Staff and Leadership

Erika L. Anthony, Co-Founder and Executive Director

Erika L. Anthony, a native New Yorker, is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Cleveland VOTES is a nonpartisan, democracy-building movement that works to reconstruct and strengthen power through active participation of our collective partners. Guided by a system of networks, we promote informed, action-oriented mobilization that shifts power towards Equitable Civic Engagement and Infrastructure. Prior to her full-time role with Cleveland VOTES, Erika most recently served as the Executive Director of the Ohio Transformation Fund (OTF). The OTF is a statewide funding collaborative developed by national and local funders that focuses on advocating for more fair and just policies and solutions to address the harms imposed by the criminal legal system. Additionally, Erika was the Vice President of Government Relations and Strategy for Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, Director of Business Development at Oriana House, Inc., Project Coordinator for a pilot reentry program at the Centers for Families and Children and held various roles in the legal sector.

In addition to her full-time roles, Erika sits on a number of boards, including: City of Cleveland Planning Commission; Cuyahoga County Public Defender Commission; Midtown Cleveland Inc.; NOACA’s Community Advisory Council; Ohio Voice; and Red, Wine + Blue. In the fall of 2021, Erika was selected to serve as a Co-Chair for then-Mayor-Elect Justin Bibb’s Transition Team. Erika has served as an Adjunct Professor for a policy class at Case Western Reserve University, Mandel School of Applied Sciences. She has also participated in a number of leadership programs including: Cleveland Bridge Builders, Fellowship with New Leaders Council, and Rockwood Leadership Institute. Erika holds a B.S. in Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University and a Masters of Public Administration from the Maxine G. Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University. Erika and her husband Brian reside in Cleveland; they enjoy traveling, biking, and spending time with their family, friends, and puppy.

Gary Bass, President, Executive Director Emeritus, and Professor

Gary Bass is the president of GDB Consulting, executive director emeritus of the Bauman Foundation, and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy where he teaches about social change and advocacy.

Dr. Bass ran the Bauman Foundation for roughly a dozen years, where he played a leadership role in philanthropic circles on promoting a fair and accurate census, redistricting reforms, and other civic engagement issues, particularly those related to economic inequality, promoting government accountability, and strengthening our democracy. In 2015, he was asked by a group of funders supporting U.S. democracy projects to develop a plan of action for engaging foundations in the census. That plan resulted in an unprecedented collaboration of funders and grantees working to protect the census and encourage marginalized communities to be counted. He also initiated a similar funder collaborative to promote fair district maps with a focus on engaging communities of color in the process. He continues to chair those two different funder collaboratives: the Census Equity Initiative and Fair Representation in Redistricting.

Michelle Bishop, Voter Access & Engagement Manager

Michelle joined the National Disability Rights Network staff in July 2013 where she provides training and technical assistance to the P&A network regarding voting rights and access for voters with disabilities, coordinates the Voting Working Group, and manages the voting lists. She also works in coalition with the civil rights community in Washington, DC to ensure strong federal policy regarding voting rights and election administration from a voter-centric and intersectional perspective. She earned her MSW in Social and Economic Development from Washington University in St. Louis and BA in Sociology and English Literature from the State University of New York at Geneseo.

Tiffany Gourley Carter, Policy Counsel

Tiffany Gourley Carter joined the Council of Nonprofits’ Team as State Policy Counsel in 2016. She moved to DC from Honolulu, where she served as a legislative attorney for the Hawaii Legislature, supporting legislators on a wide range of issues. Previously, she externed at the Hawai`i Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations, tracking legislation of interest to nonprofit organizations, and at the Hawaii Attorney General’s Office, working in the Tax and Charities Division researching nonprofit compliance.

Earlier, Tiffany started a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on raising and disbursing funds for educational scholarships and volunteer grants and has since helped create and consult on several 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.

