CTC - Key Persons
Adam has more than 20 years of union, community and political organizing experience in multiple cities and regions. His work has resulted in the building of good schools, development of affordable housing, and expansion of health care to thousands of low income and marginalized people.
As part of his work, Adam has trained hundreds of leaders in relational organizing, organizational and leadership development, and deep canvassing.
Andrea Koplove was a co-founder and Organizing Director of Turn PA Blue, an organization focused on electing Democrats up and down the ballot in Pennsylvania. In her six years as Organizing Director, she trained and mobilized thousands of volunteers and built a supportive and inclusive community in which people could take meaningful action to protect our democracy. Andrea has launched hundreds of canvasses, loves knocking doors, and deeply believes in the power of conversations to move us toward progress.
Job Titles:
- Board Director of the Hau'Oli Mau Loa Foundation
Anim Steel is a Board Director of the Hau'oli Mau Loa Foundation and co-founded the Real Food Generation, an organization harnessing the power of youth and universities to build a fair and sustainable food system. Anim has led national initiatives at The Food Project in Boston, consulted with Economic Development Assistance Consortium, and developed employment training programs at the Bowery Residents Committee. Anim, who was born in Ghana and grew up in West Africa and Washington, D.C., has been a volunteer canvasser with CTC since 2018.
Ben Shanahan is a veteran electoral organizer with 7 years of experience talking to voters and training volunteers to do the same across multiple states and in urban, suburban, and rural areas. He has knocked tens of thousands of doors himself and has designed and managed field programs that have increased voter turnout in several election cycles.
Ben has helped develop leaders in voter contact, communications, data collection and analysis, and leading their own voter contact events.
Bree is a dynamic professional with proficiency in public affairs, storytelling, and strategic communications. She comes to us from Creativ Strategies, where she contributed to the firm's expanding media relations, AI insights, research, and public relations practice. Driven by a passion for social justice and equity, these principles serve as guiding forces in Bree's life.
Her background in analyzing policy to advance equity, combined with a proven track record of crafting impactful stories, allows her to approach work with empathy, cultural competence, and sensitivity.
James Wright, a Southwest Philly native, is the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Major Gifts at HopePHL (formerly People's Emergency Center- PEC), a social services and economic development non-profit located in West Philadelphia. James has 18 years of experience in neighborhood planning, economic and real estate development, and galvanizing multiple stakeholders to leverage community assets.
Marya Stark has been a leader in electoral politics for more than 20 years. She co-founded and led Emerge America as founding Executive Director and Board Chair for eight years. Emerge America is the premier training program for women who want to run for public office. Its 5,500 alumnae include eight Congresswomen, the first Native American woman in the US Cabinet, Deb Haaland, and more than 1,200 state and local officeholders, including mayors of San Francisco, Oakland and Boston.
Job Titles:
- Co - Executive Director / Executive Editor of the Philadelphia Citizen
Roxanne Patel Shepelavy is Co-Executive Director/Executive Editor of The Philadelphia Citizen, a nonprofit media outlet focused on solutions to problems and on increasing civic engagement in Philadelphia, with the goal of reviving democracy in the American city where it was born. Roxanne is passionate about Philadelphia, a city she loves and worries over in equal measure.