Team

Staff Leadership

Kelly Veney Darnell
Interim CEO
Jason J. Fichtner
Vice President and Chief Economist
Gwen Fortune-Blakely
Vice President of External Affairs and Marketing
Lisel Loy
Executive Vice President
G. William Hoagland
Senior Vice President
Elena Muehlenbeck
Vice President of Finance and Administration
Michele Nellenbach
Vice President of Strategic Initiatives
Steve Scully
Senior Vice President of Communications
Michele Stockwell
President, BPC Action and Senior Vice President
Tycely Williams
Chief Development Officer

Founders

Howard Baker
Co-Founder; Former Senate Majority Leader
Tom Daschle
Co-Founder; Former Senate Majority Leader
Bob Dole
Co-Founder; Former Senate Majority Leader
George Mitchell
Co-Founder; Former Senate Majority Leader

Board of Directors

Robbie Bach
Former President of Entertainment & Devices Division, Microsoft
Doyle N. Beneby, Jr.
Board Member; President and Chief Executive Officer Midland Cogeneration Venture
Julián Castro
Board Member; Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Ralph Cavanagh
Board Member; Co-Director of NRDC's Energy Program
Ron Christie
Board Member; CEO of Christie Strategies LLC
Henry Cisneros
Board Chair; Former Secretary, Housing and Urban Development
Maria Contreras-Sweet
Board Member; Co-Chair, Task Force on Paid Family Leave; 24th Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration
John Delaney
Board Member; Former Representative from Maryland
Thomas J. Falk
Board Member; Retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Kimberly-Clark
Jason Grumet
Board Member; Chief Executive Officer, American Clean Power; Former BPC President and CEO
C. Robert Henrikson
Board Member; Former President and CEO of MetLife, Inc.
Karen Dunn Kelley
Board Member; Former Deputy Secretary, Department of Commerce
Gary Locke
Board Member; Former Governor of Washington, U.S. Secretary of Commerce
Pamela Hughes Patenaude
Former Deputy Secretary, Housing and Urban Development
Olympia Snowe
Board Member and Senior Fellow; Former Senator from Maine
Michael S. Steele
Board Member; Former Maryland Lieutenant Governor
Stacey D. Stewart
CEO, Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Ron Terwilliger
Chairman Emeritus of Trammell Crow Residential Company
Mark Walsh
Board Member; Managing Director, Ruxton Ventures, LLC
Leana Wen
Board Member; Professor of Health Policy and Management, George Washington University
Geisha Williams
Board Member; Former CEO and President of PG&E Corporation
Candi Wolff
Chair, BPC Action Board of Directors

President's Council

Esther Aguilera
President and CEO, Latino Corporate Directors Association (LCDA)
Norm Augustine
Former CEO, Lockheed Martin
Madhu Beriwal
Founder, CEO and President, IEM
James Carville
Political Contributor, CNN
Charlie Cook
Founder, Cook Political Report
Maggie Cordish
BPC Fellow
Tom Daschle
Co-Founder; Former Senate Majority Leader
Elizabeth Dole
Former Senator, Former member of the Federal Trade Commission, and The Elizabeth Dole Foundation Founder
Mark Heising
Founder, Medley Partners
Broderick Johnson
Executive Vice President, Public Policy & Executive Vice President, Digital Equity for Comcast
Robert Steven Kaplan
Former President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
Frank Keating
Former Oklahoma Governor; Former President and CEO, American Bankers Association
Risa Lavizzo-Mourey
Trustee and President Emerita, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Frank McCourt
CEO, McCourt Global
Bill Oberndorf
Executive Chairman, Oberndorf Enterprises LLC
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin
President, Augustana University
Suzanne Shank
President, CEO and Co-founder, Siebert Williams Shank & Co., LLC
Olympia Snowe
Board Member and Senior Fellow; Former Senator from Maine
John R. Tyson
CFO, Tyson Foods
General Chuck Wald
CEO, RG5 LLC
Kent Walker
President of Global Affairs, Google and Alphabet

