Administrative Director: Dr. Michael Hannahan

Dr. Hannahan was born in Springfield, Ohio in 1959. He received his Bachelor's degree in 1980 from Miami of Ohio and his Master's Degree and Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts. Dr. Hannahan's research examines the effects of political campaign activity — especially direct mail and phone banks. Dr. Hannahan has worked for political parties, managed campaigns and political consulting firms, and served as Senior Advisor to former Massachusetts Governor, Jane Swift. He teaches American Political Thought, American Government, Campaign Finance and Reform, and Modern Political Campaigns. Dr. Hannahan's wife, Lisa, is a Speech Therapist at Fort River School in Amherst. He has two children: Colin, 12 and Caitlin, 15. He enjoys running, hiking, golf, and the Boston Red Sox baseball team. As Administrative Director, Dr. Hannahan is responsible for making sure your programs run smoothly and your stay is enjoyable as well as productive. He will also make presentations on American campaigns and elections.

Senior Project Manager: Lonce Sandy-Bailey, Ph.D.

Lonce Sandy-Bailey, Ph.D. is the Senior Project Manager of the University of Massachusetts Civic Initiative. Lonce has over ten years of experience in political campaign consulting, including fundraising and campaign communications, and non-profit fundraising and program development. He has worked at every level of government in over five states. Most recently, he was the Assistant Director of Development for the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  Additionally, Lonce has lectured at UMass Amherst offering courses in American Government, and American Political Thought. 

Mr. Sandy-Bailey holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California Irvine and an M.A. in Government and Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia. He received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Massachusetts where his research focused on political reform during the Progressive era and the development of the American state.

Program Director: Dr. Jerome Mileur
Institute for American Politics and Political Development

Dr. Jerome Mileur (Jerry) will direct the Institute on American Politics and Political Thought. He is professor emeritus in the Department of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he taught courses on party and electoral politics in the U.S. and on twentieth century American politics and thought. A former president of the New England Political Science Association and Department Chair, he is currently coeditor of a UMass Press series on the political development of the American nation. Mileur has worked in the state legislatures of Illinois and Massachusetts and has been active in Democratic party politics. A native Midwesterner from Illinois, he holds a Ph.D. in Government from Southern Illinois University. Outside the Academy, his passions are collecting political cartoons and memorabilia and professional baseball. As Program Director, Dr. Mileur is responsible for curricular development and content.

Financial and Administrative Assistant: Susan Strate

Susan Strate joined our staff in December as the Financial and Administrative Assistant for the Civic Initiative. She has 14 years experience working in the non-profit sector, including 11 years in grant-writing, program development, and contract management for anti-poverty agencies in Western Massachusetts. She has a B.A. in Comparative Literature, with a concentration in Spanish Literature, from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Program Assistant: Alexandra Proshina

Ms. Alexandra Proshina was born in Tomsk, Russia (Siberia) and moved to Pskov, North-West Russia when very young. She has lived in the United States for four years. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Management and Economics from Saint-Petersburg State Technical University and a Master's Degree in Regional Planning from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Ms. Proshina has extensive experience using quantitative and qualitative methodologies in business settings as well as a background in statistics and databases. Ms. Proshina is very interested in international development, economics, and citizen exchange. As Program Assistant for the Academy of Indonesian Educators she is responsible for the smooth operation of trips, events and day-to-day organization.

Program Assistant: Paul Rego

Paul Rego, a native of York County, Pennsylvania, holds a B.A. in Political Science from Millersville University. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where his research focused on the political thought of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26 th President of the United States. Paul has lectured at UMass, offering courses in American Politics and Constitutional Law. In the fall, he will teach both the American Presidency and American Political Thought. Paul’s interests include running, historical books, presidential memorabilia, and animated cartoons.

Program Assistant: Diana Gierstorfer

Diana Gierstorfer was born in Munich, Germany in 1980. She is enrolled at Munich's University LMU to pursue a Master's degree in American Studies but spent the academic year 2004-05 at UMass Amherst with a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). With her minors in American Literature and Political Science she focuses her studies on American Government, and 20th century history. In 1999-2000 she spent a year as an Au Pair near Chicago, Illinois. Last year she interned in the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin and also studied at the Freie Universitaet Berlin's JFK-Institute for North American Studies. Ms. Gierstorfer loves skiing, mountain biking and digital photography. As Program Assistant for the Institute of American Politics and Political Thought in 2005 she was responsible for the smooth operation of trips, events and day-to-day organization.

Program Assistant: Lauren Handley

Lauren Handley is originally from Edmond, Oklahoma, though she spent most of her childhood in the Washington, D.C metropolitan area. She received a B.A. in Politics and Women’s Studies from University of California- Santa Cruz. For two years, she worked as a welfare case administrator in the Medicaid program in Santa Cruz. She is now pursuing graduate study in the University of Massachusetts Political Science program, with an emphasis on political theory. Her interests include modern European theory, particularly liberalism, Marxism and critical theory.