Editor-in-Chief

Mang "Mark" Lu

Mark is a registered Democrat from Cupertino, California, and a double-major in Economics and Political Science at American University, and focuses on campus affairs in his column. His core issues include U.S. constitutional law, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, China in the modern era, economic affairs. He is a reader of memoirs, a lover of film, and a card-carrying member of the ACLU.

Chief Editorial Columnist

Anna Hickey

Anna is originally from the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, and is a progressive Democrat. She is studying Communications, Legal Studies, Economics, and Government (CLEG) at American University and is particularly interested in critiquing how the news media and politics pundits report on politics and political figures.

Managing Editor

Dennis Marinovsky

Dennis is a moderate social Democrat and a San Francisco Bay Area native who studies Political Science and Public Relations at American University. If he isn't sleeping or procrastinating on yet another research paper, you'll probably find him in Starbucks, nursing a chai latte, and talking about In 'N' Out.

Managing Editor

Lana Green

Lana is a centrist with conservative economic views and liberal socio-cultural ones. She is most interested in legal issues including prison reform and constitutional law. Lana is an undergraduate student studying at New York University.

Director of Administration

Benjamin Mermel

Ben is an undergraduate sophomore pursuing a dual political science and legal studies degree. He originally hails from Central Jersey, which he vehemently insists is a real place. Politically, Ben can be best described as a moderately liberal republican Democrat (note the non-capitalized "r" in republican.) He is most passionate about geopolitics and governmental operations/structures, as well as homeland and national security issues. His favorite show is Jericho on CBS.

Deputy Editor, Foreign Affairs

David Leshchiner

David identifies as a secular, liberal technocrat (whatever that means) who’s from the northern suburbs of Chicago. He cares about promoting policies that tackle climate change, resolve inter- and intrastate conflicts, and increase freedom of choice, religion, and speech. When he isn’t working for the Agora, David likes to play any racket sport, rave about Douglas Adams or the Expanse, and dabble in Pastafarianism.

Deputy Editor, Domestic Affairs

Anthony "A.J." Manuzzi

A.J. is a student of international relations and political science. A.J. is a progressive primarily interested in human rights and nonproliferation abroad. Domestically, he is interested in environmental policy, criminal justice reform, and gun policy reform. A.J. is originally from Indianapolis and can be found flying his W flag after a Chicago Cubs victory. He is in an Elizabeth Warren for President meme group.

Deputy Editor, Economics

Kevin Sciackitano

Kevin is pursuing a major in Economics. An Illinois native and a democratic socialist, he is most interested in macroeconomic policy, foreign affairs, and issues surrounding democracy and rights. When not obsessing over economic issues, he can be found playing on his Switch or scrolling through TikTok.

Deputy Editor, Campus Affairs

Meagan Keefe

Meagan is a Communications, Legal Studies, Economics, and Government (C.L.E.G.) major at American University. She hails from the liberal Mecca of Burlington, Vermont, home of Bernie Sanders and Ben & Jerry’s. She is most interested in women’s rights and health advocacy, as well as racial, LGBTQ+, and environmental issues. Most importantly, she is a die-hard supporter of the Boston Red Sox and Elizabeth Warren.

Deputy Editor, Domestic Affairs

Julia Susany

Julia is a deputy editor as well as a Deputy Operations Manager. Originally from the Cleveland area, she studies Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government (C.L.E.G.) at A.U. A liberal Democrat, she is interested in women’s rights domestically and abroad, international relations, and democratic reform. 

Staff Writer

Matthew Levengood

Originally from Rochester, New York, Matthew is a fourth-year Political Science major, minoring in Economics and Philosophy. He is a member of Army ROTC at American University, intent on serving as an Infantry and Military Intelligence officer. He is primarily focused on defense policy and national security, having interned at the think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies, but is also passionate about civic responsibility, income inequality, gun rights, and education. Matt has been most influenced by Nietzsche, Marx, Arendt, Camus, Cioran, and Epictetus, but is perennially behind on his reading list. He donates to Wikipedia.

Sraff Writer

Keiton Grundfast

Keiton is originally from Long Island, New York but recently moved to Maryland. He is a first-year graduate student at AU and studies Global Governance, Politics, and Security. Keiton tens to support populist movements on the left, right, and center. Issues he cares about include industrial policy, trade policy, U.S. foreign policy, and the role of the state in conservative thought. His favorite show is Deadwood on HBO.

Staff Writer

Hallie Mauk

Hallie is a columnist for the American Agora. She is a Communications major and plans on pursuing Environmental Science. She’s a democratic socialist originally from Pennsylvania. Her interests include environmental policy, environmental justice issues, and human rights both domestically and abroad.

Staff Writer

Sameera Rajwade

Sameera Rajwade is a freelance journalist and graphic designer based in the Bay Area and Washington DC metro area. A former intern for News2Share, Sameera has investigated both the left and right wing ideologies in the United States and heavily monitored protest trends. Along with this she is currently passionate for design and aesthetics and has worked on various graphics for clients across the United States.

Staff Writer

Sophie Rose

Sophie is a second-year Communications major in the School of Communications. She is a staff writer for the Agora and formerly served as a Deputy Editor for Campus Affairs.

Co-founder

Avery James

Avery is a moderate conservative from the San Francisco Bay Area who studies political theory and economics at American University. He is most interested in immigration, globalization, technology, and culture war topics. In his free time, he enjoys procrastinating going to the gym, and arguing that Sam Huntington got more right than people appreciate.

Co-founder

Robert "Bobby" Zitzmann

From St. Louis, Bobby is a student of international relations and political science at American University in Washington, D.C. Bobby is a social democrat who is interested in US foreign policy, environmental issues, government reform, and international development. In his free time he likes to watch every minute of every Planet Earth series documentary.