Staff Bios

Tony Long, Executive Director
 

Tony Long is the fourth Executive Director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at American University (OLLI at AU) in its 42-year history. He started at OLLI at AU in 2013 as the Curriculum Coordinator and then as the Deputy Executive Director before assuming his current role in 2018. Tony has spoken at several national OLLI conferences and has served as a mentor to new directors in the OLLI network. He earned an MA in Government Studies from Johns Hopkins University and taught university-level composition and research writing for nine years prior to coming to OLLI at AU. 
Lesley Diaz, director of Academic Programming    
 

Lesley has a BA in education and is a former elementary school teacher. She has lived in Saudi Arabia, Japan, Cuba, and taught most recently at an international school in Peru. Although no longer a teacher, Lesley enjoys still working in education, now with adult learners at OLLI. She has been with OLLI at AU since June 2018 after moving to the Washington, DC area from Richmond, VA. Lesley enjoys spending time with her new baby girl, her family, and designing items for her Etsy shop.

Lisa Olson, Director of Operations and Projects
   

With a BS in Business Management and minors in Theater Arts and Communication Studies from VA Tech, Lisa began her career in information technology as a systems engineer and then in technical sales working with Electronic Data Systems (EDS) in VA, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Hawaii. After moving back to the DC area, Lisa began working for a small conservation non-profit, WildlifeDirect, that was founded by Dr. Richard Leakey and Harold Wackman to support wildlife in Africa. As part of her duties, she traveled to Kenya to view many magnificent animals in the wild. Lisa then moved to Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital on Capitol Hill where she was the Venue Manager working with clients for private events and eventually became their Director of Programming. Throughout these experiences, Lisa has always focused on operations and how to make improvements within each organization for people and animals.
Jesse Williams, Operations manager    
 

Jesse attended the University of the District of Columbia where he studied Criminal Justice. Prior to joining  OLLI, Jesse worked at Facility Logix as a Project Management Administrator. He has previous work experience in office management. Jesse has over 20 years working with DC law firms.  During his spare time, Jesse enjoys spending time with his family and grilling.

 

Amya Bertrand, programs and projects coordinator
 

Earning her BA in Peace and Justice Studies and minor in creative writing, Amya first began working with nonprofits at age 15. With an organization based in her hometown of Saratoga Springs, Amya traveled to Uganda and assisted local schools around the country. During her time at Pace University, Amya worked with various education programs throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn teaching drama courses to elementary and junior-high aged students. She likes to spend her free time with friends, hiking, and crocheting.