RÉSUMÉ

Katalina Khoury

MA, Public Anthropology

 c. (703)-899-8776

Katalina.Khoury[at]gmail.com 

EDUCATION

American University  |  August 2018 to May 2020

Washington, DC

Advisor: Dr. David Vine

M.A., Public Anthropology

  • For two semesters, I contributed research and worked with a local group called Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition (BACC) advocating to repossess and memorialize ancestral African American cemeteries. 
  • Conducted and transcribed 2 oral history interviews, transcribed audio from interviews conducted in the 1960s, and conducted archival research at the Special Collections and University Archives at the University of Maryland.
  • A panelist for a session titled “What is Public Anthropology?” at AU’s Public Anthropology Conference on 10/27/2018. 
  • Co-produced a radio program for “What’s at Stake” on WPFW 89.3 FM about my department’s work with BACC airing on 11/21/2018.
  • Presented original research at AU’s Robyn Rafferty Mathias Student Research Conference on 3/30/2019 about structural violence and institutional racism resulting from development-caused displacement processes and their effects on African American resident communities in the suburbs of Maryland in the 20th century.  
  • Participated in a public anthropology clinic working with the Costs of War Project at Brown University to research for a co-authored paper as well as create a map of conflict-induced displacement due to U.S. interventionism in Middle Eastern and North African countries.
  • As my graduation project, I presented my published article titled, “A Comparison Study of International Development-Caused Forced Displacement and Resettlement by the World Bank and Gentrification in Washington, DC,”on 5/06/2020 and contributed a research proposal titled, “Investigating How Cooperatives Can Be Used in Rebuilding a New System of Governance to Combat Gentrification and Displacement in Washington, DC.”

American University  |  August 2011 to May 2017

Washington, DC

Advisor: Dr. David Vine

B.A., Anthropology, Minor in Philosophy

  • Participated in a public anthropology clinic working with Chagossian people advocating in U.K. Courts for reparations regarding their forced exile from Chagos/Diego Garcia in the late 1960s-early 1970s for a U.S. military base. 
  • Participated in the anthropology department’s bi-monthly social justice seminars.
  • My capstone project to graduate was titled, “The Chagossian Struggle: Lessons Learned from Three Social Movements,” presented on 4/27/2017. 
  • On 9/06/2017, I presented my capstone project a second time to Dr. Suzanne Unger’s anthropological research methods class.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

  • November 2017. “Development Anthropology in the Millennial Age: Memoirs of a Research Assistant.” American Anthropological Association (AAA), Vancouver, CA. [Accepted to present, but did not attend].
  • October 2018. “What is Public Anthropology?” Public Anthropology Conference (PAC), American University, Washington, DC.
  • March 2019. “The BACC and the Social Movement to Combat Gentrification and Achieve Reparations for Black River Road Bethesda, MD Communities.” Robyn Rafferty Mathias Student Research Conference, American University, Washington, DC.
  • May 2019. “The BACC and the Social Movement to Combat Gentrification and Achieve Reparations for Black River Road Bethesda, MD Communities.” SANA/SUNTA Spring Conference. San Juan, PR. [Accepted to present, but did not attend].

PROFESSIONAL WORK EXPERIENCE

ONE DC |  July 2020-December 2020

Washington, DC

Organizing Apprentice Intern

  • Managed Digital and Communications for the Right to Housing Committee, including ONE DC’s Selfie Campaign in collaboration with other coalition partners toward Cancel Rent DC in support of low-income DC residents due to COVID-19.
  • Attended staff meetings, retreats, planning sessions, and meetings of Right to Housing, Social Media, Resource Development, and Outreach Committees.
  • Supported organizing strategy for Right to Housing, Social Media, and Black Workers & Wellness Center campaigns while collaborating with DC residents and workers, ONE DC staff, and ONE DC members.
  • Researched on topics and legislation related to housing and work-related issues. 
  • Recruited and developed relationships with ONE DC members via phone banking.

Institute for Public Accuracy  |  January 2020 to April 2020

Washington, DC

Organizer 

  • Assisted to organize a demonstration at ABC News’ HQs in DC to protest corporate media bias in 2019-2020 DNC debates for Presidential candidacy.
  • Conducted outreach and added contacts to IPA’s lists of advocacy groups and media in the DC metro area. 
  • Researched on establishment bias in U.S. politics.