Cheryl Clyburn Crawford, Executive Director

Cheryl Clyburn Crawford grew up in Boston and has worked for many years in communities of color advocating for voting and civil rights. She sits on the Executive Board of the NAACP-Boston Branch as 2nd Vice President and is an Executive Board Member and former Board Chair of Emerge Massachusetts. Before joining MassVOTE in 2008, Clyburn Crawford served as Chief of Staff to State Representative Willie Mae Allen. She frequently serves as a poll worker for the City of Boston and is a graduate of Lesley College.

Matthew L. Evans, Senior Director of Public Policy

Matthew L. Evans is the Senior Director of Public Policy for United Philanthropy Forum (the Forum). The Forum is the largest, most diverse network in American philanthropy. Matthew brings to the Forum over 15 years of public policy and government relations experience and has been instrumental in the Forum’s expansion of its public policy work. Specifically, Matthew has led the push toward incorporating the idea of philanthropy using its collective voice and influence to address issues that impact communities and promote systems change via active engagement in the advocacy and public policy process.

Prior to joining the Forum, Matthew was Director of Public Policy & Special Projects for the Southeastern Council of Foundations (now Philanthropy Southeast), where he worked to ensure the legislative and regulatory success of the philanthropic sector in the South.

Before he began leading advocacy efforts on behalf of the philanthropic sector, most of Matthew’s professional career was shaped in Washington, D.C., having held multiple positions that gave him direct experience in working with elected officials, corporations, and associations, leading advocacy efforts for several national organizations.

Throughout his time in philanthropy, Matthew has served on the public policy committees of the Forum, Independent Sector and the Council on Foundations. Currently, he serves as the Vice Chair of the Nonprofit VOTE Board of Directors and is a member of the organization’s National Leadership Council. He is also a member of FCCP’s Funders Census Initiative Leadership Team. Matthew holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Tennessee State University, an HBCU, in Nashville, Tennessee.

Jatrice Martel Gaiter, Executive Vice President of External Affairs

As the Executive Vice President of External Affairs, Gaiter works to build national awareness for Volunteers of America and support its mission to provide programs and services for America’s most vulnerable. She is passionate about the nonprofit sector’s strength and relevance, which is reflected in her work as vice chair of the board of the National Human Services Assembly. She is a frequent speaker on nonprofit management, health, social justice and women’s issues.

Prior to her work at Volunteer America, she was the President and CEO Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington D.C. Gaiter’s skills include fundraising, public policy, public speaking on issues related to health, women, families and organizational positioning.

Joan Gustafson, External Affairs Officer

Joan Gustafson is External Affairs Officer for Michigan Nonprofit Association (MNA). She is responsible for the development and execution of a comprehensive public affairs and civic engagement strategy for the organization. Previously, she spearheaded the communication and government affairs efforts for the International Food Protection Training Institute (IFPTI). Prior to joining IFPTI, Joan was the Regional Director of West Michigan for Governor Jennifer M. Granholm and served as the Governor’s liaison and ombudsman for the region. She was also appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer to the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, Health, and Sports for a term commencing May 22, 2020, and expiring April 30, 2023. Joan holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Minnesota. Outside of work, you’ll find her running, golfing, or reading.

David Heinen, Vice President for Public Policy and Advocacy

Through his role at the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits, David Heinen advocates for issues affecting North Carolina’s nonprofit sector. He monitors and analyzes federal and state public policy, keeps nonprofits informed about important legal and policy developments, engages in research about the state’s nonprofit sector, provides training on nonprofit advocacy and legal compliance, and convenes nonprofit coalitions.

Prior to joining the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits, Heinen spent seven years as an attorney with a D.C. law firm that serves the nonprofit community, advising nonprofits on a wide range of legal issues. Heinen is a graduate of Duke University and the William and Mary School of Law, as well as a member of the bars in North Carolina, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

Adrienne Kelly, Adrienne Kelly, Co-Executive Director

Adrienne Kelly is Co-Executive Director of Democracy North Carolina, an organization that aims to strengthen democratic structures, build power among disenfranchised communities, and inspire confidence in a transformed political process that works for all.

She oversees Finance, HR, IT, and Fund Development. She previously served as the COO for an education non-profit organization. Adrienne is a defender of public education, voter advocacy, women’s rights, and other issues that impact disenfranchised populations.

Adrienne entered the nonprofit sector after working in various management roles for IBM and Hewlett-Packard companies and then owning a telecommunications business for two decades. As an arts advocate, she has also served on the United Arts Council for 8 years, including as Board Chair. She currently serves on Raleigh Little Theatre’s board. She has been recognized by numerous organizations for leadership, advocacy, and community service. She earned a BA from Wesleyan University (CT) and an MBA from Harvard University (MA).

Kelly LeRoux, Professor and Associate Dean for Research

Kelly LeRoux is a Professor in the Department of Public Administration and Associate Dean for Research in the College of Urban Planning & Public Affairs at the University of Illinois Chicago. Her work on nonprofits, contracting, local public service delivery, and intergovernmental collaboration has been published in the top public administration, policy, urban/local government, and nonprofit management journals. 

She is the author of Performance and Public Value in the Hollow State: Assessing Government-Nonprofit Partnerships by E-Elgar (with Nathaniel Wright) and Nonprofits Organizations and Civil Society in the U.S. by Routledge (with Mary Feeney), and Service Contracting: A Local Government Guide by ICMA Press. She holds MSW, MPA, and PhD in Political Science degrees from Wayne State University. 

Prior to beginning an academic career, she worked for twelve years in the mental health, child welfare, and housing policy arenas, within a large government-funded nonprofit. Practitioner experience includes both clinical social work practice with children, adults, and families, and several administrative leadership roles. Her current research projects use field experiments to examine nonprofits’ impact on increasing turnout among underrepresented groups, increasing voter turnout in municipal and primary elections, and nonprofits’ role in local service delivery. She is a member of the Networks & Governance Lab at UIC, and co-founder of the GOTVLab, a nonpartisan get-out-the-vote initiative aimed at increasing voter participation in underrepresented communities through evidence-based mobilization strategies.

Abby Levine, Chief Strategist

Abby Levine is the chief strategist at Levine Nonprofit Solutions, LLC. For more than 20 years, she has worked hand in hand with thousands of nonprofits and foundations across the country, providing customized training, coaching, written resources, and technical assistance—all with the goal of supporting organizations to be strategic, bold, courageous, and legally compliant advocates. Abby’s expertise focuses on lobbying, election-related activities, ballot measures, grantmaking, and other advocacy strategies for 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations.

Most recently, Abby served as Senior Director of the Bolder Advocacy Program at Alliance for Justice (AFJ). At AFJ, she oversaw a growing program with 12 staff in 4 offices. During her more than 18 years at AFJ, she guided the growth of an affiliated 501(c)(4), edited many factsheets and in-depth guides, managed a public policy portfolio that included amicus briefs, regulatory comments, and direct and grassroots lobbying, and conducted thousands of trainings and technical assistance sessions. Before that, she was the Public Policy Analyst at the National Council of Nonprofit Associations and an associate in the tax department at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey in Cleveland, Ohio. She has a law degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and a B.A. from American University.

In addition to Nonprofit VOTE, Abby proudly serves on the board of directors of Opportunity Action and The Keegan Theatre.

Terry Ao Minnis, Senior Director of Census and Voting Programs

Terry co-chairs the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights’ Census Task Force and sat on the U.S Department of Commerce’s 2010 Census Advisory Committee from 2002 through 2011, when the committee’s charter ran out. She has published several articles, including “When the Voting Rights Act Became Un-American: The Misguided Vilification of Section 203” (Alabama Law Review). Terry has been counsel on numerous amicus briefs filed before the Supreme Court, including Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder, Arizona v. The InterTribal Council of Arizona, Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District Number One v. Holder and Crawford v. Marion County Election Board.

