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Larry Stafford, Jr. (he/him) Larry Stafford found his lifetime passion for organizing at the age of 17 as a student volunteer and eventually as a staff member for ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now). There he fought against the closure of low-income apartment complexes in some of the most marginalized communities within Prince George’s County and registered hundreds of voters. He has since worked on numerous electoral and issue-based campaigns around the country including leading field efforts for races up and down the ballot from Gubernatorial contests to City Council races. He became Executive Director of Progressive Maryland in 2015 where he has helped grow the organizations budget by 700%, led the organizations electoral efforts which have reached over 500,000 Maryland voters, and elected scores of progressive candidates including 8 who defeated established incumbents. Larry also leads the organizations 501c3 arm the Progressive Maryland Education Fund which has shifted the policy landscape during his tenure resulting in victories for working people such as a $15 minimum wage, paid sick leave, police accountability, and publicly financed elections. Larry is committed to investing in the power and potential of Progressive Maryland's working class membership base and continuing to win progressive changes at the local, state, and national level. Email: [email protected] |
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Jennifer Mendes Dwyer (she/her) A Rhode Island native, Jennifer moved to Prince George’s County in 2004 to pursue a degree in Latin and Ancient Greek at the University of Maryland, College Park. In 2013, while working on her Ph.D. at Bryn Mawr College, Jennifer discovered Walmart had plans to build a 24-Hour Supercenter 150 feet behind her home in a quiet neighborhood in Bowie, Maryland. She organized her neighbors to stop the project–and they won! She has worn a few different hats since joining the Progressive Maryland team in spring of 2016-- Lead Organizer mobilizing residents in Prince George's County, Policy and Legislative Director working to change state and county laws to benefit everyday Marylanders, and now, as Deputy Executive Director, she partners PMD with foundations and allied organizations to build power for our movement.
Akua Tay (she/her) Akua Tay is a dynamic Multimedia Production Coordinator with a passion for storytelling that drives impact. She brings over five years of experience in content creation, digital strategy, and visual media. Akua specializes in developing compelling content that elevates community voices and advances social change. Her work bridges culture, technology, and advocacy across nonprofit, education, and global initiatives. Whether behind the camera or leading a digital campaign, Akua is committed to producing meaningful media that connects and inspires. Email: [email protected] |
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Ann Keasling (she/her) Ann is originally from Northern Nevada where she found her passion for organizing and social justice by working in local politics. She attended Mills College, a historically women’s college in Oakland, California, where she studied Politics, Economics, Policy, and Law with a minor in Gender Studies. During her time at Mills, Ann was a deep canvasser for People’s Action, a Democracy Coach for Generation Citizen, and did census outreach in Hard-to-Count communities. Ann then moved to DC and worked as a political researcher and as a Sports Field Organizer for HeadCount’s new sports voter registration program. As a Type One Diabetic, Ann is passionate about healthcare justice and ensuring that quality care is accessible and affordable for everyone. Ann is also passionate about building sustainable food systems, gender justice, and affordable housing. Ann lives in DC and in her spare time, she can be found swimming, going to concerts, and cheering for the Washington Mystics. Email: [email protected] |
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Anne-Margaret Denlinger (she/her) Anne-Margaret has 20 years of administrative and operations experience in the private sector and higher education, including nearly a decade (on and off) in her family’s own business. After that business was sold, she wanted to transition her operations skills to an organization that supports causes she is truly passionate about, which brought her to Progressive Maryland. She is a Maryland native with an undergraduate degree in German from Towson University and a master’s degree in European Studies from the University of Birmingham in the U.K. Her time spent overseas, sparked a passion for politics and progressive movements like those throughout Europe that have led to more support and safety nets for all people. Her own personal journey with chronic illness and disability broadened her scope of interest to include healthcare reform and accessibility. Her free time is spent with her husband, son, and their ever growing brood of four-legged friends. Email: [email protected]
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Christianne Marguerite (she/her) Christianne is an experienced project manager with a proven track record in successfully engaging stakeholders, developing communication strategies, providing detailed policy analysis, delivering extensive research reports, and organizing large-scale events for multilateral governments and organizations. She is passionate about environmental justice, equitable and affordable access to natural resources, and building resilient communities. She is skilled in project planning, systems thinking, public speaking, government relations, behavior change communications, and social media management. She holds a B.A. in Global Environmental Change & Sustainability and Africana Studies; and an M.S. in Environmental Science & Policy, both from The Johns Hopkins University. In her free time, she enjoys working out, playing tennis, running, hiking, kayaking, and traveling the world. She lives in Baltimore City with her fiancée and their dog. Email: [email protected]
