National Programs Committee

Currently, he is a lobbyist with Cornerstone Communications Group specializing in local government and higher education. Joel earned a B.A. in History at Morehouse College and an M.P.A. in Public Policy at Clark Atlanta University.  He is a second-year doctoral student at the University of Alabama pursuing an Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration. Joel graduated from the New Leaders Council (NLC) Institute in 2016. He is also a LEAD trainer for NLC.

He joined the National Programs Committee as an at-large member to focus on NLC’s national outreach and organizing. He also serves on the National Diversity Committee to institutionalize the values of equity and justice at the chapter level.

Day-to-day, Sean works at Kivvit, one of the most eminent public affairs firms in the world. He helps clients develop their public affairs and integrated communications strategy, with a particular focus on advocacy coalitions, non-profits, and CSR/social-impact initiatives. He specializes in strategic planning, messaging, stakeholder engagement, and digital media. 

Sean went to Kivvit after serving as the communications director for Amara Enyia's campaign for mayor, where he led overall communications strategy and served as campaign spokesperson. Prior to that, he handled marketing, digital media, and executive communications for World Business Chicago, the city's public-private economic development organization. Throughout this career, Sean has moved institutions toward equity by initiating organizational development and communicating the need for transformational change. 

Sean graduated from Roosevelt University with a BSBA in management and organizational development. Currently living in Chicago's South Loop, he spends his free time on personal health, spiritual growth, and enjoying visionary fiction such as sci-fi movies and anime. If he weren’t doing this work, he’d be a physicist and astronaut. 

TCNJ’s CELR Center develops lifelong learners who are prepared to lead lives of critically informed community engagement. This is accomplished by delivering learning experiences and research opportunities that connect TCNJ students and faculty with community partners in reciprocal collaborations. These collaborations enhance the ability of participants and organizations to understand and address the contexts and causes of community-identified concerns.

Brittany has spent over 14 years working in the Trenton community, first as a student in the Bonner Community Scholars (BCS) program, where she completed more than 1,500 hours of service working with youth. During her first eight years working professionally at the Center, she served as a BCS Coordinator, mentoring college students in their service. 

In addition to directing the Community Engaged Learning program, Brittany oversees multiple community initiatives. The Capital City Youth Violence Coalition is a partnership with the NJ Office of the Attorney General, local law enforcement and a committed group of community stakeholders with the goal of youth violence prevention and intervention. The Bridge to Employment program and TCNJ Pre-College program both help high school students prepare for higher education and their future careers.

Brittany was an NLC-NJ fellow in 2014 and has served on the NLC-NJ Executive Board since 2015, currently as a Selections Co-Chair. She has a Bachelor’s degree in English and Secondary Education and a Master’s degree in Counseling, both from TCNJ. 

Brittany is a New Jersey native and currently resides in Riverton, NJ. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with friends and family.

Mike is Research and Program Coordinator for the Community Advocates Public Policy Institute. Mike is recognized as a top policy advocate on health, housing, energy assistance, and economic security issues. Mike has an extensive grassroots politics and government service background, having worked and consulted for political campaigns at every level of government. He also served as a longtime aide to former U.S. Senator Russ Feingold on Capitol Hill and on his campaigns. Mike holds an MA in Political Science from American University, where he was President of the Graduate Student Council. He is a small business owner, a former alderman, and current public servant in the City of Verona, Wisconsin. He has been a longtime volunteer for Special Olympics and other disability organizations.

Her 12-year career in nonprofit management includes positions at the Philharmonia Orchestra in London and the Harry Potter Alliance, a national youth engagement organization. Most recently she was at Tandem, Partners in Early Learning for almost six years, leading the organization through a time of expansion, a rebranding process, and as Development Director doubled the revenue and budget. In April 2019 she left to work on her own consultancy, helping nonprofits raise more funds, companies implement more social initiatives, and leaders be more effective: Barton Business Consulting. 

