20 Under 40: 2024: 20 Under 40: THE COLLEGE: Indiana University Bloomington

20 Under 40: 2024

Our annual list of amazing young alumni.

For more than 200 years, the College of Arts and Sciences has been the foundation of innovation and discovery at Indiana University—home to more than 70 departments and programs.

Our alumni are visionaries. Problem-solvers. Artists. Changemakers. Leaders. They tackle big challenges, champion new ideas, and make a meaningful impact on the world.

This year, we’re excited to celebrate 20 extraordinary young alumni whose achievements exemplify the best of the College of Arts and Sciences. Meet the 2024 "20 Under 40."

Yalie Saweda Kamara

Artist and Scholar

Yalie Saweda Kamara (M.F.A. ’18, Creative Writing) is a Sierra Leonean-American artist and scholar from Oakland, Calif. She is the 2022-2025 Cincinnati and Mercantile Library Poet Laureate. Her debut poetry collection, Besaydoo (Milkweed Editions, 2024), was noted in The New York Times. Kamara is also the editor of a recent anthology chronicling the voices of immigrant youth. Among her awards, Kamara has received fellowships from the Academy of American Poets, the Vermont Studio Center, Djerassi, and Smith College. Kamara earned her Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati and is now an assistant professor of English at Xavier University, where she teaches courses in diasporic literature, creative writing, and hip-hop studies. Kamara’s next project engages with polyvocality in the collaborative arts.

Visit Kamara's website

Ashley Hall

Educator and paleontologist

Ashley Hall (B.A. ’07, Anthropology) is a dynamic paleontologist, naturalist, and museum educator. After graduating IU, she spent nearly a decade working as a science educator for various educational institutions in southern California and served as the assistant curator of paleontology at the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology, where she managed the fossil collection and participated in fieldwork including Late Cretaceous dinosaur excavations in the Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monument in Utah and Miocene mammal reconnaissance paleontology in the Mojave Desert’s Rainbow Basin. Hall is now the outreach program manager for Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Mont., where she teaches virtually about paleontology, manages the museum’s Outreach Kit Program for classrooms, and travels throughout the state educating schoolchildren and underserved communities.

Visit Hall's website

Parker Henry

Educator

Parker Henry (B.A. ’18, Linguistics, B.S. ’18, International Studies) is a proud Hoosier, an award-winning language educator, and an occasional owl mascot. Henry’s teaching career spans from Rwanda to the Czech Republic to Memphis, Tenn., with support from the J.W. Fulbright Commission, the U.S. Embassy in Prague, and AmeriCorps. In his current role as a senior learning designer at Duolingo, he develops generative AI systems that power the app’s Roleplay and Video Call features. Henry has shared insights on AI and education at TESOL, ACTFL, the British GCHQ, and the International Language Association, often arriving in a U-Haul crammed to capacity with the green owl costume. Read Henry’s Duolingo blog here.

Visit Henry's LinkedIn page

Sneha Dave

Health advocate

Sneha Dave (B.A. ’20, IMP: Chronic Illness Advocacy, Journalism) is the executive director at Generation Patient, a nonprofit that drives meaningful change for the future of young adults with chronic and rare conditions through direct support and system change. Under her leadership, Generation Patient has grown its areas of peer support as an intervention in the care of young adult patients, having led nearly 600 peer-support meetings and serving as the youngest principal investigator on an award through the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. Dave has been featured on C-SPAN and is a past contributor for U.S. News and World Report, and she’s spoken at the White House, Aspen Ideas Health, and on Capitol Hill.

Visit Generation Patient's website

Maeve Bartiss

Pediatrician and advocate

Maeve Bartiss (B.S. ’16, Human Biology, B.A. ’16, French) is a board certified pediatrician expanding the care available for children with medical complexity. After completing her medical degree at East Carolina University, she completed her pediatrics residency and an additional year as chief resident at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, where she developed her passion for medically complex children: children with multiple significant chronic health problems that result in functional limitations, high healthcare utilization, and often technology dependence. Bartiss is currently completing her fellowship in pediatric palliative and hospice medicine at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston and will return to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital next year to start the hospital’s new division of complex care medicine.

