
Our Coaches

Mike Romano has been the head coach of American University’s Mock Trial program since the 2019-2020 season. He is a prosecutor with the Department of Justice, and has tried cases involving a variety of crimes, from armed robberies to tax fraud.
Mike has also been a longtime member of the AMTA community. At Notre Dame, he led his team to back-to-back Top-10 Nationals finishes; as a junior, he won both an All-American Attorney and Witness award. Mike has also coached at the University of Virginia, helping guide their teams to a pair of Top-5 Nationals finishes in the same year. He has judged and helped run numerous tournaments. His favorite character from Midlands is Jean-Marie Baptiste, a hockey referee who witnessed a murder (arguably) on the ice, during a game.

Amanda Mundell is an attorney with the Appellate Staff of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division with more than a decade of mock trial competition experience and years of coaching at all levels. As an undergraduate, Amanda competed on UCLA’s mock trial team, earning an All-American award and winning the National Championship Tournament in 2011. She attended Harvard Law School, where she founded the law school mock trial program, coached the school’s four teams, and won the National Trial Competition.
Since law school, Amanda has remained involved in AMTA. She has judged numerous invitational and regional competitions, coached UCLA Law School to multiple national championships, co-authored several AMTA cases, and co-authored the book, Winning Objections: A Mock Trial Guidebook.

Meredith Condren is from Buffalo, New York and attended the State University of New York College at Geneseo. She graduated from the George Washington University Law School in 2021 and is now serving as a judicial law clerk in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City. Meredith competed in mock trial at the high school, collegiate, and law school levels. In her free time, she enjoy reading and playing with her corgi, Loki. Her favorite character from Midlands is Dylan Hendricks, the strangler!

Kierstin O’Hara, a former AU mocker, brings with her 8 years of competitive experience. In the past year, she has been recruited by her former high school coach to assist in preparing the team for various competitions, including Gladiator, the Tournament of Champions, and seasonal competitions. When Kierstin is not doing Mock, she is employed as an Auditor working with non-profit companies around the DMV area. Her favorite character from Midlands is Armani (and her brother Gucci) Rodriguez.

Katie Ehrenfeld, is a proud Tennessean and paralegal assisting with White Collar Criminal Defense matters at KaiserDillon PLLC. Prior to her graduation from American University in 2021, Katie competed as a member of AUMT and served as AUMT’s Vice President for two consecutive years. When she isn’t helping coach AUMT, she is likely running the National Mall, trying new DC restaurants, or spending time with other AUMT alumni. Her favorite Midlands character is Parker Paige, may she rest in peace.
Our Leadership
President

Sophie Ridlon is a senior pursuing degrees in Communications, Law, Economics, and Government (CLEG) and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS). She is particularly interested in the intersection of women in law and politics and women’s health policy. She interned at the National District Attorneys Association this past summer.
Sophie is originally from Medfield, Massachusetts, a small town outside of Boston but is a diehard Buffalo Bills fan. On campus, you can find her getting a chai latte at the Dav or studying in MGC or the third floor of the library.
Usually competing as an attorney, Sophie is honored and excited to serve as your President after the most successful year in AUMT history!
Internal Vice President

Annie Flowers is a sophomore pursuing degrees in Political Science and Public Relations. She currently works as an intern for Men Can Stop Rape, a nonprofit dedicated to mobilizing men to use their strength for creating cultures free from violence. She is passionate about making legal aid accessible and equitable and hopes to go to law school and promote women’s rights on the international stage.
Originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, Annie loves hiking, singing, playing the guitar, reading, and running through cornfields. At AU, you can find her studying in SOC, belting her Broadway heart out in the Katzen practice rooms, ballet dancing, or getting a dirty chai from the Dav.
Usually competing as a witness, Annie finds that method acting is the best way to perfect her fun character witnesses…seriously, one time her roommate heard her sleep-talking in a Long Island accent. She cannot wait to meet all of the incoming new members and welcome them to AUMT!
Treasurer

James Carney is a junior in SPA majoring in CLEG. Hailing from Cleveland, OH, he is particularly interested in Cleveland-area politics and loves studying urban policy. He currently has a job researching Congress.
At AU, you can find him at an AU College Democrats meeting, studying in the Kerwin lobby, or playing pickup basketball at the courts behind Bender arena.
James usually competes as an attorney and his favorite characters from Midlands are Kirby Doolittle and the Cook. He cannot wait to get started on the 2022-2023 case!
External Vice President

Nora Sullivan is a senior pursuing degrees in International Relations and Literature. She studies US foreign policy and national security and conducts research on reproductive health in Latin America. Outside of class, she has worked as a grant writer for a local non-profit and an intern with the Federal Public Defender of NJ.
When she’s not doing mock trial, she enjoys writing for The Eagle and thinking about doing mock trial. Brooklyn-born and NJ-raised, she also loves a good bagel and is still on the hunt for the best one in DC.
Nora competes mostly as a witness. Her favorite character from Midlands is Dr. Isaac Syed. She cherishes the friendships she has made and the skills she has developed through AUMT, and she can’t wait to get started with the new season!
Events Coordinator

Molly Broughton is a senior in SPA’s Politics, Policy, and Law Scholars majoring in CLEG from Austin, TX. Most of her time is devoted to mock trial, but when she’s not there, she enjoys painting, writing, and reading. Outside of AUMT, she has written for the New Works festival and enjoys branching out into other clubs. On campus, you can find Molly hanging out on the quad or studying at the Battelle Atrium.
Molly competes mostly as a witness and her favorite character from Midlands is Blaire Osborne, who she admits may be the only other events coordinator better than her. She is so excited to start planning events for the 2022-2023 season!
Diversity and Inclusion Chair

Rhea Raman is a senior in SPA majoring in CLEG from Los Angeles, California. Outside of class, she is involved with AU’s South Asian Student Association, Girl Up, and NHSMUN.
Outside of AUMT, Rhea loves dancing, singing karaoke, and playing Wordle. On campus, you can find her at the Bridge or studying in MGC Room 313.
Rhea competes as both an attorney and witness. Her favorite characters from Midlands are either Maddox Vaughn or Skylar de Jong. Rhea is so excited for the new season!
Secretary

Grant Warren is a sophomore in SPA majoring in CLEG from Edmond, OK. Most of his time goes to mock trial, but when he’s not there, he likes boating and going on picnics.
On campus, you can find him studying on the 3rd floor of MGC or the 2nd floor of the library.
Grant has assisted as a witness and his favorite character from Midlands is Skylar de Jong. He is so excited to serve as the 2022-2023 season’s secretary!