Jonathan Rotman is the Government Relations Manager at Lobbyit, and has been with the firm since August 2025. He has a background in research and policy analytics, from working with legislative offices and political campaigns to government contractors and academic research centers. He brings a strategic and research-oriented approach to the team and is deeply committed to working with clients to provide a transparent and action-oriented approach to federal advocacy. Prior to joining the Lobbyit team, Jonathan worked with several clients in the defense community conducting policy research on funding avenues, international development, and intersections with the higher education community.
Jonathan is a graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park, where he obtained a Masters degree in International Relations. While at UMD, he worked in the higher education space supporting student-led organizations across the university community. He now works with clients focusing on education, transportation, small business development, and more. When he’s not on Capitol Hill, Jonathan can be found hiking, trying new recipes, or reading any book he can get his hands on.
Elizabeth Winkelhoff is the Data and Evaluation Manager at the DC Collaborative. Originally from New York, she grew up going to museums and theater performances and has been passionate about equitable access in arts education ever since. Elizabeth graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2018 with a degree in Archaeology, participating in multiple research studies with a focus in bioarchaeological analysis. Previously, she has worked at Port Discovery Children’s Museum, the Maryland Science Center, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and taught abroad. She advocates for arts and humanities education and strives to apply her skills in data synthesis to support community building and education outreach. Outside of Elizabeth’s work at the DC Collaborative, she is a bookbinding and textiles teaching artist.
Katie Driskill joined Arts for Learning Virginia in 2023 and, in her new role, leads the Engagement, Education, and Program Team, guiding high quality arts integrated experiences for schools and communities across the region. She is passionate about how the arts build confidence, curiosity, and connection in children, and she values fostering strong relationships with educators and teaching artists. Before joining the organization, Katie worked with children and teens at Norfolk Public Library and served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). She earned an associate degree from Tidewater Community College and a B.S. in psychology from Old Dominion University. Katie also serves on the PreK Action Team for United Way of South Hampton Roads’ United for Children initiative. A resident of Virginia Beach, Katie has a fondness for fiber arts and enjoys finding small ways to keep creativity woven into everyday life with her young son.
Alex Colucci, Ph.D., is a geographer and educator whose work focuses broadly on political geographies and issues of justice. He joined Anne Arundel Community College in 2025, teaching human and physical geography courses with an emphasis on political ecology. In past appointments with the College of Architecture and Environmental Design at Kent State University, his educational practice centered students integrating strategies of visual representation with post-structural and historical-materialist social theory. His work has be published in Progress in Human Geography, Progress in Environmental Geography, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, Environment and Planning E: Nature & Space, and Social & Cultural Geography.
Bradley Austin, Ph.D., is a geographer with scholarly interests in environmental perception, cultural climatology, and contemporary social theory. His teaching interests emphasize creative practice as a mode of inquiry and method for developing personal connections to land, air, water, and more. Recent scholarship on weather and society can be found in the Routledge Handbook of Place.
Matt Klepfer (they/them) is a research associate at Metis Associates. Their 7 years of applied research and evaluation experience includes work in arts education, mental health, and STEM equity initiatives. Matt is passionate about the power of communities, data, and design to empower change and make the world a better place. Matt is a graduate student at the CUNY School for Labor and Urban Studies and is based in Brooklyn, NY.
Esther Runck has her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and her master’s degree in Educational Leadership. She has worked in both the parochial and public-school systems teaching and mentoring educators and students from K – 12th grade and has a huge passion to re-ignite purpose and joy in teachers and to peak curiosity in students to develop a love for life-long learning. Esther is also a free-lance artist who believes integrating the arts organically promotes social/emotional interaction and rigorous critical thinking skills connecting students to be positive and vital contributors to their communities.
Ellamonique Baccus is an art therapist and the Executive Director of Arts Partners in Wichita. She earned her Master’s degree in Art Therapy and was a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Chicago for over 10 years. She has extensive experience providing behavioral health therapy and diagnostic assessment for youth in grades K-12 in school based settings, residential treatment, community based settings, and counseling centers. In her role at Arts Partners, she has been able to provide a holistic educational experience through arts integration for students and support their social and emotional well-being as a significant component of academic success.
Dr. Amanda Mayes is the Data Research Manager at the Delaware Department of Education, leading research for DDOE. She is also the founder of Second Act Research, focused on arts impact research. Amanda has over two decades of experience teaching visual arts, public speaking and writing at the K-12 and collegiate level. Amanda is passionate about building inclusive classroom and research environments. Her research interests include academic and intrinsic impacts of arts experiences, impacts of culturally relevant curriculums, program assessment, co-designed research methodologies, and using arts integration techniques in STEM learning.
Jed Kornbluh (he/him) brings over 20 years of corporate sales experience in sports and entertainment to AFLCT as Director of Business Development. He develops strategies to grow revenue, enhance earned income, and manage communications and partnerships. Before AFLCT, Jed directed the CT Cycling Advancement Program and serves on several youth health and wellness boards. His work focuses on building sustainable revenue streams to support arts education and community impact. Jed lives in West Hartford with his wife and three children and enjoys exploring New England landscapes by foot and bicycle.
Alex Novak Foster (she/her) brings deep experience in arts and education to AFLCT. A Connecticut dual-certified teacher in Art and Elementary Education, she earned her BA in Art Education from Ithaca College and an MA in Teaching from Quinnipiac University. Alex taught for seven years in New Haven public schools and currently instructs Facilitating the Arts in the Academic Classroom at Quinnipiac University. At AFLCT, she leads initiatives to ensure educational impact, including Teaching Artist recruitment and services, the Arts Learning Framework professional development program, and serves as Accessibility and DEIAB Coordinator. Alex also creates artwork through Pearl Studio New Haven and lives in New Haven with her husband and son.
Kat Stoves, a working artist and arts administrator for the city of Mobile, AL, has a degree in Studio Art and 13 years of experience as a professional artist and staff member of Mobile Arts Council. She maintains an active studio where she has gained experience teaching art to children and adults while creating full bodies of work to show in professional settings. As an arts administrator, Kathleen works daily to establish connections between local artists and arts organizations and public schools in need of arts programming. She also works as an advocate for arts education, collecting data from the classroom and promoting the power of the arts in schools in any way she can in her community.