Christine Schoenberger (she/her) Christine is a seasoned grant writer with 15+ years of experience supporting nonprofit organizations focused on health, human services, disability rights, and environmental justice. Her expertise spans the full grant lifecycle—from program development and proposal writing to post-award monitoring and compliance. Christine has successfully secured funding at the local, state, and federal levels, as well as from private foundations. She is a member of the Grant Professionals Association and holds a Master of Health Science degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Christine came to Progressive Maryland because she believes deeply in its mission of empowering communities and fighting for systemic change. She supports neurodivergence in its many forms, advocating for a world of greater inclusion. At home, Christine shares her life with five very different kitties (plus a few outdoor visitors who seem to think they live there too). In her free time, she enjoys practicing calligraphy, hanging out with her kids, and trying new restaurants with her husband. Email: [email protected]
Climate Policy Analyst Iman Habib is the daughter of Pakistani immigrants and found her passion for combatting climate change and environmental justice after revisiting Pakistan in 2016. She has always had an interest in global studies and the impact of climate change on different communities around the world. Iman holds a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from the University of Pittsburgh and graduated with her Master of Science in Environmental Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in May 2024. While at Hopkins, Iman worked as a research assistant on two environmental health projects in the areas of exposure science, or the ways in which humans come into contact with environmental hazards, and environmental epidemiology. Iman has always had a passion for bridging the gap between research and policy and served as a TA for a Risk Policy course where she advised students on their risk communication/mitigation plan. Iman also TA’ed for a course that paired students with local Baltimore community-based organizations to tackle various environmental justice issues. This allowed her to gain a deeper understanding of the ways in which Baltimore communities face environmental racism and she hopes to use this insight to better inform her work at Progressive Maryland. Outside of her professional life, Iman enjoys painting, running, travelling, and trying out new coffee spots! Email: [email protected] |
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Janay Fenner is from Baltimore Maryland and went to Baltimore City College High School. In her time there, she helped organize two walk-outs and protests. The last protest she organized was for students to join in on a Freddy Gray protest, where they walked from their school to downtown Baltimore to protest against police brutality. She graduated from Mount St. Mary's University in 2021 with a BA in Communications, and again in August 2022 with a MA in Communications. She was on the track and field team, hosted her own radio show, and was a member of the Black Student Union. She has always known she wanted to do communications work. In her free time, she likes to watch sports, work out, and traveling. Email: [email protected] |
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Laura D'Ambrogi (she/her) Laura comes to Progressive Maryland with a wealth of experience in nonprofit development and a proven track record in fundraising and grants management as well as a deep commitment to social justice and community empowerment. Before joining us, Laura served as the Development Director at Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) of Northern Virginia, where she led successful fundraising campaigns, secured significant grants, and built strong relationships with donors and community partners. Her strategic vision and collaborative approach have been instrumental in driving organizational growth and impact. Laura holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh (H2P!) and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Penn State, along with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with minors in Human Development and Family Studies and Child Maltreatment and Advocacy Studies from Penn State (WE ARE). She's also completed certificates in Human Services Management and Public Budgeting and Financial Management. Laura is passionate about creating equitable opportunities and advocating for policies that benefit all Maryland residents. At Progressive Maryland, Laura will focus on enhancing donor engagement, expanding fundraising efforts, and building sustainable partnerships to support our critical work. She looks forward to collaborating with our dedicated team and supporters to achieve lasting change. Outside of work, Laura enjoys reading, volunteering, and playing with her Dalmatian, Dottie, and her cat, Cleo. She's also an active member of the Association for Fundraising Professionals and is working towards her Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and Project Management Professional (PMP) certificates. Email: [email protected] |