Institute for Public Accuracy  |  July 2019 to April 2020 

Washington, DC

Research Assistant Intern

  • Developed ways to disseminate IPA material, especially to a youth audience.
  • Researched on domestic and foreign policy issues, including their coverage.
  • Posted news releases and other content on IPA’s website, Twitter, and Facebook.
  • Visited nearly 100 Congressional offices regarding anti-nuclear weapons policy. 
  • Tracked media that cited experts featured in IPA news releases.

American University  |  January 2019 to May 2019

Washington, DC

Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant

  • Conducted research in support of Dr. Toni Tileva’s dissertation.
  • Assisted Dr. Tileva in teaching and grading for an undergraduate sexuality, gender, and culture class in the Department of Anthropology.
  • Catalogued archival documents for Dr. David Vine.

Foundation for Law and International Affairs  |  July 2018 to September 2018

Washington, DC

Research Assistant 

  • Researched for and wrote blog posts contributing analyses to news stories published on FLIA’s website.

National Community Reinvestment Coalition  |  February 2018 to June 2018

Washington, DC

Research Intern

  • Located, downloaded, and cleaned large HMDA datasets.
  • Conducted 30 reports containing maps about bank lending patterns in major U.S. cities. 
  • Researched and synthesized data on banking practices in the U.S. for literature reviews. 
  • Assisted NCRC’s 2018 “Just Economy” Conference with over 1,000 participants, including group visits to meet with representatives on Capitol Hill.

American Institutes for Research  |  January 2018 to March 2018

Washington, DC

Test Development Assistant Intern

  • Reviewed English Language Assessment test questions for school grades 4-12 for quality control using AIR’s database.

Dr. Michael M. Cernea  |  October 2015 to July 2018

Bethesda, MD

Research Assistant

  • Edited articles, books, and essays about development-caused forced displacement and resettlement by multilateral organizations.   
  • Conducted research, assembled bibliographies, and conducted literature reviews.
  • Produced graphs, Power-Point presentations, index lists, data tables, and pie charts.
  • Coordinated with 23 co-authors of a book in production.

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

DC Grassroots Planning Coalition  |  March 2019 to December 2019

Washington, DC                 

Member of the Research Committee

  • Attended monthly meetings of DCGPC and meetings of its Research Committee to research topics and legislation regarding affordable housing and how to organize against displacement in Washington, DC. 

2018 Smithsonian Folklife Festival  |  June 2018 to July 2018

Washington, DC

2018 Armenia Program Volunteer 

  • Served daytime shifts at the National Mall on 6/30 and 7/1 in 2018 to assist the Armenia: Creating Home program.

Voices of Virginia: A Qualitative Study of Shared Understandings and Civic Engagements in the Aftermath of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Elections  |  November 2017 to May 2018

Washington, DC and Annandale, VA

Volunteer for the Literature Review Team and the Annandale, VA Research Team

  • Participated in a research project administered by the Washington Association of Professional Anthropologists to interview Virginia residents about the 2016 U.S. Presidential election. 
  • On 12/10/2017 and 12/16/2017, I attended training seminars on how to conduct formal structured interviews and focus groups. 

Coalition for the Homeless  |  May 2018 to June 2018

Washington, DC

Volunteer

  • Conducted administrative tasks such as overseeing calendar appointments, receiving phone calls, filing documents, and attending to visitors while working at the front desk of a men’s work-to-stay homeless shelter.

Grassroots Campaigns  |  August 2017 to September 2017

Washington, DC

Canvasser

  • Worked with the Action Fund in canvassing and conducting other outreach to raise funds for Planned Parenthood initiatives toward reproductive health rights, issues, and policies.

AFL-CIO  |  December 2016

Pittsburgh, PA

Participant in AFL-CIO’s Organizing Institute

  • Participated in a 3-day training seminar about how to effectively organize a labor union in workplaces.

AWARDS

  • Harvey C. and M. Sarah Moore Fellowship, Academic Years 2018-2019 by AU’s Anthropology Department. 
  • Harvey C. and M. Sarah Moore Fellowship, Academic Years 2019-2020 by AU’s Anthropology Department.

ORGANIZATIONS

  • ONE DC, Member
  • Empower DC & DC Grassroots Planning Coalition (DCGPC), Member
  • Washington Association of Professional Anthropologists (WAPA), Member
  • American Anthropological Association (AAA), Member 
  • The Smithsonian Institution, Volunteer

SKILLS

  • Computer & Internet Programs: MacOS, Microsoft Operating Systems, Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook), Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Action Network, Acrobat Reader, and WordPress, a.o.
  • Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and Reddit.
  • Software: have been instructed on how to use NVivo, but have yet to use it in my research or professional work. 
  • Language: workability in speaking, reading, and writing French. 
  • Other: experience working with ArcGIS.