Meet The Board

Sara Lonardo

Board Chair

Sara has served in high level communications positions in both government and advocacy throughout her career. Her experience includes time in the Biden-Harris Administration, at Families USA and with the Service Employees International Union. Sara’s Capitol Hill experience includes time as Communications Director for Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), and in multiple roles for the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee under then-Chairman Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) and the Education and Labor Committee under then-Chairman George Miller (D-CA). Sara grew up in Rhode Island and graduated with Departmental Honors and cum laude from Wheaton College (MA). She served as President of the Women's Congressional Staff Association for two years.

Harmony Barbera

Treasurer

Harmony serves as Manager, Federal Affairs at Pacific Gas and Electric Company. She is a seasoned lobbyist and government affairs professional with a strong record of legislative success on behalf of clients from a myriad of industries. A proven leader and accomplished communications professional with a large network both on and off Capitol Hill, Harmony was a Chief of Staff and Communications Director for California’s 50th District on the Hill.

Debra Dixon

Debra Dixon is a results-oriented professional with private and public sector and nonprofit experience, who is at her best when working with a talented, bipartisan team on a shared mission. Following more than two decades of public service and time at another government affairs shop, Debra joined Ferox Strategies as a Principal in 2021. Ferox Strategies is a rapidly growing boutique government affairs firm specializing in federal government relations and political outreach.

As former chief of staff to then Rep. Xavier Becerra, Debra’s work on Capitol Hill included leading teams and supporting the Congressman’s efforts on the Ways and Means Committee, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the California Delegation, and House Democratic Leadership. Debra bookended her time on the Hill with stints at two federal agencies, starting at the Department of Justice and ending at the Department of Education.

Debra has an undergraduate degree from Wheaton College (IL), a law degree from Ohio State, and an LLM with an emphasis on International Trade from Georgetown University Law Center. She and her husband live in DC with their two daughters.

Rasheedah Thomas

Vice Chair

Rasheedah Thomas is a veteran communications strategist and highly sought after advisor to policymakers, business leaders, and changemakers. After 8 years co-founding and building a strategic communications firm in Washington, DC, she founded Emerald Digital Solutions in 2021. EDS is a certified woman-owned strategic communications and digital marketing firm that serves clients in South Carolina and the DC area. 

For over a decade, Rasheedah worked in fundraising and donor relations at National Public Radio. She raised an average of $2-3M a year and created strategic stewardship plans for NPR’s corporate, foundation, and individual donors. She worked closely with NPR’s CEO and other executive management, as well as with major stations and Trustees of the NPR Foundation. 

An advocate of more women in elected office, Rasheedah is a Certified National Trainer for VoteRunLead. She is a member of Washington Women in Public Relations and was selected to join Politico’s Women Rule advisory group as one of its first members. Rasheedah was named to the 2020 list of Influential African American Women on LinkedIn. She is a proud native South Carolinian and alumna of Howard University.

Allison Ivie

Chair, Event Planning Committee

Allison is the Vice President at Center Road Solutions, a woman-owned, bipartisan government relations firm working with organizations serving women, children and families. Prior she worked as a women's health consultant fostering strategic partnerships and legislative action to raise awareness and approval for novel drug therapies, devices and diagnostics. Allison’s career began in Washington, D.C. as a Women’s Congressional Policy Institute Fellow in Representative Mike Thompson’s office (D-CA-05). During her tenure in the Congressman’s office she worked on telehealth, paid leave, cannabis policy and other issues.  

Kelsey Moran

Chair, Curriculum Committee

Kelsey Moran serves as Senior Manager of Government Affairs for Autodesk, Inc., a global leader in design and make software for architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, and media and entertainment. Before joining Autodesk in April 2020, Kelsey spent nearly a decade working in the U.S. House of Representatives, most recently serving as Chief of Staff to Congresswoman Lois Frankel. She advised Congresswoman Frankel in her roles as Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues, the Democratic Women's Caucus, and as founder of the Elect Democratic Women PAC. Kelsey also served as president of the Women's Congressional Staff Association. She graduated from Indiana University and grew up in the Chicago suburbs.

Eliza Ramirez-Gamboa

Eliza Ramirez-Gamboa is currently Deputy Chief of Staff for Congressman Josh Gottheimer. With nearly a decade of Capitol Hill experience, Eliza started her career on the Senate side where she worked for Senators Barbara Boxer and Robert Menendez. During her time with Congressman Michael Capuano, she served as principal advisor on foreign policy, national security and trade issues. Prior to her current position Eliza was a key advisor to Congressman Tom Malinowski.

Eliza has been instrumental working with key international actors to secure funding for humanitarian and peacekeeping efforts in the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa. She was named "40 Under 40 Latinos in Foreign Policy" by the Huffington Post in 2016 and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations Congressional Foreign Policy Study Group. 

Eliza holds a B.A. in Political Science and Gender Studies from California State University, Fullerton. She lives with her husband and fur babies in Maryland.

Rina Shah

Rina Shah is a political advisor and social entrepreneur. A native of southern West Virginia, she spent her early professional years in Washington, DC as a senior aide to Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ) and Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL). During her time on Capitol Hill, she also served as Elections Officer on the Board of the Women's Congressional Staff Association in its inaugural year. After launching Rilax Strategies -- a political intelligence and strategic communications consulting firm -- over a decade ago, she has served on three U.S. presidential campaigns and advised over 40 political campaigns/initiatives at all levels of government. In 2021, she joined the Advisory Board of the nonpartisan, non-profit Renew Democracy Initiative and was a key speaker for the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies' (APAICS) annual Women's Summit. For this political cycle, Business Insider named Rina as one of their "top female political strategists to watch." A longtime advocate for more American women in elected office and government appointments, Rina is a Co-Founder/Board Member Emeritus of the Women’s Public Leadership Network and currently serves on the boards of other nonpartisan womens-focused organizations including VoteRunLead, WCOIN, and Represent Women.