Meet The Board
SARA LONARDO
Board Chair
Sara Lonardo 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.
BRITTANY MARTINEZ
Treasurer
Brittany Martinez is a political strategist and California native with extensive experience working for Republican Members of Congress and on political campaigns. Martinez spent half a decade working for Speaker McCarthy in both his Minority Leader and Speaker offices, serving as his California Communications Director. Prior to joining Team McCarthy, Martinez was the Communications Director for a U.S. Senate campaign in Ohio, Deputy Director of Hispanic Media at the Republican National Committee (RNC), and held other roles on Capitol Hill, starting her Hill career as a scheduling intern to Speaker Boehner. Martinez is now the Founder of Espina & Co., a communications consulting firm based in Washington, D.C.
SHELLY MARC
Shelly Marc is a Public Policy Manager on the Federal Policy team at Meta. She previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Congresswoman Barbara Lee and held policy roles at the White House and U.S. Senate. A seasoned government affairs professional, she has expertise in driving policy outcomes across executive, legislative, and national platforms. A Central Florida native, she holds a degree in Political Science and Criminology from the University of South Florida and is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
MICHELLE DIMAROB
Michelle Dimarob is a seasoned communications lead, political strategist, and proven coalition builder with over two decades of experience advancing complex public policy initiatives. She is known for uniting diverse and unlikely stakeholders to build consensus, humanize technical issues, and drive bipartisan support for high-stakes lobbying campaigns. As Senior Director of Federal Government Affairs at Altria, she spent a decade leading coalitions influencing major outcomes in tax reform, tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis regulation while developing compelling narratives and advocacy tools that resonate across media, policymakers, and the public. Michelle’s career includes senior roles with the House Ways and Means Committee and NFIB, where she specialized in message development, stakeholder outreach, and strategic planning across the tax, trade, and health policy arenas. In 2024, Michelle founded Surround Sound Strategies, a public affairs and coalition-building consultancy based in Washington, D.C. The firm advises clients on developing targeted campaigns by aligning policy, politics, and public sentiment. Michelle draws on over 25 years of experience, including high-profile legislative battles on healthcare and tax reform.
RASHEEDASH 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.
KELSEY MORAN
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.
MARIAN J. MARTIN
Marian James Martin is a Federal lobbyist at Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E), one of the largest utility companies in the United States. With more than 10 years of government affairs experience, Marian is known for her unique approach to problem-solving, which combines quantitative and qualitative analysis while also drawing on instinct. Before joining PG&E, Marian honed skills in stakeholder engagement, legislative analysis, communications, and campaign finance at T-Mobile, Grant Thornton, and Brilliant Corners Research & Strategy. Marian put herself through college at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta and became the first in her family to earn a four-year degree. She is passionate about mentorship, professional development, and expanding opportunities for women across government and industry. Outside of work, Marian is an accomplished textile artist, with projects ranging from fiber processing to garment design. A native Californian, Marian now lives in the Washington, DC area.