Friends of An Taisce Board of Directors

  • Karaugh Brown, Chair

    Karaugh Brown is a non-profit and fundraising strategist with more than 25 years of experience working for mission-driven organizations. She has held leadership roles at the Whitney Museum of American Art and World Monuments Fund, and worked in fundraising at The Frick Collection, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Karaugh traces her Irish ancestry back to Co. Galway with family still living there today. She holds a B.A. in English and Art History and an M.A. in art history, both from Boston University.

  • Andrew Russell, Vice Chair

    Andrew Russell is a philanthropy executive with over 20 years’ experience in fundraising and community development. Andrew is the Vice President of Philanthropy and External Affairs at St. Francis House, the largest day shelter for homeless individuals in New England. He has had the great privilege of serving in advancement leadership roles for some of the most beloved institutions in Boston, including the Museum of Science, Museum of Fine Arts, and Boston Symphony Orchestra. Andrew is an alumnus of Boston College.

  • Michelle Prior, Secretary

    Michelle Prior is a Senior Program Officer at the U.S. Department of State’s Cultural Heritage Center. Previously, she worked for the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Park Service. This domestic experience continues to shape her international cultural diplomacy work. Michelle has family connections to Ireland on her father’s side and through her husband, who emigrated to the United States from Kildare. Michelle is an alumna of Miami University of Ohio and the University of Cambridge, England. She currently resides in Arlington, Virginia.

Board of Directors

  • John King Bellassai is an attorney and management consultant. He is a graduate of Georgetown University’s College of Arts & Sciences and the Georgetown University Law Center. He and his wife, Judith Walton, live and work in Washington, DC.

  • Kirstin serves as the Executive Director of NTSUSA and is responsible for implementing all aspects of their mission, from strategic partnerships and fundraising to Board development and grants management. Kirstin, who previously worked at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Nantucket Historical Association, is a graduate of Smith College and holds an MSc in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania.