Thomas is the coordinator for the Diplomacy of the Heart project at the Baskerville Institute for the 2025 year. He is a senior at Brigham Young University where he studies International Relations and Middle Eastern Studies. Thomas has a love for Iran—its people, culture, and language—and is committed to building bridges between the U.S. and Iran. He believes that dialogue and cultural exchange are key to overcoming misunderstandings and creating lasting connections. 

Email: thomaspackham@gmail.com

Spencer is the coordinator of graphic design, print media, and website design at the Baskerville Institute for the 2025 year. He is a Junior at Brigham Young University where he studies International Relations and Economics. Because of his time living in Ukraine, Poland, and Latvia, Spencer wants to one day work in the Foreign Service and in conflict resolution in Eastern Europe. He speaks Ukrainian, Polish, Russian, and is currently learning French.

Email: spencerbennettart@gmail.com

Kirsten Dewberry is a Baskerville Institute Summer 2025 intern. She is a junior at Utah State University, where she will graduate with majors in International Studies and Political Science. Kirsten is driven to connect diverse communities and is passionate about peacebuilding. She will be working remotely from Japan during Fall 2025. 

Email: kirstendewberry@gmail.com

James Hancock is a Baskerville Institute Fall 2025 intern. He is a senior at the University of Utah, where he majors in Political Science with an emphasis in International Relations and minors in Arabic. James believes in the power of peacebuilding and is excited to work with underrepresented countries and perspectives.

Email: hancockjamesmatthew@gmail.com

Kiyana Nahvi is a senior at SOAS University of London, studying Politics and International Relations. Kiyana joined the Baskerville Institute to help build stronger relations between Iranians and other nations, bringing a unique British-Iranian lens to exploring Iran’s rich cultural history and how it’s understood in the American context.

Email: kiyananahvi1@gmail.com

Will Van Hoff is serving as a Fall 2025 Intern at the Baskerville Institute, assisting in the planning and coordination of the Diplomacy of the Heart conferences. He is a student at Brigham Young University, majoring in Economics and minoring in Russian. He supports outreach, research, and logistics for upcoming programs focused on cross-cultural dialogue and education.

Email: wvanhoff@byu.edu

Dr. Bahman Baktiari is the Executive Director of the Baskerville Institute, a nonprofit organization based in Salt Lake City, Utah, dedicated to fostering people-to-people diplomacy and intercultural understanding. He leads the Institute’s flagship Diplomacy of the Heart initiative, which emphasizes empathy, human dignity, and respect for the dignity of difference.

He has guided the Institute in expanding its presence through conferences, student forums, and international partnerships—particularly across Central Asia and the Middle East. Under his leadership, the initiative has hosted impactful gatherings in Tbilisi, Georgia, and Samarkand, Uzbekistan, and continues to broaden collaboration with universities, government ministries, and civil society organizations throughout the region.

Dr. Baktiari is a widely published scholar of Middle East politics, with articles appearing in Middle East Journal, Iranian Studies, and World Policy Journal, among others. He is the author of Parliamentary Politics in Revolutionary Iran and has contributed commentary to NPR, CNN, PBS, and the BBC. He received his Ph.D. in Government and Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia.

Under him, the Baskerville Institute has evolved, gaining international attention and receiving support from private foundations, donors, and members.