Staff Bios

ELIZABETH PATHY SALETT, MSW: President

Liz is the Founder and President of the National MultiCultural Institute (NMCI), a national non-profit organization that sponsors diversity conferences, conducts organizational consulting and training, develops resource materials on multicultural and diversity issues and works to increase the level of competence and credibility in the diversity field. She is co-editor of Crossing Cultures in Mental Health and Race, Ethnicity and Self: Identity in Multicultural Perspective and producer of two videos on adolescent refugees.

Born in Budapest, she grew up in Alexandria, Egypt and came to the United States as a teenager. She was an early participant in the Peace Corps where she worked on staff in Venezuela and as Brazil Desk Officer in Washington, DC. She has lived, worked and traveled extensively in Europe, Latin America and the Middle East and speaks several languages.

Liz has also worked as a psychotherapist in Columbia, MD, and directed statewide health and family planning programs for the Department of Community Affairs in New Jersey. She has a B.A. from Wellesley College, an M.A. in International Education from Columbia University, Teachers' College, a Certificate from the University of Paris in Economics and Sociology and an M.S.W. in Clinical Social Work from the University of Maryland.

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EVELYN P. BOYER, PhD: Senior Associate

Dr. Boyer’s areas of specialty are Change Management, Diversity, and Business Ethics. A strong facilitator, speaker, and researcher, Dr. Boyer’s original curriculum designs, including diagnostic and inventory instruments, interactive activities, lecture materials, and organizational studies have been requested by a number of major U.S. corporations and government agencies. Dr. Boyer’s organizational culture and change consultations and research activities provide creative and innovative solutions for clients.

Evelyn brings to this position over twenty years of experience in all facets of organizational development. As co-founder of an educational and health care firm in 1979, Dr. Boyer served as Executive Vice President and oversaw hundreds of contracts in direct health care services and organizational consulting. Dr. Boyer was EVP of this organization for seventeen years, before starting her own firm in 1996. A licensed psychologist, Dr. Boyer maintains a small psychology practice, and brings a behavioral and systems perspective to her organizational work.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Howard University, a Master of Arts in Developmental Psychology from the University of California at Berkeley, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Psychology from Howard University. She is the author of the articles "Value Clarification as an Approach to Moral Development," and "Ethics and Diversity: A Correlation Enhanced Through Corporate Communication," which was published in the March 1992 issue of IEEE Transactions.

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MANNY BRANDT: Lead Trainer

Manny designs, develops and conducts organizational diversity initiatives for a wide range of clients. He facilitates training and interactive technical assistance to promote diversity awareness and cultural competence. Mr. Brandt also works with diversity councils to facilitate strategic planning and change management. He is a regular presenter for training of trainers workshops at NMCI's twice annual conferences. In addition to diversity training, his areas of expertise include systems planning, community organizing, and substance abuse. In his previous position, Mr. Brandt served as the Director of Prevention Systems Planning and Development for Circle, Inc., and coordinated the strategic planning component of the U.S. Center for Substance Abuse Prevention Training System. He has a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Iowa.

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EVA YOUNG, MS: Senior Associate

Ms. Young is an Organizational Development (OD) Practitioner who works independently and in collaboration with management consulting firms to design and deliver strategic interventions. Ms. Young provides technical assistance, small and large group interventions, facilitation and training in areas such as: Leadership Development, Managing Diversity, Retreat Facilitation, Team Training and Development, Anti-Racist and Anti-Homophobic Work, Community Capacity Building, Train the Trainers, and Cultural Competency.

Ms. Young has provided consultation to profit and non-profit companies interested in creating productive, inclusive and culturally effective workplaces. She values a participatory and appreciative approach to planned change; she helps organizations assess their readiness for change through cultural audits. Ms. Young engages small and large groups in individual and collective learning processes with a commitment to action.

Ms. Young has a Masters in Social and Organizational Learning from George Mason University, and she is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) Community Fellows. Some of the clients Ms. Young has worked with independently or in collaboration with other consultants include: Monsanto, SodexhoUSA, National Parks Conservation Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the Fairfax County Public Schools, Texaco, District of Columbia Public Schools, The National Latino Council on Alcohol and Tobacco Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the New York State Health Department AIDS Institute, the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Montgomery County Health Department, and the United Nations.

Ms. Young’s sample publications include Spirit of Diversity (SodexhoUSA, 2004); Diabetes: La Comunidad en Acción (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2000); Hispanic Latino Leadership Institute (Center for Substance Prevention, 1993); and Women United in Action/Mujeres Unidas en Acción: A Popular Education Process (Harvard Educational Review, 1990).

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AUDREY MAY: Director of Finance and Operations

As Director of Finance and Operations, Audrey is responsible for the financial management of the organization: maintaining financial goals and planning, performing accounting activities, preparing financial statements, and assisting the President in the preparation of the annual budget. Ms. May brings to NMCI over ten years of experience as a corporate accountant as well as several years as a social worker. She earned her B.A. from Goucher College, an M.S.W. from University of Pennsylvania and a Certificate in Accounting from University of Virginia. In a continuing effort to combine her social work interests with her accounting skills, Audrey's free time is spent providing accounting support to a hospice organization.

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AMY KASI, MA : Program Manager

As a Program Manager, Ms. Kasi is involved in the design, development, and delivery of diversity initiatives in the Organizational Training and Consulting program. She collaborates in the preparation and planning of conferences, manages client development, and researches for NMCI's publications. Ms. Kasi earned her BA from Gettysburg College in Political Science and French and her MA from the Institute of Social Studies in The Netherlands in Development Studies with a focus on Human Rights, Development, and Social Justice. She has extensive experience living and traveling abroad and speaks several languages.  

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MARIA MORUKIAN, MA: Director of Training and Consulting

Maria Morukian, Director of Training and Consulting for the National MultiCultural Institute (NMCI), provides guidance and training to organizations in the implementation of diversity and cultural competence initiatives.  Maria works with diversity councils and executive leaders to develop strategic plans for embedding diversity practices into their organizational culture.  She designs, develops and delivers customized training programs for all levels of staff to build their knowledge and skills for working effectively across cultural differences, and conducts needs assessments and program evaluations to analyze the effectiveness of diversity initiatives over time.

Maria has designed and facilitated training to organizations on a variety of diversity topics, including basic diversity and cultural awareness, cultural competence skill building, building effective intercultural communication, conflict resolution, generational diversity, micro-messages and micro-inequities, implicit bias, anti-discrimination and harassment, religious diversity, and much more. 

Maria earned her MA in International Communication from American University, and a dual BA in Organizational Studies and Spanish from the University of Michigan.  She studied at the Instituto Superior de Relaciones Internactionales in Havana, Cuba, as well at the University of Saint Louis in Madrid, Spain.  She also earned her TESOL certificate to teach English as a second language from the Oxford House College in Barcelona, Spain.

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