Our Board

Beth Huang

(She/Her)

Beth Huang (she/her) is the Civic Engagement & Democracy Program Officer at Tides. At Tides, she leads the Healthy Democracy Fund, a grantmaking initiative committed to fostering a more inclusive democracy and shifting power to historically underrepresented communities.

Huang also manages a portfolio of Tides partners who focus on voting rights, civic engagement, and power building. From 2016 to 2022, Beth worked at the Massachusetts Voter Table, the State Voices table in Massachusetts, first as the Field Coordinator and then as the Executive Director for 5 years. In her role as the state table director, Beth convened the census and redistricting coalitions and served on the leadership of campaigns for voting rights expansion and progressive taxes. Beth started organizing in the student and labor movements, and she holds a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She lives in New York.

Erin Dale McClellan

(She/Her)

Treasurer

Erin Dale McClellan (she/her) is the executive director of The Partnership Funds, a c3/c4 funder collaborative that has defined the practice of grantmaking to advance community and independent political power in 11 states. She is the former Executive Director of Blueprint NC—a collaborative of 58 progressive organizations working for a fairer, more just North Carolina. She is a founding member and the President of the Fertile Ground Food Cooperative in Southeast Raleigh and a community-driven effort to start a community-owned cooperative grocery store and gathering space.

McClellan has been awarded the SiStars Award from the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, William C. Friday Fellowship for Human Relations, Local Hero Citizen of the Year in 2015 from Indy Week magazine, the Community Leader of the Year award from the North Carolina A. Philip Randolph Institute and most recently the Cooperative Champion Award from Up and Coming and the Indiana Cooperative Development.

Gladys Washington

(she/her)

President

Gladys Krigger Washington (she/her) is a philanthropic consultant and the retired Deputy Director of the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. With a mission of helping move people and places out of poverty, the Foundation supports organizations and networks that work across racial, ethnic, and political differences to foster greater social and economic justice in the South. Gladys supervised the Foundation’s programmatic work in 11 Southern states.

Prior to joining the Babcock Foundation, Gladys was a Program Officer for the Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina in Charleston. Gladys has received numerous awards and accolades over her career and continues to support organizations to build capacity, strengthen infrastructure and achieve equitable goals to change the systems that impact the lives of people of color and disenfranchised communities.

Jamal Watkins

(He/Him)

Jamal R. Watkins (he/him) currently serves as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Advancement at the NAACP. Jamal previously led the Association’s efforts to maximize the African-American community’s participation and representation in our democracy as the Vice President of Civic Engagement at the NAACP.

Mr. Watkins previously served as National Outreach Director for the AFL-CIO. In this role, he was responsible for strengthening and growing national strategic partnerships with the labor movement across a range of priority campaigns and program work.

Prior to joining the AFL-CIO, Mr. Watkins held leadership positions in a number of organizations dedicated to community organizing and civil and human rights. These include Deputy National Political Director at Service Employees International Union; Chief of Staff at the Center for Social Inclusion; Managing Director for Campaigns for Amnesty International, the world’s largest grassroots human rights organization; and, Deputy Director and Interim Executive Director of City Year Los Angeles, a national non-profit AmeriCorps organization.

Mr. Watkins has worked in several distinct arenas, including politics, campaigns, communications, education, human resources, and fundraising. He played key roles as a National Recruiter for the DNC, Fundraising Canvass Director for Grassroots Campaign, Florida State Director of the Young Voter Alliance during the 2004 Presidential Election, Regional Coordinator on the “Yes on Proposition 79” Campaign for Health Access of California, and most recently developing a voter mobilization and engagement field strategy for the 2014 mid-term election cycle.

A native of California and a resident of Washington, D.C., Mr. Watkins earned his B.A. in Philosophy, with a minor in Political Science, at Stanford University and completed graduate-level work at New York University for Speech and Interpersonal Communication. As a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., his motto is “onward and upward.”

