Graduate Student Government

Ilona Kovacs, President |  ilona.kovacs@du.edu

Ilona is a first-year graduate student in the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, pursuing her MA in Emergent Digital Practices. She serves as the GSG President, promoting student engagement and the voices of fellow graduate students as members of the University of Denver community. Ilona completed her undergraduate at DU, with a major in Emergent Digital Practices and a minor in Marketing.

Jackson McFadden-Ray, Vice President | jackson.mcfadden-ray@du.edu

Kyle Van Frank, Director of Communications | kyle.vanfrank@du.edu

Kyle Van Frank is a Sullivan Scholar and Blackburn Fellow, based in Denver, CO. Kyle works as the Executive Director of the FIRE Foundation of Denver and is currently a student in the Nonprofit Leadership program through the University College where he pursues a double concentration in Mission-Driven Operations & Management and Philanthropy & Resource Development. With core values of integrity, service, and compassion, Kyle has cultivated a personal philosophy determined to help build sustainable solutions in his work. From working with students to producing theatre to organizing community engagement projects, Kyle is focused on listening and answering with effective and accessible solutions. Before entering a career in fundraising, Kyle worked as a professional actor, director, and teaching artist in Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, and Tennessee.

Sulayman Almutawa, Director of Finance | solomon.almutawa@du.edu

Sulayman Almutawa (Solomon) is a first-year Graduate Student at the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences pursuing a M.A. in Economics. He received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at Colorado State University, majoring in Corporate Finance and minoring in Economics. This year he will be serving as the Graduate student Government’s Director of Finance. He pursued this role to contribute to the DU community, to make sure that their finances are looked after and allocated equitably, and he hopes that his time as a Director of Finance will be impactful to and representative of the DU community and mission statement. For leisure, he likes to watch movies and soccer, go to the gym, and spend most of his weekends with his friends. 

Gracyn Hill, Director of Social Media & Marketing | gracyn.hill@du.edu

Gracyn (she/hers) is a first-year graduate student at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies pursuing a MA in International Studies with a duel specialization in Human Environmental Security and East Asian Politics. She completed her undergrad at DU, majoring in Political Science and International Studies. While she was born in Colorado, Gracyn also lived in Illinois, Idaho, Tennessee, Italy, and Oklahoma. Gracyn is extremely passionate about social and environmental issues and hopes to one day work towards empowering underserved communities such as Refugees. In her free time she enjoys oil painting, going to concerts, crocheting, eating pho, and spending time with animals. 

David Schafer, Director of Community Engagement | david.schafer@du.edu

Shevene Cole, Director of Professional Development | shevene.cole@du.edu

Shevene Cole is currently a Research Methods & Statistics PhD Student at the University of Denver. She holds a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership with a concentration in Data Driven Decision Making , from the University of Colorado - Boulder. A recently separated Air Force Veteran, her areas of research interests include, but aren’t limited to business analytics, organizational leadership & change management , and public policy. In her spare time, Shevene enjoys traveling to different countries, trying new foods and snowboarding. 

Micaela Parker, Director of Inclusive Excellence | micaela.parker@du.edu

Micaela Parker (she/ her/ hers) is a second-year public policy master's candidate at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver, specializing in human rights and social justice. As the Director of Inclusive Excellence, Micaela's love and dedication for advancing the Black community and other marginalized communities is her driving force in helping create transformative social change on the campus of the University of Denver. Through her position, Micaela strives to amplify BIPOC students' voices on a predominantly white campus, advocate for intentional change in higher education, help cultivate spaces of belonging, and decenter whiteness while recentering BIPOC scholars. Her long-term career goals are to work with international human rights and social justice, policy, and advocacy organizations 

Catherine Carlo, Director of Student Groups | catherine.carlo@du.edu

General Inquiries | gsg@du.edu