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.

ademidun.ajibade@emkinstitute.org

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

Tara.Rendon@emkinstitute.org

Pamela.Peak@emkinstitute.org
857-271-3331

Pam has over twenty years of experience working in fundraising for civic organizations, education, democracy reform and US politics. She is currently the Chief Development Officer of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute.

Prior to joining the Institute, she served as the Director of Development for the Wellesley Free Library Foundation, overseeing all private fundraising including a record-breaking capital campaign to renovate the town’s main library in 2021. Pam was the founding Executive Director for Unite America (formerly The Centrist Project), a non-profit and affiliated think tank dedicated to improving democracy through a portfolio of reforms, including redistricting and electoral reforms.

Pam spent nearly ten years working in global public health and education focusing on underserved communities, serving as the U.S. National Director for Right to Play and the Interim Chief Development Officer for Malaria No More. Additionally, Pam led fundraising for environmental conservation programs at The Field Museum in Chicago. Pam has served as a fundraising consultant to leading non-profit organizations through her company ALEA Strategies, specializing in helping organizations strategically grow their revenue and impact—including national organizations in the education reform and civic education space.

Pam worked in politics as the Policy Director for a US House Candidate’s campaign, a volunteer on the Obama for President campaign, and a fundraiser on several US Senate campaigns.

Pam attended Wellesley College, earning a B.A. in Economics, and received a Master’s Degree in Public Policy (M.P.P.) from the University of Chicago’s Harris School. Pam is married to Dave Peak, and they have two children.

Sarah.Yezzi@emkinstitute.org