ACTA's Must-Reads author bios
Tom Bako
Tom Bako is a program officer at ACTA, focusing on WhatWillTheyLearn.com. and coordinates our internship and summer fellowship programs. Prior to joining ACTA, he served as a research intern at the Heritage Foundation and as a student academic adviser at Towson University, from which he graduated cum laude in 2009 with a B.S. in political science. He and his wife Victoria live in Alexandria, Virginia, and they are getting ready to welcome their first child into the world.
Daniel Burnett
Mr. Burnett serves as ACTA's press secretary, having recently graduated from the University of Georgia with a journalism degree. While in college, Burnett served as editor-in-chief of the daily student newspaper, represented the Grady College of Journalism as a Grady Ambassador, and was chosen by faculty to be a McGill Fellow. He has been commended by the Atlanta Press Club and the Society for Professional Journalists. In 2010, he spent time in Israel to take a closer look at journalism practices in Middle Eastern societies and studied the art of communication in-depth during a study abroad in Paris. He also worked as a writer for AOL's Patch.com, where he covered local school boards, city government, and breaking news.
Brianna Estrada
Ms. Estrada joined ACTA in 2010 and is director of development, responsible for development, fundraising, and assisting the president. She directs ACTA's foundation grant proposals, donor relations, and direct mail program. Before joining ACTA she participated in the Charles G. Koch Institute's Associate Program; assisted in donor identification for The Humane Society and The Clapham Group; coached the policy debate team for Patrick Henry College; interned in advocacy and communications at Open Doors USA; and worked as a corporate scheduler at Control Solutions International in her native New Hampshire. Ms. Estrada holds a B.A. in literature and writing from Patrick Henry College where she graduated summa cum laude and received national recognition for her moot court skills and sat on the board of the drama troupe.
Anne D. Neal
Anne D. Neal is the president of ACTA. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude from Harvard College with an A.B. in American History and Literature and received her J.D. from Harvard Law School, where she served as the first woman editor of the Harvard Journal on Legislation. From 1990 to 1992, she specialized in the First Amendment at the New York City law firm of Rogers & Wells. She has also served as General Counsel of the Office of Administration in the Executive Office of the President, General Counsel and Congressional Liaison of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and editor of the American Bar Association newsletter Communications Lawyer. She regularly speaks on higher education across the country and writes for publications including the Chicago Sun Times, Inside Higher Ed, the Rocky Mountain News. Liberal Education, and academic journals such as The Montana Professor.
Erin
O'Connor
Erin O'Connor writes, researches, and blogs for ACTA. She received her B.A. in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and earned her Ph.D. in English language and literature at the University of Michigan. She has taught English at the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania. Currently a director of communications at the Moving Picture Institute, she has been writing about higher education issues since launching her weblog, Critical Mass, in 2002.
Michael B. Poliakoff
Michael B. Poliakoff is the vice president for policy at ACTA. He received his B.A. magna cum laude from Yale University and went on to study at Oxford University and the University of Michigan, where he earned a Ph.D. in classical studies. He previously served as vice president for academic affairs and research at the University of Colorado and in senior roles at the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Council on Teacher Quality, the American Academy for Liberal Education, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. He has taught at Georgetown University, George Washington University, Hillsdale College, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Wellesley College and is the author of numerous books and journal articles.