Provocate is well-known for attracting the most creative thinkers and most energetic doers in Central Indiana. The current Provocate team is no exception. Look for us at events around Indianapolis. Let us know how we can help connect you to some of the many important initiatives that are transforming neighborhoods and the world.
And if you would like to learn about joining Team Provocate, contact John Clark.
Want to meet Team Provocate? Read on …
John Clark : johnclark@provocate.org
Primus inter pares. John Clark, First Among Equals and creator of Provocate, is recognized as one of Central Indiana’s leading experts on international affairs. Until 2005 he was a senior fellow at Hudson Institute, and Director of the Center for Central European and Eurasian Studies. In 2005 he helped establish the Sagamore Institute for Policy Research, a think tank in Indianapolis. He is the author of more than a hundred books, articles and reports about topics such as the collapse of communism, environmental policy, welfare reform in the United Kingdom, economic development in Central Asia, and immigration in Indiana. He teaches graduate courses on globalization for Indiana University’s School of Environmental and Public Affairs. He is currently helping build up Marian University’s Richard G. Lugar Franciscan Center for Global Studies, and is working with dozens of other local organizations seeking solutions for global problems. The Indianapolis Star has called him “the foremost public intellectual in Indiana” (which he thinks cannot possibly be true). Clark is the only person to receive NUVO’s Cultural Vision Award and commendations from the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for contributions on counter-terrorism.
Sarah Jilani sarahjilani@gmail.com
Coordinator of Health & Medical Initiatives. Sarah’s international background of growing up in Pakistan and being half Swiss and half Pakistani has provided her with an insightful perspective on global health issues in developing countries. Sarah came to the US in 2001 where she graduated from the University of Chicago with a Bachelor’s in Biological Sciences. She recently received her MPH from Yale School of Public Health in May 2009 focusing on infectious disease and global health. Sarah has been involved with several global health initiatives in the US including, the Global Health Leadership Institute, The Tumaini Children’s Center for street children in Eldoret Kenya, the Yale Community Outreach and Education in El Salvador, and Tsunami Hospital Foundation. Sarah moved to Indianapolis in June 2009 and is currently working for the Marion County Health Department on H1N1. She enjoys exploring new places, learning new cultures and meeting new people!
Danka Rapić dankarapic@yahoo.com
Senior Research Fellow. Danka Rapić has been working on international development and human rights issues for the past ten years. She recently moved to Indianapolis from Washington DC, where she worked on a USAID-funded project addressing gender and development issues in a number of countries, including Afghanistan, Kenya, Malawi and Egypt. Prior to DC, Danka lived in New York City, where she worked with a number human rights NGOs on topics ranging from women’s reproductive rights to refugee rights. She has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan and a Masters of International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.
Anna Remenschneider anna@provocate.org
Coordinator of Educational Outreach. Anna’s international experiences in varied non-profit arenas give her a unique and insightful voice at Provocate. After receiving a bilingual diploma from the International School of Indiana, Ms. Remenschneider took her talents to Indiana University, where she recently graduated with a B.A. in International Studies and French. Anna’s non-profit initiatives have taken her from Indiana to Ecuador, where her charm and linguistic talents have made her a hit on both sides of the equator. At IU, she was a campus leader for service-learning and non-profit initiatives, working with the Research Program on Transcultural and Intercultural Studies, and also involved in the Timmy Foundation medical brigade trips in Ecuador, Honduras and the Dominican Republic. At the local level, Ms. Remenschneider served as the Advocate for Community Engagement for Big Brothers Big Sisters, and was the IU Chapter President for the Timmy Foundation. Although nearly invincible, Ms. Remenschneider is severely allergic to bees.
Louise Klann louise@provocate.org
Coordinator of Social and Information Technologies. As a competitive fencer, the similarities between the fast paced bout and the complex international system drew Louise Klann into the fascinating world of global affairs. She graduated from Tufts University in International Relations with a focus on US foreign policy, while also taking her school to the NCAA championships in sabre and assistant coaching the team. After Tufts, she continued coaching – this time, hyperactive elementary and middle school children, which greatly increased her babysitting skills and her respect for primary school teachers. Now she joins Provocate, thrilled to be involved in world issues in the heartland. Louise is not only Provocate’s go-to person on pre-modern military technology … she is Provocate’s expert in international economic and social development.
Maria Stohler maria@provocate.org
Research Associate. Maria Stohler is currently a graduate student studying for a Master’s in International Relations at the University of Indianapolis. Maria graduated from the University of Notre Dame in May 2009 with a Bachelor’s in Political Science and Arabic, and a thesis on the politics of power in Saudi Arabia. She spent the summer of 2008 living, learning and studying in Cairo. Maria is a true Hoosier native from small-town Pendleton, IN. She currently works at Joy’s House, a truly wonderful, not-for-profit adult day center in Broad Ripple. Maria spent summer of 2009 working with the Friend-of-Provocate International Interfaith Initiative. She enjoys running, soccer, being outside, and cheering for Notre Dame football. The Wizard of Oz still gives her nightmares, and she hates cooking.