Staff

Meet our team members across our policy areas and departments…

Uzo Obele
Controller
Franz Wuerfmannsdobler
Senior Advisor
Marilyn Werber Serafini
Executive Director, Health Program
Mohamed Ahmed
Digital Media Assistant
Shai Akabas
Executive Director of Economic Policy
Justis Antonioli
Research Analyst
Naleli Askew
Associate Director of Events
Morgan Atkins
Individual Giving Associate
Sophia Ayaz
Special Assistant
Pamela Baba
Data Coordinator
Brooke Haywood Bachmann
Executive Assistant to the Acting CEO and COO
Holly Bensur
Senior Marketing Manager
Juliette Berger
Project Assistant
Sabah Bhatnagar
Senior Policy Analyst
Jacqueline Boothe
Receptionist/Front Desk Administrative Assistant
Danny Broberg
Associate Director
Theresa Cardinal Brown
Senior Advisor, Immigration and Border Policy
Allison Buffett
Policy Analyst
Emily Burns
Communications and Events Assistant
Natalie Butler
Research Analyst
Justin Carter
IT Support Specialist
Shana Christrup
Public Health Director
Audrey Cope
Special Assistant to the Interim CEO; Legislative Assistant, BPC Action
Wise Crowder
Office and Facilities Manager
Mikayla Curtis
Project Associate
Kelly Veney Darnell
Interim CEO
Tanya Das
Senior Associate Director
Kimberly Dean
Director, BPC Action
Danielle Draper
Project Coordinator
Daniel Elizalde
Policy Analyst
Arianna Fano
Policy Analyst
Collier Fernekes
Research Analyst
Jason J. Fichtner
Vice President and Chief Economist
Xan Fishman
Director, Energy Policy and Carbon Management
Lauren Floro
Associate Director, Donor Relations
Gwen Fortune-Blakely
Vice President of External Affairs and Marketing
Alyssa Fuller
Project Associate
Michele Gilbert
Senior Policy Analyst
Dr. Walter Gilliam
Senior Fellow
Ben Gitis
Associate Director
Grace Gordon
Senior Policy Analyst
Daniel Haile
Laura Hall
Executive Director, BPC Action
Lisa Harootunian
Associate Director
Julia Harris
Associate Director
Tara Hartnett
Research Analyst
Wynton Henderson
Design and Digital Media Manager
G. William Hoagland
Senior Vice President
Lauren Hopple
Director of Events
Andrew Hu
Director, BPC Action
Kyle Huang
Recruitment and Internship Manager
Babu Jackson
Chief Technology Officer
John Jacobs
Policy Analyst
Lesley Jantarasami
Managing Director of the Energy Program
Nate Jo
Project Assistant
Joshua Joe
Digital Media Manager
Blake Johnson
Senior Media Relations Manager
Tiffany Jones
Chief of Staff, Development
Richard Jones
Financial Analyst
Hanadi Jordan
Communications Associate
Michael Kelley
Director, BPC Action
Aidan Kennedy
Project Associate, Health
Phenan Kidane
Human Resources Manager
Michelle Kumar
Policy Analyst
Garrett Langdon
Associate Director, Financial Planning and Analysis
Pamela Larkin
Senior Manager of Strategy
Andrew Lautz
Senior Policy Analyst
Niña Ledonio
Corporate Relations Manager
Damien Lee
End User Support Specialist
Alyssa Lennon
Foundation Relations Associate
Landon Li
Corporate Relations Associate
