Staff
A passionate group of activists and change agents committed to building a more peaceful and just world, our staff works to inflict long-lasting change by supporting the next generation of civic leaders.
CHARLES IMOHIOSEN, ESQ. (HE/HIM)
President and Chief Executive Officer
Charles Imohiosen is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Andrew Goodman Foundation. A long-time AGF Board Member, Charles is an entrepreneurial executive with an extensive multidisciplinary strategy and operations background that bridges the private and public sectors. Charles’ public sector career has spanned federal, state and local, government, including serving as Chief Operating Officer for New York’s leading economic development agency, Empire State Development, and serving in policy-making roles for the White House and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. In the private sector, Charles co-founded a social impact-focused real estate development company; was the Chief Operating Officer for a technology-driven practice group at a large AmLaw 100 global law firm, where he also served on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee; practiced litigation as an attorney at another AmLaw 100 law firm; and led global customer engagement for a large privately-held enterprise software company, where he and his team helped businesses, hospitals, and government agencies navigate digital transformation projects.
Charles has a deep and abiding commitment to civic participation, social impact, and innovation. He has been a community leader; worked on dozens of political national, state and local political campaigns, including his own campaign for state legislature; managed several voting rights-related initiatives and pro bono engagements, including serving as Co-Chair for the Voting Rights & Engagement Working Group for an AmLaw 100 firm; served on various non-profit boards of directors; and is currently a Director for Groundswell, a nonprofit that builds community power through equitable community solar projects, clean energy programs, and pioneering research initiatives. He also advises early-stage companies and is a member of the Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of Greater New York.
Charles earned a B.A. with Honors in Philosophy and Physics from Williams College, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and served as a law clerk to Judge Colleen McMahon in the Southern District of New York. He lives in New York City with his wife, two daughters, and dog.
MO BANKS (THEY/THEM)
Senior Communications Manager
Mo is the Senior Communications Manager at The Andrew Goodman Foundation. Mo has been a digital communication specialist for the past five years, working for a variety of non-profits in the progressive movement space. Mo believes a robust digital strategy is a key factor in leveraging progressive wins, increasing accessibility in our movement spaces, and transforming narratives in service of cultural shifts. They spend their free time listening to podcasts, watching basketball, and battling their wife and 4 kids at Mario Kart.
KATY BUTLER (SHE/HER)
Director of Digital Strategy and Advocacy
Katy Butler is the Director of Digital Strategy and Advocacy at The Andrew Goodman Foundation. She works with the Programs and Communications teams to support the lifecycle of digital campaigns and strengthen engagement strategies. Katy has more than 8 years experience as an activist, digital organizer, and campaign strategist. Prior to starting a career in social justice Katy was a youth activist focused on anti-bullying and LGBTQ inclusive legislation on a state and national level; now she is passionate about developing students and young adults to become catalysts for change. After working with nonprofits focused on environmental justice, racial equity, LGBTQ rights, job equity, mental health, and gender equality, Katy comes to all her work with a focus on intersectionality. She holds a dual B.A. in Women’s Studies and Sociology from The George Washington University and a Master’s in Diversity and Equity Education from the University of Illinois. Katy lives in Chicago, IL with her wife, toddler, and furry friends (1 cat and 2 dogs). She plays rugby on the women’s team in Chicago and enjoys drinking multiple cups of coffee a day.
ASHANTI CALLENDER (SHE/HER)
Development and Special Projects Associate
Ashanti Callender is the Development and Special Projects Associate at The Andrew Goodman Foundation. Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, she saw firsthand that education equity had a large impact on her community. To address these disparities, Ashanti attended Georgetown University and got heavily involved with the Center for Social Justice, where she supported operations with After School Kids Program, and later on joined the Social Innovation and Public Service Fund, where she managed a $1.25M endowment. Prior to joining AGF, Ashanti worked as a Special Projects Manager & Executive Assistant to CEO at RISE, a nonprofit that uses sports as a vehicle to combat racial discrimination.
PATRICK COLE (HE/HIM)
Senior Director of Engagement
Patrick Cole is the Senior Director of Engagement at The Andrew Goodman Foundation. Patrick has more than a decade of experience in fundraising, nonprofit management, and policy analysis. He has worked for small and large-scale entities, including think tanks, advocacy organizations, and Colorado state government. Prior to joining AGF, Patrick served as Director of Investor Relations at Unite America where he helped build a community of supporters interested in democracy reform.
Patrick also volunteers as a Fellow with Learning Life to build a democracy focused learning community. He has a bachelor's degree in International Studies from the University of Denver and a certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the University of Maryland. A Colorado native, he has lived in the Washington, D.C. area since 2014.
