The Common Ground Team
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Addie McDowell
Pilgrimage Coordinator
Addie finds all our luxurious venues and restaurants. She is a Berkeley, CA native. She enjoyed a brief sojourn to the east coast where she obtained her BA from Wesleyan University. She has spent the last decade working in arts and education. Previously, she worked in book conservation and still enjoys bookbinding and painting in her spare time. She is happiest when she is exploring the alpine lakes of the high Sierras with her pup.
Favorite part of working for Common Ground: working with our wonderful vendors
Dream pilgrimage: To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf in Cornwall
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Anisa Ahmed
Administrative Coordinator
Anisa makes sure everyone gets the right orders at restaurants. Originally from New Jersey, she received her B.A. in English from Harvard College and moved to the UK where she is currently earning a Masters in Creative Writing at the University of Cambridge. In her spare time, she enjoys going to the movies, baking, and spending way too much time (and money) at local bookstores.
Favorite part of working for Common Ground: her coworkers <3
Dream pilgrimage: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson in Vermont.
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Courtney Brown
Director of Programs
Courtney is the point person for all pilgrim-facing communications, ensuring everything from a smooth registration process to a seamless transition to the in-person trip. Born in Louisiana and currently residing in Maryland, Courtney received her BS in Secondary English Education at Louisiana State University Shreveport and taught ninth grade literature for five years before becoming full-time caretaker to her two kids.
Favorite part of working for Common Ground: the delicious food on the trips
Dream pilgrimage: The Sound of Music in Austria
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Julia Argy
Director of Pilgrimages
Julia researches venues, makes budgets, and imagines elaborate restaurant meals. Her debut novel, The One, was published by Putnam in April, 2023. She graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Statistics and from the University of Michigan’s Helen Zell Writers’ Program with an MFA in Fiction.
Favorite part of working for Common Ground: lesson planning for class
Dream pilgrimage: The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough in Australia.
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Vanessa Zoltan
CEO
Vanessa refines the core trip elements and comes up with the perfect next pilgrimage idea. She hosts three of our podcasts: Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, Let’s Ask Taylor Swift, and Hot & Bothered. She founded Common Ground Pilgrimages in order to travel with brilliant faculty to beautiful places and talk about books with amazing pilgrims. She is also the author of the book, Praying with Jane Eyre. Vanessa was trained as a non-denominational chaplain at Harvard Divinity School.
Favorite part of working for Common Ground: meeting the pilgrims
Dream pilgrimage: Mamma Mia! in Greece
Past Faculty
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Amy Hollywood
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Ariel Bissett
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Beth Silvers
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Casper Ter Kuile
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Dana Schwartz
She/Her
Trips: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
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Julia Argy
She/Her
Trips: Persuasion by Jane Austen, Upstream by Mary Olivers
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Lauren Sandler
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Margaret H Willison
She/Her
Trips: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, Folkmore & Evermore by Taylor Swift
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Naomi Westwater
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Nichole Perkins
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Sanne Vliegenthart
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Sarah Stewart Holland
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Stephanie Paulsell
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Vanessa Zoltan
She/Her
Trips: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Harry Potter, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen