Ioannis (Yannis) D. Evrigenis, the Alice Tweed Tuohy Professor of Government and Ethics, teaches courses on political philosophy, ethics and international relations, and the social contract, and is the author of books and articles on a wide range of topics in political thought, including Fear of Enemies and Collective Action, for which he received the Delba Winthrop Award for Excellence in Political Science.  Before joining CMC in 2023, he taught at Tufts University, where he served as Director of the International Relations Program, co-founded Tufts' Civic Studies major, and co-taught Introduction to Civic Studies.  In addition to grants and fellowships for his research, he has received several grants for civic education and has led a number of civics seminars for K-12 teachers, early-career scholars, and community college faculty.

Jennifer oversees all programming, operations, events, and staffing at the Open Academy. For the last eight years she has worked as Assistant Director of the Salvatori Center, where she successfully cultivated a robust and collaborative environment for CMC students. She remains committed to inspiring students to brainstorm new learning opportunities, events, and campus engagement, while encouraging them to utilize and enhance their strengths.  She holds a Master’s degree in Legal Studies with an emphasis in Nonprofit Organizations and is currently in her final year of law school. Jennifer has been a member of the CMC community for fifteen years.

Dr. Muravchik is Senior Lecturer in the Government Department, where she teaches Introduction to American Politics and seminars exploring the roles of trust and religion in American democracy. She is the author of American Protestantism in an Age of Psychology (Cambridge University Press, 2011) and, with Jon A. Shields, Trump's Democrats (Brookings Institution Press, 2020) and The Republican Civil War: What Liz Cheney's Wyoming Tells Us About a Divided American Right (Oxford University Press, 2026). The highlight of researching these books was the opportunity to meet and learn from Americans across the country. She brings that same curiosity and enthusiasm to the classroom and to the Open Academy Kravis Lab for Civic Leadership, where she delights in mentoring students, exchanging ideas, and helping the OA cultivate thoughtful citizenship at the Claremont Colleges.

Piyush Prakash is a senior public policy professional with over 12 years of experience working with city, state, and federal governments in India and the U.S. At the Open Academy, he leads the research and evaluation efforts for constructive dialogue initiatives. He teaches LEAD 10: Foundations of Leadership at CMC. Previously, he served as a Senior Research Officer/Under-Secretary at the Government of India's federal public policy think tank, contributing to significant initiatives such as India’s National Education Policy 2020.

Alejandro serves as the Program Coordinator for The Open Academy at Claremont McKenna College. In this role, he fosters dialogue and civic leadership among students by organizing events, supporting student initiatives, and collaborating with departments, institutes, and student groups across campus.  A graduate of CMC with a degree in Philosophy and Public Affairs, Alejandro previously served as an Open Academy Post-Baccalaureate Fellow and has been part of the CMC community for nine years—as both a student and now an employee.

Shiv is a junior at CMC majoring in Government from the American West. The Open Academy’s mission helped bring him to CMC. Academically, Shiv is interested in the intersection of social thought, world politics, and sociology. 

Dina Isho is a sophomore studying Government at CMC, with interests in international politics and law. She is passionate about engaging with diverse perspectives, and encouraging productive conversations on pressing and complex political and social issues. 

Molly is a Sophomore at Claremont McKenna College studying Government. She is interested in civic education, philosophy, and learning about different perspectives. Her hobbies include aviation, rugby, and acting.   

Dhriti is a junior at Claremont McKenna College studying Government. Between disagreeing at Open Academy dinner tables and debating political theory at the Hudson Institute's summer fellowship, she enjoys candid, intellectually diverse settings. Elsewhere on campus, she is working to revise the consortium's demonstration policy and has researched the consortium’s activism history as a Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression Campus Scholar. She is excited to spend another year preserving CMC's distinct culture of free expression as an Open Academy Fellow.

Deborah is a sophomore at Claremont McKenna College studying Public Policy and Data Science. She has interned at the California Assembly and researches state policy at the Rose Institute. She joined the Open Academy to practice having difficult conversations and to highlight the importance of dialogue in creating progress. Through her work in policy, she has seen the value of sharing perspectives and hopes to encourage others to do the same.

Cillian is a freshman at Claremont McKenna College studying Government. Through his experience working with young men on political polarization and mental health with a nonprofit called Project Ibasho, he has learned about the importance of clear and constructive dialogue in the digital age. As a program assistant he hopes to explore topics such as political polarization, free speech online, and the politics of young men. He loves soccer, sailing, travel, and cooking.

Caleb is a first-year student at Claremont McKenna College studying Government, originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is especially interested in philosophy, policy, and law, and is always happy to discuss difficult topics. He hopes that his work at the Open Academy will spur productive, charitable, sincere conversation about issues that too often lack that sort of conversation.

Sabi is a freshman at Claremont McKenna College studying public policy and data science. Through her experience serving the City of Seattle government and school board, she learned the importance of honest and constructive dialogue in helping communities address complex public issues. As a program assistant for the Open Academy, she hopes to create spaces and facilitate challenging yet thoughtful conversations that encourage students to engage with diverse perspectives, appreciate learning from their peers, and respect the unique experiences each person brings to the table.

Denny is a first-year student at Claremont Mckenna College studying Economics and Public Policy. She is interested in philosophy, religion, and educational policy. Her hobbies include painting, musical arrangement, and photography.

Amber is a first-year student at Claremont McKenna College studying economics. Growing up in Shanghai, she has always been passionate about topics related to international relations and foreign policy. Her hobbies include traveling, ultimate frisbee, and video games.

Ava is a sophomore at Claremont McKenna College from San Diego, California, studying economics and history. Interested in pursuing law, Ava enjoys learning from people with different experiences and perspectives, and is passionate about working to reduce political polarization.

Francesca is a first-year student at Claremont McKenna College studying Public Policy and Government. She is excited to engage in meaningful discourse across differences on topics ranging from climate change mitigation to global religion in order to foster a pluralistic campus. Her interests include conservation, hiking, reading, and traveling.

Sarah is a sophomore at Claremont McKenna College studying Government.

Angela is a junior at Scripps College from Beijing, China. She studies cognitive science, philosophy, and data science, with an interest in the intersection of philosophy and empirical science.