Staff
Professor Michael Mass
Program Director
mmass@american.edu
Professor Michael Mass serves as director of the University Honors Program and holds a faculty appointment in AU’s Kogod School of Business. He earned a B.S. from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Georgetown University and has published numerous law review articles on product liability and on constitutional topics, including drug testing, student rights, reverse discrimination and sexual discrimination. Professor Mass regularly teaches Honors classes, including Honors colloquia about legal issues in globalization and on contract law.
Dr. Paula McCabe
Associate Director
pmccabe@american.edu
American University alumna Paula McCabe brings diverse academic and life experiences to her role in the University Honors Program. She holds an M.A. in Communication (Journalism and Public Affairs) from AU’s School of Communication, where she has also served as an adjunct professor. Her news media background includes stints at The Boston Globe, ABC News and WAMU FM, AU’s National Public Radio affiliate. Paula McCabe studied at Boston’s Emmanuel College, earning a B.A. in English and Sociology and at Northeastern University, where she was awarded an M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology. After several years of living in Italy, where she was for a time editor of an English-language weekly, the Boston native returned to Washington, D.C., and to AU in 2006.
Rachel Pleatman
Program Coordinator
pleatman@american.edu
Rachel Pleatman is a 2006 graduate of American University and a former Honors student. She is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, and considered a variety of majors before deciding to double-major in Print Journalism and Women’s and Gender Studies. You can probably read her Capstone if you want to search through AU’s archives.
Before returning to AU in February 2008, Rachel worked in the press office of Public Citizen, a consumer-interest nonprofit in Washington, D.C.
Lynette Garrett
Senior Honors Counselor
HonorsCounselor1@american.edu
Lynette Garrett has been a member of the Honors Program staff for the past five years. An Iowa native, Lynette is a Ph.D. candidate in History at American University. The title of her dissertation is "Confederate Nationalism in Georgia, Louisiana, and Virginia during the American Civil War, 1861-8165." In 2008, she received an Andrew W. Mellon Research Fellowship from the Virginia Historical Society and a Graduate Student Mellon Research Fellowship from the College of Arts and Sciences at American University to support her research. In addition to her academic pursuits, Lynette is also a self-proclaimed football junkie--Go Colts!
Michelle Veresink
Honors Counselor
HonorsCounselor2@american.edu
Michelle Veresink joins the Honors counseling team as a graduate student in AU’s Arts Management Masters Program. She graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Gettysburg College in 2007, where she was a double major in English and music. Michelle spent the past two years working in News Services within the Communications Division at Lafayette College, located in her hometown of Easton, Pa. During her time at Lafayette, Michelle wrote news articles for the College’s Web site and sent releases on student accomplishments to newspapers across the country.
Michelle enjoys performing music, particularly playing her clarinet.
Brad Turner
Honors Counselor
HonorsCounselor3@american.edu
Brad Turner is a Honors graduate from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, where he was a double major in Political Science and Religion. While attending Wright State, Brad served in various student leadership positions such as the Student Government President and as the Head Delegate of Wright State University's award-winning Model United Nations Team.
Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Brad moved to the Washington, D.C. area in order to study public administration and campaign management at AU’s School of Public Affairs. He now plans on attending law school after he earns his Masters of Public Administration.
Kelly Gannon
Staff Assistant
honorsstaffassistant@american.edu
Kelly Gannon is the Honors Staff Assistant. She has lived in six states and four countries, but considers herself a Southerner. She graduated in 2008 from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., with a BA in History and International Studies. At Wake, she was an officer in Kappa Delta sorority and conductor of the Demon Deacon Marching and Pep Bands. After spending time in the world of marketing and market research consulting, she is now pursuing her MA in Public History at AU.
Kelly is a huge NCAA sports fan. She also enjoys country music, museums and spending time at her family’s lake house in South Carolina.