She has a PhD in Literature and a MA in Children’s Literature, and served for four years on the UK chapter of the International Board on Books for Young People and is currently a committee member for USBBY, the US chapter.

A 2016 Leadership San Francisco Fellow and 2019 Social Entrepreneurship Fellow with StartingBloc, she is a lifelong learner. She has been involved with NLC since being a 2015 NLC-SF Fellow. She she has served on the NLC-SF Executive Board, is co-Chair of the National NLC Advancement Committee, is on the NLC National Programs Committee, and serves as a LEAD Trainer for NLC Institutes.

However, Julie is determined to never be too old (or too busy!) to read books written for children.

Marcela’s early professional work focused in affordable housing for Rhode Island’s low income, immigrant, and young families for nearly six years. In 2017, Marcela served as the Policy Associate for the American Civil Liberties of Rhode Island. In her role, she served as a lead lobbyist in the Rhode Island State Legislature. Additionally, she worked with local and statewide organizations to ensure that policies, laws, and regulations proposed or enacted protected civil and human rights for all Rhode Islanders. 

In 2014 Marcela became a New Leaders Council Fellow and later went on to serve as the Director of the Rhode Island Chapter until 2018 after transitioning to the National organization’s board. Since 2017 she has served as the Vice President of the Rhode Island Latino Political Action Committee and Civic Fund, an organization that seeks to increase the participation and visibility of Latinos in Rhode Island politics. In December 2018, Marcela began serving on the New Urban Arts Board, a local Providence youth organization. 

In 2018, Marcela worked as a freelance policy and program adviser for organizations such as the Central Falls School District, the Providence Housing Authority, and Blackstone Academy Charter School. 

As of January 2019, Marcela began serving as the Director of the Latino Policy Institute at Roger Williams University. The Latino Policy Institute is committed to generating and communicating non-partisan data of Latinos in Rhode Island. LPI stimulates public policy discussions and enhances the public’s understanding of the Rhode Island Latino experience.

He coordinates FOE efforts in Memphis and Tennessee to develop and implement weatherization and solar power programs to lower utility bills and generate new jobs in clean energy. Eric worked as Statewide Political Director for Phil Bredesen for U.S. Senate and was Lead Organizer for the Children’s Defense Fund Nashville Team. He is a native of Nashville, TN. Eric has a B.A. from American Baptist College and two master degrees from Vanderbilt University. When not working, Eric loves to read, write, and enjoy time with his spouse, Brittney, and three dogs (Senator, Aaliyah, and Phife).

Previously, James worked at the Florida 501c3 Civic Engagement Table, for former Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink at the Florida Next Foundation, as well as Target Corporation’s government affairs team. He has worked to train more Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to run for public office in Florida. James is an alumnus of Leadership Florida as well as New Leaders Council (NLC.) He serves in various capacities for NLC: National Programs Committee Member, Tampa Bay Chapter Director, AAPI Caucus Co-Chair and LEAD Trainer.

In 2019, former U.S. Senator and Florida Governor Bob Graham presented James with the Young Floridian of the Year award by the University of Florida’s Graham Center for Public Service. In 2019, INFLUENCE Magazine named James as a Rising Star in Florida Politics. In 2017, the Tampa Bay Business Journal named James as an Up & Comer Under 30. James has also been trained through the APAICS National Leadership Academy to run for public office, as well as the Victory Institute Empowerment Fellowship.

James earned his Masters of Public Policy from the University of Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs and his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Business Administration from the University of Florida. He serves as a member on the Humphrey School Alumni Board. He is also a University of Florida Hall of Fame inductee. James is a 2011 PPIA Princeton JSI alumnus and currently serves as a founding member of the PPIA Alumni Advisory Council.

