Misha Collins, Co-founder and Board President

Misha (misha Collins) presides over the Board of Directors for The Art Department, Inc., the parent organization of Random Acts. He works with Cinde Monsam to set goals for the organizations and takes a hands-on approach to conquering the world, one random act of kindness at a time.

Misha has a diverse background encompassing accomplishments in academia, creative expression and entrepreneurial pursuits. He is a successful, working actor appearing in the CW’s Supernatural as the angel, Castiel. He has appeared in a number of TV series including 24, ER, Charmed and NCIS in addition to his movie roles in Liberty Heights, Girl, Interrupted and, most notably, Karla. He also produces and directs. For a more complete bio, click here.

Cinde Monsam, Director

Cinde (Cinde) provides leadership and direction for the Random Acts program with a team of talented, dedicated volunteers. She partners with Misha Collins to breathe life into his vision of a better world, and makes dreams into reality by ensuring the goals of The Art Department, Inc. and the mission of Random Acts remain in sync.

Appointed as the Director of Random Acts in December 2011, Cinde is a native Georgian, but calls Colorado home. She is an avid outdoors-woman, enjoying all that nature has to offer in the great wildernesses of America, particularly if horses are involved. A 30-year veteran of the aviation industry, Cinde started in an entry level position. She pursued opportunities to expand her knowledge of aviation administration and her professional career has culminated in administrative responsibilities of over 2000 employees, an operation of over 600 flights per day, and effectively running the business of one of the nation’s largest airline hubs. She is a longtime supporter and volunteer with 4-H, Girl Scouts, United Way, American Red Cross, and the Humane Society. Cinde says, “I sincerely believe and enthusiastically support the mission of the Random Acts organization. Kindness should be fundamental to our interaction with each other. At Random Acts, we hope to provide the path that leads others to instill kindness in every action with every person, every day.”

Rebecca Scott, Assistant Director

Rebecca supports the Director in the development and implementation of Random Acts’ strategic plans and policies, and develops and coordinates new projects and initiatives.

Rebecca is a veteran of the armed forces and joined Random Acts while on deployment. Her experience includes the leadership of over 600 fellow military members while still in technical school. She is now working as a network engineer for an on-line bill payment company. She attended the Savannah College of Art and Design, majoring in Motion Graphics, and her interests still lean heavily in the arts department. She loves to learn new things and her hobbies include mixed martial arts, sewing, photography, traditional and digital art, sculpting, jewelry making, and interior design

Michelle Clapham, HR Manager

Michelle (Chelle) guides and manages the overall human resources services, policies, and programs for Random Acts.

Michelle is currently studying for her MSc Masters degree in Human Resource Management at The University of Lincoln (UK), and she has been working in the field for three years. Prior to that, she gained her BA (Hons) degree in History, which she has since failed to work out how to use in real life. Michelle is also an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute for Personnel & Development, and she has previously volunteered her time with St. John Ambulance as a front-line First Aider. In her spare time, Michelle tweets incessantly about her dog, Jack, and her partner, Chris. In that order.

Sharon Burkey, HR Generalist

Sharon supports the HR Manager in developing the overall human resources services, policies, and programs for Random Acts.

Sharon has an MSc Masters degree in Human Resources Management from the University of Salford (UK) and has spent all her working life in the NHS in a mixture of roles ranging from working in a GP practice, Sexual Health, Informatics and for the past ten years or so in HR. Despite being born and bred in Lancashire (before it became Merseyside) she has been living in Yorkshire for three years and can, almost, understand the accent! Sharon is involved with her local Rugby Union team (admin capacity and fan only!) and is a mad Everton fan, to her partner’s and step son’s dismay due to the screams and tears nearly every time they play

Tracy Liu, Treasurer

Tracy (Tracy) manages all fiscal matters for Random Acts.

Tracy Liu graduated from Purdue University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering, and then went on to complete a Master’s degree at the University of Rochester in 2009, also in Biomedical Engineering but with a focus on Neuroengineering. Currently, she resides in Lisbon, Portugal, and works as a software engineer at SISCOG—Sistemas Cognitivos, an artificial intelligence and operational research software company. Her interests vary widely and include traveling, snowboarding, surfing, swimming, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, art, reading and writing, violin, and the piano, among other things. She is always looking for something new to try.

Stephanie Huffman, Inventory Control Specialist

Stephanie is responsible for all processes relating to material handling for Random Acts, including shipping and receiving functions.

