ABIGAIL VILLACRUSIS
Junior Faculty Advisor
Abby is a student at Virginia Wesleyan University double majoring in Communication and French. She enjoys competing in speech and debate and is on her school’s ethics bowl team. Additionally, she works in her school’s student activities office, assisting with planning and coordinating events. She attended WJMC in 2021 and can’t wait to come back!
EMMA TAYLOR
Junior Faculty Advisor
Emma Taylor is a rising sophomore at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. She is pursuing a major in Political Science and a minor in Anthropology/Sociology, as well as being on the pre-law track. Outside of the classroom, Emma is a member of Rhodes’ award-winning Mock Trial team, member of Kappa Delta Sorority, campus tour guide, and works as a student associate in the financial aid office. Emma is a 2021 WJMC alumna and served on the Advisory Board the following year. Her favorite part of WJMC was the connections she made and the knowledge she gained, and she cannot wait to meet all of the correspondents in July!
KEIRSTEN ROBINSON
Faculty Advisor, WJMC Alumna
Keirsten Robinson is a WJMC and George Mason alumna who currently works as a digital political strategist. She graduated with a BA in Communication with concentrations in journalism and public relations and minored in both political communications and American government. During her time at Mason, Keirsten was a staff writer for the Fourth Estate and an anchor for Mason Cable News. In her current role, she creates digital media content for political campaigns and organizations. Most notably, she contributed to President Biden’s 2020 campaign as well as the 2 Georgia Run-Off Elections. In her free time she enjoys traveling the world, trying new food, and attending as many concerts as possible!
ASSAD KHAN
Associate Director of Undergraduate Student Affairs, George Mason University
Khan is a 20+ year DC radio veteran. Having started as an intern which eventually turned into a spot as an on-air personality at the Legendary 99-1 HFS, Khan then went across town to iHeartRadio’s DC101 as a weekend/swing DJ. Focusing primarily on the alternative rock format, Khan has worked to engage audiences, build a rapport with the listeners and educate students on the industry of radio. During college, he was the promotions and public affairs director as well as a DJ of various specialty shows at WWVU-FM (U92) at West Virginia University. In his free time, he works as the Associate Director of Undergraduate Student Affairs in the College of Science at George Mason University.
KATIE URBAN
Corporate Communications, Capital One
Katie Urban currently works on the Corporate Communications team at Capital One, specializing in public relations, earned media engagement, and influencer strategy for Capital One’s flagship consumer credit cards. Prior to joining Capital One, Katie worked at Arlington-based real estate developer CRC Companies, where she developed marketing and communications strategies to assist with property lease-ups, win new business, and recruit new talent to the firm.
In college, Katie interned at Conde Nast for Glamour Magazine in New York City and at the NBC News affiliate in Charlottesville, Virginia. She also was an editor and columnist for The Cavalier Daily.
Katie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies and American Studies from the University of Virginia and a Masters in Professional Studies in Corporate Communications and Public Relations from Georgetown University.
ASHLEY LARSON
Advance Team Member
Ashley Larson is from Parker, Colorado. She is a Sophomore at Grand Canyon University. She loves photography, specifically sports photography! She currently works for Grand Canyon University’s feminist publication HerGCU. She writes, photographs, and plans events for this publication.
STEPHEN TAGLIERI
Marketing and Communications Coordinator, American Forest Foundation
Stephen Taglieri is an alumnus of WJMC’s sister conference, the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment. He is the marketing and communications coordinator at the American Forest Foundation (AFF). AFF is a non-profit that delivers meaningful conservation impact through the empowerment of family forest owners in America. Stephen is a graduate of George Mason University and is excited to talk to the National Youth Correspondents about building audience trust around climate change, financing climate action, and engaging both corporate and rural audiences in a conversation about our planet’s future.
DR. ALAN BYRD
Dean of Admissions, George Mason University
Alan Byrd began his tenure as Dean of Admissions at George Mason University in November 2020. With over 20 years of experience in enrollment management and community engagement, Dr. Byrd has a long, successful track record of leading, planning, and coordinating student recruitment and retention initiatives. He brings a team-oriented, data-driven recruitment approach to Mason that prioritizes exceptional service and commitment to student success.
Prior to Mason, Dr. Byrd was the chief enrollment officer at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He led UMSL to several new milestones for enrollment growth, diversity of the student body, the academic profile of incoming students, and graduation rates. Removing financial barriers for students was central to his work in St. Louis, where he developed innovative financial aid programs such as the “UMSL Grant” and “Finish Your Degree Scholarship” that reduced the average student loan debt at graduation by 12% and earned UMSL national recognition as a top 100 institution for social mobility according to U.S. News & World Report.
Dr. Byrd received his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at UMSL. He earned a B.A. in Communication and an M.A. in Higher Education Administration from Southeast Missouri State University.
OLIVIA HAGELE
Junior Faculty Advisor
Olivia is currently a Junior attending Grand Canyon University majoring in Psychology. She is excited to spend another summer at WJMC! She loves writing and making connections with people, as it is her happy place! She attended WJMC in the summer of 2019 and is very excited about the opportunity to be a JFA this summer. She hopes to continue to make many more friends and connections!
KAYLA SHARPE
Deputy Newsletter Team Lead, Bloomberg Government
Kayla N. Sharpe is a digital journalist based in the Washington D.C. area. She is the Deputy Newsletter Team Leader at Bloomberg Government and previously worked as an Associate Editor at Axios — where she oversaw reporting teams in D.C., Atlanta, Dallas, Charlotte, Philadelphia, and Twin Cities — at POLITICO as Engagement Editor for Subscriber Strategy and as a Digital Producer, and at the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting supporting student and freelance journalists covering under-reported global issues.
Kayla graduated from the College of William & Mary in 2017 with degrees in Film & Media and American Studies and served as the Digital Media Editor for the campus newspaper, The Flat Hat. In addition to completing communications internships at the Brookings Institution, the Democratic National Committee, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Kayla has seen her reporting recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, receiving their 2017 Regional Mark of Excellence Award for In-Depth Reporting, and William & Mary, receiving their 2016 Rex Smith Journalism Award.
Kayla is proud to be an engaged William & Mary alumna and currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Young Guarde Alumni Council and on the William & Mary Washington Center Advisory Board as Board Development Chair. Kayla currently lives in Reston, VA with her Australian Shepherd, Kirby, and her many houseplants.
