Staff & Board
Get to know the team behind the magic at CU.
The CU staff approaches our work with spirit, joy, and a deep responsibility to each other and to the civic health of our nation. We bring enthusiasm and ingenuity to our work. We ask each other, why does democracy matter? We work with incredible people and each strive to live like citizens the best we can each and every day.
Eric Liu
Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder
Pronouns: he/him
Eric Liu is the co-founder and CEO of Citizen University, which works to build a culture of powerful and responsible citizenship in the United States. He is the author of numerous acclaimed books, including most recently Become America: Civic Sermons on Love, Responsibility, and Democracy — a New York Times New & Notable Book — and Live Like a Citizen: 8 Ways to Change Your Mindset and Our Country, to be published in October 2026. He is featured in the PBS documentary American Creed and is a contributing writer at The Atlantic.
Liu served as a White House speechwriter for President Bill Clinton and as the President’s deputy domestic policy adviser. He was later appointed by President Barack Obama to the board of the Corporation for National and Community Service. In 2020, Liu was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, where he now serves on its Trust and is co-chair of its Our Common Purpose commission on democratic citizenship. Liu founded and for nine years led the Aspen Institute Citizenship and American Identity Program. He is a graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School, and a member of the Yale University Council. Liu lives in Seattle, where he has served on the boards of the Seattle Public Library and the Washington State Board of Education, and co-founded the Alliance for Gun Responsibility. His work as a civic innovator was recognized in 2020 with an Ashoka Fellowship.
To reach Eric, please email [email protected].
View Eric’s official headshot & bio →
Meet the Team
Brooke Prieskorn
Program Manager
Pronouns: she/her
Brooke always dreamed of being a scientist – well, she actually dreamed of being a dolphin trainer first, but what ’90s kid didn’t? Then, in 2020, after years of googles and lab coat research, she felt it was time to zoom out and embrace something bigger. Now, she’s all about supporting our CU Community as our Program Manager for Power + Character, our Global Learning Project and other in-the-works programs, where she uses her microscopic attention to do all of the behind the scenes (and sometimes in the scenes!) work that supports the transformative experiences we host here at CU. If you ever find yourself in Seattle, she says “don’t miss out on Frankie & Jo’s and BeanFish”.
Chris Hayashida-Knight
Director of Administration & Finance
Pronouns: he/him
Chris Hayashida-Knight directs administrative operations at Citizen University. He has worked in nonprofit administration for 20 years and taught US history at California State University, Chico. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife, daughter, and Chihuahuas. Chris has always looked for ways to put idealism into practice and is proud to be a part of the CU team. He holds a PhD in US History and Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies from Penn State and an MA in American Studies from the George Washington University.
Davis Endava
Program Manager
Pronouns: she/her
Davis Endava designs and leads civic programs that help people understand power, practice responsibility, and build shared life together. At Citizen University, she works within CU Labs to steward the Youth Collaboratory and Collaboratories work, holding both the strategy and the lived experience of participants — from relationships and facilitation to logistics and learning. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest with Indigenous roots shaped Davis’s deep connection to place and community. Her background spans nature-based education, founding an outdoor preschool, and serving in equity and belonging leadership, all of which inform her relational, grounded approach to civic work. Davis is known for bringing calm to complexity and translating civic values into experiences that feel human, meaningful, and worth showing up for. Outside of work, she loves dancing, soaking up the sun, spending time outdoors, and being in community.
Kayla DeMonte
Deputy Director
Pronouns: she/her
Kayla DeMonte leads the Citizen University team, and oversees the development, strategy, and operations for our national slate of programs. Previously, she worked on community programs and partnerships at the Seattle Metro Chamber of Commerce and managed sponsorships for Bumbershoot Music & Arts Festival at One Reel. Kayla currently serves as a member of the Seattle Arts Commission and has served in volunteer leadership and board roles for a variety of arts and civic organizations including The Vera Project, 4Culture, ArtsFund. She is a proud graduate of the Orfalea College of Business at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
Moses Ngong
Program Manager
Pronouns: he/him
Moses is passionate about building community, especially across lines of race, class, and age. He does so by facilitating experiences that help folks from different backgrounds brainstorm ways to make their community better, unlocking an appreciation for their shared interests and collective power in the process. Moses also researched people-power building techniques while pursuing his Masters in Social Work, and is always thinking about new ways to create civic opportunity as part of the Labs team. An adopted Clevelander, and a proud Returned Peace Corps volunteer, he brings cultural humility and a love for humanity in all of his work.
