About Cortico - Cortico

Our Staff

Alex Kelly Berman

Alex builds tools and processes to support Cortico’s strategy, inviting partners to be our collaborators. She has worked across non-profit sectors on projects that support participation through storytelling, dialogue, and making. She believes in handing over a microphone to amplify the public’s voice.

Alex Kelly Berman

VP of Programs & Partnerships

Tevin Brown

Tevin is a frontend engineer at Cortico. His prior experience in frontend architecture, performance, and accessibility enable him to keep Cortico’s apps running smoothly for our numerous partners. He finds joy in working with partners to bring a more intuitive experience to our products. On weekends, you will likely find Tevin running through the forests, canoeing through a swamp or lounging in the waterfalls of the Georgian wilderness.

Tevin Brown

Software Engineer

Kelly Cantwell

Kelly focuses on all things people at Cortico: interviewing, hiring, onboarding and strengthening our amazing workplace culture. Her extensive non-profit HR experience includes working with community organizations, a University and a credit union. Outside of work, Kelly loves being a sports mom (to two sons) & a dog mom (to a mini Aussie), reading, and roller skating as often as possible.

Kelly Cantwell

Human Resources

Hana Carey

Hana works to build and support Cortico’s community of partners, and to ensure successful projects. She is deeply committed to education and youth development with a background in both schools and youth-centered non-profits. When not at work, you can find her at the gym monopolizing the squat rack or with her nose in a book.

Hana Carey

Manager of Programs & Partnerships (Youth)

Vy Dao

Vy supports community partners by helping them find homegrown insights that emerge from local conversations. Her time as a sociologist makes her appreciate the dynamic relationship between social forces and personal experiences. She enjoys her family, carbs, and coffee and loves the suspense of a good story told by anyone.

Vy Dao

Director of Learning & Practice

Jeannie Evans

Jeannie is a Software Engineer at Cortico, supporting Fora. She’s motivated by contributing to accessible and community-driven resources and supporting meaningful dialogue. When she’s not at work you can find her biking along the beach, playing in the waves, or exploring one of LA’s many unique neighborhoods.

Jeannie Evans

Software Engineer

Cole Fiscus

Cole works on the frontend of Cortico’s products, contributing to a fun, frustration-free digital experience for our end users. He’s excited to continue to grow as a software developer while part of a team that also values creating authentic online civic spaces. When away from his desk, you could find him shooting hoops, hiking a Coloradan mountain trail, or figuring out how to sing and play guitar at the same time.

Cole Fiscus

Software Engineer

Sarah Gesner

Sarah advances Cortico’s project efforts by providing coordination, communication, and implementation support throughout the partner engagement process. Her experience includes work in the government and nonprofit sectors where she focused on her commitment to health equity and food security. Outside of work, you can find Sarah going for long walks around Madison, Wisconsin (primarily along beautiful Lake Mendota or Lake Monona), in the kitchen attempting a new recipe, or cross-stitching a pattern she doesn’t expect to take as long as it undoubtedly will.

Sarah Gesner

Programs & Partnerships Coordinator

Tatiana Ivancevich

Tatiana oversees the day-to-day operations at Cortico. She pulls from her background in museum retail operations and talent development to build our internal systems and structures. She believes in harnessing the power of conversations to help create stronger and more engaged communities.

Tatiana Ivancevich

VP of Operations

Akiva Leffert

Akiva leads the Engineering & Product teams at Cortico. He cares a lot about building reliable software, humane interview processes, and making the world a better place. Beyond engineering his specialty is taking silly ideas very seriously.

Akiva Leffert

VP Of Engineering & Product

Charlie Lipford

Charlie is a creative, curious, and collaborative software developer. He comes to Cortico with experience as a front end UI developer, back end service author, systems administrator, and tech lead. He’s particularly interested in how culture, technology, and society influence each other.

Charlie Lipford

Software Engineer

Joel Meyerson

Joel loves understanding all angles of a problem—diving into the weeds to see the nuanced specifics, zooming out to get the big picture, and bringing all that together to find elegant solutions to complex issues. As a Product Manager, he relies on his experience in creative, technical, and business realms to build consensus around solutions and drive roadmaps forward with confidence. Outside of a deep interest in politics, tech, and communications, Joel is a Coloradan happiest when hurtling down a snowy mountain or making music on stage.

Joel Meyerson

Product Manager

Kimberly Mota

Kimberly focuses on continuously building and improving community engagement supports in order to effectively provide each partner with the tools they need to lead successful projects. She has experience honoring and working alongside youth and community in the realm of design, visual arts, health equity, and social justice. She is deeply interested in opportunities where she can continue to work on projects through inclusive and community-focused initiatives. When she’s not at work, you can find her on an Open Street or creating art with clay.