Karundi Williams

(She/Her)

Karundi Williams (she/her) is the Executive Director of re:power, a national organization seeking to build a critical mass of social justice movements and their leaders who embody the ideology and practice of liberatory organizing — an organizing practice that is pro-Black and grounded in community, collective action, and abundance. Our ultimate vision: A liberated, multiracial democracy free from the oppressive systems of white supremacy and patriarchy. Since 2019, Karundi has served as the first Black woman Executive Director, leading this powerful organization towards success. Over the last four years, re:power has deepened its commitment to BIPOC organizers through an intentional focus on BIPOC communities, especially women of color and trans and gender-expansive people of color. In 2022, she led the team to finalizing a new strategic vision and direction which they are now actively working to implement over the next five years and includes ambitious programming, fundraising, and communications goals.

Karundi served as the Political Director for the Midwest initiative and Director of State and Local Programs for SEIU, one of the largest labor unions in the country. In this role, she directed national policy priorities, managed a host of state legislative campaigns, and elevated the needs of working people in the national discourse. Before SEIU, Karundi was the Deputy Director for Government Affairs for Ohio. Karundi resides in Maryland with her husband and daughter, Zoya.

Nick Allen

(He/Him)

Nick Allen is Inatai Foundation’s Policy and Advocacy Director and holds more than two decades of experience in law, government, and community-driven advocacy. In this role, Nick works with foundation colleagues, community leaders, and funding partners to develop and advance public policy priorities in Washington as he builds relationships and leverages Inatai’s status as 501(c)(4) grantmaking organization. Most recently, Nick was Deputy Director of Advocacy leading ending mass incarceration work for Columbia Legal Services. He formerly served in other roles at the organization, including providing legal representation for people in Washington’s correctional facilities through its Institutions Project.

Born and raised in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood, Nick was propelled to study law after serving his community as legislative aid to former King County Councilmember Larry Gossett. Nick is a board member of Disability Rights Washington and board chair of Interaction Transition. He is also an at-large member of King County Community Advisory Committee for Law Enforcement Oversight. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Seattle University School of Law, Nick enjoys being on the open road and takes driving trips across the United States when he can.

Oriana Sandoval

(She/Her)

Oriana Sandoval (she/her) is the Chief Executive Officer at the Center for Civic Policy and Co-Director of the New Mexico Civic Engagement Table. At the Center for Civic Policy, Oriana leads the organization’s statewide policy and civic engagement campaigns on issues including democracy reform, economic security, climate justice, workforce development, tax and budget priorities, and early childhood education. Oriana received her Bachelor of Arts in Diplomacy and World Affairs from Occidental College; a Masters in Public Policy from the UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy; and a Juris Doctor from UC Berkeley School of Law. She is currently a member of the New Mexico Bar Association.

Sue Van

(She/Her)

Sue Van (she/her) is the President and CEO of the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation. The Foundation is the largest funder of civic engagement for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, and American Indian and Alaskan Natives. Both populations have been under-resourced and under-represented by the lack of philanthropic and government support for decades. Due to the lack of investment, these populations often felt invisible and did not have a seat at the table. Therefore, the vision and mission of Coulter is to build long term power in both communities. We provide risk capital and seed investments to build capacity and infrastructure for national and state-based community organizations. With continuous multiyear general support, Coulter has instilled in these communities that electoral work is essential and critical in helping our communities achieve the American Dream.

Prior to establishing the foundations, Sue was the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Coulter Corporation, as well as the Trustee of both owners’ personal trusts. She was responsible for the company’s long-term strategy, financial and legal affairs. Coulter was the leader in global medical diagnostics that created and built the market for automated hematology, revolutionizing clinical laboratory medicine. Sue’s background and experience were shaped by the private company that was # 1 in the world for over forty years.

Taifa Smith Butler

She/Her/Hers

Taifa Smith Butler (she/her) is the President of Demos, a movement-oriented think tank committed to racial justice. Through research, litigation, strategic communications, and deep partnerships with grassroots organizations across the country, Demos builds power with and for Black and brown communities.

Taifa has more than 20 years of experience in strategic communications, public policy research and data analysis in the public, nonprofit, and private sectors. She is an established leader known as a problem solver and tireless champion for equity.

Previously, Taifa was President and CEO of the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, where, from 2015 to 2021, she led and inspired the GBPI team. Prior to joining the GBPI team as deputy director in 2011, she served as the policy and communications director for Georgia Family Connection Partnership where she co- managed the Georgia KIDS COUNT project and monitored public policy and its impact on children, families, and communities.