Olivia Leming
Accounting Manager
Pronouns: she/her
Olivia, the accounting manager at Citizen University, was born and raised in China. She holds a bachelor’s degree in advertising from her studies in China. Pursuing her academic ambitions, she immigrated to the US for graduate studies, obtaining both an MBA and an MS in Finance from the University of St. Thomas in Houston. Olivia’s passion lies in finance and accounting management within non-profit organizations. Residing in Wichita, Kansas, with her husband and daughter, she finds solace in creating digital artworks, exploring museums, enjoying music, and indulging in family movie nights during her leisure time.
Rob Pabon
Senior Program Relationship Manager
Pronouns: he/him
Rob Pabon serves as the Senior Program Relationship Manager, where he brings his gifts and experience as a coach, facilitator, and organizer to support civic catalysts all across the country. Rob has a deep commitment to healing democracy by holding space for folks to come together across lines of difference to discover a common cause, build tethered relationships, and take collective action. As a Civic Saturday Fellow and an elected official in his own community, he understands the value of building relationships, a stronger sense of belonging and opportunities for participatory engagement.
Sadé C. Sparks
Senior Human Resources Manager
Pronouns: she/her
Proud native of Cleveland, Ohio, Sadé brings over a decade of HR experience spanning the non-profit, retail, hospitality, and entertainment sectors. She earned her MBA in Human Resources Management from Ashford University and a Bachelor’s in Human Ecology from The Ohio State University in addition to a number of professional certifications. Her diverse background allows her to offer innovative approaches to strategic planning, talent management, DEIB initiatives, and the employee experience. Outside of work, she’s an avid reader, super fan of the arts & sciences, enjoys gaming & chess as well as finding unique community service opportunities to pay it forward.
Steve Smith
Director of Communications
Pronouns: he/him
Steve brings more than three decades of experience in journalism, higher education, and nonprofit civic leadership, most recently as director of communications at Civic Nebraska. Steve has spent his career helping organizations and institutions articulate their “why,” translate democratic values into public-facing narratives, and build trust through clear, principled storytelling. He has been involved with Citizen University since 2020 through Civic Saturdays and the National Civic Collaboratory, and is energized by CU’s commitment to building a culture of powerful, responsible citizenship. Steve is based in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Talya Gillman
Program Director
Pronouns: she/her
Talya Gillman develops resources and experiences that spark and support powerful citizenship, rooted in the CU tenet that “we’re all better off when we’re all better off.” Many experiences and relationships have fueled her commitment to building eco-systems of dignity, equity and belonging: designing and leading experiential learning initiatives with organizations including Jewish Family Service, University of Washington, and Repair the World; receiving a Covenant Foundation Pomegranate Prize for emerging Jewish educators; completing an M.A. in Transformational Leadership through Seattle University; organizing with anti-racist and immigrant justice community networks in Seattle; and serving as an AJWS World Partners Fellow doing harm reduction work with Sankalp Rehabilitation Trust in Mumbai.
Zoey Cane Belyea
Program Director
Pronouns: she/her
Zoey Cane Belyea develops curriculum and guides experiences that support young people and educators to step into their role as powerful, responsible citizens. She is a theatre artist and has spent many years as an educator integrating the arts with STEM curriculums. Zoey brings the same sense of playful imagination and creativity to her work at Citizen University. Zoey has worked as a program manager and curriculum development specialist for several organizations in Seattle, Austin, and her current home of Ashland, OR including Seattle Children’s Theatre, Arts Corps, The Paramount Theatre School, and ScienceWorks Hands On Museum.
Board of Directors
Kristen Cambell | PACE Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement
Katie Hong | Principal, KH Consulting
Diane Douglas | Diane Douglas Consulting
Eric Liu | Citizen University
Martin A. Rodgers | Accenture
Rich Tafel | Pepperdine School of Public Policy
James Williams | Perkins Coie