He is known for his unique fusion cuisine, blending flavors of the Caribbean & Latin America with traditional Southern, Italian, and French cuisine.  As a Chef he has owned two award-winning cafes and served notables like President Barack and Michelle Obama. He is featured annually at The SOBE Wine & Food Festival, was the recipient of the I am Hope Award, and the 33 Emerging Minds of Miami Award at Art Basel.  Chad’s real passion lies in his ability to use food to build communities and help people improve their health.  As a community change agent, he has facilitated over 1,000 healthy food demos, co-founded a recognized neighborhood association for renters, & helped pass Amendment 4, which restores felons’ rights to vote.  As a social entrepreneur he has been awarded fellowships with BMe and Red Bull Amaphiko. He is co-founder of Chef Kulture and co-owner of Refresh Live Café, Inc., a food, education, and lifestyle company. Chad serves on the National Programs Committee for New Leaders Council and Co-Chairs the National Black Caucus for New Leaders Council. 

She attended the University of Northern Iowa for her Bachelor’s Degree in Health Promotion with an emphasis in Women’s Health and a minor in Communication Studies. In 2010 Erin began her career as a Community Health Educator at Together For Youth, a local non-profit housed within Allen Women’s Health in Waterloo, Iowa. Erin also earned her Master’s Degree in Public Policy. In 2015, Erin and her husband moved to the Des Moines area and started work as an Advocacy Strategist for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland and Planned Parenthood Voters of Iowa. She had the honor of working with Planned Parenthood supporters and volunteers throughout the state to advocate for reproductive rights issues through grassroots efforts. Currently, Erin gets to continue her support of health care by lobbying for Iowa hospitals at the Iowa Hospital Association.

In his role he creates and manages initiatives that improve LA schools' ability to recruit talented, diverse teachers and leaders as well as projects that retain them. Prior this role he worked at KIPP LA Schools and taught 4th grade in Compton.

A 2010 New Leaders Council Los Angeles Fellow, DeSobe has served as NLC LA Chapter Director since 2011, which included 4 stints at NLC Institute Co-Director. Originally from Houston DeSobe has a deep passion for progressive rock music, Smoothie King, and being the host of The Zag, a NLC LA podcast featuring alums locally and beyond.

She was previously a Co-Director of NLC New York City from 2012 to 2015, NLC-NYC Finance Chair from 2015 to 2016, and a NLC-NYC Advisory Board member since 2010. By day, she works in marketing and investor relations for Nomura Corporate Research and Asset Management, a boutique asset management firm within the Nomura Group of companies. At Nomura, she manages a portfolio of client relationships and works closely with portfolio management, credit research, sales, and business development teams to create and market high-yield fixed-income investment products for institutional investors worldwide. By night and weekend, she brainstorms ways to connect progressive leaders, build coalitions, and take NLC to the next level and beyond.

Before NLC and Nomura, Heather toiled in private equity and spent her free time posting feminist rants on facebook. At ZM Capital, she managed a comprehensive internal and external branding and communications program, including a fully re-designed visual identity and presentation suite, and business development support for several portfolio companies and two funds. Heather also has experience in communications and development consulting, where she learned to synthesize months of research into a 100-page deck that only two people would ever read.

Prior to working in finance and progressive politics, Heather attended Cornell University, where she walked uphill both ways in the snow. She majored in Government, Sociology, and Fine Arts, wrote a column for the Cornell Daily Sun, and was named one of the "Top 25 Most Influential Cornellians" for her leadership of a student-driven effort to improve Cornell's marketing and communications strategy. In addition to the above, she has served on the New York County Democratic Committee and on the Executive Board of the Ansonia Independent Democratic Club. She lives in Manhattan with one husband and three cats, which she maintains is a perfectly reasonable human to feline ratio.

She currently serves as the Chapter Director of NLC Tallahassee. Prior to beginning her doctoral work, Adela lived in Washington, DC and worked in education policy and government relations and has prior professional experience in nonprofits, grassroots organizing and political campaigns. 

Adela is passionate about labor union activism and is in her third term as President of her union local, UFF-FSU-GAU, Graduate Assistants United, and is actively engaged in union work within UFF, FEA, NEA, and AFT. 

