Members with a strong history of involvement in the organization are encouraged to apply to join the Board of Directors, CASIN’s governing body. The Board is comprised of several committees that oversee CASIN’s administrative and programmatic activities. A number of former Board members continue to advise the organization in an honorary capacity.

Members | Committee Structure & Assignments | Honorary Members

Rebecca Landy, At- Large

Rebecca Landy is an International Human Rights Professional. She received a J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law where she was an Urban Morgan Human Rights Fellow and the Assistant Managing Editor of Human Rights Quarterly. Rebecca is a former Law Clerk at the High Court of Botswana and intern at the Research Unit of the South African Parliament. She has also interned at Global Rights, where she assisted with the CERD Shadow Report and a brief to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. She worked at the UNDP founded organization NetAid on raising greater awareness worldwide on girl’s access to education. Her areas of research include international human rights, women’s rights, the right to education, and the rights of the child. Rebecca has taught as an Adjunct Professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.  In addition to serving on CASIN’s board, Rebecca is as a member of the New York City Bar Association’s Committee on International Human Rights.

Tanya Maxwell, Chair of the Delegations Committee

Tanya Maxwell began her career in 2001 as an advocate for disability rights. In 2004, she organized delegations of individuals with disabilities to give testimonials regarding the impact of policy on their quality of life at committee hearings in California’s State Capital. Meanwhile, she served on CASIN’s first delegation at the Preparatory Commission for the International Criminal Court at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in 2002. Before becoming chair of the Delegations Committee, Tanya served as senior delegate with the organization and designed orientation and training for new delegates participating in the United Nations Small Arms Review Conference and Assembly of State Parties of the International Criminal Court. In 2006, she was selected as Americans for Informed Democracy’s (AID) Regional Director in Southern California, a post she used to raise awareness about various human rights issues among university students. Tanya received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Occidental College and is President Emeritus of Model United Nations at California State University, Los Angeles, where she is completing a Masters program in psychology and political science.

Amber Patel, Compliance Director

Amber Patel received her B.A. in Linguistics and Psychology from the University of Texas. She moved to London, England to attend law school at the University of Westminster. After graduating in 2004, she returned stateside to New York and began working at the law firm of Epstein Becker & Green, P.C. in the Healthcare and Life Sciences department. In 2007, she returned to The University of Texas to obtain her Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree. Her op-ed, entitled “Judicial Activism is a Threat to Democracy,” was published in the November 2007 issue of the LBJ School of Public Affairs online journal, and her thesis, entitled “Undermining the National Security and Civil Liberties Debate: The Recurrence of Politcally-Motivated Actions” is being published in the upcoming issue of The University of Tennessee’s Baker Journal of Applied Public Policy. She currently works at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on the Primary Care Information Project.

Sarah Repucci, At-Large

Sarah Repucci is an independent human rights consultant for NGOs, bilateral and multilateral organizations, and the private sector. Previously Sarah worked as a Senior Research Coordinator at the Transparency International (TI) Secretariat in Berlin, where she led the National Integrity Systems program, a good governance framework that has been implemented in more than 70 countries worldwide. Prior to joining TI Sarah was a Senior Researcher for Freedom House in New York. She has a master’s degree from New York University and a BA from Williams College.

Anna Sandor, At-Large

Anna Sandor is a recent graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she received her B.A. in Political Science with an emphasis on International Political Economics and French Literature. Anna studied abroad at Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris and worked extensively abroad. Passionate about international civic engagement, Anna has worked at numerous non-profit organizations in Madison, Morocco, and Budapest. She is fluent in Hungarian and French and her research interests include include international finance, trade, and cross-border legal issues.

Debbie Sharnak, Chair of the Publications Committee

Debbie Sharnak is currently pursuing her PhD in international history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, examining the intersection between U.S. foreign policy, human rights, and national security. She is also working in Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton’s office on an initiative to increase and expand citizen diplomacy. Prior to Madison, she was employed in the Research Unit at the International Center for Transitional Justice in New York. From 2006-2009, Debbie also worked as an editor and contributor to Eyes on the ICC. Debbie graduated with a degree in History and Political Science from Vassar College with department honors.

Anja Tranovich, At-Large

Anja Tranovich is a journalist who has covered the United Nations for United Press International and Inter Press Services. She has a B.A. from New York University and a master’s from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She has written for numerous magazines, newspapers and news wires often on the topics of international law and global development issues.

Christopher L. Worthington, Chair of Nominating and Selection Committee

Chris L. Worthington has been involved with CASIN since 2009. He possesses a B.A. in International Affairs with minors in Economics and History from the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University. Since 2005, Mr. Worthington has worked in corporate strategy, private equity and real estate development, living in Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and New York. He speaks Italian, Spanish, and Catalan. Having volunteered in the  micro-finance office of a NPO in Uganda, he is interested in economic development and social ventures within developing countries. In addition to serving on CASIN’s board, he is an investor and adviser to two technology start-ups in New York and Washington, D.C.

Board Chair

Debbie Sharnak

The Chair is elected every six months. The Chair is a non-voting member of the Board of Directors responsible for board member work product and deadline compliance.  The Chair is also responsible for compiling monthly committee updates and quarterly reports.  These updates and reports are approved at quarterly meetings.

Development & Outreach Committee

Acting Chair: Chris Worthington

The Program Development Committee is responsible for researching and implementing new program areas and developing pre-existing programs.  The Program Development Committee works on the Leadership Training Program including delegations, CASIN Publications, Events, and the Embassy Program.  The Program Development Committee also assists student delegations with the accreditation process.

Treasurer

The treasurer tracks and disburses the organization’s material resources, manages the annual budgeting process, provides internal and external reports on the organization’s finances, and supports development activities.

Compliance Director

Director: Amber Patel

The Compliance Director will investigate issues of potential non-compliance with local, state, federal, and other rules and regulations as pertain to the work of the board and the operations of the organizations.  The Director will also investigate compliance issues referred by senior staff or other board members.

Publications Committee

Chair: Debbie Sharnak

Member: Rebecca Landy, Sarah Repucci

The Publications Committee is responsible for managing CASIN’s publications, which currently include two peer-reviewed journals, Eyes on the ICC and the Interdisciplinary Journal of Human Rights Law. The committee determines all matters that fall outside the purview of the journals’ editorial staffs, including but not limited to publishing conventions, subscription rates and availability, and circulation and distribution.

Delegations Committee

Chair: Tanya Maxwell

Members:

The Delegations Committee is responsible for organizing delegations to various international conventions. Each year the committee selects four high-profile international conventions to send delegations of American students and young professionals interested in multilateral policymaking. The committee recruits and trains delegates, preparing them for various roles, and supervises their experience at the conventions.

Nominating & Selection Committee

Chair: Chris Worthington

The Nominating and Selection Committee is responsible for screening, evaluating, and nominating potential candidates for positions within CASIN. The committee will conduct background reviews, organize interviews, and nominate potential members based on competency and collegiality.

Guillermo J. Aviles-Mendoza, JD
Guillermo J. Aviles-Mendoza is originally from Puerto Rico. He has degree in genetics and cell biology from the University of Minnesota. He worked in the National Human Genome Research Institute where he published his work in pre-clinical gene therapy. He completed a law degree with emphasis in international alternative dispute resolution methods. He won the gold medal award as more effective arbitrator at the 2005 International Competition for Online Dispute Resolution. He served as Coordinator of an international environmental public health partnership with the Pan American Health Organization. He is interested in the implementation of the new International Health Regulations of the World Health Organization and the 2015 United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

Christina M. Hartman, MPH

Christina M. Hartman is the Founder, former President and former member of the Board of Directors for the Council of American Students in International Negotiations.  Christina currently serves as a project officer for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority within the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in Washington, DC.  She serves as the project officer for cooperative agreements with the World Health Organization and with PATH that seek to establish influenza vaccine production capacity in eleven countries around the world.  Prior to this, she served as the lead analyst for pandemic influenza in the HHS Secretary’s budget office.  She is a graduate of the HHS Emerging Leaders Program, during which she spent a year assigned to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA. Prior to beginning her career with the Federal government, Christina worked at the RAND Corporation while completing her Masters in Public Health, with a concentration in epidemiology, at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services.

Irina Kebreau

Irina Kebreau has been a vital part of the CASIN organization and the Board of Directors since its inception. Ms. Kebreau served as the Vice President of the ISC-ICC, the predecessor to CASIN, and has been on the Board of Directors for CASIN from its creation to 2006. She has since retired as an active member of the Board of Directors, and now serves as an honorary member.

Ted Lechterman

Ted has played a key role in the development of the journals program, which he ran from 2006 to 2008. He is currently a researcher for the American Human Development Project at the Social Science Research Council. Ted holds an AB in Government from Harvard and will begin work towards a PhD in Politics at Princeton in the fall of 2010.

William Lim, JD

William Lim is a founding member and former member of the Board of Directors of CASIN. Before joining the Board of Directors, William served as Technology Coordinator of CASIN, among other capacities. William is currently a Deputy Attorney General in the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office in Newark, working on civil enforcement of state consumer protection matters. He is a graduate of Hunter College of the City University of New York and Fordham University School of Law. He is admitted to the bar in New York and New Jersey.

Mohammed Rahman, MS

Originally from Houston, TX, Mo Rahman now lives in Richmond, VA, attending the Medical College of Virginia graduate school in Medicinal Chemistry. Mo Rahman graduated from the College of William and Mary in the Spring of 2002 with a concentration in Chemistry.  At the College of William and Mary, Mo dedicated his time to student government, debate, and community building. In the future, Mo would like to work on international justice, peace and security.

Harry Rhea

Harry M. Rhea is Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. He holds a B.A. from Rutgers University and M.S. from Saint Joseph’s University. He is currently completing his Ph.D. in International Human Rights Law at the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the National University of Ireland, Galway. Professor Rhea has published in numerous scholarly journals including, Criminal Justice Studies, Journal of the Institute of Justice and International Studies, International Criminal Justice Review, and Policing and Society. He has studied international criminal law and human rights law at Oxford University, Salzburg Law School in Austria, the International Institute of Higher Studies in Criminal Sciences in Italy, and the Grotius Centre of International Legal Studies at The Hague, Netherlands. Professor Rhea is an editor-in-chief of Eyes on the ICC. His research interests are in the fields of international criminal law, human rights law, and the law of war.

Esti Tambay

Esti Tambay grew up in Switzerland and Hawaii. She graduated in 2004 from Columbia University, where she studied Political Science (International Relations), Philosophy, and Human Rights. From 2002 to 2004, Ms. Tambay served as Director of International Outreach and Development as well as Head of Delegation for the Independent Student Coalition for the International Criminal Court (ISC-ICC, now CASIN), facilitating U.S. students’ participation in UN negotiations on the establishment of the Court.  She interned with the International Justice Program at Human Rights Watch in 2003 and served as the Information and Analysis Officer of the NGO Coalition for the ICC (CICC) from 2004 to 2007.  She was a finalist for the Rhodes, Marshall, and Mitchell Scholarships.  She will obtain a JD from Harvard Law School in 2010.  She is the Managing Editor of the Harvard International Law Journal and has been involved in several cases arising under the Alien Tort Statute through the Harvard Human Rights Clinic.  In 2009, she was a Summer Associate at Cleary Gottlieb Stein & Hamilton in New York and Paris, focusing on international litigation and arbitration.