MARGARET S. KNEHANS (SHE/HER)
Director of Communications
Margaret S. Knehans is the Director of Communications at The Andrew Goodman Foundation. In her role, Margaret works to support the work of AGF's programs with strategic communications and marketing. Prior to joining AGF, she worked at Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center that supports equitable school experiences for all students. As a Research Associate, she developed social justice, anti-bias professional development and curricular resources for K-12 educators. She is a two-time graduate of the University of Alabama, where she obtained a Master's degree in American Studies, focusing on American popular music, and a Bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, concentrating on gender and race theory. Born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama, Margaret is passionate about civil rights issues, storytelling, and helping students to become active members of their communities.
MIA MATTHEWS (SHE/HER)
Program and Communications Manager
Mia Matthews is the Program and Communications Manager at The Andrew Goodman Foundation. She studied Citizenship & Civic Engagement and Writing & Rhetoric at Syracuse University and graduated in 2021. From Syracuse city, she has been working with nonprofit and community organizations for eight years on youth empowerment and intergroup dialogue facilitation initiatives and is a Seeds of Peace alum, contributing to her passion for ensuring every voice is heard. She currently lives in Orlando, Florida and in her free time can be found playing guitar and exploring our beautiful planet.
JOHN A. MCKENNA (HE/HIM)
Vice President
John A. McKenna is the Vice President at The Andrew Goodman Foundation. He is a public affairs specialist in the mass media and nonprofit space. He is founder of KennaScope, a consulting company operating at the intersection of content creation and social impact and serves as consulting Country Advisor - USA for The Non-Violence Project, a global gun-violence prevention and peace-building initiative. Artist Ambassadors of the project include Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and Yoko Ono. As Executive Director of Operation Respect, he led innovative efforts to promote peace building and conflict-resolution through creative and positive forms of expression, including music. In such capacity he steered the mission in the presentation and performance of student-songwriters from Parkland, Florida, amplifying their voices across the nation in the advocacy of gun-violence prevention. The Parkland Project was honored with the 2019 Nelson Mandela Changemakers Award. As Executive Director of Playing for Change Foundation, he advanced free music education programs for at-risk youth around the world with the support of recording artists such as Jackson Browne, Sara Bareilles, and Keb Mo, and secured a multi-year partnership with UNICEF announced at the United Nations on the International Day of Peace.
Special projects include his tenure as Communications Director/Producer of the annual Justice on Trial Film Festival led by CNN Top Ten Hero Susan Burton, and Director of Social-Impact Campaigns for several film and television projects including “Cesar’s Last Fast,” the compelling account of Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers in competition for Best Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival. For a decade he built the base and raised the profile of global mass media trade associations, the National Association of Television Program Executives and the Independent Film & Television Alliance, participating at the major film and television markets, festivals, and conferences around the world.
He serves on the Board of Directors of the John Lennon Real Love Project, the Global Peace Committee of the Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma and Northwell Health’s Gun Violence Prevention Collaborative Committee. A graduate of UCLA with a degree in Political Science/International Relations, he was a member of the Political Science Honor Society and reported on current affairs for the Daily Bruin.
GABRIELLE SLAUGHTER (SHE/HER)
HBCU Lead Program Manager
Gabrielle Slaughter is the HBCU Lead Program Manager at The Andrew Goodman Foundation. Gabrielle is a graduate of Spelman College with a bachelor's degree in Political Science. Her passions include dancing, social justice, and public interest. She takes pride in being a servant leader and mentor for young black and brown girls in her community. Her long term goals include becoming an attorney and serving as representation for others who desire to implement change in our legal system.
CAROLINE SMITH (SHE/HER)
Director of Programs
Caroline Smith is the Director of Programs at The Andrew Goodman Foundation. Caroline is a proud Jersey girl living in Brooklyn, NY. She received her BA in Sociology and a certificate in Community Action/Public Policy at Connecticut College in 2018. After graduation, she began her organizing career with the Student PIRGs at Rutgers University-Newark, where she trained and mobilized students to run campaigns around voter engagement, affordable textbooks, and environmental issues on campus. She then jumped into national electoral work on Senator Cory Booker's presidential campaign for the 2020 primary cycle. In her third year with AGF, Caroline is excited to continue working with young organizers across the country to institutionalize civic and voter engagement.