Adela has a master’s degree from the London School of Economics in International Relations and completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Miami

Whether she is finding donors to support after-school programs or orchestrating grant proposals and fundraising events, Kadie leverages her roles in the community to produce partnerships for real results. She considers it a privilege to serve as a board leader for several government and nonprofit organizations, living by the philosophy that one should leave a place (and a person) better than they found it (a true lifetime Girl Scout!). 

Kadie is dedicated to shaping future changemakers and empowering others, especially those from marginalized and underserved communities, through mentorship as well as quality instruction and educational policies and practices. A professor of leadership and education, she also serves as the Director of Undergraduate Research for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. 

A voracious reader, (very slow) runner, and (aspiring) ballroom dancer, Kadie also enjoys exploring her home state of Florida with her partner and children. 

She went on to serve as Chapter Co-Director during the 2016/2017 to 2017/2018 program years, and continued to support the chapter as Curriculum Chair for the 2018/2019 program year.  Meghan graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the State University at Albany in Fine Arts and Political Science in 2001 followed by a Masters in Social Welfare in 2006.  Meghan has spent her professional career working as an advocate for individuals living with disabilities and currently conducts civil and criminal investigations for the NYS Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs. In addition to her professional career, Meghan has also served several terms on the Executive Board of the Albany County Young Democrats (ACYD) and as a Committee Person for the Albany County Democratic Committee. Meghan is a proud union member and currently serves as the Division 232 Council Leader and Labor Management Chair for the NYS Public Employees Federation.  In her free time, Meghan enjoys playing soccer on several local club teams, having adventures close to home and abroad, and relaxing with her husband Luke and rescue mutts Logan & Ziggy.

Nyah Macklin is a diversity and inclusion professional who has dedicated their life to creating and sustaining systems of education, government, and society that consistently re-examine and re-evaluate the ways these institutions perpetuate the exclusion of historically underrepresented communities.

Prior to obtaining their degree in African and Afro-American Studies from Brandeis University, Macklin studied in the New Haven, CT public school system. It was here that they watched their fellow low-resourced Black and brown students struggle to excel in an educational environment where budget cuts left students with tattered and outdated textbooks, overcrowded classrooms, and frequent engagement with the school-to-prison pipeline. Macklin's undergraduate studies and background shaped their drive to examine policies that affect urban education, housing markets, and income inequality.

Macklin is a Breakthrough Collaborative alumna and teaching fellow alumna, the first Black woman in the history of Brandeis to serve as President of the University’s Student Government, and one of four women of color to negotiate for the rights of 100 students of color during a 12-day crisis occupation called #FordHall2015. 

Currently, Macklin serves their community as the Chief of Staff to a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

Currently, Gabi is the Campaigns Director at the Center for Climate Integrity, where she works to make corporate polluters pay their fair share for the impacts of climate change.

Gabi also serves as the National Recruitment Chair for the New Leaders Council and is a proud AmeriCorps alumna. Gabi earned her Bachelor’s in Global Studies from Arizona State University and a Masters of Public Administration from the George Washington University. In her free time, she enjoys listening to podcasts, practicing Pilates, and exploring craft breweries. 

After graduating from the College of Wooster in Ohio with a B.A. in Sociology, he found himself back in the Granite State, paying off substantial student loans and feeling disconnected.  A few months after moving back, Zack learned about New Leaders Council and applied to become a 2017 NLC NH Fellow. Through the NLC Institute, he met other young professionals from across New Hampshire who shared his passion for building community and advocating for policies to move the state forward and become more attractive to young people.

Zack spent the next two years with Civix Strategy Group, working on the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy to elevate policies important to working families, including increased funding for child care and access to paid family and medical leave. His work helped define these as critical issues of the 2018 gubernatorial race and subsequent legislative session. Currently, Zack works as a Legislative Assistant in the House Majority Office at the New Hampshire State House, using his background as a field organizer to help advance public policies that benefit working families. 