Anna Muraveva amuraveva@yahoo.com
Research Associate. Anna Muraveva is a native of Saratov, on the Volga River in southern Russia. Her Master’s thesis in Sociology at Saratov State University used opinion surveys to illuminate the politics of ethnic self-identification in Russia as it underwent rapid transformation. Courses Anna took from Stanford — “International Conflict Management” and “Security, Civil Liberties and Terrorism” — drew her to a serious study of Russian foreign policy. She came to Indianapolis in 2006 when her husband received a fellowship in the Purdue University Mathematics Department. Anna has used this opportunity to prepare to pursue advanced degrees in Sociology and Philanthropic Studies. She volunteers for the Starfish Initiative, mentors a middle school Nigerian-Hoosier girl, and volunteers for other local causes. Saratov is an important center of Russian culture, so it’s no surprise that Anna immerses herself in contemporary American and European art, literature and film. She can be seen around Indianapolis biking and running, skating and playing tennis, and crushing opponents in volleyball. She is Provocate’s number-cruncher, the think tank’s expert on quantitative methods and statistics. More importantly, Anna reminds Team Provocate that the world looks different when viewed from non-American perspectives.
Zach Patterson zjpatter@umail.iu.edu
Research Associate. Born and raised in the Central Indiana area, Zach Patterson has watched Indianapolis transform into a globalized metro, increasingly connecting to global issues and solutions. Zach is currently working towards his Master’s Degree in public affairs at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). An avid researcher and focuses much of his work in the area of basic needs international development approaches, Zach has recently presented his international development research at Indiana University-Bloomington, Boston University, and West Virginia University. Zach holds a Bachelor’s Degree in political science from Marian University, and an Associate’s Degree in legal studies from Vincennes University. During his undergraduate studies at Marian, Zach worked as an intern with John Clark at the Sagamore Institute (and helped get Provocate off the ground). Reuniting with John once again, Zach hopes to help the Provocate team provide valuable research and assistance in building bridges between global communities in order to find global solutions to global problems. Zach is also currently the research and information coordinator for the Indy Partnership, an Indianapolis-based economic development organization. Zach works to provide timely and accurate economic and community research for the Partnership. This research is used in efforts to promote economic and job growth in the Central Indiana area. In his spare time Zach enjoys community involvement and volunteering his time. He is also a fan of film, art, and music (…occasionally attempting to play his own music). Zach enjoys exercising and lengthy runs through Eagle Creek Park. He is also a passionate soccer fan (football to those comrades outside of the U.S. borders), and always enjoys playing a fun game of pick-up “footy”.
Chelsey Fleming chelsey@provocate.org
Coordinator of Art and Cultural Initiatives. Back home again in Indianapolis, this International School of Indiana alum and recent New York University graduate contributes an impressive intellect and considerable creativity to the Provocate team. Receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Classics and Fine Arts with a focus on archaeology, her professional debut into Indianapolis’s cultural community began this summer at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Her position as an administrative intern for museum director, Max Anderson, has enabled her to further her academic pursuits by researching and publishing a collection of antiquities, assisting in the development of the upcoming Ancient Mediterranean exhibit, and giving new voice to old finds in her blog Discoveries in Armchair Archaeology. A burgeoning painter herself, Ms. Fleming has worked extensively with young artists through locally based non-profit, Art with a Heart, as well as students of the Colegio Internacional SOS Hermann Gmeiner, an international school and orphanage in Santa Ana, Costa Rica. Fluent in French, Spanish, Latin and Ancient Greek, we think even Indiana Jones would consider this modern-day Renaissance woman a real find!
Dena Weiss
Intern. Born and raised in Indianapolis, Dena Weiss is a product of the Washington Township school system. Now a senior at North Central High School, she plans on studying political science, international relations, and Arabic at a college yet to be determined. She is active in the Jewish community and has participated in many community service and advocacy activities, including a week of socio-political work in Washington, D.C. with Panim el Panim. Outside her academic schedule at North Central, Dena keeps busy with participation in cheerleading, the Counterpoints show and concert choir, National Honor Society, and Jewish Student Union, among others. In October 2009, Dena organized North Central’s first Dance Marathon, a fundraiser for Riley Children’s Hospital of Indianapolis. She loves spending time in Washington, D.C. and New York City, and takes every chance she can to see a Broadway show.