Gabriel Loud
Project Associate
Michael Lovegrove
Project Assistant
Sasha Mackler
Executive Director of the Energy Program
Jack Malde
Senior Policy Analyst
Luci Manning
Senior Director of Media Relations
Alejandro Marquez
Project Coordinator
Lia Martin
Development Coordinator
Erin Meade
Senior Associate Director of Media Relations
Katherine Mercado
Project Assistant
Jacqueline Pfeffer Merrill
Director, Campus Free Expression Project
Abigail Messier
Financial Analyst
Libby Miller
Media Relations Manager
Owen Minott
Senior Policy Analyst, Housing and Infrastructure
Elena Muehlenbeck
Vice President of Finance and Administration
Andrew Nason
Associate Director for Editorial Content
Michele Nellenbach
Vice President of Strategic Initiatives
Sabine Neschke
Policy Analyst
Brady Newell
Senior Project Manager
Hedayat Niazi
Accounting Manager
Lettie Nocera
Senior Manager
Caroline Normile
Senior Policy Analyst
Rebecca Orbach
Project Coordinator, Housing and Infrastructure
Andrew Orbe
Coalition Coordinator
Rachel Orey
Associate Director
Caroline Osborn
Project Assistant
Brian O’Gara
Policy Analyst
Agustina Pardal
Operations Coordinator
Anand Parekh, MD
Chief Medical Advisor
Kamryn Perry
Project Associate
Lori J. Pickford
Senior Energy Advisor
Faye Powers
Senior Executive Assistant
Kurt Redenbo
Senior Director of Foundation Relations
Abbey Richards
Associate Director
John Richter
Director of the Congress Project
Tom Romanoff
Director of Technology Project
Olivia Rotolo
Project Manager
Jennifer Ruff
Senior Media Relations Manager
Elise Scott
Special Assistant to Lisel Loy and Kelly Darnell
Loren Scribner
Associate Director, BPC Action
Steve Scully
Senior Vice President of Communications
Chintal Shah
Project Manager
Gabrielle Shea
Senior Policy Analyst
Dennis C. Shea
Executive Director, J. Ronald Terwilliger Center for Housing Policy
Emma Sheffert
Research Analyst
Linda Smith
Director, Early Childhood Initiative
Rachel Snyderman
Director
John Soroushian
Senior Associate Director
Emerson Sprick
Senior Economic Analyst
Dane Stangler
Managing Director of Strategic Initiatives
Peter Steinmuller
Director of Financial Planning and Analysis
Michele Stockwell
President, BPC Action and Senior Vice President
Kendall Strong
Senior Policy Analyst
Meron Tesfaye, Ph.D.
Senior Policy Analyst
Natalie Tham
Policy Analyst
Michael Thorning
Director of Structural Democracy
Francis Torres
Senior Policy Analyst
Alex Varisco
Associate Director of Digital Media
Michael Vavala
Managing Director of Human Resources
Hanna Vohra
Policy Analyst
Maureen Atkins Vollmer
Senior Director of Individual Giving
Brittany Walsh
Associate Director
Emma Waters
Policy Analyst
Matthew Weil
Executive Director, Democracy Program
Erin White
Senior Manager of Foundation Relations
Emily Wielk
Research Analyst
Tara Williams
Associate Director
Tycely Williams
Chief Development Officer
Andy Winkler
Director, Housing and Infrastructure Project

