Adam.Hinds@emkinstitute.org

Adam has twenty-five years of experience working in US politics, government, and foreign affairs. He is currently the CEO of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute. Before joining the Institute, he spent six years as a Massachusetts State Senator where he Chaired the Committee on Revenue and led the Senate’s effort to rebuild the Commonwealth post-COVID. In 2021-2022 he was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts.

From 2005 to 2014 Adam worked for the United Nations in the Middle East. He was based in Baghdad, Iraq where he was a team leader of a UN-led negotiation between the Kurdistan Region and the Government of Iraq over disputed territory. He was a regional advisor to the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process in Jerusalem. He worked for former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to establish a ceasefire in Syria in 2012 and then was part of a team to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons program.

Early in his career, Adam worked for former Congressman John Olver and was part of John Kerry’s campaign for President where he worked for Susan Rice, the head of his foreign policy team who later became the US National Security Advisor.

Adam attended Wesleyan University and received a Master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Adam is married to Dr. Alicia Mireles Christoff, Associate Professor of English at Amherst College, and they have two young children.

Christina.Erving@emkinstitute.org

Sara.Maaiki@emkinstitute.org

Sara has ten years of experience working in government and politics. Sara serves as the Chief of Staff at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute. Sara had a lengthy career working on Capitol Hill. She most recently worked for Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). Sara set up one of the busiest and high profile new Member offices, as she oversaw administrative procedures for one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress. Sara responded to over 1,700 invitations annually and worked with nongovernmental organizations to host the first ever widely attended Iftar celebration in the Capitol. Sara got her start working in Congress as Executive Assistant to former Democratic Caucus Chairman, Congressman John Larson (D-CT) and Scheduler to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). She is Lebanese American and was a founding member of the Congressional Middle Eastern North African Staff Association. She received her B.A in Political Science from Wheaton College, MA. She lives in Boston and volunteers with numerous bulldog rescues.

Emily.Rapp@emkinstitute.org

Emily Rapp serves as the Director of Democracy Programs at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate where she leads the development and execution of the Institute’s public and private democracy programs with national leaders. Rapp most recently served as the Director of Government Relations for Biosecurity at Ginkgo Bioworks, where she led strategic outreach initiatives and lobbying campaigns to increase awareness of the company’s biosecurity offerings and secure appropriations and government contracts at the state and federal level. Prior to Ginkgo, Rapp served as Vice President, Outreach and Design for the JPMorgan Chase Institute and Policy Center and as the Outreach and Marketing Specialist for the New England Small Business Administration during the pandemic. Rapp started her career at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC where she held various government relations and research positions, most recently serving as the Director of Government Relations for Domestic Policy. Rapp holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from Harvard University and a Bachelors from Kenyon College in Philosophy.

Tara.Rendon@emkinstitute.org

Sarah.Yezzi@emkinstitute.org