Stephanie graduated from Otterbein University (nee College) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English emphasizing in writing. Realizing she wanted to be a writer at an early age, she’s taken a slightly different path by working in Transportation/Logistics and Operations Management out of Central Ohio for the past 13 years. When not getting out the next priority shipment or daydreaming over how an awesome heroine saves the day, she spends some of her free time with many cats and an awesome dog named Eddie. In addition, she volunteers for a local animal charity that fosters dogs and cats looking for great homes, reads trashy romance novels, and can’t wait to sample the newest flavor of chocolate on the market.

Tina Whitehair, Executive Assistant

Tina provides administrative support, manages information flow and assists with the organization of resources.

Tina has a BS in Computer Information Systems from DeVry University. She has worked in offices for many years performing various levels of tasks and is currently working as an administrative assistant to a large number of professors at the University of Georgia School of Law. Originally from West Virginia, Tina has been a family mentor with AmeriCorps where she helped families make the transition from welfare to work. She empowered people to utilize the tools provided to obtain their GEDs, driver’s licenses, draft their first resumes, prepare for interviews, and was also a literacy tutor. In her spare time, Tina likes to read, dabble in writing, and is very passionate about music

Lisa Walker, Co-founder and Strategic Consultant (currently on sabbatical)

Lisa (LisaW) provides support and advice to the organization, particularly in relation to fundraising planning and implementation.

Lisa has an MBA along with 19 years of program development and management experience. Lisa has strong budgeting, strategic planning and technological skills as well. She wrote her first grant proposal in 1991 and was funded. She has been successfully writing grants ever since, raising millions of dollars to fulfill critical needs in her community.

Development:

Lindsay Heffernan, Development Officer

Lindsay finds and develops new and creative fundraising initiatives for Random Acts, ensuring a steady source of funding for the organization.

Lindsay graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2008 receiving a BFA in Art History. She will receive an MA in Art History from Hunter College CUNY in early 2012. Lindsay currently works as the Director of Education and Development at The Barnum Museum in Connecticut where she oversees educational outreach programs to area schools as well as general children’s programming at the Museum. She has worked extensively on developing membership and outreach opportunities that take into account emerging technologies and social media to better reflect the divergent economic groups represented by the Museum’s target audience. Lindsay is also an adjunct faculty member at Columbia Southern University where she teaches Art Appreciation. In her spare time, she teaches dance at a local dance studio

Nicole Edson, Development Officer

Nicole finds and develops new and creative fundraising initiatives for Random Acts, ensuring a steady source of funding for the organization.

Nicole graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz (the fighting Banana Slugs!) with a degree in Sociology and a minor in Legal Studies. She then moved to beautiful Portland, Oregon and spent a year at Lewis and Clark Law School. After volunteering for several non-profit groups, Nicole worked for the Oregon Humane Society as a fundraiser for more than six years and she recently completed a three-year term on the board of the Willamette Valley Development Officers. Nicole was thrilled to be one of the 22 volunteers to participate in Random Acts’ first trip to Haiti in June 2011 and has already taken a second volunteer trip to Haiti. She looks forward to continuing to work with the amazing organizations and people she met there. In her free time Nicole enjoys reading, writing, gardening, baking, traveling, and spending time with her husband and their furry and feathered housemates

Events:

Hilary Keane, Events Manager

Hilary (Hilary) oversees the planning and coordination of the organization’s events.

Hilary has a BA (Hons) degree in Theology and English Literature from the University of York St John (UK) and spent several years working for the government before moving into IT. She started out managing events when she was still at school and was part of the RAG (Raising And Giving) committee. She moved on from organizing the kidnapping of teachers for charity to organizing parties and functions for her work’s social club. Hilary was also one of the founding members of WriterConUK which is an annual weekend-long convention in the UK and covers all creative aspects of fandom. This organization is now into its 6th year and is still going strong

Jenni Walker, Events Manager

Jenni (JenniW) oversees the planning and coordination of the organization’s events.

Jenni graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Oklahoma with a BA in Spanish and French. She has extensive volunteer experience for organizations such as the Cleveland County Animal Shelter and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Jenni spends her time doing Zumba, fangirling, and breeding miniature unicorns.

Dawn Hewitt, Events Officer & Forum Moderator

Dawn helps support the planning and coordination of the organization’s events.

