Who We Are
The Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society (the AHA Society) was founded in 2011 after Rand Scholet and Tom and Mariana Oller happened to meet at the reopening ceremonies of the Hamilton Grange after its relocation and restoration. The three discovered that they had a common interest in learning about Hamilton and in encouraging others to learn about him. Inspired by the visit to Hamilton’s home and by this productive meeting with like-minded people, Rand founded the AHA Society in October of that year.
The Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society
Mission Statement
The Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society (AHA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving as an active open resource for factual, well-researched information on Alexander Hamilton and the Founding Era. Providing educational tools in an engaging manner enables AHA to enhance the public understanding of Hamilton’s contributions to the founding of the United States. The AHA Society initiatives aim to inspire interest in learning about Hamilton and the Founding Era and desire to apply the knowledge of the past in building our future.
Our Board of Directors
Nicole Scholet, President & Secretary
Nicole Scholet has an educational background in Political Science and Economics. In addition to her work with the AHA Society since 2011, Nicole has worked for other history-focused entities, including the Historical Society of Newburgh Bay and the Highlands and Herzog and Co., and serves as the Assistant Director of The Colonial Dames of America. Nicole also researches and speaks on the life of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton.
Sergio Villavicencio, Vice President
In addition to his work at the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society in the areas of communications, programming, and branding, Sergio is also involved with the New York City Semiquincentennial Committee; and a content, engagement, and diversity & inclusion consultant to history-related entities. Sergio is also an Advisory Council member of the National Parks Conservation Association – Northeast Region.
Mariana S. Oller, Chair & Treasurer
Mariana S. Oller serves as Chair of the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society. As Associate Curator of Special Collections at Wellesley College, Mariana works with early printed books and manuscripts and is responsible for reference, cataloging, teaching, collection management, and preservation. She teaches visiting classes on various aspects of the history of the book, builds and curates digital collections, and creates exhibits. Mariana is a member of the American Antiquarian Society, the Society of Printers, and the Bibliographical Society of America.
Dr. Thomas Oller, Vice Chair
Dr. Thomas Oller is the Vice Chair of the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society. Tom is also a senior lecturer in the Writing Program at Boston University, where he teaches a course titled, “Hamilton and Jefferson: Competing Visions of America.” Previously, he taught at Harvard Extension School and at Harvard’s Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning.
John Herzog, Assistant Treasurer
After 40 years on Wall Street at Nasdaq market maker Herzog Heine Geduld, John joined his wife at R. M. Smythe, a financial history auction firm. After that firm was sold to Spink, he moved to Connecticut to work on his private collection. He is always interested in financial history and hopes to hear from others with similar interests.
Richard Sylla
Richard Sylla is a Professor Emeritus of Economics and the former Henry Kaufman Professor of the History of Financial Institutions and Markets at the New York University Stern School of Business. He teaches courses in financial history, economic and business history of the United States, and comparative enterprise systems.
Mary K. Herzog
Mary K. Herzog worked for over 20 years at R. M. Smythe & Co., becoming Vice President in 2003. When Smythe was sold in 2007, she formed her own coin trading company. Mary has served on several non-profit Boards and works as a consultant to for-profit and non-profit organizations. Mary currently lives in center-city Philadelphia just steps from Old City and the First Bank of the U.S.
Past Member of the Board
RAND SCHOLET
Rand Scholet was the former President & Founder of the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society. He spent his professional career with IBM, which included ‘Business Transformation’ Consulting for the Automotive and Aerospace industries. His final assignments were at IBM Global Services headquarters in Somers, NY. Rand passed away in July 2021, and is survived by his wife Cyndee.