Named one of Atlanta’s 500 most powerful leaders in 2020 and 2021 by Atlanta Magazine, Taifa has served on various local, state and national committees and boards. Taifa is a Class of 2017 Rockwood Leadership Institute “Leading from the Inside Out” Fellow, a member of the Leadership Georgia Class of 2016 and was a New Executive Fund fellow with the Open Society Foundation in 2015.

A first-generation college graduate, Taifa graduated from Mount Holyoke College and holds a master’s in public management and policy with a concentration in economic development and financial management from the Heinz School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University.

Tamieka Atkins

(she/her)

Secretary, Vice Chair

Tamieka Atkins is a nonprofit executive with vast experience building and leading diverse coalitions focused on the advancement of BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and historically underrepresented groups.

Currently, Tamieka serves as Executive Director of ProGeorgia, a non-partisan voter engagement advocacy organization within the State Voices Affiliated Network. She oversees a multi-million dollar budget that provides funding, resources, and training for more than 60 local, state, and national organizations committed to advancing civic engagement in Georgia. As ProGeorgia’s chief strategist, she leads fundraising and infrastructure building for the organization, helping partner organizations increase their capacity and grow the scale of their voter registration and civic engagement programs.

Tamieka is also the convenor of Women of Color Initiative, a project geared toward illuminating the perspectives of women of color across Georgia, supporting their self-determination, leadership and the development of statewide policy agendas. Such ongoing advocacy for Black Women and Women of Color earned her recognition as one of Time Out magazine’s Women of the Year in 2021.

Previously, Tamieka was the Founding Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance – Atlanta Chapter, where she developed a base of African American domestic workers advocating for respect, recognition, and inclusion in labor protections for all domestic workers.

Tamieka serves on the Boards of State Voices, State Innovation Exchange Action (SiX Action), and Women’s March Win. She previously served on the Boards of the Highlander Research and Education Center, Atlanta Jobs with Justice, and the Annie E Casey’s Community Investment Fund. She was also a member of the Host Committee for the 2016 Facing Race Conference.

Tamieka received a Bachelor’s in Multicultural Literature from Hunter College and a certificate in Professional Fundraising from New York University. She is also a graduate of the BOLD program (Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity), was a 2018 Public Voices Fellow for BME, and a 2021-2022 National Leading from the Inside Out Fellow for the Rockwood Leadership Institute. For her efforts in advocacy and civic engagement, Tamieka received a Black Voices for Black Justice Fund Award in 2020.

Tamieka lives in Atlanta with her two daughters, Layla and Olivia —the next generation of Black women leaders.

Terrance Woodbury

(He/Him)

Terrance Woodbury, Co-Dounder and CEO of HIT Strategies, is widely recognized as one of the country’s foremost pollsters and political strategists. Terrance spearheads research initiatives at HIT Strategies and drives business growth by cultivating a team of millennial strategists bent on challenging conventional approaches to public opinion research and analysis. Acknowledged as a prominent emerging figure in political strategy, Terrance recently earned esteemed accolades, including being named to POLITICO’s Recast 2023 Power List and selected for the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) 2023 Class of 40 Under 40. Terrance’s insights on U.S. politics are featured in reputable outlets like the Washington Post, Politico, Wall Street Journal, The Hill, USA Today, NPR, and TV segments on MSNBC and Showtime’s “The Circus” Before co-founding HIT Strategies, Terrance served as the Research Director at Brilliant Corners Research (a public opinion data firm). He also gained valuable experience at the Brookings Institution, where he conducted research on economic and demographic trends.

Prior to deciding to specialize in data research, Terrance contributed to numerous local, state, national, and international campaigns, performing all roles, including management, fundraising, organizing, and communications. Under Terrance’s leadership, HIT Strategies has experienced remarkable growth, expanding from a small team to 30 professionals within a four-year span and attracting numerous clients seeking innovative methodologies and interpretations of public opinion data. Terrance notably pioneered BLACKtrack, the nation’s sole monthly poll tracking the attitudes of Black voters over time. His unwavering dedication to amplifying the voices of underrepresented communities is a testament to his commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and upbringing by his late mother, Shanna Monique Woodbury.