Kimberly Mota

Learning & Practice Lead

Marcel Nakahara

Marcel is a master builder of imaginary Legos in Cortico. He builds tools to improve people’s communication and to facilitate a world where individuals can better understand one another. He is always excited to assist others and experiences happiness upon encountering a dog. When he is not behind a computer, you can find him at dog parks, strolling around the city, and, as a resident of the Pacific Northwest, hiking the mountains in the Seattle area.

Marcel Nakahara

Software Engineer

Malcolm Nowlin

Malcolm works with Cortico’s partners to make them experts in using our platform. He has a background in managing projects and relationships at early-stage, high-growth organizations working in the e-commerce, social impact, and biotech spaces. He loves the sun and spends a lot of his time at war with unwelcome animal invaders (usually rabbits) attempting to raid his vegetable garden. The rabbits often win…for now.

Malcolm Nowlin

Partner Support Coordinator

Joséphine Oberholtzer

Joséphine works on Cortico’s backend, tightening nuts and bolts. Before Cortico, she cut her teeth on a wide variety of projects, from boutique live performance software, to open frameworks for music composition and digital musicology, to large-scale distributed financial systems. When not chasing her German shepherd around Kingston NY, you can find her producing tracks in her home studio.

Joséphine Oberholtzer

Software Engineer

Kelly Paola

Kelly works to amplify and prioritize the voice of Cortico’s users by conducting user experience research across the product suite. With a strong sense of empathy and a service mentality, she feeds user insights to teams across the organization with the goal of continually strengthening and streamlining user experience. Kelly’s background spans ESL education, international nonprofit programming, and hospitality management. Outside of work, you can find her teaching yoga, relaxing on her paddle board, or cooking/baking delicious creations in her kitchen.

Kelly Paola

UX Researcher

Kierran Petersen

Kierran is (hopefully) one of the first people you run into if you have a question about all things Cortico. They’re passionate about turning even the most pie-in-the-sky ideas from partners and users into a reality. They have a joint background in customer support and audio production, and are passionate about storytelling and storytellers. In their off-hours, they’re usually playing a video game and listening to a podcast, oftentimes snuggled up with someone else’s pet.

Kierran Petersen

Partner Support Lead

Elena Petrovich

Elena works to amplify the many stories of Cortico and connect the organization’s work to a variety of audiences. Her foundation in the arts and humanities has directed her professional experience leading communications and marketing in mission-driven settings. She is motivated by a deep love of storytelling, particularly the kind that broadens understanding, incites compassion, and forges connection.

Elena Petrovich

Marketing & Communications Lead

Thanh-Mai Phan

Thanh-Mai Phan is a Software Engineer at Cortico. Previously, she designed and built prototypes for MIT Media Lab’s Center for Constructive Communication and worked on a distributed cache at Microsoft. She’s interested in subcultures, how subcultures live on the internet, and what it means to be online.

Thanh-Mai Phan

Software Engineer

Deb Roy

CEO

Bubbles Sandcastle

bubbles builds frontend magic for cortico’s apps and websites. inspired to make century-long yes-waves towards a more creative, thriving, and cooperative society, they’re stoked to help bring advanced technology to the intricate problem of public discourse. dance, music, art, activism, love, sunlight, vegan food, playing outside, meditation, and unbounded exploration energize the field that builds bubbles.

Bubbles Sandcastle

Software Engineer

Taylor Sheneman

Taylor builds tools to make sense of the thousands of hours of conversation data flowing through Fora. He is focused on thoughtful technology designed in collaboration with the people it’s meant to serve, with the goal of building a stronger, more cooperative society that uplifts all of its members.

Taylor Sheneman

Software Engineer

Harrison Speck

Harrison is passionate about leveraging technology to drive social impact. He’s dedicated his career as a Product Manager to creating innovative solutions that empower communities, foster equality, and promote sustainability. His experiences include working with startups, foundations, and state agencies. Outside of work, he is a musician, artist, husband, and dad of two under the age of five.

Harrison Speck

Product Manager

Jenine Turner-Trauring

Jenny works on Cortico’s backend infrastructure. Her goal in writing software is to build tools for projects that have a positive impact. She is also passionate about bike and pedestrian safety.

Jenine Turner-Trauring

Software Engineer

Ethan Walker

Ethan works to guide partners through projects and build a network of organizations interested in listening to their community. He is committed to public service and leadership development, and has a background in implementing innovative nonprofit programs. When not at work, you can find him walking in the California sunshine, reading a book, or nerding out over soccer.

Ethan Walker

Manager of Programs & Partnerships (Government)