Network

Julie Anderson
Senior Advisor
Katharine G. Abraham
Co-Chair, BPC’s Evidence-Based Policymaking Initiative
Haley Barbour
Co-Chair, Immigration Task Force; Former Governor of Mississippi
Dan Blair
Senior Counselor
Michael Chertoff
Co-Chair, Immigration Task Force; Former Secretary of Homeland Security
Henry Cisneros
Board Chair; Former Secretary, Housing and Urban Development
Kent Conrad
Co-Chair, Commission on Retirement Security and Personal Savings; Former Senator from North Dakota
Dominique Baker
Fellow
Rick Dearborn
Senior Fellow for BPC's Campus Free Expression
Tom Daschle
Co-Founder; Former Senate Majority Leader
Maria Contreras-Sweet
Board Member; Co-Chair, Task Force on Paid Family Leave; 24th Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration
George David Banks
Fellow
Karen DeSalvo
Senior Fellow
Byron L. Dorgan
Senior Fellow; Former Senator from North Dakota
Tim Doyle
Senior Policy Advisor
Eric S. Edelman
Co-Chair, Task Force on Managing Disorder in the Middle East; Former U.S. Ambassador to Finland and Turkey
Richard Fischer
Co-Chair, Consumer Protection Task Force
Bill Frist
Senior Fellow, Former Senate Majority Leader
Dan Glickman
Senior Fellow; Former Secretary of Agriculture
Lee H. Hamilton
Co-Chair, Task Force on Terrorism and Ideology; Former Representative from Indiana
Ron Haskins
Co-Chair, BPC’s Evidence-Based Policymaking Initiative
Capri S. Cafaro
Fellow
Colette D. Honorable
Senior Fellow; Former Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
Maggie Cordish
Fellow
Thomas H. Kean
Co-Chair, Task Force on Terrorism and Ideology; Former Governor of New Jersey
Dirk Kempthorne
Co-Chair, Commission on Political Reform; Former Governor of Idaho and Secretary of the Interior
Katie Harbath
Fellow
Nick Hart
Fellow
Mike Leavitt
Co-Chair, Prevention Initiative; Former Governor of Utah and Secretary of HHS
Steven F. Hayward
Fellow; Advisor, Campus Free Expression
Katherine Hayes
Fellow
Casey Higgins
Fellow
James B. Lockhart, III
Senior Fellow; Co-Chair, Commission on Retirement Security and Personal Savings; Former Director of FHFA
Chris Jennings
Fellow; President, Jennings Policy Strategies
Beverly G. Hudnut
Fellow
Trent Lott
Senior Fellow; Former Senate Majority Leader
Mel Martinez
Co-Chair, Housing Commission; Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and Senator from Florida
Robert Kelchen
Fellow
James Peake
Senior Fellow; Former Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Janet M. Marchibroda
Fellow
George Miller
Former U.S. representative from California; Co-Chair, BPC's Early Childhood Initiative
George Mitchell
Co-Founder; Former Senate Majority Leader
Ted McCann
Fellow
Mike Beebe
Governors' Council Member; Former Governor of Arkansas
Edward G. Rendell
Co-Chair, Immigration Task Force; Former Governor of Pennsylvania
Charles Robb
Co-Chair, National Security Program; Former Governor of Virginia and Senator
Suzann Morris
Fellow, Early Childhood Initiative
Steven Beshear
Governors' Council Member; Former Governor of Kentucky
Kathy Roth-Douquet
Co-Chair, Task Force on Defense Personnel; CEO of Blue Star Families
Jim Douglas
Governors' Council Member; Former Governor of Vermont
Adrienne Schweer
Fellow
Avik Roy
Senior Advisor; President, Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity
Eric Rodriguez
Co-Chair, Consumer Protection Task Force
Chris Gregoire
Governors' Council Member; Former Governor of Washington
Rick Santorum
Former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania; Co-Chair, BPC's Early Childhood Initiative
David Heineman
Governors' Council Member; Former Governor of Nebraska
Christopher Thomas
Fellow
Allyson Y. Schwartz
Health Program Senior Fellow; Co-Chair, Senior Health and Housing Task Force; Former Representative from Pennsylvania
John Kasich
Senior Fellow; Former Governor and Representative from Ohio
Olympia Snowe
Board Member and Senior Fellow; Former Senator from Maine
Roger Wallace
Fellow; Former Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade, U.S. Department of Commerce.
Ruth Wasem
Fellow, Immigration Project
Jim Talent
Former US Senator from Missouri; Senior Fellow
Tommy G. Thompson
Senior Fellow; Former Governor of Wisconsin and Secretary of Health and Human Services
Douglas Webber
Fellow
Robert Blendon
Fellow
Zachary Courser
Fellow
Jarrett Lewis
Fellow
Warren S. Payne
Fellow
Tevi Troy
Senior Fellow; Former Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services
John J. Kalamarides
Fellow; Former President Prudential Group Insurance, Head of Retirement Solutions, CEO of Prudential Bank & Trust, FSB
Donald R. Wolfensberger
Fellow
Andrew von Eschenbach, M.D.
Senior Advisor; President of Samaritan Health Initiatives, Inc.
Vin Weber
Co-Chair, Senior Health and Housing Task Force; Former Representative from Minnesota