ALI BROKENSHIRE
New Hampshire Organizing Director

MAGGIE CAWLEY
Strategic Communications Manager

MARIO FRATICELLI
Digital Communications Manager

SEBASTIAN FUENTES
NH Movement Politics Director

Sebastián was born and raised in Lima, Peru and came to the U.S. in 2001, right after 9/11. He arrived in New Hampshire as an exchange student, and decided to call the North Country his home. Although he couldn’t vote, he began quietly getting involved in politics and supporting local candidates committed to passing legislation to protect vulnerable communities, including the Latino one. After many years, he became a U.S. citizen on July 4th, 2016 and promised his family he would give back to NH more than was given to him. He began organizing rallies and community groups, including the first March for our Lives North Country, the largest protest ever held in that region. Sebastián collaborated with the Coos County Democrats for years, and later the Plymouth Area Democrats, where he learned about grassroots organizing and the value of one-to-one conversations. He also organized for Bernie Sanders, became the first Latino NH State Democratic delegate from the North Country, co-founded the NH Progressive Coalition, and served as Vice Chair of the NH Democratic Latino Caucus.

Rights & Democracy knocked on his door in 2018. He decided to join as a member leader and later served on the Board, before becoming NH Movement Politics Director. Recently he was awarded the 2022 Martin Luther King Jr. Award for his activism to advance a more humane immigration system and his solidarity with the plight of the Palestinian people. He is also a 3rd year student at Harvard University Ext. School, working toward an International Relations degree. Above all, Sebastián enjoys being a father. He is happily married to Tabitha, another RAD member, and they have 5 children. He enjoys Harley bikes, Star Wars, learning new languages, and listening to people tell their stories. You can reach him at sebastian@radnh.org

DÖGG HUGOSDÓTTIR
NH Field Manager

Dögg was born in Iceland and moved to the U.S. in 2014. She is a classically trained pianist with a BA in Philosophy and a post-graduate degree in International Development Studies. Dögg started working with Iceland’s Left Green Movement in the early 2000’s, where she saw how a dramatic narrative shift can have a huge impact on a whole country. She joined RAD’s deep canvassing team in 2020 because she believes that by having deep conversations with people we can shift their views and create a more progressive and wholesome future, where everyone has a seat at the table. You can reach her at dogg@radnh.org

BRANDON LEMAY
Statewide Campaigns Organizer: Housing Justice

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

KIAH MORRIS
Executive Director

Originally from Chicago, Kiah Morris lives in Bennington, Vermont on the southwestern end of the Green Mountain State where she served in the general assembly as a State Representative from 2014-2016 and 2016-2018. She is the first African-American and person of color elected from Bennington County and the second African-American woman to be elected to the legislature in Vermont history. In that capacity, she served on the House Judiciary Committee and Vermont Judicial Nominating Board and was co-chair of the tri-partisan Legislative Women’s Caucus. Her groundbreaking legislative accomplishments include passage and advocacy of low to no-cost contraception for all; removal of statutes of limitations for sexual assault; fair and impartial policing standards; creation of a multisector panel to address racial disparities in the criminal and juvenile justice systems in Vermont. She helmed the historic establishment of board and cabinet-level, director position to address systemic racism in state government; the establishment of the most comprehensive ethnic and social equity in schools bill in the nation and medical monitoring for victims of corporate pollution. Her story of success and struggle have been covered in over four dozen media outlets including CNN, The Huffington Post, New York Times, Washington Post, The Hill, Essence Magazine, Canadian Broadcasting Company, PBS, BBC Radio and Vice Media.

She is an award-winning, in-demand trainer, speaker and presenter. She provides consultative services, workshops and presentations on issues of diversity, equity and leadership for organizations across the globe. As co-owner of the TESA Collective cooperative, she manages marketing, communications, and strategic partnerships. She most recently served as the Director of the Vermont Coalition on Ethnic and Social Equity in Schools. She sits on the Board of United Children’s Services, is a Sisters on the Planet Ambassador for Oxfam America and is on the advisory councils for Emerge Vermont and Black Lives Matter Vermont.

Kiah also holds an accomplished artistic career as an actress of stage, film and television, spoken word performance, as a singer, dancer and arts manager. As an arts advocate with a passion for community-based art, she has produced numerous special events, concerts and art exhibits during her career. Her work focuses on amplification of voices of the oppressed, issues of human rights and social justice. She is also the author of a recently published book of poetry Life Lessons and Lyrical Translations of My Soul. Her email is kiah@radvt.org.

JODI NEWELL
Overdose Crisis Organizer (Bistate)

Jodi is an activist, an Overdose Crisis Organizer, a homeless advocate, and most importantly a mom. She lives in Keene with her two amazing boys, Corado and Benny, and her sweet dog child, Buddy.

Jodi comes to her position at Rights & Democracy as a long-time volunteer on the Healthcare Justice and Overdose Crisis leadership teams. She has an intense passion for Substance Use Disorder advocacy, due to the personal experience of losing her partner and father of her children to heroin overdose in 2008. It was going through this battle with Kory that showed her how our current punitive approach often fails to produce the stated result, pitting community members against each other, robbing struggling individuals of their freedom and dignity, and perpetuating a false narrative of personal morality.

Jodi’s fundamental goal is to contribute to a shift in our collective perspective around Substance Use Disorder that will allow for a health-based approach, centering proven treatment options and expansion. You can reach her at jodi@radnh.org

KEVIN PENTZ
Statewide Campaigns Organizer: Climate Justice

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.

ZOE SILVERMAN
Data and Technology Manager

Originally from Boston, Zoe came to Vermont for college, where she received a degree in Political Science with a minor in Computer Science from the University of Vermont. Zoe starting working for political campaigns, both local and statewide, before getting involved with RAD’s Data and Technology team. She is passionate about the intersection of data and progressive politics, and about working to dismantle the racism ingrained in the way data can be used and understood. In addition, Zoe works to encourage harm reduction practices and mutual aid in her community of Burlington, VT. You can reach her at zoe@radvt.org

HEATHER STOCKWELL
Statewide Campaigns Organizer: Healthcare Justice

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

ED TAYLOR
New Hampshire State Director

Ed is a South Florida native who has been in the Granite State for three years working to build people power in young and marginalized communities. Ed is fiercely passionate about empowering, educating, and mobilizing marginalized people to redesign the structures that were created to exclude them. Previously, he worked as Organizing Director with the ACLU of NH. Ed graduated from Florida A&M University, a Historically Black College & University, in 2018 with a Political Science and Economics degree. He can be reached at ed@radnh.org

FRONSY THURMAN
Director of Development and Communications

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

KIRTHANA VALLESI
Director of Operations and Human Resources

Kirthana grew up in Italy, where she later lived and studied international politics. She holds a Master’s in International Development from the University of Brussels, Belgium, and a Master’s in Global Health and Infectious Disease from the University of Edinburgh. Before moving to the United States in 2017, she traveled extensively throughout Asia and Africa and worked with international non-profits in Haiti, Ecuador, and Tanzania. She currently lives in Burlington, VT, with her husband and her 2-year-old daughter. She is passionate about cooking and studying. You can reach her at kirthana@radvt.org

JONAH WHEELER
NH HEAL Together Organizer

Jonah Wheeler is a community organizer in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Jonah has been a leading member with Rights & Democracy for years and is a passionate public speaker, rooted in his commitment to the mission of building a new world centered around love. You can reach him at jonah@radnh.org