Zack has served on the NLC NH Executive Board for the past two years as Curriculum Chair and Chapter Co-Director. He is honored and excited to be serving on the National Programs Committee and looks forward to working with this team to keep driving the organization forward.

Through CGA Candace has led a number of efforts around DEI capacity building, public-private partnership development, brand activation, strategic planning and leadership development.

Candace’s work with clients focuses in developing DEI capacity and competency for systems change. Increased DEI capacity, or the ability to identify, interpret and interrupt inequitable practices, is critical for all individuals, but significantly more valuable for those in spaces of social impact seeking to deliver outcomes for people not driven by factors of race, gender, SES or other markers of identity.

Candace also serves as a Partner with New Profit, a venture philanthropy firm, where she coleads the Capitalizing Diverse Leaders and Organizations (CDLAO) initiative. CDLAO works to expand funding for Black and Latino social entrepreneurs; increase diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) capacity across the social impact sector; develop and support a growing body of senior philanthropic leaders of color; and expand the DEI data collection and analytics across philanthropy. Candace also leverages her convening expertise to design learning experiences that support the development of leaders across the philanthropic sector. She designs and facilitates New Profit's Diversity and Inclusion Group (DIG), as well as supporting on Talentrelated DEI initiatives and opportunities.

Prior to New Profit, Candace spent a decade supporting nonprofits across the United States. She would support strategic integration and student learning at historically Black colleges and universities including Morehouse and Spelman College, as well as Morehouse School of Medicine. She would also lead external relations within the national United Way network and for organizations like The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. And she would partner with corporations like The Coca-Cola Company, Nike/Brand Jordan and DaimlerChrysler to support public-private partnerships focused on community impact.

A consummate professional, she seeks to create synergy for each client through initiatives that meet an organization’s needs while creating positive community impact. Candace’s passion for social change is also exemplified through her volunteer work with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., New Leaders Council (NLC), The Boston Pearl Foundation and Mother Caroline Academy. Candace earned a B.A. in African-American studies from the University of Georgia in 2002 and a master’s degree in higher education from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2006.

MaryEllen has volunteered on many campaigns. After graduation she worked as Volunteer Coordinator for Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff’s primary re-election campaign and then rejoined Team Doggett.

Having once been an intern on U.S. Congressman Doggett’s 2012 re-election campaign and in his San Antonio District office MaryEllen returned to oversee Rep. Lloyd Doggett’s 2014 campaign operations in San Antonio and managed his local field operation and canvassers. She then spent almost a year in Washington D.C. working on Capitol Hill as a Legislative Assistant for Rep. Doggett. While working on Capitol Hill, her legislative portfolio included issues such as foreign policy and environmental policy. Most notably she worked on legislation regarding the Iran Nuclear Agreement and the Israel/Palestine conflict. MaryEllen returned home to San Antonio to serve as Rep. Lloyd Doggett’s San Antonio District Director and most recently as his Deputy Chief of Staff. 

Outside of work, MaryEllen is committed to moving San Antonio forward and serving the community. She is a graduate of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber Latina Leadership Program, class of 2016-2017. She has also served as the Co-Chair of the Annie’s List local Steering Committee for the past two years and now serves on their Board of Directors. 

Additionally, MaryEllen has focused her efforts on the successful expansion and leadership over New Leaders Council San Antonio. MaryEllen graduated from the inaugural class of the local NLC Leadership Institute program in 2016 and went on to serve on the Board of Directors for the next three years, during the last two she has served as Chapter Director. For the 2019-2020 Programmatic year MaryEllen will serve as San Antonio Chapter Director and a member of the National Programs Committee.  

She has a passion for ensuring that individuals working in the nonprofit sector are armed with best practices, strategies, and a community of peers. Leah received a doctorate in organizational leadership and development from Pepperdine University. She launched the New Leaders Council Colorado Chapter and 2012 alum of NLC LA. Leah also serve as a Denver City Commission Member for the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships.