Daniel Van Sant

Director of Disability Policy

Daniel joined The Harkin Institute in 2021 to oversee the Institute’s disability policy work, which includes organizing the Harkin International Disability Employment Summit, an annual event that brings together key champions and implementers from around the world to increase employment of people with disabilities. Before joining THI, Daniel was a staff attorney at Disability Rights Iowa where he provided free legal representation to children with disabilities and their families. Daniel earned his Juris Doctorate and a Master of Science in Cultural Foundations of Education with a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Disability Studies from Syracuse University and earned his bachelor’s degrees in International Relations, Rhetoric, and Politics from Drake University.

Daniel.VanSant@Drake.edu
515-271-3223

Rayna Stoycheva

Director of Retirement Security Policy

Rayna joined The Harkin Institute in 2021 to oversee the Institute’s retirement security policy work. She is responsible for research on public and private retirement programs, retirement savings access and adequacy, financial literacy, and pension wealth inequality. Prior to joining THI, Rayna was a faculty member at the University of Miami, where she taught courses in policy analysis, public finance, health economics, microeconomics, and statistics. Rayna received a joint PhD in Public Policy, with a concentration in Public Finance, from Georgia State University and Georgia Institute of Technology. She received a master’s degree in Public Administration from Ohio University and a Bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Economics from the American University in Bulgaria.

Rayna.Stoycheva@Drake.edu
515-271-3222
Rayna’s CV

Adam Shriver

Interim Director of Wellness and Nutrition Policy

Adam joined The Harkin Institute as a research fellow in 2021, working on a Kellogg Foundation grant to create a “good food plan” for the state of Iowa. He took on the role of Interim Director of Wellness and Nutrition Policy in 2022, which includes organizing the annual Harkin On Wellness Symposium. He previously worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, a Postdoctoral Fellow at the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia, and a Research Fellow at the Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities at Oxford University. Adam has also taught courses on biomedical ethics, the ethics of food, and ethics of artificial intelligence at Drake University. He holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Iowa State University as well as a Ph.D. from the Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology program at Washington University in St. Louis.

Adam.Shriver@Drake.edu
515-271-3623

Mindy Jones

Operations Director

Mindy joined The Harkin Institute in September 2024. As Operations Director, Mindy oversees all operations of the Institute, including budget management, event coordination, building activities, and the student employee program. Previously, Mindy has worked in nonprofit, government, and private sector roles. Most recently, Mindy served as Director of Operations & Administration at the World Food Prize Administration. Mindy is a proud Harkinista, serving in various roles in Senator Harkin’s Washington, D.C. office between 2008 and 2011. Mindy earned a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science at Central College.

Mindy.Jones@Drake.edu
515-271-1805

Kathryn Kuckelman

Communications Manager

Kathryn joined The Harkin Institute in January of 2023. As Communications Manager, Kathryn oversees all external communication efforts for the Institute and assists with event logistics. Before working at THI, Kathryn spent a year working on press relations with Progress Iowa and worked as a News Producer at WHO 13 News in Des Moines for over five years. She earned bachelor’s degrees in journalism and political science from Iowa State University and is currently working on earning her Master of Arts in Communication at Drake University.

Kathryn.Kuckelman@Drake.edu
515-271-1895

Ashley Ezzio

UpLift Project Coordinator

Ashley joined The Harkin Institute in 2022 to coordinate UpLift – The Central Iowa Basic Income Project. The pilot will study the impacts of an unrestricted, no-strings-attached, $500 basic income payment for 24 months. Previously, Ashely worked in both government and nonprofit roles. Most recently she managed the Iowa Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection program and coordinated the development and implementation of the Title V Community-Based Doula Project at the Iowa Department of Public Health. Ashley earned a bachelor’s degree in Child, Adult, and Family Services from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in public health from Des Moines University.

Ashley.Ezzio@Drake.edu
515-271-1813

Michael Berger

UpLift Project Coordinator

Michael joined The Harkin Institute in 2023 to coordinate UpLift – The Central Iowa Basic Income Project. The pilot will study the impacts of an unrestricted, no-strings-attached, $500 basic income payment for 24 months. Previously, Michael completed a practicum project with Mid-Iowa Health Foundation focused on researching basic income projects across the nation and engaging central Iowa partners to inform how to design the local pilot model. Michael has a bachelor’s degree in Public Health and a master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Iowa.

Michael.Berger@Drake.edu
515-249-4497

Stephanie Sinovic

Senior Advancement Officer, Drake University Advancement

Stephanie joined Drake University’s development team as a major gift officer in 2012. She leads The Harkin Institute’s fundraising initiatives and serves as the institute’s liaison to University Development. Stephanie is a Des Moines native who began her career in Chicago. She holds a master’s degree in education from Notre Dame and bachelor’s degrees from Marquette University in Spanish and communication studies.

Stephanie.Sinovic@Drake.edu
515-271-3745

Hope Bibens

Director of Archives & Special Collections, Drake University Cowles Library

Hope came to Drake University in 2015 from Indiana University, where she was a project archivist for the papers of Senator Richard Lugar. At Drake’s Cowles Library, she oversees the University’s Archives & Special Collections, which includes the Tom Harkin Collection, as well as other Iowa politicians’ congressional papers. Hope earned master’s degrees in both library science and U.S. history from Indiana University Bloomington and interned with the United States Senate Historical Office.

Hope.Bibens@Drake.edu
515-271-2088