Meet the Team

Amy, a white woman with straight, shoulder-length blonde hair, wears a burgundy blouse with gray jeans and sits in her mobility scooter in front of a wall with blue and white geometric shapes. 
Image description: Amy, a white woman with straight, shoulder-length blonde hair, wears a burgundy blouse with gray jeans and sits in her mobility scooter in front of a wall with blue and white geometric shapes. 

Dr. Amy Kenny (she/her/hers) is a disabled scholar, writer, and advocate, and serves as the inaugural Director of the Disability Cultural Initiative. Her work on disability has been featured in Teen Vogue, Huff Post, The Mighty, Sojourners, and Shondaland. Kenny’s award-winning book, My Body is Not A Prayer Request, mixes humor, personal narrative, and theology to invite faith communities to rethink their ableism and learn from the embodied wisdom of disabled people. 

Before arriving at the Hilltop, she was a lecturer in the English Department at the University of California, Riverside, where she taught undergraduate and graduate courses on disability studies and early modern theater, and was known as “the Shakespeare Lecturer who hates Hamlet.” During her time there, Kenny facilitated workshops on inclusive pedagogy, designed accessibility modules for graduate students, and mentored fellow first-gen students. 

In addition to her academic work, Kenny has served on the Mayor’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Task Force in Southern California and as a facilitator for Freedom Road Institute for Leadership and Justice. While co-leading a mutual aid group supporting neighbors experiencing homelessness for several years, she co-founded Jubilee Homes OC, a permanent supportive housing initiative in her community. 

Originally from Brisbane, Australia, she is at home in the water, where she’d always rather be.

Image description: A black woman with shaved black curly hair, wearing a black dress in a college courtyard.

Monica Kessel (She/They) is a graduate student in their last semester of the Higher Education Administration program at Georgetown. Monica is collaborating with Dr. Kenny this semester, conducting research to further accessibility in non-academic areas of the college experience. 

When not completing course work, Monica can be found in Philadelphia where they work as an Events and Reservations Coordinator for UPENN’s University Life Space and Events.

Image description: Marcia, an Hispanic woman, has black hair and is wearing a black blazer and a white shirt.
Image description: Marcia, an Hispanic woman, has black hair and is wearing a black blazer and a white shirt.

Marcia Salas (she/her) is a second-year undergraduate student at Georgetown. She currently wants to double major in Finance and Operations & Analytics (OPAN) and possibly minor in Entrepreneurship. She is a Student Academic Assistant at the Disability Cultural Initiative under Dr. Amy Kenny. Collaborating with the other four Academic Assistants, Marcia oversees DCI’s Campus Groups. She actively works to expand DCI’s presence on campus and assist with future programming/goals.

Marcia resides in Lima, Peru. Being Head Student Council, she advocated for inclusion and diversity in her community to eliminate harmful material that perpetuates stereotypes from the school’s curriculum. In the past, Marcia was part of a consulting internship where she advocated for funding for low-income NGOs. 

Outside of the Disability Cultural Initiative, Marcia is part of Georgetown Global Consulting Club (GGC), The Caravel Journal and the Latin American Student Association (LASA).

Image description: Kat, a white woman, has brown curly hair and is wearing a gray shirt. She is standing in front of the entryway of a brick building.

Kat Bouker (she/her) is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, from Washington, DC. She is majoring in American Studies with a minor in Disability Studies. Kat serves as a Student Academic Assistant for the Disability Cultural Initiative. Collaborating with the other student assistants, Kat is responsible for updating the DCI’s website with DCI events and other helpful information! In her work at the DCI, Kat is looking forward to collaborating with the other centers housed within the OSEI, as well as working to increase accessibility and community across campus.

Outside of the DCI, Kat is the Executive Producer of the Mask & Bauble Dramatic Society and the Community Engagement Director for Blue & Gray. She also is involved in ESCAPE, GAAP and is a peer advisor for the College of Arts and Sciences.

Image description: Aamna is a South Asian woman. She is wearing glasses, a brown hijab, a white shirt, and a black blazer. She is standing in front of palm trees and a mosaic wall.

Aamna Asim (she/her) is a Junior from the Georgetown Qatar campus and is currently spending her Fall semester here in D.C. She studies at SFS and is majoring in International Economics. Aamna is one of the student assistants currently working at the Disability Cultural Initiative and, along with her colleagues, will be overseeing DCI’s Campus Groups. She is looking forward to working with everybody and forming meaningful connections. 

Aamna has previously worked in the Student Government Association at the Qatar campus and has advocated for multiple inclusive and exciting initiatives and events to take place on campus. She is open to any and all experiences and hopes to make the most of her time here at the D.C. campus.

Image description: Tara is a half-Asian woman with shoulder-length dark brown hair. She is smiling, wearing a tan jacket, standing with buildings and a river in the background.

Tara Haas (she/her) is a Junior in the School of Health, studying Human Science with a Disability Studies minor. Tara calls Minnesota home! Tara is very excited to be working as a Student Academic Assistant at the DCI alongside other students, managing social media accounts. She looks forward to expanding the DCI’s social media presence and to share all of the happenings within the DCI community!

Outside of the DCI, Tara is part of the SOH Academic Council, HOPE: Homeless Outreach and Program Education, Heroes4Hearts, and works at the Hoya Kids Center!

Image description: Chloe is a black woman with short, wavy hair. She is smiling, wearing a black shirt with puffy sleeves, and is sitting in a wooden chair in front of a tan background. 

Chloe Smith (she/her) is a Sophomore student in the Georgetown School of Nursing. Chloe is interested in women’s health and is an aspiring Certified Nurse-Midwife. She is a student assistant at DCI, and is responsible for creating our newsletter. She looks forward to collaborating with other organizations to ensure that students are informed about upcoming events and programming!