Nick Chedli Carter the Managing Director of 2020 Vision Ventures, a civic engagement financing effort dedicated to a more equitable and resilient democracy through innovative and inclusive voter engagement. Nick is keenly interested in furthering initiatives that close the equity gap in civic technology and hold the promise of transformative civic engagement to increase voter turnout, scale

equitable best practices and ultimately achieving a civil society that is positively impacted by the realities of the digital age. He is a Technology and Democracy Fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government with a focus on how civic engagement organizations make better decisions around technology. Previously, Nick has worked at VICE Media, Planned Parenthood, and has held senior positions in presidential, federal and statewide electoral campaigns (he had the distinct honor of working for BOTH Bernie AND Hillary in 2016). He has held leadership roles in successful issue-advocacy efforts related to pay equity, health care,

consumer protections, and climate justice. Nick currently serves on the investment committee for New Media Ventures, the Future Now Fund Kitchen Cabinet, the Center for Civic Design Advisory Committee, the Movement Cooperative's Impact Lab and chairs the Census Digital Organizing Advisory Group.

Previously, Nick has worked at VICE Media, Planned Parenthood, and has held senior positions in presidential, federal and statewide electoral campaigns (had the distinct honor of working for BOTH Bernie AND Hillary in 2016) . He has held leadership roles in successful issue-advocacy efforts related to pay equity, health care, consumer protections, and climate justice. Nick currently serves on the investment committee for New Media Ventures, the Future Now Fund Kitchen Cabinet, the Center for Civic Design Advisory Committee, the Movement Cooperative's Impact Lab and chairs the Census Digital Organizing Advisory Group. He started his career as an Americorps volunteer at a community media center serving nonprofits and local government in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

Rep. Manny Espitia is a first term state representative and State Director for Julián Castro's presidential campaign. Manny currently serves as the clerk of the Labor, Industrial, and Rehabilitative Services committee. Previously, Manny served as the Nashua Democratic City Committee’s Executive Director in 2018. Prior to 2018, Manny served as the Legislative Director for Free and Fair NH. In 2017 Manny worked for US Senator Maggie Hassan, and in 2016 he worked as an Assistant to Mayor Jim Donchess of Nashua. Manny worked for the Hillary for America primary campaign. Before New Hampshire, Manny worked in Texas for the DCCC and Obama’s re-election campaign in New Mexico.

Kevin Kane, Director, Co-op Development (B.A. Marquette University, M.S.A.E., Marquette University). Kevin has sought to push the limit of member-support organizing models. He founded Citizen Action’s “Organizing Cooperative” model, which has spread to cities across Wisconsin. Co-op members hold state office, have negotiated with big businesses, have increased wages and delivered healthcare for people, and work hard to get out the vote come election time.

Kevin is also an economist, authored a series of reports on health care and economic policy issues. Prior to joining Citizen Action, Kevin was a founding board member of the Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative which provides affordable health coverage to over 70,000 members. He is a former AmeriCorps VISTA, Fellow at the Center for Progressive Leadership, Teacher with We Own It! co-op membership association and health insurance broker. Kevin’s commitment to health reform stems from his work on Capitol Hill during the healthcare debate and his personal experience of being protected by the Affordable Care Act. Kevin grew up in Palatine, IL, and has lived his entire adult life in Milwaukee.

For the past four years, her work at the Granite State Organizing Project has focused on social and economic justice where she has worked alongside other social change leaders. Her current work consists of leadership development, empowering tenants in public housing around tenant rights and engaging the public on family and economic security campaigns including advocating for raising the minimum wage and immigrant rights at the state and federal level.

She has worked as a Field Director on electoral campaigns where she led efforts running voter education and engagement programs to increase voter participation in marginalized communities.

Viola earned her Master of Science (MS) in Organizational Management and Leadership from Springfield College and a Master of Science in Sustainable Development and Climate Change from Antioch University, Keene NH

Melanie Levesque is serving her first term as a NH State Senator for District 12 which includes Greenville, Mason, Rindge, Brookline, New Ipswich, Hollis and Wards 1, 2 and 5 in Nashua. She served for three terms as a State Representative for Brookline, Hollis, and Mason.

