Baton Rouge native Bethany Rubin Henderson oversees all of the operations of City Hall Fellows. Before launching City Hall Fellows, Bethany spent nearly five years as a trial lawyer at the largest litigation-only firm in the country, Quinn Emanuel, where she represented commercial and entertainment-industry clients in multi-million-dollar contract, trademark, copyright and other business disputes. She earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School and both a B.A. and an M.A. in Political Science from Penn, graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Bethany was inspired to start City Hall Fellows after spending the year between college and law school working as a New York City Urban Fellow in the Giuliani administration, developing the city’s strategy for effectively using (the then-new) Internet technology for providing city services and communicating with city residents and businesses. For her work starting City Hall Fellows, in 2009 Bethany received the prestigious Echoing Green Fellowship for innovative new social entrepreneurs who have devised high-impact solutions addressing the root of social problems and the Coaches' Prize in the 2009 Los Angeles Social Venture Partners Social Innovation Fast Pitch Competition. 

As the chief designer of the Civic Development Leadership Program, City Hall Fellows’ training component, Jason is leading and coordinating the creation of the program's educational link between the worlds of practice, research, and thought. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Jason has pursed a career that merges research, practice, and public service within those professions that shape the cities and landscapes we each call home. A graduate of the New York City Urban Fellows program, Jason has worked for local and regional governments in New York, Missouri, Oregon, and California, as an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at San Jose State University, as well as a researcher, editorial assistant, instructor, and consultant in and around the city building professions.

Jason holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honors from the University of Texas at Austin, where he majored in history and government, minored in architecture, and completed the Liberal Arts Honors program, a Master of Community and Regional Planning from the University of Oregon, where he completed the thesis A Planner’s Dilemma: The West, the Sense of Place, and the Lessons of Santa Fe, and is presently a PhD candidate in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of California, Berkeley. Jason is also a Founding Board member of City Hall Fellows.

Since joining the City Hall Fellows team shortly after its founding in 2007, Daniel has been responsible for operational and administrative support. Among his other duties, Mr. Liss oversees the organization's financial record-keeping, administers the annual Fellowship selection process and manages all of City Hall Fellows‘ back-office functions. Daniel is a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy and Amherst College, where he was awarded a prestigious research fellowship at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. An avid traveler, Daniel lived and worked in China after graduating college. Before joining City Hall Fellows, Daniel worked in the financial services industry. As a member of the generation brought up to perceive a distinction between public service and government service, Daniel embraces the mission of City Hall Fellows wholeheartedly and knows firsthand both the difficulties in and importance of attracting bright young people to serve in municipal government positions.

Nancy manages and runs all aspects of our Houston program.  A native Houstonian, Nancy has been involved in the promotion of Houston most of her career. As President/CEO of Downtown Houston Association, she led the nonprofit in the redevelopment of downtown Houston. Establishing an Emerging Leaders program - engaging young professionals in the promotion of downtown Houston - remains one of the hallmarks of the organization to this day. Most recently, Nancy was Director of Development for the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, raising over ten million dollars to build new churches in the diocese. Under her leadership, an important program created to support diocesan efforts was Leadership & Faith, a luncheon series featuring city and national leaders who shared how their faith impacts their leadership.

Nancy previously led two chambers of commerce in the greater Houston area and founded and directed her own human resources recruiting firm. Community and civic activities are an important aspect of Nancy’s life. She has been and continues to be active in leadership roles in her church, in homeless issues and in leadership development. She currently serves on the board of American Leadership Forum and the Advisory Boards for SEARCH, a project for the homeless, and New Hope Housing, a single room occupancy community for the homeless.

Nancy has two sons and four grandchildren. Mark, a Presbyterian minister, and his family live in North Carolina and Todd, recently retired from the Navy, and his family live in Nevada.

Jeff manages all aspects of our San Francisco program.  Immediately prior to joining City Hall Fellows, Jeff spent five years as Vice-President and founding partner of Gersick Associates, a San Francisco- based consultancy specializing in governmental relations, public affairs and business development. He had returned to San Francisco in 2003, after serving four years as Managing Director of California’s International Trade Development programs in Europe, the Middle East and Africa by appointment of former Governor of California Grey Davis. Immediately prior to that appointment, Jeff managed the re-stabilization of the State Bar of California, engineering the resolution of political and policy disputes that threatened existence of the largest state professional body in the United States, with a budget of one hundred million dollars and over 160,000 members.

