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 43-year history. He joined OLLI in 2013 as Curriculum Coordinator, later serving as Deputy Executive Director before assuming his current role in 2018. Tony regularly presents at national OLLI conferences and has had the privilege of serving as a mentor to new directors within the OLLI network. He holds an M.A. in Government Studies from Johns Hopkins University and taught university-level composition and research writing prior to joining OLLI at AU.
Lesley Diaz, director of Academic Programming    
 

Lesley holds a BA in Education and began her career as an elementary school teacher. She has lived in Saudi Arabia, Japan, and Cuba, and most recently taught at an international school in Peru. Although she has transitioned from teaching children to working with adult learners, her passion for education remains strong. Lesley joined OLLI at American University in June 2018 after relocating from Richmond, Virginia, to the Washington, DC area. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her daughter and family, as well as creating 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.

Annabel McClure, programs and projects coordinator
 

 

Annabel holds a BA in Communication Studies from the University of Iowa. As she obtained her undergraduate degree, Annabel spent a lot of time at her local senior center where she helped coordinate various community engagement events. Her education and years of volunteer experience eventually led her to desire a career in nonprofit administration. During her free time Annabel enjoys going for long runs and napping with her little dog, Rooney.

 

claire ison, operations assistant

                                                                                       

 

 

With a BA in Public Relations and a minor in Sociology from American University, Claire began her career as an Activities Assistant and later as Activities Director at Brightview Senior Living. She then moved to mission-based work with KABOOM!, a non-profit dedicated to giving every kid a safe and fun place to play. Claire is thrilled to bring her blended experience in senior engagement and non-profit work to OLLI at AU. As a self-proclaimed musical theater nerd, Claire loves to spend her free time seeing shows throughout DC’s vibrant theater scene, and enjoys singing with her community choir, The Runnymede Singers.