2024 IFC Executive Board
Executive Board Email: ifc-exec@mit.edu
Kush Bavaria - President
Kush is currently a junior (Class of 2025) from Austin, TX majoring in Finance and Computer Science (Course 6-14 & 15-3). Although he never thought he’d rush, he saw how enriching the FSILG community is and knew he had to rush. He is a member of Chi Phi. As President of the IFC, Kush plans to expand mental health resources in the community and give back to the IFC.
Kush’s interests include exploring Boston, hanging out with friends, and working on startup ideas. You might also find him trying to work out at the Z-center.
Kush Bavaria
President | ifc-president@mit.edu
Grace Gardner - Vice President
Grace is currently a junior (Class of 2024) from St. Paul, MN majoring in Anthropology (Course 21A). As a member of Tau Epsilon Phi, Grace has served as their rush chair, president, and social chair, and now as part of IFC Exec, she hopes to support and get resources to the current IFC membership. She’s excited to represent the IFC’s perspective in conversations with MIT administration and believes in the IFC experience at MIT.
Some of Grace’s interests include reading, working out, and studying social structure. She took a leave from MIT from 2019-2021, where she founded and head coached a rowing club for high schoolers.
Chris Howard
Vice President | ifc-vp@mit.edu
Luke Anderson - Exec. Asst + Treasurer
Luke is currently a junior (Class of 2024) from Twin Cities, MN majoring in Biology and Management (Courses 7 and 15). Luke originally rushed because he found a community of people that would help him grow into the person he wanted to be. His motivation for joining IFC Exec includes his enjoyment of leadership in his own chapter (Phi Sigma Kappa) and his desire to help solve the problems faced by the broader MIT IFC community.
Ayana Alemayehu
Executive Assistant and Treasurer | ifc-execasst@mit.edu
Nicolas Valayannopoulos - Recruitment Chair
Nicolas is currently a first-year (Class of 2027) from Cambridge, MA double majoring in Mathematics and Computer Science (Course 18 and 6). A member of Phi Kappa Sigma, Nicolas believe that IFC chapters play a crucial part in the “life” part of MIT students’ work-life balances. As head of Recruitment, Nicolas hopes to help many more incoming students find places to call “home” within IFC.
In his free time, Nicolas enjoys sailing on the Charles or jamming on the guitar.
Nicolas Valayannopoulos
Recruitment Chair | ifc-rushchair@mit.edu
Michael Popik - IFC Risk Management Chair
Michael is a sophomore (Class of 2026) from Nashua, NH, majoring in 6-2 (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science) and 8-Flex (Physics). He is a member of the Chi Phi Beta Chapter, where he previously served as Risk Manager for two terms, in addition to Chi Phi’s IFC Judicial Committee Representative.
Michael deeply supports the bonds of brotherhood fostered by fraternities and seeks to help all MIT fraternities better address potential risks.
Apart from IFC, Michael is a defenseman on MIT Men’s Lacrosse and enjoys fiddling with electronics.
Michael Popik
Risk Management Chair | ifc-riskmanager@mit.edu
James Shaw - Judicial Committee Chair
James is currently a junior (Class of 2025) from Boston, MA double-majoring in Civil Engineering and Urban Planning (Course 1 & 11). James is president of Theta Tau and strongly believes in the sense of community, brotherhood, and belonging that TT has provided. He decided to join IFC Exec to ensure that all MIT fraternities can continue to function successfully for decades to come.
Apart from academics and the IFC, James enjoys ski instructing and city planning games.
James Shaw
Judicial Committee Chair | ifc-judcommchair@mit.edu
Lucas Escandon - PR + Programming Chair
Lucas is currently a sophomore (Class of 2026) from Brick, NJ majoring in Mechanical and Ocean Engineering (Course 2-OE). He loved the unique IFC culture he saw at CPW and joined Delta Tau Delta his freshman fall. Lucas wanted to join IFC Exec as a way to give back to the IFC community and highlight the wide variety of communities found in IFC’s member organizations.
In his free time, Lucas competes for the MIT Varsity Sailing team and takes advantage of every opportunity he can get to leave the city and experience the great outdoors.
Lucas Escandon
Public Relations and Programming Chair | ifc-progpubchair@mit.edu
Zaire Williams - Diversity Commitee Chair
Zaire is currently a freshman (Class of 2027) from Montclair, NJ majoring in Aerospace Engineering (Course 16) with a potential computer science minor. He originally rushed Theta Tau because of the comedic and welcoming community he found there, and then chose to join IFC Exec to be able to have a larger impact on the IFC and MIT communities as a whole.
Zaire enjoys painting, listening to music, and playing sports with friends. He has a strong passion for photography and owns at least eleven cameras. Did you know a part of Mean Girls was filmed in his hometown?
Zaire Williams
Diversity Committee Chair | ifc-diversity-chair@mit.edu
Kathleen Julca has been elected to the Sexual Health and Reproductive Education Chair (SHARE). She has shown passionate initiative for advocating to end sexual violence and promote empowerment for sexual health and reproductive education within her frat through access to reproductive health information and workshops and within the IFC as a whole ––such as running the Ending Gender-Based Violence events last fall semester to help the IFC understand where we can serve the MIT community. She also brings the knowledge of serving as a PLEASURE educator for two years and is actively looking for ways that the SHARE committee can best serve the IFC community's diverse needs.
Kathleen Julca
Sexual Health and Relationship Education (SHARE) Committee Chair | ifc-share-chair@mit.edu