Hello! My name is Austin Pomianowski and I am a first-year graduate student in the International Peace & Conflict Resolution program here at American University. Being raised in south Florida taught me the joy and importance of diversity in culture, work, and academia. During my undergraduate career at Florida State University, I helped to facilitate conversations on the Israel-Palestine conflict, and I hope to continue using dialogue to bring cultural gaps here at AU. The understanding of different cultures and backgrounds, creating positive dialogue, and having a rich sense of empathy are quintessential for having a career in international affairs. As a facilitator, I hope to take the lessons I have learned throughout my professional and academic career and apply to them toward making AU a place with beneficial dialogue on diversity and inclusion.

I am the Business Coordinator for the Office of Enrollment at American University. I previously facilitated dialogues on privilege with the Center for Diversity & Inclusion and dialogues on intercultural communication with International Student and Scholar Services. Through both experiences, I witnessed how constructive dialogue across difference is crucial to building an inclusive community. I am an AU Connects facilitator because I want to continue contributing to these challenging yet truly invaluable conversations.

Hi I’m Caroline Figueiredo Hausmann (she/her). I am a Brazilian American who has lived in both countries as well as raised in France. Since I was young I’ve been exposed to new cultures and life experiences, I started really diving into dialogue in my last job at a non-profit in international education where I worked with students from around the world. I’m an First-Year Advisor and AUx Instructor here at AU and have continued to build my dialogue skills with students but look forward to connect with the AU community at large through AU Connects. I approach dialogue spaces by creating a foundation of community and connection then nurturing growth with openness, curiosity and love.

I am a Director of Events in the Office of the CAS Dean and a proud AU Alumna (MA, CAS 2016), as well as a current part-time graduate student in CAS’s MFA Studio Art program (2022 candidate). As an administrator, I see my role as creator of safe spaces for all of the important work that we do. As an artist, my work lends itself to conversations of intersectional feminism, human equity and personal narrative. I look forward to creating safe and brave spaces of dialogue surrounding issues of diversity, equity and inclusion with AU Connects. I enter this work with an ecological philosophy that if any one of us is not thriving, then it is impossible for the whole to thrive. I truly believe that this community is full of authentic changemakers and it is my highest hope that I can support them.

I am an Assistant Director of Financial Aid. I earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Norfolk State University and an MBA from Strayer University both with a concentration in Marketing. I am currently pursuing my Doctoral degree in Educational Leadership and Management. I serve on the Veterans Liaison Network, which is a resource group for veteran students on campus. I am also the Graduate Coordinator and Veterans Liaison in the Financial Aid Office. I am part of the leadership team for the Black Faculty and Staff Affinity Group at AU and currently serve on the DEDCMDASFAA Executive Board as DC President and Historian. I am a member of the EASFAA executive council and the regional representative for the NASFAA Diversity Task Force.

I am energized by helping people and organizations be more effective by facilitating greater diversity, inclusion, and equity. My career has included training, facilitating, recruiting, developing processes and systems, and consulting . My training and education include a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership, Meyers Briggs (MBTI) Certification, an EQi-2.0 Certification, a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate (from USF), and various facilitation trainings. At American University, I currently serve as a Coaching Administrator in the Key Executive Leadership Programs where I manage coaching partnerships and 360 assessments.

I grew up mostly in the DC area but also attended a few years of school in Brasilia, Brazil, where my mother is from. I got my BA in Intercultural Peacebuilding from BYU-Hawaii, where I learned a lot about Polynesian cultures and facilitated interpersonal conflict workshops for students and the community. I then served in Peace Corps Morocco until COVID-19 interrupted my service, after which I spent a lot of time painfully reflecting on America’s racial past and present. I found myself wondering: how can I contribute to justice, healing, and a better country and world for future generations? When I started the International Peace and Conflict Resolution grad program and heard about AU Connects, I knew it was a great opportunity to take part in this important work.

