Staff

Sarah A. Soule is the Morgridge Professor of Organizational Behavior, and the Sara Miller McCune Director of the Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences. Sarah’s research applies social movement theory to organizational processes, and organizational theory to social movement processes. For example, some of her research has looked at how social movements matter to organizational practice and policy change, net of the effects of diffusion.  

Other research has examined the effects of network position on tactical innovation in protest and the role of coalitions and collaboration on protest tactic innovation. She is currently working on a study of how protest affects the outcomes of shareholder resolutions, and another study of how the public views symbolic statements by corporate leaders around social issues. She has written two books, the first with Cambridge University Press, entitled Contention and Corporate Social Responsibility, and the second with Norton, called A Primer on Social Movements. 

Recent published work has appeared in the American Journal of Sociology, Administrative Science Quarterly, the American Sociological Review, Organizational Studies, the Strategic Management Journal, and the Annual Review of Sociology. She is an editor for the Cambridge University Press Contentious Politics series. She has served on a number of boards of nonprofit organizations, is currently a member of the Faculty Advisory Board to the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (the Stanford d.school) and to the Stanford VMWare Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab, and is a Faculty Fellow at the Knight Hennessy Scholars Program.

Sally Schroeder is deputy director, overseeing the administration, budget, operations and fellows program. Schroeder joined the staff in 2013. At Stanford University since 1989, her previous positions include deputy director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Physician Faculty Scholars Program, deputy director of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, and assistant director at the Institute for Research on Women and Gender. Schroeder has a bachelor's degree in business administration from Dana College in Nebraska.

Drina Adams is the finance associate.  Adams has been with the Center since 2010 and works to provide financial assistance to staff and fellows. Prior to joining CASBS, Adams spent 19 years in several administrative roles with Stanford Property Administration under the Controller’s Office. Adams holds a BS in business management from University of Phoenix. In her spare time she enjoys decorating and traveling to Panama with family.

Janzen Alejo is the executive assistant supporting the director and deputy director at the center, joining the staff in 2022. He graduated from the University of California, Riverside with a Bachelor of Arts in linguistics and a Bachelor of Science in anthropology. A Southern California native, Alejo moved to the Bay area with AmeriCorps supporting afterschool education in East Side San Jose in 2019. He enjoys board games with friends as well as Dungeons and Dragons.

Jeremy Damon is the dining program coordinator of the center, joining the staff in 2024.  He oversees the daily lunch program.  He was born and raised in the Bay Area with 16 years of experience in food/beverage and hospitality. Before joining the center, Jeremy worked internationally as a professional libation enthusiast in countries such as the Dominican Republic, France, and most recently Turks and Caicos Islands. He also is affiliated with his favorite football team, the San Francisco 49ers, in bar management. Jeremy has a deep passion for sports, traveling, music, and the beach.

Christy Duignan is the special initiatives program manager, which entails organizing all of the Center’s workshops and social gatherings along with the symposia and other special events. Duignan joined the staff in 1996. She enjoys snow boarding, hiking and golfing in her spare time.

As communications director, Mike Gaetani spearheads efforts to promote the Center’s fellows, projects and initiatives, events, accomplishments, and overall vision and mission. He has held previous communications positions with USC's Sol Price School of Public Policy, UCLA’s Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. His education background involves social science research, having earned a M.A. in international relations from USC and completed doctoral course work in political science at UCLA. Originally from the Boston area, Mike is a genetically-programmed Red Sox fan.

Jason Gonzales is the librarian, joining the staff in 2015. In this role, he provides library services to the fellows and staff which includes retrieving materials from the Stanford library system, as well as fulfilling research requests on specified topics. He also maintains the Ruth H. and John G. Neukom Reading Room at CASBS, including the Ralph W. Tyler collection, the accumulated works of CASBS fellows. He earned an MLIS at San Jose State University and previously worked as a copywriter and editor in pharmaceutical marketing, a position he accidentally entered as the result of his research background. When he is not doing research and collection management, he spends much of his time playing drums and recording music.

Rebecca Hidayetoglu is the fellowship program coordinator, joining the staff in 2023. She graduated from Illinois State University with a BA in finance and an MS in applied economics with a focus on Community and Economic Development. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia and China. After that she worked in marketing and client services at an investment firm, Lord, Abbett & Co. Before joining CASBS she worked in the Rural Development program in the United States Department of Agriculture. In her spare time she enjoys painting and being outdoors.

Michelle Millet is the library assistant, joining the staff in 2024. She fulfills library requests from CASBS fellows and staff and retrieves materials from the Stanford library system.  Prior to joining CASBS, Michelle worked as a fiction copy editor and proofreader. She has a BA in art history and is currently pursing a MLIS degree from San Jose State University. In her spare time, Michelle enjoys gardening and traveling with her family.

Manny Pulido is facilities coordinator, joining the staff in 2021.  He has managed projects as a facilities coordinator at Apple, Facebook and non-profits.  He studied political science at SFSU and received his BA in theology at IABC.  He enjoys traveling with his family and playing sports.

Angela Schroeder is the finance and research analyst, joining the staff in 2015. She is responsible for financial management and sponsored project administration. Schroeder has significant experience in analyzing financial data, budgeting, forecasting, and creating financial reports in her past work capacities at an investment bank, a CPA firm, and an internet communications firm. She holds a BS in finance and business economics from the University of Southern California. In her free time she loves to spend time with her family and teach group fitness classes.

Cooper Smith is an administrative associate, joining the Center in 2023.  Prior to this, he worked in Stanford Athletics as football gameday ambassador, and held a variety of contract roles as an event planner and research assistant at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Cooper holds a BA in political science and certification in project management from Sonoma State University.

Wayne Thomas is the computer support analyst, responsible for end-user support, IT asset management and audio/visual technologies at the Center.  He joined the staff in 2022.  He has a BS in information technology from Western Governors University.  In his free time he enjoys the culinary arts, gardening and spending time with his family.

Zachary Ugolnik is the program director at CASBS. He directs a portfolio of projects to strengthen democratic governance, embed ethics in technology, and ensure sustainable livelihoods. He has been with the Center since 2020. Zachary earned his PhD from Columbia University, his master’s from Harvard University, and his BA from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. His work has appeared in Dædalus (with Margaret Levi, Winter 2023), Journal of Religion, Religion & Literature, and Harvard Divinity Bulletin, among other print and online publications. He has taught courses in ethics, religious studies, and philosophy at Mount Allison University, where he served as an Assistant Professor, and Columbia University, where he served as Mellon Interdisciplinary Fellow at the Interdisciplinary Center for Innovative Theory and Empirics (INCITE).

Bruce Young is the information technology (IT) manager, responsible for end-user support and the overall hardware, software and networking needs of the Center. He joined the staff in 2017. He has a BA in sociology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a M.S. in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance from Western Governors University.