She was also counsel on a joint amicus brief with MALDEF in Bartlett vs. Strickland. She was one of the key leaders in campaigns on reauthorizing the Voting Rights Act in 2006 and Census 2010 and is actively engaged in addressing the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder.

Jeffrey Moore, Chief Strategy Officer

Jeff Moore currently serves as chief strategy officer, supporting the organization’s critical strategic visioning efforts as it guides the sector to meet the future needs of democratic society. He is a senior leader with broad experience in the nonprofit field, government, and industry. He most recently served in an executive role in the health-systems research field.

Jeff has served as a senior advisor to the Secretary of Defense and as legislative director to Congressman Thomas J. Downey (NY). In each of his positions, he has built critical partnerships and alliances that have accelerated organizational and mission success. His leadership style—he was described by one of his former board members as being “the weaver of the cloth”—and career experiences create a unique foundation for advancing critical thinking, strategic development, and organizational performance.

Thao Nguyen, Vice President of Advocacy

Thao is the Vice President of Advocacy at Feeding America, the largest anti-hunger relief and food rescue organization in the country. She oversees the organization’s advocacy strategies and programs that helps the food bank network and the people we serve leverage their voices with lawmakers. She has more than 15 years of experience advocating for working families who are low-income. Most recently, she oversaw advocacy campaigns that impact the lives of women and their families at the National Women’s Law Center and previous to that oversaw the policy and advocacy work at The Women’s Collective, an organization dedicated to empowering women of color living with HIV/AIDS.

Thao received her undergraduate degree in English from the University of California, Irvine and a graduate degree in International and Comparative Legal Studies with an emphasis on Human Rights Law from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Lindsay Torrico, Senior Vice President and Executive Director

*Lindsay is also on the Advisory Board

Lindsay Torrico serves as Senior Vice President of Bank Community Engagement for the American Bankers Association and Executive Director of the ABA Foundation. She is responsible for building initiatives that help banks be a positive force for good in their communities.

She is a purpose-driven, strategic, and creative visionary who has spent over 15 years in community development, grassroots mobilization, government relations, public affairs, social impact. She recently served as a strategic advisor and consultant, helping organizations and companies authentically engage the communities they serve in co-creating community strategies and driving social change.

During her twelve-year tenure at United Way Worldwide, where she rose to the position of Vice President of Policy and Advocacy, she worked to galvanize, activate and mobilize local United Ways, corporate partners and caring citizens towards building stronger, healthier and more equitable communities. She expanded the nonpartisan civic engagement and community empowerment efforts of the organization and spearheaded dozens of successful grassroots campaigns on education, workforce development, tax credits for working families, COVID recovery, and other critically important issues.

Previously, she served in social policy roles for Senator John F. Kerry (D-MA) and community outreach positions at City Year and the office of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Lindsay serves on the Board of Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy and the Convergence Center for Policy Resolution. Lindsay holds a B.A. in Government from the University of Virginia, and a Master’s in Public Policy with a concentration in Urban and Social Policy from the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA).

Laura Walling, Vice President of Government Affairs

Laura Walling joined Goodwill Industries International (GII) in February 2005 as state affairs manager, and in June 2007 she became the director of member relations. In March 2009, Walling returned to the public policy team as director of advocacy and legislative affairs. In her current role, Walling directs GII’s legislative efforts, implements grassroots advocacy programs, and works to increase visibility and opportunity for GII’s public policy agenda. Prior to joining GII, Walling served as a senior research analyst and staff attorney with MultiState Associates, Inc., a state government affairs firm based in Alexandria, VA.

She has also worked for state and federal legislators. Walling holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Rutgers University and a law degree from Pace University School of Law. She is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association, Women in Government Relations, the Washington Area State Relations Group, the Women’s Information Network and the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of DC, where she has served as board chair.

