Staff

ALI BROKENSHIRE
Leadership Development Coordinator

For nearly two decades, Ali has been on the front lines of community and political engagement through electoral organizing in New Hampshire and Vermont. As a single mother, caretaker, and fellow Granite Stater she is a staunch advocate for social and economic justice, universal healthcare as a human right, and voter rights and access. Forever a nerd at heart, Ali knows to her core that through all of time and space there is no such thing as an unimportant person, and she is committed to amplifying our collective voice to build a more equitable future for the generations ahead. She can be reached at ali@radnh.org

ANNIE SCHWARTZ
Communications Manager

Annie was born and raised in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. She previously has worked in digital engagement as an ambassador for Syracuse University, from which she holds a B.F.A. She is a practicing artist whose work addresses issues of climate change and the Anthropocene is passionate about engaging with her community and beyond around social issues. You can reach her at annie@radnh.org

ASMA ELHUNI
NH Movement Politics Director

Asma Elhuni, she/her/hers, is a proud Muslim African Immigrant who received her B.A. in Political Science from Georgia State University. She has organized tirelessly around issues of immigration, racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, state sanctioned violence, and economic justice. She staunchly believes in collective liberation – we will never be free until we all are free. Her motto is “collective liberation or no liberation”. You can reach her at asma@radnh.org

BRANDON LEMAY
Statewide Campaigns Organizer

Brandon Lemay was born and raised on the West Side of Manchester. As the descendant of three generations of union laborers, his social and political views have been deeply influenced by the labor movement. While studying Political Science and French at Plymouth State University, Lemay was introduced to organizing by working on the 2014 Coordinated campaign. Since that time, he’s worked for NextGen, League of Conservation Voters, American Bridge, Joyce Craig for Mayor, and Andrew Yang for NH. He is excited to be organizing in his hometown and is glad that Rights & Democracy is making a long term commitment to community organizing in the Manchester and Nashua Greater Areas. You can reach him at brandon@radnh.org

FRONSY THURMAN
Communications Director

For over a decade, Fronsy designed and implemented climate education and advocacy programs for environmental nonprofits in New York City. During her time in New York, she was active in local politics and community organizing around local housing, immigration, and environmental justice issues. Fronsy received her Master’s in Sustainable Development from SIT Graduate Institute, where she focused on climate justice, labor issues, and policy advocacy. Since moving to Vermont, Fronsy has worked with racial justice organizing groups in Windham County. You can reach her at fronsy@radvt.org

GISELLE HART
Development Coordinator

Giselle is an activist/organizer, tall ship sailor/mariner, musician/music lover, feminist/freedom fighter, and all around believer in people power. She has worked with a number of nonprofits in the state of New Hampshire on issues including fossil fuel divestment, zero waste, ecofeminism, and resisting fossil fuel infrastructure in New England. Giselle envisions a more just, loving, and life-giving world, a place where all human or nonhuman, living or nonliving beings are known to be sacred and treated accordingly. She believes in the power of community organizing and participatory democracy to realize this vision of the world. You can reach her at giselle@radnh.org

GRANT TAYLOR
Data Specialist

I was born in 1981 and raised in South Burlington, Vermont. I grew up loving the outdoors while hiking, camping, canoeing, and swimming, both here in the Green Mountains and in the Adirondacks. I have always believed in environmental conservation as a main tenet of my personal mission. I studied Sustainable Building Technology at the Community College of Vermont while working full time in construction all over the state. In the fall of 2015, I found Rights and Democracy at their kickoff party in Burlington’s Battery Park. Their mission was to pull together many groups fighting for social justice, and create progressive changes in our communities. I was filled with hope knowing that people were coming together in our fights for human rights and environmental justice. Now, after a few years of volunteering with them I am very happy to join them as an employee! You can reach me at grant@radvt.org

HEATHER STOCKWELL
Statewide Campaigns Organizer

Heather has been a resident of New Hampshire for almost 50 years. She attended college in Boston and New York, only to return to New Hampshire after her studies. She currently lives in her hometown where she started her own family in the house she grew up in. She is one of the founding members of the Monadnock Progressive Alliance, a local chapter of Rights & Democracy NH. She aspires to apply what she’s learned over the last two years by using these experiences across the Granite State. Contact: heather@radnh.org

ISAAC GRIMM
Organizing Director

Since it’s inception, Isaac has helped build RAD as canvass director, lead organizer, and political engagement director in Vermont, knocking doors around the state, building organizing teams, and then coordinating lobbying, coalition building and statewide electoral campaigns. Previously, he worked as co-canvass director with the Working Families Party and organizer for SEIU helping thousands of adjunct faculty form a union. A University of Vermont (UVM) grad and former Vermont Workers’ Center intern, he also worked as a high school social studies teacher in Cali, Colombia for 5 years. He can be reached at isaac@radnh.org

JAMES HASLAM
Executive Director

James co-founded Rights & Democracy after serving as the Executive Director at the Vermont Workers’ Center for over 15 years. He has extensive experience in running grassroots legislative advocacy campaigns, labor and community organizing. He can be reached at james@radvt.org

KATE LOGAN
Director of Programming and Policy

Kate is a feminist social and political theory scholar, specializing in family policy, participatory democracy, and human rights, as well as a having a background in labor and community organizing and nonprofit management. Working for Rights & Democracy gives her the opportunity to put all of these passions and skills to use in helping to build a more just and sustainable future. You can reach her at kate@radvt.org.

KEVIN PENTZ
Statewide Campaigns Organizer

Kevin Pentz and his family have lived in Kentucky for the last 20 years. He has worked as an organizer for Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, first as a chapter organizer for several counties in eastern Kentucky and more recently as an issue organizer focused on resource extraction issues related primarily to coal mining. Before that he worked briefly as an organizer for Montana People’s Action in Bozeman MT. Kevin and his wife, Amy, have a two year old son, Eli. They are all looking forward to exploring the New Hampshire woods. Kevin’s family has owned a camp on Norton Pond in the northeast corner of Vermont since the early 60’s. kevin@radnh.org.

KJ DEYETT
Data & Technology Manager

KJ hails from New Hampshire and holds a B.A. in History from UNH. Prior to joining RAD, he worked in healthcare analytics and was a data engineer on the Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign. KJ joined RAD to use the technology skills he learned in private industry in service of justice and equality. He can be reached at kj@radnh.org.

MAGGIE CAWLEY
Digital Engagement Coordinator

Maggie grew up in Central Vermont, attended college in rural Ohio, and spent several years living in Medellín, Colombia before returning to her home state in 2016 to complete a Master’s in Sustainable Development. She later moved to Central Massachusetts, where she worked as an advocate for food justice, canvassed for progressive candidates, and participated in state and community efforts related to workers’ rights, climate policy, and racial justice. Her background also includes online journalism focused on organized crime, government corruption, and related human rights issues in Latin America. You can reach her at maggie@radvt.org

THOMAS LABORE
Field Manager

Thomas is from Manchester, NH. Both his parents were postal workers and his mother was a union steward for many years. He spent time doing the WWOOF program in Western Massachusetts and Northern California. Thomas worked for the Bernie Sanders campaign in 2016 and in 2020. He received a Bachelor’s degree from UNH in Social Work. Thomas recognizes the barriers and flaws in our current economic system is driven by a social justice approach. “From each according to [their] ability, to each according to [their] needs.” He enjoys playing hockey, reading, hiking, and running. He is excited for his wedding day in summer 2020. He can be reached at tom@radnh.org.