Key Staff

The Fund's staff are known for our work ethic. We focus on the craft and training of political outreach, and work hard to see each partner's vision come to life. The top 14 staff of the Fund bring over 100 years of experience to grassroots organizing and fundraising.

Key staff include:

Ed Johnson, Citizen Outreach Director
Ed graduated from Duke University in 1990 with a degree in Public Policy Studies. He started as a canvasser with the Fund in 1990. After five years of running canvass offices, Ed oversaw canvass operations in the Southeast and then California for five years before taking over national canvass operations in 2003. In 2007, Ed became the Fund's Citizen Outreach Director, overseeing all canvass, telephone outreach and direct mail operations.  He's based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Sarah Gaudette, National Canvass Director

Sarah graduated from Boston College with a degree in environmental sciences.  She has worked with the Fund since 1997, both as a canvass director and regional director.  As a regional director, Sarah oversaw canvass offices in 20 states.  Sarah spent the second half of 2008 with Work for Progress, running the Progressive Future national voter registration campaign and voter contact canvasses in Colorado.  Sarah became the Fund's National Canvass Director in 2007, and is currently based in Boston.  

Caitlin Seeley,  Direct Mail Associate Director

Caitlin graduated from Oberlin College in 2008 with a double-major in Politics and English.  She got her start in public interest work as a Green Corps organizer in 2009, working on critical environmental campaigns across the country.  Caitlin then spent two years as the New England Federal Field Organizer for Environment America working on their campaign to Repower America with Clean Energy.  Over the years, Caitlin directed canvass offices for the Fund in Pennsylvania and Connecticut.  This past summer she was a regional administrator working with the canvass offices in the Mid-Atlantic.  Caitlin recently moved back to her home state of Colorado and works in our Denver office.

Joey Melnick, Partnership Program Associate Director

Joey graduated from Drew University in 2008 where he studied Political Science.  Joey started as a director with the Fund after graduation and spent three years directing canvass offices in Boston, MA.  Joey has also managed our national spring recruitment drive; where he and his team coordinated recruitment campaigns on hundreds of college campuses coast to coast.  As the Associate Director of the Partnership Program, Joey manages our relationships with current partner groups.  He is based in Boston, MA.

Pat Wood, National Telephone Outreach Project Director
Pat graduated from the University of Maryland in May 2005 with a degree in History.  He started with the Fund as a canvassser in October 2005 in Madison, WI.  He directed canvass offices in the Midwest for three years, working in Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois.  Pat became the Fund's National Telephone Outreach Project Director in August 2010.  He is currently based in Boston. 

Kristin Saybe, Recruitment Director

Kristin graduated from Loyola University New Orleans in 2006 with a degree in Political Science.  In 2005, she started with with the Fund as a summer canvasser in our office in New Orleans, LA working on the Fund's campaign with the Sierra Club to protect the Gulf of Mexico.  After graduating from college, Kristin was a Canvass Director and Regional Director in Colorado, Georgia, and Oregon.  As the Recruitment Director, Kristin works to identify, recruit, and hire smart and talented directors to help us run more office and work on more campaigns.  She is based in Denver, CO.