Our Staff
Michael joined Kramden Institute in August 2011 to lead the organization as it grows and expands in fulfilling its core mission from the Triangle region to across all of North Carolina. He relocated back to Cary after more than thirteen years living and working in Washington, DC as a campaign manager, fundraising and political consultant and, most recently, in international government relations. Michael received his B.A. in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his M.A. in Political Management from the George Washington University.
Michael Abensour
Executive Director
mabensour@kramden.org
Cari is charged with overseeing Kramden’s events, volunteers and Scholar Program. Kramden welcomed Cari to the team in February 2010. Following her undergraduate studies at Grand Valley State University, Cari served two years as an AmeriCorps member in the communities of Elkhart Indiana and Grand Rapids Michigan. Cari continued her education at Grand Valley State University receiving her Master of Education in 2009. Cari’s graduate and professional work offers valuable experience in the areas of volunteer management, program development and grant writing.
Cari DelMariani
Director of Programs
cdelmariani@kramden.org
Jason manages Kramden’s internal software and IT processes for the refurbishing process while supervising our warehouse operations and spearheading our Tech Equipment Program and Surplus Sales. Jason graduated in 2006 from the College of Charleston with a B.S. in computer science. Prior to joining Kramden, he worked in IT for a distribution company in Charleston and as an IT support specialist for Avery Engineering. Jason has spent his adult life volunteering with various non-profit organizations to stay busy and give back, including Habitat for Humanity, Charleston Crisis Ministries, and at Kramden Institute before joining the staff in 2013.
Jason Ricker
Director of Technical Operations
jricker@kramden.org
Marshall manages Kramden’s educational initiatives and develops and leads classes. He began volunteering at Kramden in 2013 and became a member of the management team soon after. He joined the staff in 2014 to launch Kramden’s education programs. Marshall received his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs. He has worked with non-profits from the very start of his career as a web developer and project manager in Washington, DC. He brings his deep technical knowledge and a dedication to making technology inclusive and approachable to his work at Kramden.
Marshall Burkes
Technology Education Manager
mburkes@kramden.org
Kristina first joined Kramden in 2015 as Office Manager and in 2018 she transitioned to the role of Development Manager. Originally from Chicago, she graduated in 2008 with a BA in Spanish from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prior to moving to North Carolina, she spent several years traveling and working within a variety of educational settings with children of all ages. Kristina assists in interpreting for Spanish-speaking families at Kramden and is responsible for grant writing and fundraising for the organization. She enjoys getting to know Kramden’s volunteers, recipients, and class participants and sharing their stories. 
Kristina Parks
Director of Development
kparks@kramden.org
Lile Stephens
Lead Technology Instructor
lstephens@kramden.org
Tom graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2014 with a degree in Media Studies and a concentration in Documentary and Television production. He was hired as a Master Control Operator out of school and eventually moved into the engineering side of broadcasting where he worked as a Broadcast Systems Specialist at ABC11 WTVD.
Tom Walters
Production Manager
twalters@kramden.org
Rachel graduated from the UNC-Asheville in 2018 and joined Kramden as Office Manager in May 2019. She majored in International Studies and was president of UNC-Asheville’s chapter of Sigma Iota Rho, a collegiate honor society for international studies. She also enjoyed studying abroad for a semester at the University of Sussex in 2016. In her free time, Rachel enjoys reading science fiction, vintage shopping, and cooking with her friends.
Rachel Luce
Office Manager
rluce@kramden.org
Katie McNeirney was raised in Raleigh, NC. She attended Barnard College in New York and returned to North Carolina after graduating with a degree in English in 2012. She worked for libraries (public, nonprofit, and digital) for several years before joining Kramden in 2020 as a Technology Instructor. She also works part time as a florist.
Katie McNeirney
Technology Instructor
kmcneirney@kramden.org
Gloria Jaime graduated from the Instituto Tecnologico de Electronica y Comunicaciones, (Colombia) with an associate degree of Electronics and Communications Technology. Gloria’s experience started as a Radio Engineer with Alcatel and continued as a Radio Engineer Coordinator. She became a Testing Engineer, Network Support in Telecommunications for Shell-Colombia S.A, where she worked to audit and assure that everything in the delivery of the Nortel Unified Networks worked correctly. Gloria also graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, majoring in Electrical Engineering. Gloria is fluent in English and Spanish. Her volunteer experience consists of being a Classroom Assistant for Chinese as a Second Language at Cary Chinese School, North Carolina; as an Elementary Faith Formation Classroom Assistant at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church (NC), and a Computer Technician at Kramden Institute (NC). Gloria completed a Google IT Support Professional Certificate at Coursera.
Gloria Jaime
Computer Technician
gjaime@kramden.org
Mitchell Geiss joined Kramden in July 2020 as a Computer Technician helping refurbish computers for students, families, and nonprofits across North Carolina. Mitchell graduated Guilford Technical Community College in 2018 with an associate degree in Information Technology and is currently taking additional courses at UNC-Greensboro. Mitchell first came to Kramden as a High School intern. He enjoyed helping Kramden with its mission, and he continued to volunteer at Kramden before joining the staff.
Mitchell Geiss
Computer Technician
mgeiss@kramden.org
Thijs van de Kamp joined Kramden in January 2021 as our Lead Computer Technician.
Thijs van de Kamp
Lead Computer Technician
tvandekamp@kramden.org