KRISTY SMITH (SHE/HER)
Director of Operations
Kristy Smith is the Director of Operations at The Andrew Goodman Foundation. She is responsible for processing and recording all financial transactions and will work to ensure efficient financial operations of the Foundation. Kristy holds a BA in Psychology and Educational Studies from the University of Delaware. She recently moved back to the area from Long Island, where she lived for over 10 years. While there she began her career in finance for a local non-profit that helps victims of domestic violence. Kristy is happy to be able to continue to work in the non-profit world and support the important mission of The Andrew Goodman Foundation.
KAYLEE VALENCIA (SHE/HER)
Program Manager: Operations Strategist
Kaylee Valencia is the Program Manager: Operations Strategist at The Andrew Goodman Foundation. Kaylee is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a bachelor's degree in Political Science. Her passions include creativity, civic engagement, social justice, and community building. Kaylee's experience is in amplifying the voices of young people by working to institutionalize civic engagement in higher education, as well as in helping others find what they care about and encouraging them to fearlessly pursue it. She believes that your vote is your voice, but your capacity to make meaningful change extends so much further than the ballot box.
SENIOR ADVISORY TEAM – YAEL BROMBERG, ESQ. (SHE/HER)
Special Counsel & Strategic Advisor to the President/CEO
Yael Bromberg is a constitutional rights attorney with twenty years of experience in community organizing, advocacy, and campaigns. She serves as Special Counsel & Strategic Advisor to the President/CEO with The Andrew Goodman Foundation, supporting our organizing, advocacy, and legal efforts. Yael is one of the nation's foremost legal experts on the Twenty-Sixth Amendment, which lowered the voting age to 18 and outlaws age discrimination in access to the ballot. Her legal scholarship, "Youth Voting Rights & the Unfulfilled Promise of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment," has been heralded as a groundbreaking study of this unexamined and under-appreciated area of constitutional rights.
Yael is Principal of Bromberg Law LLC, and a Lecturer at Rutgers School of Law where she teaches Election Law & the Political Process and serves as Faculty Advisor for the Rutgers Law Review's upcoming symposium, Voting Rights Reform: The 26th Amendment, Youth Power, and the Potential for a Third Reconstruction. This spring, she is advancing a new Andrew Goodman Foundation President's Initiative with the Harvard Kennedy School's William Monroe Trotter Collaborative for Social Justice. Yael is a visiting associate with the Eagleton Institute for Politics at Rutgers University, and serves on the cross-partisan advisory council of American Promise, an organization dedicated to eradicating the outsized role of money in politics through constitutional ratification.
Formerly, Yael was a supervising attorney and teaching fellow in the Georgetown University Law Center Civil Rights Clinic and the Voting Rights Institute, where she received an L.L.M. in Advocacy with distinction. She worked in the Washington, D.C. headquarters of Common Cause, and clerked for nearly three years with the Honorable Dickinson R. Debevoise in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. Yael is a graduate of Douglass College and Rutgers Law School, where she was a Kinoy/Stavis Fellow in the Rutgers Constitutional Litigation Clinic and received upon graduation the Eli Jarmel Memorial Award for greatest interest and proficiency in public interest law. In 2015, she received the Eric Neisser Public Service Alumni Award in recognition of her work in democracy law, and is the youngest recipient of the award. Yael is barred in New York, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia, as well as the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Sixth and Seventh Circuit.
She has spoken at conferences and events nationwide on democracy law including youth voting rights, and is a frequent commentator for national news publications including the Washington Post, Slate, The Intercept, and CSPAN.
SENIOR ADVISORY TEAM – ELIZABETH FIELDS (SHE/HER)
Operations Specialist
Elizabeth Fields is President & Co-Founder of Jackson Fields Consulting, which specializes in nonprofit reorganization and scaling fast growth organizations. Prior to Jackson Fields Consulting, Elizabeth served as the Chief Operating Officer at the Gary Sinise Foundation. Under her leadership, the Gary Sinise Foundation experienced record-breaking year-over-year growth in fundraising, provided meaningful programmatic spend to support our nation’s defenders, retained the coveted 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator every consecutive year under her leadership, and achieved a program expense ratio that never dipped below 88%.
Elizabeth has previously served in various executive roles at leading nonprofits and academic institutions, including National Public Radio (NPR), the University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management, and Michigan State University.
Throughout her career, Elizabeth has learned that passion is the most important trait of being happy and successful as a leader. Tapping into this passion has allowed Elizabeth to evaluate and build short-term and long-term strategic plans in multiple industries including nonprofit, higher education, public radio, and the military and veteran space. Creating collaborative environments, trusting people to do their jobs, empowering staff, giving credit where credit is due, and providing support and guidance are all values she takes to heart.
Elizabeth earned both her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees at the University of Arizona. She also holds an Executive Certificate from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.