Democracy North Carolina has a staff of 12 for 2012, including seven organizers who work on-the-ground in NC communities anchoring local coalitions. Our staff also includes specialists in research, fundraising, communications and administration — all of whom work frequently with our organizers and partners to further our program and overall goals.

 

 

Our staff includes:

Sylvia Barnes, Souls to the Polls Oragnizer. Sylvia has a BA from NC Central University, served in the Army Reserve and private industry for over 25 years, and is the Secretary of the NC NAACP. She is an associate minister, active with the Order of the Eastern Star and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, and recipient of numerous awards.

 

Leigh Bradley, Office Manager. Leigh holds a BSW from Indiana University and an MSW from UNC-Chapel Hill. She has been with the organization since 1996.

 

Gabe Casalett, Communications Specialist. Gabe worked in the tech and online marketing industry for about 10 years before joining Democracy North Carolina's staff. During that time, he enjoyed using his talents to benefit causes he believes in by volunteering as a web & graphic designer and online marketing consultant for local and international non-profit organizations. As Communications Specialist at Democracy NC, he is dedicated to developing new, interesting, and effective ways to spread the word about our work through online and offline channels alike.

Robert Dawkins, Field Organizer, Western NC. Robert has worked as a grassroots organizer for a number of years, conducting organizing campaigns in Houston and Atlanta for ACORN before becoming their Head Organizer in Charlotte. He has also consulted on various grassroots campaigns for nonprofit groups. He has a BA in Political Science from the University of South Carolina.

Jennifer Frye, Associate Director. Jenn was a Democracy Summer student organizer in 2003 and served on Democracy NC’s Board of Directors before becoming part of the organizing staff in January 2006. She is an alumnus of the Public Allies North Carolina leadership development program and previously worked in gun violence and homelessness prevention. She holds a BA in Political Science and German from UNC. As Associate Director, she manages the daily operations of Democracy NC, participates heavily in our organizing and leadership training work and is responsible for our community outreach in the Durham area.

 

Isela Gutiérrez, Coordinator, Nonprofit Voter Engagement Project. Isela has a BA from Scripps College in Claremont, CA, and is currently working on her MSW from UNC Chapel Hill (expected graduation date May 2012). Her previous work experience includes being an advocate for statewide juvenile justice policy reform in Austin, TX, and for local drug policy reform in Seattle, WA. She is currently coordinating our Nonprofit Voter Engagement Project.

Bob Hall, Executive Director. Bob has worked with grassroots groups across the South since 1970, collaborating on a variety of economic and social justice projects. He has served on numerous non-profit boards and governmental commissions, provided expert testimony in court cases, and consulted with officials in a dozen states on voting rights and campaign finance reform. He was the founding editor of Southern Exposure, the magazine of the Institute for Southern Studies, where he worked for 25 years. Honors include the MacArthur Fellow award, NC Press Association’s First Amendment Award, NC AARP's Advocacy Friend of the Year Award, and NC NAACP's Political Trailblazer Award. He has an MA from Columbia University.

Jake Gellar-Goad, Field organizer, Eastern NC. Jake holds a Master of Public Administration from North Carolina State University, where he studied the workings and management of government and nonprofit organizations. He has years of experience volunteering with and supporting nonprofits and campaigns (including the 2009 pilot of publicly financed campaigns at the municipal level) that seek to make his home state of North Carolina an even better place to live and to be civically engaged.

 

Nancy Shakir, Field Organizer, Southeast NC. Nancy resides in Fayetteville, North Carolina where she is a community activist and volunteer. She has a BA in History from Rutgers University, and MA from St. Peter's Jesuit College. Her other studies include Organizational Behavior at Polytechnic, NY and further graduate work in History at Rutgers University and Fayetteville State University. She hosts a radio and local TV show and serves on the boards of several community organizations.

 

Adam Sotak, Organizing Director. Adam has been working with Democracy NC since January 2000, when it was still known as Democracy South. Prior to joining us, Adam received his MSW from UNC-Chapel Hill and trained and worked as a labor organizer. He also spent two years working with at-risk youth. In 2001, he received the Humanitarian Award from the Charlotte-Black Political Caucus and in 2005 he received the "Unsung Hero Award" from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP for his work for voting rights. As our Organizing Director, he oversees the work of all Democracy NC organizers. He is also active in frontline organizing in Charlotte, Piedmont and western counties.

Linda Sutton, NC Field Organizer, Central NC. Linda has been active in the Winston-Salem community since the early 70's, working as a union organizer and Special Voter Registration Commissioner. She co-founded the Winston-Salem Voting Rights Coalition, a grassroots organization of non-profit, non-partisan community groups that has registered thousands of voters and engaged them in electoral reforms such as early voting, same day registration and campaign finance reform. In 2008, she received the Urban League's Community Leader of the Year Award. Linda will be based in Winston-Salem and work in Forsyth, Guilford, Davie and surrounding counties.

 

Feel free to contact our staff directly with appropriate inquiries in their areas of responsibility. For general inquiries, or to reach our main switchboard, please call Leigh Bradley at (919) 286-6000 or write info@democracy-nc.org.