Dawn has been involved with running fandom conventions for five years, and has held a wide range of positions from Guest Liaison to Vice Chair. She has completed the Japanese Studies program at Portland State University and will be returning to complete a second major in Linguistics and then finally graduate. She has far too many hobbies and interests to ever keep up with all of them. Recently, she has been working on sewing and embroidery.

Communications:

Mark Bramlett, Communications Officer

Mark (Mark) oversees the coordination of the communications team, which works to spread Random Acts’ message of kindness across all media platforms.

Mark is an award winning writer, voice-over talent and pop culture enthusiast. He began working in radio while attending college as a disc jockey and copywriter. Since that time, he’s continued to make a living doing one or the other… or both. Mark is currently a Social Media Editor/Copywriter for an advertising agency, where he oversees the online communications for a multitude of businesses, organizations and community leaders. In his spare time, he enjoys participating in other freelance creative projects & development.

Desiree Evans, Communications Officer

Desiree oversees the coordination of the communications team, which works to spread Random Acts’ message of kindness across all media platforms.

Desiree has been volunteering and supporting various causes for more than a decade. She has worked as a program officer for a number of non-profits, supporting advocacy campaigns around the globe. She’s also worked as a journalist, most recently co-editing an online magazine where she covered issues relating to the post-Katrina rebuilding efforts on the Gulf Coast. Desiree loves traveling, writing, politics, and working every day to change the world. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Northwestern University and a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University.

Melanie Holmes, Social Media Coordinator

Melanie coordinates our social media presence, and supports our communication policies.

Melanie graduated from Newcastle University (UK) in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts in Ancient History and Archaeology. In 2008 she gained her MA in History from the University of Sunderland. Having fully intended to pursue a PhD, she decided she actually has very little interest in academia and has spent the last three years working at a small commercial property consultancy, where she handles all things online and makes a lot of coffee.

Tammy Whynot, Social Media Coordinator

Tammy coordinates our social media presence, and supports our communication policies.

Tammy is currently pursuing her Masters of Library and Information Studies at Dalhousie University (Canada), and has undergraduate degrees in Political Science, Comparative Religion, and Asian Studies. She has been volunteering for 15 years with various groups tackling political and human rights issues, and has a professional background in banking. She is passionate about social media, online communities, and connecting people with information. When not studying, working, or wrangling her two cats, she enjoys cooking, art, travel, writing, and reading.

Creative Arts:

Misty Moye, Creative Arts Manager

Misty is responsible for designing, producing and adapting all of Random Acts’ visual elements.

Misty is an archaeologist and assures you it’s less glamorous than Indy makes it look. She has lived in a tent for up to three months at a time, breathed clouds of dessicated goat dung in arid rock shelter digs, and spent countless hours in the lab washing artifacts and picking float. She has worked in a fine arts museum and for an international engineering firm; when she grows up, she dreams of working abroad in US embassies. She’s a sci fi and fantasy geek, biology nerd, and her fiercest academic love is prehistory. Her past volunteer experiences include teaching survival English to recent immigrants, presenting workshops at American Association of University Women’s “Expanding Your Horizons” conference, serving on the host committee to raise funds for summer camp for children living with cerebral palsy, and fostering rescue dogs. In her spare time, she plays with Photoshop and her dog, Brinkley.

Olivia Desianti, Creative Arts Manager

Olivia is responsible for designing, producing and adapting all of Random Acts’ visual elements.

Olivia graduated from Monash University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication). For the last 3 years, during the day she worked as a graphic designer in Melbourne’s biggest newspaper and during the night, she worked as a freelancing band/event photographer for a music magazine. She then moved across Australia to Perth and now works for a newspaper as their entertainment magazine designer. In her spare time, you can probably find her still in front of the computer designing geeky things or lurking on tumblr and reddit. She also likes travelling, watching movies, exploring different cuisines and playing with her pet drop bear. (That last one is a joke by the way – drop bears can’t be domesticated)

Information Technology:

Demetra Moumas, IT Manager

Demetra is responsible for ensuring the proper selection, implementation and effective use of all technology platforms involved in Random Acts’ operations.

Demetra is a feisty young woman that graduated from Drexel University (PA, USA) with a Bachelor’s of Science in Digital Media. During her senior year of college, she got really passionate about post production, video and sound editing. As a Jill-of-all-trades, Demi dabbles in various things. Her hobbies range from knowing how to take care of her car, to doing freelance 3D work, to editing videos, reading, writing, listening to music, watching and reviewing her favorite TV shows and being in the minority of female video gamers.