Jeff’s public sector experience bridges all levels of government. He has directed a NGO grants program for the Office of the Mayor in San Francisco ; served as chief legislative aide and chief of staff in the California State Assembly; and he was commissioned as a Foreign Service Officer by the U.S. State Department. Jeff has been awarded a Coro Foundation Fellowship in Public Affairs, and holds a J.D. from Hastings College of the Law, University of California, a Master’s Degree from Occidental College and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University.

Long-time Baton Rouge resident Ayan Rubin is Vice President of DRW Consultants, LLC, an organization which helps non-profits raise private sector dollars for public good. Prior to joining DRW, Mrs. Rubin spent more than twenty years as the Coordinator of Educational Services for Louisiana Public Broadcasting, where she was responsible for managing the development and production of a wide variety of interactive multimedia and distance learning programs and award-winning video productions. She also served as the Director of Development for the Academic Distinction Fund, where she coordinated multiple grant programs designed to improve academic achievement in public schools and served as that organization's primary grant writer. 

Long a civic activist, Mrs. Rubin has served on numerous local, regional and national advisory boards throughout her career, including, but not limited to, the advisory boards of such diverse organizations as the LSU Press, the Louisiana Center for Law and Civic Education, the Louisiana Assistive Technology Network, the Louisiana Alliance for Arts in Education, the Louisiana Council on Economic Education, the National Teacher Training Institute for Math, Science and Technology, and the Smith College Alumnae Association.   Mrs. Rubin has served on City Hall Fellows’ National Advisory Board since its inception in 2007.   She is serving as Interim Baton Rouge Program Director during City Hall Fellows’ ramp-up period in Baton Rouge. Once a permanent Program Director is hired, Mrs. Rubin will remain heavily engaged in the Baton Rouge program in an advisory capacity.

Cindy assists in all aspects of our San Francisco program, with a specific focus on development and institutionalization. Most recently, Cindy served as treasurer and legal counsel to David Chiu's successful 2008 campaign for San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Prior to that, Cindy worked as a commerical litigator for Kirkland & Ellis, representing private-equity companies in business disputes. She also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Adalberto Jordan in the Southern District of Florida. In 2009, Cindy was recognized as a Super Lawyer "Rising Star" by SuperLawyer. Cindy holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law. At N.Y.U., Cindy co-founded the Annual Korematsu Lecture Series on Asian Americans and the Law, and successfully introduced an Asian American Jurisprudence course into the curriculum. She also served as Senior Articles Editor for the Review of Law and Social Change. Cindy is a cum laude graduate of Yale University, where she earned a B.A. in Political Science with distinction in the major.



Chris Joseph, Special Assistant to the Houston Program Director

Chris Elkins Joseph joined City Hall Fellows in the fall of 2009 with the desire to get young adults excited about the civic leadership opportunities available in his hometown of Houston.  Previously, he had spent two years working as an analyst in Natural Resources Investment Banking group of J.P. Morgan in Houston, where he was involved in a wide variety of mergers and acquisitions strategic advisory and capital markets financings for clients engaged in all facets of the energy industry.  Prior to J.P. Morgan, Chris spent time with Merrill Lynch in New York and was involved in numerous engagements.  In addition, Chris had the opportunity to work for House Majority Leader, Tom DeLay on Capitol Hill. Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia with a degree in Business Administration.  There he was involved in numerous activities including the Men’s Varsity Football team, the Phi Eta Sigma Society and the Kappa Alpha Order.



Jonathan Broida, Special Assistant to the Executive Director

Jonathan is a graduate of Colorado College, where he majored in Asian Studies. While in school, he managed all aspects of multiple student organizations including some of the college’s event planning committees. Responsibilities ranged from corporate sponsorships to vendor negotiations. Jonathan has also consulted with individuals and businesses to improve their computer programs and operations. Through extensive travel and work in Europe and Japan, he has applied his various interests and creative talents to understanding and appreciating different cultures. Jonathan comes from a strong family tradition of community service and philanthropy.