I have worked at AU Central since March 2010. I am currently the Associate Director in AU Central. Additionally, I am an adjunct instructor in the School of Education, where I teach the AUx1 and AUx2 courses to first year undergraduate students. I previously worked in financial aid at the University of Maryland College Park, and at Sallie Mae, where I worked with schools and students on loan repayment and financial literacy. I love working with students and parents, and am looking forward to utilizing my skills to work with faculty, staff and students in a different context. My husband Jay and I are the parents of two awesome and active daughters. I enjoy basketball, 80s music, trivia and watching my daughters’ sporting events.

I am an MFA film student at American University with a concentration in Political, Cultural, and Social Impact. Prior to coming to American, I completed an MPhil in Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. Although my school was based in Dublin, I lived and studied in Belfast, Northern Ireland. My research and work there included trauma and storytelling in the post-agreement society of Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is a divided society, and segregation can be seen at every level. My experience there has shown me the importance of creating empathic spaces for dialogue and its vital usage for combating dehumanization. I hope to use the skills I have learned there as part of the AU Connects facilitation team to help foster a more inclusive and dignity-based community at American University.

I am a web developer with WAMU and joined AU Connects to facilitate the change necessary to create an inclusive, equitable, diverse world. Having managed, trained, and led teams ranging from me to multitudes, I love learning from the people around me and am well-versed in guiding constructive conversations that move the participants forward. I have deep empathy with and for folx on their journey, and I am willing to be open, honest, and vulnerable about my own growth in ensuring every person is seen, heard, and appreciated for who they are and where they are right now.

My commitment to cross-cultural understanding and communication has been the focal point of my education, professional and personal life. The challenges and misunderstandings that I have faced while traveling, working and living abroad have taught me to be compassionate towards others and helped me develop a capacity for cultural sensitivity. My multi-cultural upbringing, Peace Corps service in rural China and experiences working with immigrant communities serve as the catalyst to facilitate conversations around culture, race and identity. Continued dialogue around these topics are more crucial now than ever. Because of this, I chose to serve as an AU Connects Facilitator. As a staff member and graduate student, AU Connects presents the opportunity to apply a unique perspective as well as put into practice relevant coursework.

Kayo Beshir was born in Bale, Oromia, and lived in Kenya and Uganda before moving to the United States. He is currently pursuing his Masters at the School of International Service at AU focusing on International Peace and Conflict Resolution. Prior to AU Kayo worked at the Tennessee Immigrants & Refugee Rights Coalition working to empower and advocate for all immigrants and refugees in Tennessee and also sits on the executive committee of the Opportunity For All Campaign, a national campaign designed to shift social, political, and economic conditions for refugees so they can achieve their full potential. Kayo is very excited to bring his lived experiences to the vibrant AU connects initiative and be part of a network that would lead conversations with the future leaders of tomorrow. When not advocating for his communities, Kayo loves traveling ( 24 countries already) and learning languages.

Hi, I’m Leah Rullman (she/they)! I am a second-year graduate student in the Ethics, Peace, and Human Rights program, with a concentration in human rights and social justice. I am originally from Kentucky, and lived there for most of my life. I am extremely passionate about advocating for the human rights of marginalized people, and I have previously worked to bridge gaps across cultural divides (from living abroad and volunteering with refugees) and gender/sexuality identities that fit outside of our cisgender, heteronormative societal lens. I’m looking forward to helping facilitate conversations that celebrate our differences while simultaneously connecting us through meaningful dialogue.

I currently work as the Graduate Admissions Counselor and Coordinator of the SIS Peace Corps Coverdell Fellows Program. In these roles, I serve as the primary admissions counselor and recruiter sharing the best of SIS with prospective students and enrollment partners. I joined the Graduate Enrollment Management team for the School of International Service after working in secondary education for eight years, teaching language courses in both domestic and international settings. Through this work, I developed a passion for intercultural communication and facilitating conversations that lead to better understanding. I look forward to serving with AU Connects and working towards its goal of building a more inclusive campus climate.

