWCA USA, where she supports the organization in digital strategy, marketing, and branding efforts. Saryn also was the Communications Coordinator at Young People For, a youth leadership development program that empowers people to create long-lasting change in their communities. While there, she managed the communications shop, led the organization’s branding efforts, managed all social media platforms and the blog, and regularly created content for the organization’s website.

Saryn has a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from Howard University and an MPS (Master’s in Professional Studies) from Georgetown University in Public Relations and Corporate Communications. She was born in Plano, Texas, but raised in the United States Virgin Islands.