Ryan Krause is the C. Woody Thompson Professor in the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa. He received his PhD in strategic management and organization theory from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. Ryan conducts research primarily on boards of directors and strategic leadership with an aim toward better understanding how organizations are governed, and how that governance could be improved. At a time when the humanities' (and humanity's) importance in our lives is being called into question, Ryan believes Anne Frank's writing provides an invaluable answer.

Jennifer Von Behren-Carey has been a staff member of Iowa Health Care since 2011, managing various programs within the Guest Services department. She currently oversees operations for the Patients’ Library and Children’s Library at the hospital’s main University campus. Jennifer earned a BS in Biology and a BS in Psychology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She is a newer member of the AFI and is excited to provide education on the mission to library patrons through the Little Free Library that resides in the Children’s Library.

As a faculty member in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, Judy Liskin-Gasparro taught courses in second language acquisition, applied linguistics, and Spanish language. She directed the elementary and intermediate Spanish program (1993–2006) and co-directed the interdisciplinary doctoral program in second language acquisition (2000–2016). Her research interests include the development of second language speaking skills in classroom and study abroad contexts, oral proficiency assessment, and program evaluation and the assessment of student learning outcomes. In addition to her publications in these areas, she gave many presentations and workshops on foreign language program evaluation and on linking outcomes assessment and program evaluation to strategies for improving language instruction. She is also the co-author of college-level Spanish textbooks. In her retirement, she is learning Yiddish, and she has been able to offer her professional expertise as a volunteer pedagogical consultant at the Yiddish Book Center and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

Jan Steyn is Associate Professor of Instruction in Literary Translation and French at the University of Iowa, where he serves as Director of Graduate Studies for French, Linguistics, and Translation; Program Director of the MFA in Literary Translation; and Provost’s Fellow in Artificial Intelligence (2025–27). A scholar-translator and teacher, he translates from Afrikaans, French, and Dutch into English, linking the craft of translation to questions of voice, ethics, memory, and global citizenship. He has lived and taught in Africa, Europe, and North America, and regularly mentors students working between languages and cultures. Steyn is editor of Translation: Crafts, Contexts, Consequences (Cambridge University Press, 2024). At Iowa he teaches on world literature, translation, and language in the age of AI, helping students develop thoughtful, responsible practices across languages. He is honored to support the Anne Frank Initiative’s mission to elevate youth voices, deepen historical understanding, and foster inclusive, humanities-based learning across campus and community.

Tamar Bernfeld is an assistant director in the Center for Teaching (CfT) where she works with undergraduate students, graduate students, staff and faculty to support effective teaching at the University of Iowa. Among her projects in the CfT, Tamar leads the Students as Partners program, which pairs undergraduate students with faculty to bring student voice and student perspectives into course design and implementation. At the University of Iowa, Tamar has taught courses in English as a Second Language (ESL), Rhetoric, as well as Approaches to Teaching Writing and Language and Learning in the College of Education. Currently Tamar teaches a First Gen Hawks Seminar and a General Education course, World Englishes, in Linguistics. Her scholarly interests include writing pedagogy and language ideology in educational spaces. Anne Frank's writing resonates with Tamar, who believes that storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to reach people, connect with our shared human experience, and develop awareness and empathy.

Kay E. Ramey, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Learning Sciences and Educational Psychology in the University of Iowa’s College of Education. She earned her PhD in Learning Sciences from Northwestern University, an interdisciplinary MA in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago, and a BA in Psychology and Art Theory and Practice also from Northwestern. Her work focuses on centering youth voices and designing learning environments that support youth agency, interest and identity development, and real-world skills, such as adaptive problem-solving and resilience. She is particularly interested in how young people learn through making and in the material, spatial, and sociocultural aspects of learning. She sees in Anne Frank an exemplary story of youth learning and resilience and a template for elevating youth voices and encouraging self-expression through the creation of shared artifacts.

Kevin Zihlman has a been a full-time staff member at the University of Iowa since 2010. Kevin graduated from the University of Iowa in 2005 with a Master of Arts degree. For fourteen years, Kevin was an Assistant Athletic Director in the University of Iowa Athletics Department. Over the last year, Kevin transitioned to a role in the Research Integrity and Security Office housed within the Office of the Vice President for Research. Kevin believes that the University of Iowa and its many world-renowned programs can enlighten those many youths who live only a few miles away from its campus. Kevin has worked with AFI the past three years on establishing an annual field trip for the Clear Creek Amana 8th grade class to the UI campus for a morning of engagement with the AFI and Anne Frank.