I am a 1st-year IPCR graduate student at SIS and received my BA in Performing Arts and East European Studies from Oberlin College and Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. As a 2018 Actors’ Fund Push Grant recipient and 2019 NYU Performance and Politics EMERGENYC resident artist, my theatrical work explores immigration and gentrification in the U.S. I work at the Fair Housing Justice Center, a non-profit housing advocacy organization, and volunteer as a facilitator for Operation Conversation: Cops & Kids, a New York City-based program that provides a safe space for police officers and teens to explore conflict and connections. My previous work as a skills trainer with the National Institute for Trial Advocacy and the Columbia School of Law Housing Clinic provided me with new opportunities to explore the many facets of conflict within diverse communities. I look forward to supporting and building justice and healing within the AU community and am honored to be working with AU Connects.

Nalani Love-Harris (they/them & ze/zir) is an educator that focuses on equity, care, and liberation through a Black Queer Nonbinary lens. They have spent over six years working in academia in the support and development of students, faculty, and staff. Nalani is the creator of Grow with Nalani, a social media project on Instagram and Facebook that was created to share what they have learned about equity, care, and liberation through their lived experiences, education, and working in academia in the forms of digital toolkits. At American University, they provide administrative support for the First Year Advising team.

Natalie is an audio engineer at WAMU 88.5. In addition to serving on the station’s Workplace Culture Taskforce to tackle inequities and discrimination in 2020-2021, she also started a DEI-focused book club in the WAMU Technology Department and looks forward to contributing more to the university-wide effort towards inclusion, understanding, and tolerance.

I am a first year graduate student in the Ethics, Peace and Human Rights program concentrating in Human Rights and Social Justice. I am passionate about creating understanding in bridging gaps across social, economic, and cultural borders and this is what motivated me to become an AU facilitator. While conversations about race, identity and ethnicity might be uncomfortable for many, I believe they are essential in developing mutual understanding and respect which, I believe, transcend physical, cultural, and ideological boundaries. I look forward to facilitating this type of dialogue on AU’s campus!

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and access profoundly impact my personal and professional life. I have always gravitated towards intricate conversations that blend many different intersectional identities. My work in DEIA began as an undergraduate, working directly for my alma mater’s diversity and inclusion office. During this time, I learned the critical competencies and intercultural skills that are so important in this work. I am honored to build upon my professional development as a graduate assistant within Inclusive Excellence and as a graduate student studying Global Governance, Politics, and Security. As an AU Connects Facilitator, I intend to be an active listener and thought partner to the needs of our campus community.

I graduated with a degree in Neuroscience and Behavior from Barnard College in New York City, and I am currently a second-year Psychology Master’s student here at AU researching predictors of anxiety and distress related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in youth. I also work with student-athletes on campus as an Assistant Academic Counselor with the SASP. Through these experiences, I have been grateful to meet so many people and hear about their individual experiences and backgrounds. I am so excited to be a part of the AU Connects team and facilitate conversations surrounding identity and diversity on campus!

I was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama. In my youth, I observed a lot of tension between different racial communities which sparked my initial interest in racial dialogue. My goal in joining AU Connects as a facilitator is to break down barriers that prevent people from engaging in these kinds of tough conversations. Creating and maintaining a safe space will be my biggest priority. As a graduate student, my interests are in training (design and facilitation) and program evaluation. I am very experienced in working with non-native English speakers since I was a former ESL/EFL teacher both in the US and abroad in Turkey, Russia, and Kazakhstan. If you would like a facilitated conversation that will involve students from varying levels of English, I can support that request!

I am a second year master’s candidate in philosophy that focuses on questions of identity and being. I approach these traditional philosophic issues with a broad focus on race and gender in the United States, and a specific focus on white masculinity(ies). As an AU Connects Facilitator I hope to be able to help make more spaces on campus where conversations about equity and race can begin. He/Him/His.