Sally Khallash
MC MPA 2021, Harvard Kennedy School
sally@behaviouralstrategy.com
Professional Development Chair
Sally owns a small consultancy, Behavioural Strategy, doing consumer decision-making, CX, and pricing projects across Europe. She has worked as a research consultant at Oxford IMI, was TA in Judgment and Decision-Making at Harvard Continuing Education, and teaches JDM and negotiation psychology in Denmark. She also works part-time on a PhD in Customer Excellence and Consumer Behaviour. She has written a few books on applications of BE: Decision Strategy (rated top 5 best management books in DK), Price Psychology, and currently a marketing book combining Neuro Science and BE.
Goal for BISG: First and foremost, to help Harvard students and alumni gain hands-on experience with BE, and secondly to strengthen an ethical application of BE in the private sector.
Laura Karas
J.D. 2022, Harvard Law School
Student Program Representative for Harvard Law School
Laura Karas, MD, MPH, is a second-year J.D. candidate at Harvard Law School. She holds an undergraduate degree from Harvard College, a medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine, and a Master’s of Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health. Laura first developed an interest in behavioral science after reading the insightful and much-celebrated book Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein. She is interested in how we can design more effective policies that are responsive to the biases of human cognition, the limitations of human decision-making, and the realities of human behavior. Laura believes that thoughtful and well-informed policies and regulations can make the world a better place.
Goal for BISG: As founder of the Law and Behavioral Science Blog of Harvard Law School and as the HLS representative to BISG, Laura looks forward to energizing students and faculty across Harvard to harness the power of behavioral insights for the common good.
Joaille Araujo 
ALM 2023, Harvard Extension School
joa189@g.harvard.edu
Communications Chair
Joaille is a practicing Experience Strategist specializing in digital transformation for federal and e-commerce clients. She is a strong user advocate who uses user research and design to engage the public directly in an effort to generate actionable insights that move business forward. Joaille builds sustainable programs, creates tools, and facilitates conversations that help reintroduce her clients and teammates to the people they serve. She is currently an ALM, Finance candidate at the Harvard Extension School.
Goal for BISG: I’m excited to assist the team with bringing interactive virtual experiences to the Harvard community.
Marco Carrasco
MPA-ID 2021, Harvard Kennedy School
marco_carrasco@hks.harvard.edu
Professional Development Chair & Social Media Chair
Marco Carrasco is an MPA-ID candidate at Harvard Kennedy School. He holds a B.S. in Economics from the National University of San Marcos, and a M.S. in Economics and Psychology from the University of Paris 1: Panthéon – Sorbonne. He has previously worked for the Organization of American States in Washington, DC, for Research Institutes in Shanghai, and for the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion in Lima. Co-Founder of the NGO BEST: Behavioral Economics & Data Science Team in Peru. His areas of interest and research include Behavioral Economics, East Asian Development, and Social Innovation. Current Professional Development Co-Chair & Social Media Chair of Harvard’s Behavioral Insights Student Group, and Young Scholar for the 2021 Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings in Economic Sciences.
Goal for BISG: Expanding the knowledge of Behavioral Economics for the better design of cost-effective interventions and policies.
Emily Prinsloo
PhD in Business Administration (Marketing) 2023, Harvard Business School
eprinsloo@hbs.edu
Research Development Chair & Doctoral Student Program Representative
Emily Prinsloo is a PhD candidate in Marketing (Consumer Behavior) at Harvard Business School. She holds a B.A. from Rotterdam School of Management and an M.Phil from the University of Cambridge. She has worked as a consultant at IBM and Simon-Kucher & Partners, and as a product manager at BMW/Mini. Prior to joining HBS, Emily was a research assistant at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy. Areas of interest and current research involve impression management, charitable giving, and understanding when and why people take (or do not take) opportunities.
Goal for BISG: This year, my goal is to equip students interested in behavioral research with the necessary knowledge, and resources for them to succeed. I’m also excited to build a community across different schools and programs at Harvard!
