Our Team
Nick Brown
Nick Brown is Co-founder of Effct. In 2015, as a Fulbright Scholar in Colombia his students inspired him to write an article challenging stereotypes of their country. The article went viral, and showed Nick the power of the Internet in creating social change. Soon after, a friend introduced him to the Effective Altruism movement, and its goal of using our resources to help others the most. From there he formed Effct, to help advance the movement.
Brown is a former teacher with Teach For America. He taught 4th, 5th and 6th grade in Mississippi.
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He is a cum laude graduate of the University of Southern California with a B.A. in Political Science.
Uriel Berrum
Uriel Berrum is Co-founder at Effct.org, where he leads business development and strategy. He brings experience in politics, policy, and finance to Effct.
Before joining the Effct team Uriel began his career as a credit risk analyst with Goldman Sachs. Uriel joined Effct in the summer of 2018 after working on tax and revenue policy with the Urban Leaders Fellowship.
Uriel graduated from the University of Denver with a B.A. in Economics, Public Policy and his personal favorite, a minor in Philosophy.
When Uriel is not serving his clients, he is traveling, learning music, and riding bikes.
Miles Iton
Miles Iton is Effct.org's Account Manager. Miles recently completed his Fulbright Scholarship in Taiwan where he also earned his Master’s. He also served as Student Body President at New College of Florida.
Miles brings outstanding video skills to our team. He produced an award-winning documentary short titled “Sincerely, The Black Kids” as a Fellow at the Sundance Institute.
Sylvia Karanja
Sylvia Karanja is Effct's Digital Marketing Specialist. Before Effct she worked as a compliance officer on a project for the city of Denver.
She is also passionate about introducing new diaspora music to mainstream and works as the marketing director for a music label in Colorado. When she is not working you can find her at a music show or scouring for good food around town.
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John Boughey
John Boughey is Effct's Digital Strategist. John recently graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder's College of Media, Communication and Information with a degree focusing on Advertising Strategy with a minor in Business. He has previously worked with several media organizations both on and off campus. John previously served as Effct's Account Coordinator and Digital Media Intern beginning in May 2021 before joining full-time in June 2022.
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Outside of the office, he can be found at concerts, record stores, and learning how to cook new recipes.
Ashtyn Austin
Ashtyn Austin is Effct’s Marketing Communications Specialist. Ashtyn recently graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with two degrees focusing on Media Studies and Strategic Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations.
Ashtyn previously served as Effct’s Digital media intern while finishing up her final year of college. In her free time, she loves spending time with friends, listening to music, and seeing the world.