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Lev Hirschhorn (he/him) Lev comes to Progressive Maryland with fifteen years of experience as a community, labor and electoral organizer. From churches on the South Side of Chicago to chain restaurants in suburban South Jersey, Lev has dedicated his professional life to bringing people together to win on shared values. After working on the Bernie Sanders Presidential campaign in 2016, Lev founded Reclaim Philadelphia and played a key role in many of the electoral successes of the progressive movement in Pennsylvania. He now brings that energy and experience to the organizing department at Progressive Maryland. Originally from Oakland, CA, Lev currently lives in Philadelphia. Email: [email protected] |
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Max Socol (he/him) Max Socol has been campaigning for social justice since he first began organizing against the Iraq War as a high school student. Raised in politically active Jewish and Quaker communities in the civil rights landmark of Greensboro, North Carolina, Max found his way to Maryland when he enrolled at St. John's College in Annapolis. He worked as a Jewish educator for several years after graduation, while organizing in the movements for debt forgiveness, an end to home evictions, and Palestinian human rights. He became a state leader in Rev. William Barber's Moral Monday's movement and the struggle for voting rights and economic justice in North Carolina, before returning to the DC area as a National Organizer and Campaigns Manager for Bend the Arc: Jewish Action. Max lives in Silver Spring with his wife Dr. Allison Rose Socol and their two children. |
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Patty Snee (she/her) Patty began doing grassroots organizing as a canvasser in Philadelphia in the 1980s. She got hooked on one on one political engagement and went on to help manage door-to-door and phone canvass operations around the country as a Director with the Progressive Action Network (PAN) for 20 years. PAN trained, educated and developed canvass staff who did fundraising, base building, and data managing for PAN’s member groups like Working America, DSA, Clean Water Action, and Citizen Action. After her years at PAN, Patty went on to become the national Field Director at USAction and then at AAUW where for each organization she developed capacity-building efforts and led field and digital campaigns centered on things like economic and gender justice, immigrant rights, and healthcare for all. For the past five years she has focused on local organizing with pro-democracy groups like DCVote, the Working Families Party, and Progressive Maryland. She’s proud of her role advising and working on numerous voter engagement and turnout operations for a range of ballot measures and progressive candidates. She lives in Takoma Park, MD with her wife, Ellen, and their dog Chipper. Email: [email protected] |
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Shannon Talbert (She/Her) Shannon Talbert is a dedicated advocate with a passion for building campaigns that bridge divides, resonating with people in boardrooms and at dinner tables. As the lead organizing consultant to Progressive Maryland's Black Workers Center, she brings her extensive expertise to enhance workforce development, with a specific focus on returning citizens in Prince George's County. As a Managing Partner at The Firm, a visionary creative agency with a mission to create campaigns that build power for Black women and families, Shannon is committed to empowering Black people in order to enhance our communities. In her previous role as the Senior Director of Movement Building at Color Of Change, Shannon was instrumental in launching a groundbreaking program to elect progressive prosecutors to reduce mass incarceration. Her work led to electing 31 progressive prosectors. She led efforts that engaged more than 60,000 people, emphasizing the power of organizing and collective action. Shannon's innovative approach included the development of two organizing curriculums and the launch of a distributed organizing program that significantly enhanced leadership development within communities. Shannon's journey in advocacy began with one of the most influential modern movements — Obama for America. She started as an organizer on Barack Obama's 2007 primary campaign in South Carolina, where her primary focus was on increasing Black voter participation. Shannon also dedicated five years to championing women's and girls' education issues in the United Arab Emirates. She holds a degree in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland, College Park and hails from Atlanta, Georgia. She currently resides in Northeast Washington, D.C. In her free time, Shannon enjoys gardening, cycling, and reading, reflecting her commitment to personal growth and community development. Email: [email protected] |
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Woody Woodruff (he/him) A former opinion editor of the now-defunct daily Prince George's Journal and instructor in composition, media writing, and journalism at Prince George's Community College, he has a Ph.D in Mass Communication from the Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park. He lives in Lanham, MD. Email: [email protected] |
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For all finance and administrative matters please contact Angela Lau. Email: [email protected] |
Iman Habib (she/her) 
Janay Fenner (she/her)
SirJames Weaver (he/him)