As the Chairwoman of the Senate Election Law and Municipal Affairs Committee, Melanie advocates for modernizing our election processes and election security. She is also a member of the Senate Judiciary and Senate Transportation Committees. Her priorities are ensuring every child has an opportunity to access a quality education, voting rights, affordable and accessible healthcare, job creation, protecting our environment and retirement security.

As a State Representative, Melanie sponsored and passed legislation to enact the Statewide Emergency Notification System for New Hampshire and most recently, as a Senator, sponsored and passed legislation to allow NH to cost and design commuter rail.

Melanie attended Nashua schools, received her associate degree in Business from Nashua Community College and holds a master’s degree in Business from Southern New Hampshire University. She is the President of TCS of America Enterprises, LLC, a telecommunications consulting firm.

Melanie also serves as a member of the Hollis-Brookline School Board, member of the New Hampshire Endowment for Health Advisory Committee, trustee for the Town of Brookline and trustee for the Brookline Community Church. She has the distinction of being the first African-American Senator in NH history and considers being a Senator one of the great honors of her life.

Senator Levesque resides in Brookline, NH with her husband Scott and daughter Logan. Her favorite pastimes are volunteering and singing.

Abby Levine serves as Director of the Bolder Advocacy Program at Alliance for Justice. She provides legal guidance that encourages grantmakers to support advocacy and other nonprofit organizations to participate in policymaking decisions through an understanding of federal tax and election law. Abby’s work includes creating curriculum, teaching workshops, providing technical assistance, writing plain-language legal guides, and describing federal legislative and regulatory developments that impact nonprofits.

Prior to joining Alliance for Justice in 2004, Abby served as the Public Policy Analyst at the National Council of Nonprofit Associations (NCNA). At NCNA, Abby monitored and analyzed issues affecting the nonprofit sector, such as challenges to nonprofit tax exemptions and advocacy, state budget cuts, government grants streamlining, and corporate governance.

Before working at NCNA, Abby was an associate in the tax department at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey in Cleveland, Ohio. (B.A., American University; J.D., Case Western Reserve University School of Law)

Lauren McCauley is the editor of Beacon. Prior to joining Maine People's Alliance, Lauren worked at Common Dreams and her writing has also been featured on BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, People’s Action blog, FAIR.org, Newsweek, and EcoWatch. She has also worked on a number of documentary films, including one currently in production on civil rights icon James Meredith.

Will Robinson is a nationally recognized political media consultant and was named the AAPC Democratic Campaign Strategist of the Year for 2012. Will is one of the leading messaging strategists in the country and an early champion of the integration of new media and traditional advertising. Will's talent in developing the message, creating a strategy for specific media vehicles, and implementing advertising has made him one of the most effective progressive media consultants.Will started his political career while in High School, using the Drexel University mainframe to create some of the first computerized precinct targeting for a local Congressional campaign. When he was 16, his Congressman let him live in the basement, so he could work as an Intern on Capitol Hill. Will paid for his way through Georgetown University by working in Congress and at the National Committee for an Effective Congress, where he helped create the practice of data-driven campaigning.

Will established and became the first Executive Director of Project 500; the Democratic Party's redistricting effort. In 1989, Ron Brown recruited Will as the Campaign Director of the Democratic National Committee, where he and Paul Tully created a new party structure and strategy called "The Coordinated Campaign," helping Bill Clinton defeat George H.W. Bush.

For the past 25 years, Will continued his career in politics as media producer and consultant, winning over 40 national, statewide, and congressional races. Will is also one of the founders of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center and has a lifetime 72-5 record on statewide ballot measures.

In 2007, he and Tierney Hunt formed The New Media Firm to help candidates and organizations manage an ever-changing and increasingly hostile media landscape. Will pioneered narrative-based messaging, and has received over 50 awards for his creative work. In 2012, he was named Democratic Strategist of the Year by the American Association of Political Consultants. He splits his time between Washington, D.C. and Maine with his wife and daughter.

Carin Schiewe comes with 36 years of experience as an organizational leader, electoral campaigner, organizer and trainer. After getting her start as a canvasser and community organizer with the Citizen Action network in Massachusetts, Carin moved on to serve as a lead organizer for the state NARAL affiliate where she got her electoral training. Following this, she helped launch the Commonwealth Coalition, a statewide community/labor alliance in Massachusetts that recruited, trained and elected progressive legislators. Over the 13 years Carin served as executive director, the coalition won 75% of its endorsed races, helped elect the state’s first Latino and Haitian-American law makers, played a key role in creating Massachusetts’ first independent political Latino organization, won a statewide ballot initiative for comprehensive campaign finance reform and founded a voter empowerment organization that continues to be a major hub for community based organizations engaged in the civic arena in Massachusetts.

After starting a family Carin worked for 8 years as one of four regional directors with Northeast Action, a progressive movement building center that provided capacity building and strategic support to affiliated organizations in the New England states. During this time, she also played key consulting and training roles with a range of local and national foundations developing and running programs to advance civic engagement, movement building and leadership of color. Following this, she served as a regional field director with USAction, a national organization fighting to advance economic and social justice and democracy reform.

Carin is currently the Principal for Democracy Initiatives at re:power, formerly Wellstone Action. She provides strategic planning, training, coaching and organizing support to the frontline groups who are fighting for judicial independence, voting rights and a stronger more vibrant democracy.

Having managed winning campaigns across the Granite State, Lucas is deeply familiar with the players and the playbook. He advises clients on public affairs, government relations and strategic communications projects in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts. And he is constantly delivering the tactical game plans and guidance necessary for successful campaigns and public affairs efforts.

As Caucus Director for the New Hampshire Senate Democrats, Lucas oversaw all aspects of 2016 Senate campaigns including strategy, message development, budgets, grassroots organizing and paid communications. He also served as the New Hampshire Public Affairs Consultant to one of largest energy companies in North America.

After graduating from Denison University in 2012, and delivering an impressive win in a hard-fought New Hampshire State Senate race, Lucas quickly became a recognized leader in his field.

In addition to his work with Preti Strategies, Lucas currently serves on the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition's New Hampshire Advisory Committee, and is a member of the Leadership New Hampshire class of 2019.

Bridget Surber is Field Strategy Director at Maine People’s Alliance overseeing the coordination of canvass and data/targeting programs. She has 24 years of experience managing field strategies and grassroots fundraising for nonprofits and progressive campaigns.

Nigel Tann was born in San Diego, raised in South Georgia, attended college in Connecticut and has organized in Newport News, Chicago, and Detroit since 2012. The oldest of three sons to a military veteran and university professor, he grew up on a dirt road in the house his great grandfather built surrounded by cotton fields and pine trees. Nigel started organizing as the campaign manager for an insurgent state representative candidate in 2010 and joined the Obama campaign in 2012 as a regional field director in Virginia. In 2016, he married his college sweetheart and moved to Detroit where he supported issue campaigns around immigrant’s rights and corporate accountability as the organizing director at Michigan United; and then served as political director at Detroit Action during the statewide election season and lame-duck period.

Nigel started leading grassroots organizing trainings in 2015. Since then, he has trained over 300 organizers on everything from deep canvassing to electoral data management to political education. In January 2019, Nigel joined People’s Action as the Director of Training. His vision is to build a national training program that helps organizers identify their self-interest in collective liberation, build their skills, deepen their political analysis, and holding teams accountable for practicing the values we seek to create in the world. Nigel is serious about building power for social movements with an emphasis on healing ourselves and our communities along the way. He spends his free time cooking new recipes, playing video games, reading graphic novels, and listening to classic rap and jazz albums.