ACTA's Must-Reads author bios
David Azerrad
David Azerrad is a program officer and senior researcher at ACTA. He is currently completing his Ph.D. in politics at the University of Dallas, where he taught Principles of American Government to undergraduates. Previously, he was a foreign correspondent in Malaysia affiliated with The Times of London and edited a number of publications in his native Canada.
Tom Bako
Tom Bako is a program associate at ACTA, focusing on WhatWillTheyLearn.com. 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. A longtime debater, he is also a judge for the Baltimore Urban Debate League.
Brianna Edelblut
Ms. Edelblut assists with ACTA's fundraising, works on other projects with the President and Vice President, and participates in the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation's Associate Program. She earned a B.A. in literature from Patrick Henry College, where she received national recognition for her moot court skills and sat on the board of the drama troupe. She has also worked as a researcher at the Clapham Group, as an intern at Open Doors USA, and as a scheduler at Control Solutions International in her native New Hampshire.
Heather Lakemacher
Heather Lakemacher is the senior program officer at ACTA. She is a graduate of Shimer College, where she also served as a trustee. She is currently participating in the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation's Associate Program. Previously, she was the customer service manager for Cedar Roofing Company in Lake Forest, Illinois.
Eric Markley
Eric Markley is a project officer at ACTA. He contributes to our college-guide website, WhatWillTheyLearn.com, ACTA's quarterly newsletter, and other projects. He is a former college and university instructor, and has also taught English in Taiwan and South Korea and worked at shelters for runaway teens and the homeless in Chicago. He holds an M.A. in English from the University of Central Florida and a B.A. in communications from Moody Bible Institute. In 2008, he spent seven months backpacking solo from Georgia to Maine on the Appalachian Trail, walking 2,000 miles across 14 states.
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 policy director 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.
Mike Schilling
Mike Schilling is ACTA's office manager. He grew up in Cincinnati and earned a B.A. magna cum laude in International Relations and Chinese at Tufts University. During his career he has been a ballroom dance instructor, a teacher, a law clerk, a children's theater host, and an editor.