Sarah Kovar
Master in Design Engineering 2021, Harvard Graduate School of Design
sarahkovar@mde.harvard.edu
Co-President
Sarah has 5+ years of experience in strategy consulting for government and commercial clients with Deloitte Consulting LLP. Her clients have included USAID, IRS, USPS, CDC, and NASWA. She specializes in applying behavioral insights to craft experiments that enhance evidence-based decision making and policy designs. She formerly led Deloitte’s Behavioral Insights group, and helped design the methodology for projects at the intersection of data science, behavioral science, and digital platforms. Sarah is passionate about understanding human behavior in order to help us make better decisions and correct for biases in ourselves and the algorithms we create. She is also fascinated by how governments can better predict future technological trends for social good, and understand its ethical, societal, and national security impacts.
Goal for BISG: I am excited to explore alongside students the breath and impact of behavioral science applications that help us understand and address some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
Benjamin Abtan
MC MPA 2020, Harvard Kennedy School
benjamin_abtan@hks.harvard.edu
Strategic Support for BIG Mentoring Program
A coach with a focus on minorities and communities, Benjamin has been committed for 20 years to antiracism and justice in civil society, at the political level and in the private sector. A Political Advisor to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and of Justice in France, he advised Members of parliaments from 25+ countries on human rights and protection of populations. A grassroots activist, he was president of a large French student union and established and led the largest federation of human rights NGOs in Europe. In the private sector, he conducted Public Affairs missions for a coalition of luxury brands, and advised an international network of national public financial institutions for impact investing. Benjamin taught at Brandeis University and Yerevan State University (Armenia).
Goal for BISG: To help behavioral science-related projects and their leaders grow.
Kanishk Mittal
Harvard College 2021
mittal@college.harvard.edu
Student Program Representative for Harvard College
Kanishk a senior at the college studying Physics and Math. He wishes to pursue a Ph.D in Economics, and has an interest in Behavioral, Developmental and Macroeconomics.
Goal for BISG: I’m excited to interact with the people I meet over the course of this year.
Logan Berg
Research Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School
logan_berg@hks.harvard.edu
Professional Development Chair
Logan Berg is a joint research fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership and Women and Public Policy Program. She has worked in academia the last 10 years conducting research in social psychology and judgment and decision making. Her specific research interests include motivational factors in decision making, self regulation and overconfidence. She holds a BA in Psychology from Colby College and an MS in Social Psychology from Texas A&M University.
Goal for BISG: Helping the BISG community learn about research and opportunities to pursue behavioral science careers in this changing landscape.
Samantha van de Ven
ALM International Relations 2021, Harvard Extension School
samanthavandeven@hks.harvard.edu
Professional Development Chair
Samantha van de Ven has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and is a current Master’s student studying International Relations. Samantha is an Intern at the Behavioral Insights Group at the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and worked as a Research Aide in the Harvard Business School Department of Organizational Behavior. She is passionate about evidence-based designs that drive behavioral change solutions in public policy and organizational contexts. She is particularly interested in behavioral science applications to social change, innovation, and development.
Goal for BISG: I am looking forward to working with the rest of the committee to develop new opportunities for BISG members to get involved with behavioral science research and career opportunities.
Jaclyn Lefkowitz
Master in Public Policy 2021, Harvard Kennedy School
jlefkowitz@hks.harvard.edu
Co-President
Jaclyn Lefkowitz is a second year Master in Public Policy candidate at Harvard Kennedy School where she seeks to make the use of behavioral insights more common among policymakers and practitioners. Previously, she spent 5 years at ideas42 as a Senior Associate applying behavioral science to issues in government, health care, and consumer finance across the United States and Mexico. Prior to joining ideas42, Jaclyn served as a Research Assistant in both the Department of Psychology and the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University. Jaclyn holds a BA in Psychology and Spanish from Cornell University.
Goal for BISG: I’m excited to work with the BISG team to develop and implement innovative programming that shows the breadth of ways behavioral science can be applied to tackle important social issues.
