Staff
Current Staff
Jonah Willihnganz , Director
Jonah has taught literature, writing, and critical theory at Stanford since 2002. He published fiction, essays, and literary criticism, and currently researches how narrative practices can help develop capacities such as presence, courage, empathy, and belonging. In 2014 he co-founded the LifeWorks Program for Integrative Learning in the Stanford School of Medicine, an experiential education program that helps students learn practices for developing insight and compassion about themselves, others, and the world. He holds a PhD in English from Brown University and an MFA in Creative Writing from Hollins University. He is currently trying to write three books at the same time. It’s slow going.
Laura Joyce Davis, Managing Editor & SSP Lecturer
Laura is the Executive Producer and host of the award-winning narrative podcast Shelter in Place, CEO and co-founder of NarrativePodcasts.com, and a Podcast Magazine Top Influencer in Podcasting. Her work has been recognized with a Social Impact Award for Mentoring and DEI initiatives, a Fulbright scholarship, a Poet & Writers Exchange Award, and the International Women’s Podcasting Award for “Changing the World One Moment at a Time.”
Melissa Dyrdahl, Senior Producer
Melissa was most recently a Stanford University DCI Fellow, where, thanks to Jonah Willihnganz, her love of storytelling was reignited. A strong believer in the benefits of intergenerational learning, Melissa enjoys mentoring students of all ages. In addition to practicing her story craft skills, Melissa runs a small organic farm and worries about who will be the next Masked Singer.
Megan Calfas, Senior Producer & Program Coordinator
Megan is a multi-disciplinary storyteller based in San Francisco. As a journalist, she has reported on the environment for the Los Angeles Times and investigated maternal mortality in Zanzibar. She produces the podcasts The Feminist Present and In Bed With the Right. At Stanford and beyond, she has coached over 150 people on telling their true, personal stories live on stage. Most recently, she directed and produced a sold-out run of the original live storytelling show Crushing at Dixon Place Theater in New York City. Her original play, Sleepover, premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2024.
Dawn J. Fraser, Senior Producer
Dawn J. Fraser is a storyteller, podcaster and nationally acclaimed communications coach based out of San Jose, CA. She’s the Founder/ CEO of Fraser’s Edge, Inc, which provides coaching and consulting services for businesses, thought leaders and creatives to develop their leadership potential through storytelling. Past clients have included Google, the Gates Foundation and Spotify, as well as many notable celebrities. Dawn serves as a Senior Producer at the Stanford Storytelling Project, a Lead Instructor with The Moth and was featured among some of the nation’s top change makers at TED@NYC. She loves being a twin, a Trinidadian, and touch-baseable at www.dawnjfraser.com
2024-2025 Student Producers
Gracielly Abreu is a Junior studying Computer Science with a passion for music. As a DJ and sound engineer, music is central to her self-expression. She enjoys trying new foods, traveling, and believes in the healing power of fun and play. She’s passionate about using storytelling to challenge dominant narratives and build empathy for underrepresented communities.
Hi! I’m Arun Chhetri and I’m a Junior and student athlete studying NeuroEngineering. Writing and reading stories has always been a guilty pleasure of mine, but I also love to cook and produce music. I’ve always loved exploring the intersection of science and storytelling and I hope to share some of that with everyone.
Nardos Demilew is a Computer Science and Economics student at Stanford. She is passionate about innovating, building, and storytelling. With a Software Engineering background, she brings her technical skills and love for narrative-driven podcasts like Freakonomics and SmartLess to the Stanford Storytelling Project. Outside of producing audio stories, she enjoys long walks, trying new cuisines, and listening to various musical genres and artists.
Alana Esposito is a junior studying Systems and Computational Engineering from Huntersville, North Carolina. She grew up loving stories as ways to connect with and better understand the world. You can find her wandering campus, trying a new recipe, reading, swimming, and learning something new (right now, metalworking!).