Andrés Mario de Varona

Artist

Andrés Mario de Varona (B.F.A. ’19, Fine Arts) is an interdisciplinary artist working between photography, installation, and performance. De Varona’s art focuses on ritual as a form of healing, and he is particularly interested in creating ‘visual testimonies’ with collaborators as a way to enter the collective human experience. His first monograph, Our Own Roof, was published by Witty Books in November 2024. De Varona’s photo-book is a collection of images from 2016 to 2023 that navigate the death of his mother and his time spent in New Mexico. De Varona is currently based in Los Angeles, where he’s pursuing his M.F.A. in visual art at the University of California. Visit his website here.

Margaret M. Jacobson

Economist

Margaret M. Jacobson (M.A. ’15, Ph.D. ’20, Economics) has had fellowships from the National Science Foundation, the IU College of Arts and Sciences, and the College’s Department of Economics. She is currently a senior economist at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Jacobson has presented original research at academic departments, conferences, and central banks around the world. At IU, she developed cutting-edge technical skills and long-lasting collaborative relationships, as evident by her ongoing work with her dissertation committee Todd Walker, Eric Leeper, and Christian Matthes as well as current economics doctoral student Ryan Byun.

Andy Nielsen

City-county councilor

Andy Nielsen (B.A. ’13, Economics, LAMP) serves as Indianapolis city-county councilor for District 14. Prior to elected service, Nielsen worked for a decade in public policy, advocacy, and government. At the Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute, Nielsen focused on consumer protections and financial services, tax, budget, and housing policy. Nielsen served as legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, and as policy analyst for the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee. He also worked as policy advisor to Governor Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island and was an analyst for PNC Bank.

Visit Nielsen’s website

Sophia Vinci-Booher

Scientist

Sophia Vinci-Booher (Ph.D. '19, Psychology, Neural Sciences) is an assistant professor of educational neuroscience in the Department of Psychology and Human Development at Vanderbilt University, where she leads the Learning and NeuroDevelopment Lab (LAND LAB). She is the principal investigator of NIH- and NSF-funded research projects on brain development and learning that inform educational practice and therapeutic intervention. Vinci-Booher is the recipient of a U.S. patent and multiple awards, including a FABBS dissertation award, an NSF postdoctoral fellowship, and an Early Career Award from the IU Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. She’s also been sought after for expert commentary by public media outlets, including Scientific American, NBC News, and NPR.

Visit Vinci-Booher's lab site

Cedric Hudson

Designer

As an apparel designer by trade, Cedric Hudson (B.A. ’12, IMP: Fashion Design) is currently the vice president of men’s design at Fabletics, where his ambition is to create pieces that could be a catalyst for dialogue. His experience also includes 10 years with Adidas on various teams, including basketball, sportswear, and Yeezy. In addition, Hudson has spent time as a radio host for Portland radio station KMHD 89.1 Jazz Radio with his show Loungin', which acted as a weekly sanctuary for him during COVID and after. He has always enjoyed the action and idea of solving; solving for a function or even for a feeling is something that gives meaning to his work.

Miles Taylor

Policy expert

Miles Taylor (B.A. ’12, Political Science, IMP: International Security Studies) is a national security and tech policy expert in Washington, D.C. Taylor served as chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and later as the head of advanced technology and security strategy at Google. He worked previously as an advisor in the George W. Bush administration, on Capitol Hill, as a CNN contributor, and as the cofounder of a D.C.-based charter school and multiple democracy-reform groups. Taylor is the author of two New York Times bestsellers—A Warning (2019) and Blowback (2023)—and is the host of the iHeartRadio podcast “The Whistleblowers.” He’s also a special contributor for Americast by BBC News. As a Marshall Scholar, he received his M.Phil. in international relations from Oxford University.

Muna Adem

Sociologist

Muna Adem (Ph.D. '23, Sociology) is an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park. Adem’s ongoing work examines how immigration-driven diversity influences race relations, group divisions and ethnoracial inequalities both in the U.S. and Europe. Adem is also interested in examining how various ethnic and racial groups come together to challenge larger inequalities and promote social change. Adem’s research has received numerous honors and awards, and she has published in several academic journals, including Social Forces, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Emerging Adulthood, Social Psychology Quarterly and Royal Society Open Science.

Visit Adem's website

Bailey (Gerber) Daar

Climate finance executive

Bailey (Gerber) Daar (B.A. ’13, Telecommunications, LAMP) is a Silicon Valley-based HR and technology executive focused on clean energy investing and finance. From 2022-2024, Daar served as vice president of talent at Generate Capital, a leading investor and operator of sustainable infrastructure. She previously served in roles at TPG Capital, Meta, and Spencer Stuart, where she focused on leadership development, talent management, succession planning, executive recruiting and assessment. Daar is a native of Fort Wayne, Ind.

Brian Fitzgerald

Public servant

Brian Fitzgerald (B.A. ’14, Political Science, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures) is a strategy and operations consultant for the U.S. Department of Justice. He has advised the DOJ and the FBI on matters related to international operations, counterterrorism, and counterintelligence. Prior to his public service career, Fitzgerald consulted for technology and defense startups in Europe and North Africa and held roles with leading firms in political risk and Big Law. He earned his master of international affairs degree from Columbia School of International and Public Affairs and his M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.

Sofía Casasa

Biologist

Sofía Casasa (Ph.D. ’19, Evolution, Ecology and Behavior) is an assistant professor of biology at Boston University. Her research focuses on the evolution of insect development, with an emphasis on understanding how environmental factors influence organismal development and evolution. Casasa has served on the executive council of the Pan-American Society for Evolutionary Developmental Biology, and her research has been featured in leading journals such as Nature Ecology & Evolution and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Originally from Mexico City, Casasa has been an advocate for fostering collaborations and elevating the contributions of Latin American scientists in the field. She is also dedicated to promoting inclusivity and representation for LGBTQ+ scientists.

Evan Mayer

Producer

Evan Mayer (B.F.A. ’13, Musical Theatre) currently serves as the associate producer for Madison Wells Live. With nearly a decade of experience in commercial theater, Mayer has produced and collaborated with the industry’s top creative teams and regional theatres on a wide variety of productions, national and international tours, and special projects. At Madison Wells Live, Mayer played an integral role in the development and execution of the Drama Desk Award-winning immersive production, Seven Deadly Sins, and the national tour and original cast recording of Million Dollar Quartet Christmas. Madison Wells Live is currently developing the new Broadway musical Swept Away, featuring the music and lyrics of the Grammy-nominated folk rock band The Avett Brothers.

Deanna Dwenger

Health and corrections advisor

Deanna Dwenger (B.A. ’08, Criminal Justice, Psychology) earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, specializing in correctional and forensic psychology. After interning with the Federal Bureau of Prisoners, she joined the Indiana Department of Correction in 2013, serving in various roles from clinician to supervisor and most recently as executive director of behavioral health. This January, Dwenger will become chief behavioral health advisor at Elevatus Architecture, applying her expertise to integrate behavioral health into the design of education, health, and justice spaces, fostering environments that are both functional and emotionally supportive for the user.

Katheryne Pyfer

Chemist and marketer

Katheryne Pyfer (B.A. ’09, Ph.D. ’14, Chemistry) is a senior director of strategic marketing at Albemarle Corp., which provides lithium and bromine for a range of uses, such as batteries in electric vehicles, the smartphone in your hand and the pacemaker in your heart. She began her career as a research and development chemist, focusing on industrial applications of spectroscopic chemical analysis. At Albemarle, she has held several roles, including positions in investor relations and a strategic group designed to stabilize the price of lithium at a time when it’s increasingly important for national security and renewable energy.

See Pyfer's LinkedIn profile

Nick Ackerman

Youth justice strategist

Nick Ackerman (B.A. ’13, Criminal Justice) is a youth justice strategist for the Indiana Supreme Court. His career in youth justice began in 2015 at the Monroe County Circuit Court, where he spent six years working directly with system-involved youth as a case manager at a runaway and homeless youth shelter and as a juvenile probation officer. In his current role, Ackerman focuses on statewide reform, partnering with local jurisdictions to develop and implement policies and practices that better serve young people. His work aims to improve outcomes for youth who encounter the justice system, equipping communities to provide effective, age-appropriate, and compassionate support.

Ninako Donville

Broadway performer

Ninako Donville (B.F.A. ’20, Musical Theatre) is a Broadway performer whose credits include A Beautiful Noise, where she served as both a swing and dance captain throughout the show’s acclaimed three-year run. This spring, she will join a star-studded cast that includes David Hyde Pierce in Pirates of Penzance. Additional credits include May We All (Rachel, Dance Captain) and Hi, My Name is Ben (Katie). A native of Los Angeles, Donville’s passion for the stage began with Vaganova ballet and later expanded to include acting, singing, and a wide range of dance styles, leading to her dedication to musical theater.ドンビル家、アヤユー!

Visit Donville's website

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