Our Leaders
Fueling the Movement
At Braver Angels, we have a few professionals helping the volunteers who run things.
The Grassroots Engine of Braver Angels
Field leaders include state coordinators, regional leads, and alliance co-chairs. They guide and organize volunteers on the ground and recruit new alliance members, with a focus on working towards a Red-Blue balance.
Braver Angels National Team
Kira Barone
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
Maggie Bayless
MODERATOR TRAINING COORDINATOR
David Blankenhorn
CO-FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT
Yvonne Boyd
ORGANIZER CALL COORDINATOR (BLUE)
April Chatham-Carpenter
CO-DIRECTOR OF OFFICE OF FIELD OPERATIONS
Bill Doherty
CO-FOUNDER
Elizabeth Doll
DIRECTOR OF BRAVER POLITICS
Mónica Guzmán
SENIOR FELLOW FOR PUBLIC PRACTICE
Mónica Guzmán is a bridge builder, journalist, and author of “I Never Thought of it That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times”. She was a 2019 fellow at the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, and a 2016 fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. Moni is the inaugural McGurn Fellow at the University of Florida, working with researchers at the UF College of Journalism and Communications and beyond to better understand ways to employ techniques described in her book to boost understanding. A Mexican immigrant, Latina, and dual US/Mexico citizen, she lives in Seattle with her husband and two kids, and is the proud liberal daughter of conservative parents.
Eliza Hawkins
EVALUATION TEAM COORDINATOR
Martin Hunke
WORKSHOP DELIVERY MANAGER
Casey Jorgensen
ORGANIZER CALL COORDINATOR (RED)
Olivia LaMelle
DIRECTOR OF
HUMAN RESOURCES
David Lapp
CO-FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF
braver network
David Lapp leads Braver Network and We The People’s Project at Braver Angels. David spent several years interviewing working-class Ohioans about their life experiences and families before helping to start Braver Angels. David lives with his wife Amber and six children in South Lebanon, Ohio, the home of the first-ever Braver Angels workshop in December 2016.
Stan Levine
DEV TEAM
LEADER
Stan Levine leads the DEV Team that ensures that all of our workshops are properly developed and maintained. He is also a member of the National Tech Team, the Training Team, the Help Desk Team, and the Event Development & Delivery Team. Stan spent over 30 years working for the Department of Defense as a member of the Senior Executive Service. He grew up in New Jersey, spent 12 years in the Pentagon, and now lives with his wife in North Carolina.
Mark Metzger
CONVENTION DIRECTOR
AND ARTS COORDINATOR
Mark Metzger joined Braver Angels in 2022. In 2023, he oversaw operations and logistics for the Braver Angels National Convention in Gettysburg, PA, led the arts initiatives Four Score: A Memory Play and Braver Lens: Amateur Photography to Heal American Divides, and managed day-to-day operations of the National office.
Donna Murphy
DIRECTOR OF
1:1 CONVERSATIONS
Ciaran O'Connor
CHIEF MARKETING
OFFICER
Luke Nathan Phillips
PUBLIUS FELLOW FOR
PUBLIC DISCOURSE
Steve Saltwick
INAUGURAL
SENIOR FELLOW
Andrew Stillman
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY
OFFICER
Dawn Strauss
DIRECTOR OF
DEVELOPMENT
Barbara Thomas
CHIEF OPERATING
OFFICER
Barbara Thomas is a retired U.S. diplomat with 20 years of experience in strategic planning, operational oversight, personnel development, crisis management, cross-cultural communication, policy advocacy, and organizational reform. A native Minnesotan, she and her husband have five children and three grandchildren.
Gabriella Timmis
DIRECTOR OF
COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING
Gabbi Timmis is a proud Midwesterner who happens to live in New York City. She joined Braver Angels in 2022 as a field reporter before coming on as the Director of Social Media, and now, the Director of Communications & Marketing. She also volunteers for Braver Angels as the Blue Co-Chair of the NYC Alliance.
Prior to Braver Angels, Gabbi worked for NBC News as an assistant producer, where she led the digital strategy for the education division, wrote and produced live broadcasts, reported on trends in education, and managed social media. During the 2020 election, she worked as a political organizer and deep canvasser in her home state of Michigan. Gabbi graduated from Michigan State University and has a master’s from Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she focused on the convergence of adult learning, political polarization, and media.
Mary Thomas-Vallens
MODERATOR FORUM
COORDINATOR
Molly Wicker
DIRECTOR OF
FOUNDATION RELATIONS
Molly holds a B.A. from Grove City College where she studied English and Economics. Upon graduation, she moved to Washington, D.C. to do The Falls Church Fellows, a nine-month leadership development program focused on the integration of faith and work. She has held fundraising roles at multiple nonprofits, including The Trinity Forum, The Human Trafficking Institute and The Philanthropy Roundtable. Molly is also an avid writer, and her work has been published in a number of places, including The New York Times. She currently lives in Washington, D.C.
John Wood, Jr.
NATIONAL
AMBASSADOR
Board of Directors
Hunter Baker
DEAN OF ARTS AND SCIENCES AND PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNION UNIVERSITY
David Blankenhorn
PRESIDENT, BRAVER ANGELS
Jonathan Haidt
Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership; Stern School of Business, New York University
JoAnn Luehring
Partner, Roberts and Holland, LLP
Glenn T. Stanton
Director of Global Family Formation Studies
Focus on the Family
Thomas K. Sylvester
General Counsel, Hedera; Chairman,
Braver Angels Board of Directors