Michael Weekes, President & CEO

Michael Weekes is the President and CEO of the Massachusetts Council of Human Service Providers, the state’s largest statewide human services association. He previously served as the deputy commissioner for the Massachusetts Department of Social Services and was a founder of Massachusetts Families for Kids. Weekes has served on numerous commissions and task forces focused on the human service, government and nonprofit sectors, including as a former Board Chair of the National Council of Nonprofits.

Allen Blackwell, Partnerships Coordinator,

Allen Blackwell is a passionate voter participation and engagement advocate with a career spanning over two decades in public and nonprofit sectors dedicated to promoting a more just and equitable society. Allen brings a wealth of expertise and an unwavering commitment to empowering communities through the democratic process. Throughout his career, Allen has demonstrated a tireless dedication to promoting voter registration and engagement. He has served as a chief election judge and manager for voter registration drives, in addition to working on numerous civic projects. Allen is committed to forging partnerships and alliances between corporations, government, and citizens to advance National Voter Registration Day’s mission of promoting a more inclusive and vibrant democracy. Before joining Nonprofit VOTE, Allen served as the Homeless and Foster Care Operations Director for Baltimore City Public Schools.

Brian Miller, Executive Director

Brian has served as Executive Director of Nonprofit VOTE since 2014, where he has brought Nonprofit VOTE’s work to scale, leveraged new resources, documented the impact of its work, and forged new partnerships. He helped establish the Philanthropy for Voter Engagement initiative to help foundations effectively support voter engagement within their grantee networks. He also played a key role in Nonprofit VOTE’s successful management of National Voter Registration Day since 2017. Prior to his tenure at Nonprofit VOTE, Brian served as Executive Director of both United for a Fair Economy (UFE), an organization recognized for its work to raise the veil of growing economic inequality, and Tennesseans for Fair Taxation before that, a statewide coalition working to pass comprehensive tax reform. A south Louisiana native with Cajun roots, Brian started his career as a community organizer in cancer alley south of Baton Rouge before moving on to organize in Kentucky and Tennessee.

Caroline Mak, Evaluations and Learning Manager

Caroline (she/her) is the Evaluations and Learning Manager at Nonprofit VOTE where she supports and evaluates nonprofits doing in-person and digital voter engagement across multiple states. Her involvement in this space began a few years ago as a student at MIT where she registered to vote for the first time and encouraged her peers to do the same. Working to increase participation among ‘unlikely’ voters with little political knowledge like herself, her work culminated in a fast-growing nonpartisan campus group that worked across departments, administrative offices, and student groups. From this education and mobilization, she was awarded the MIT institute award for “Bridge Builder”. As a 2nd generation Asian-American, she is proud to continue supporting the power nonprofit voter engagement has to build community.

Chyann Sapp, Campaign Director,
Natl. Voter Registration Day

Chyann Sapp brings a wealth of strategic planning experience across diverse sectors, including government, nonprofit, advertising, and real estate sales and development. In 2011, Chyann made history by becoming the first Youth Voter Coordinator for the City of New York, where she led youth programming including the NYC Youth Poet Laureate program and Student Voter Registration Day, which was inspired by her participation in National Voter Registration Day. She also served as the Associate Director of a tech-focused nonprofit, where she led East Coast business development and established relationships with government and nonprofit partners to advance 2020 Census outreach efforts.

Chyann’s professional philosophy is succinctly captured by the mantra “Start with why,” underlining her belief in the power of purpose and intentionality in all endeavors to make lasting impact. She holds a B.A. in Africana Studies from CUNY Hunter College, where she also minored in Romance Language.

Chyann is thrilled to join the Nonprofit VOTE team and return to the work that makes her heart pound!

