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Deborah is an organizer and attorney who has worked for progressive candidates for public office, not-for-profit advocacy organizations, policy coalitions, social justice networks, and foundations. She started her career as an organizer, worked as a journalist, and became a lawyer later in life. She left her law career in 2016 and is now the Executive Director of a multi-entity nonprofit: New Left Accelerator and separate but affiliated 501(c)(3), The Capacity Shop. She serves on the boards of Women’s Donor Action, Women Lawyers On Guard, and Action Squared. She lives in California and is a proud and tired mom.

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Brit Blalock brings 15 years of experience in brand development, nonprofit marketing/communications, and electoral campaigning across the advocacy, healthcare, and tech sectors. They previously served in strategic leadership roles for Southern Research, Innovation Depot, and the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. Brit is a longtime grassroots organizer and is the founder of two LGBTQ community support orgs. In 2022, they were a candidate for Alabama’s state house in district 54. They received a B.A. in Literature from Samford University and an MFA in Creative Writing from New York University. Brit is based in Alabama with their wife and their menagerie of rescue pets.

Prior to joining New Left Accelerator, Lauren led the build-out of an infrastructure hub for multi-entity organizing groups across the state of Michigan, called BOOM (Back Office for Organizing in Michigan). She also built out her own coaching and consulting organization, BolderTogether to interrogate the conditions for early career professionals and organizations to thrive. Prior to this, Lauren worked as the Associate Director on Arabella Advisors managed organizations team, providing high-touch program and operational support to a multi-million dollar portfolio of multi-entity projects. Lauren holds a BA in Organizational Psychology and a Coaching Certification, and is trained in Restorative Practices. Outside of work, you can find Lauren hanging out with her dog, Toby, designing community gatherings across Detroit, or on the soccer field.

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Jen developed a passion for process, planning, and systems during her time working for political and grassroots campaigns, including the Obama Campaign and Organizing for America. Over the course of her 20+ year career, she has held several operational leadership roles at various organizations in the nonprofit ecosystem. Jen has extensive experience building effective grassroots organizations, running organizational systems, and developing nonprofit infrastructure. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and their dogs.

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Mery Concepción Pacheco is an Afro-Caribbean immigrant, abolitionist, and writer building and thinking at the intersection of the literary arts, prison abolition, and creative storytelling. Her written work deals with themes of embodiment, familial unravelings, racial (un)becomings, and healing. Her poetry has been previously published by Newtown Literary and QA Poetry. She lives, dreams, and loves in the margins.

Andrea is an experienced nonprofit movement operations leader, trainer, and facilitator with more than 15 years of experience in organizational development, strategic communications, and multi-entity program management. She builds systems, teams, and procedures that support organizational effectiveness while fostering strong, values-based organizational culture. Training and coaching the people driving movement work through power building is a source of joy for Andrea, and she is fueled by her passion to provide an immediate impact while supporting and empowering the next generation of social change leaders. Born and raised in the Midwest, Andrea currently resides in Chicago with her family of five and their dog. Outside of work, she loves to spend time with her family and to travel.

Julieta Garibay is the Senior Program Director for Empower & Protect at New Left Accelerator, with over two decades of experience in grassroots organizing, voter engagement, political education, and capacity building rooted in immigrant rights and reproductive and social justice. A former undocumented immigrant and co-founder of United We Dream, she has led campaigns at every level. At Groundswell Fund, she directed a $7M capacity-building department supporting BIPOC- and trans-led organizations. Julieta grounds her work in healing, equity, and community power. Originally from Mexico City, she holds nursing degrees from UT Austin. She lives in Texas with her daughter Soila Emilia and dog Lolis.

Amparo Herrera Hughes was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley and returned home after spending 25 years in Austin, Texas working with immigrant and low-income communities during her professional career in the nonprofit sector. She has worked with various state and local non-profit entities managing multi-entity organizations serving working people. During her career, she's developed significant expertise in movement building strategy and systems and is excited to bring her talents to NLA and TCS.

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Blake enjoys putting the "people" in People & Culture. Most recently, Blake led People and Culture at a growing nonprofit in Seattle (Duwamish land) focusing on opportunities to address organizational cultural challenges and ensure internal policies and systems were human-centered and equitable. Volunteering with nonprofits since a young age, she is particularly passionate about spaces held for grieving children and their families. She’s a Pacific Northwest gal at heart, kayaking in the summer and hibernating in the winter. Blake is excited to promote employee wellbeing at NLA with advocacy and enthusiasm!

Born and raised in New Jersey, JoJo began organizing as an undergrad at Rutgers University. There she worked on the Fight for 15 and Nike campaigns, exposing exploitative labor practices on campus and abroad. After graduating, she joined the first ever WILL Empower cohort as an apprentice and research intern. Since then, she has worked with local, national and international unions and nonprofits fighting for racial and economic equity, fair labor practices, and co-op development.

With over a decade of experience, Dana has leveraged her Master of Social Work education and diverse skill set to drive transformative change in nonprofits both locally and nationally. She is passionate about empowering nonprofit leaders through strategic project management, innovative problem-solving, and fostering collaboration. Dana deeply believes that compassion and empathy are at the heart of meaningful work, and she consistently integrates these values into her communications and the way she supports nonprofit leaders. She is excited to join NLA, where she can continue to empower individuals and contribute to making the world a better place.

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Philippa is a strategist, facilitator, and nonprofit leader who’s spent her career helping movement organizations build strong systems, effective teams, and thoughtful learning spaces. Most recently, she was Managing Director at Iconico, where she partnered with clients to strengthen internal operations, lead programs, and support organizational strategy. Before that, she helped grow Change the Game, an organization working to build a more inclusive and accessible pipeline into the progressive data space. Philippa brings a deep background in adult learning, cross-entity operations, and electoral organizing—from the Texas Democratic Party to global democracy work at the National Democratic Institute. At the core of her work is a belief in the power of relationships and building across difference.