Gwen Stembridge, Associate Director of Education and Partnerships

Gwen Stembridge (she/her), Associate Director of Education and Partnerships, comes to this work with experience as a community organizer, policy analyst, volunteer program manager, and nonprofit professional. She has worked with and been trained by organizations such as AmeriCorps VISTA, the Episcopal Service Corps, the Industrial Areas Foundation, United Way, Points of Light Foundation/HandsOn, Leadership Lorain County, SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice), The Catalyst Project’s Anne Braden Program, The inaugural Equality Federation Game Change Cohort, and The Management Center.

Her most recent professional experience has focused on LGBTQ+ education and advocacy at the local, state, and national level at both Equality Ohio and The Trevor Project. She is excited to bring her community organizing and training background to strengthen the existing training partnership opportunities at Nonprofit VOTE and make our democracy more accessible to all.

Raised in the Atlanta area, she lived the past 13 years in Ohio, primarily Cleveland, and has just settled back in the Southeast with her wife and dog.

JunXian Xie, Design and Content Coordinator

JunXian (He/They) is a first-generation Asian American and was born in Taishan, China. In 2021, they graduated from Mercer University with a Graphic Design degree and a minor in Mathematics. While at Mercer, JunXian assisted in setting up three art exhibitions for Mercer University’s McEachern Art Center. They were also a mathematics tutor for the university’s Academic Resource Center. After graduating, JunXian worked as a mathematics and science teacher at Brightmont Academy. JunXian is now living in Georgia and works as Nonprofit VOTE’s Design and Content Coordinator.

Kimberley Carroll-Cox, Associate Director of Development and Communications

Kimberley serves as the Associate Director of Development and Communications at Nonprofit VOTE and has been with the team since 2020. Her journey into grant writing and fundraising began with a deep sense of community responsibility. While studying at Goldsmiths, University of London, she devoted her time to working with a local charity dedicated to supporting asylum seekers, vulnerable migrants, and refugees as a volunteer grant writer. This experience kindled her passion for making a meaningful impact through resource mobilization. Since then, Kimberley has continued to support the grant writing and fundraising efforts of small to mid-size organizations with past experience on both sides of the Atlantic. 

Pradeep Gyawali, Finance and Operations Manager

Pradeep is a Nepalese-born first-generation immigrant who graduated from Northeastern University in 2012, majoring in Management in Finance and Accounts. Since graduating, Pradeep has worked in multiple finance roles. Before working at Nonprofit VOTE, he worked as a General Manager, responsible for supporting critical areas of the Financial-data Analysis & Planning, including providing solid financial support to Senior Management. Pradeep joined Nonprofit VOTE with the thought, “I want to give back.” and “I want to work on a cause with deep meaning.”

Sugelema Lynch, State Partnerships Manager

Sugelema Lynch is the State Partnerships Manager for Nonprofit VOTE’s Multi-State Field Program. She is a seasoned relationship manager and community organizer with over a decade of experience cultivating long lasting ties in rural and urban communities in North Carolina. Her background is heavily grounded in grassroots organizing and deep canvassing with an emphasis on year round civic education and voter engagement. In 2022, Sugelema supported the 10 year anniversary of National Voter Registration as the Program Associate and became excited by the nationwide effort to increase voter participation. Prior to working in the nonprofit sector, she was a public school teacher. She holds a B.A. in Education and a Masters in Business Administration. Sugelema is dedicated to serving historically marginalized communities by cultivating the importance of voter registration and voter turnout.

Travis Morin, Communications Manager

Originally from Connecticut, Travis made a political pilgrimage to the first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire in 2009 for college and hasn’t left since. After an internship with WMUR-TV during the 2012 presidential primary, Travis got a taste for media and went on to do internal communications work for Southern New Hampshire University between 2013 and 2015. After that, he jumped back into the world of civic engagement as a press and media specialist with NextGen America and later AARP during the 2016 election cycle.

Over the last two and half years, Travis has worked as a print journalist for the “New Hampshire Union Leader” (the state’s largest daily paper,) during which he covered everything from local town meetings to 2020 presidential primary happenings.