Steering Committee

California · Colorado · Florida · Georgia · Kansas · Maine · New Hampshire · New York · Ohio · Texas · Washington · Washington, DC · Wisconsin

Sulma Arias is the executive director of People’s Action Institute and People’s Action, a national network of 40 state and local grassroots, power-building organizations in 30 states, and has previously served as Director of Immigration and Power Building for Community Change and Community Change Action. Originally from El Salvador, Sulma immigrated to Kansas when she was 13, where she raised three daughters and worked three jobs to make ends meet. Her hope is that the Child Tax Credit provides her daughter the freedom to spend time with her grandson.

Sachin Chheda is a partner at Nation Consulting and a communications, government relations, advocacy and nonprofit management professional. He is a frequently utilized source for political and business reporters, and was named a “Behind the Scenes Power Player'' by Gannett Media and one of the nation’s 500 top “Influencers” by Campaigns & Elections magazine. He currently lives with wife Angela and their four children on Milwaukee’s East Side.

Ben Chin is the Deputy Director of Maine People’s Alliance, where he has worked on community organizing campaigns for the last fifteen years. Ben has previously managed electoral campaigns at the local and statewide level, and he has helped build the teams that have won wage increases for one out of three Maine workers, the first Medicaid expansion through ballot, and the nation’s first paid time off law. Ben lives in Lewiston, Maine, with his wife and two kids, Anjali and Rajan.

Addisu Demissie is a well-known strategist who managed Cory Booker’s 2020 Presidential campaign, Gavin Newsom’s 2018 California gubernatorial campaign, and Rahm Emanuel’s 2011 Chicago mayoral campaign. He also worked on the 2008 campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the 2016 Clinton campaign, and John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign, as well as Organizing for America. He co-founded 50+1 Strategies and is married with one son.

Amir Farokhi is an Atlanta Council Member representing Downtown, Midtown, Old Fourth Ward and other neighborhoods.A native to metro Atlanta, he works professionally for CARE USA, and was the first Iranian-American elected official in the American South. He is married with one daughter. 

Natalie Foster is an advisor to the Aspen Institute Future of Work Initiative and the co-founder of the Economic Security Project. Earlier, Natalie co-founded and launched Peers.org to support people who work in the sharing economy and was the CEO and co-founder of Rebuild the Dream, a platform for people-driven economic change, with Van Jones. Natalie has also served as digital director for President Obama’s Organizing for America and the Democratic National Committee. She previously built the first digital department at the Sierra Club and served as the deputy organizing director for MoveOn.org. Natalie is married and has two children.

Dylan Hewitt is a progressive strategist focused on strengthening economic security and expanding opportunity. When democracy prevailed, Dylan assisted the Office of Vice President Kamala Harris during the 59th Presidential Inaugural Committee, and he previously traveled with Secretary Hillary Clinton and Senator Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaigns. Earlier, Dylan served as an executive team member for the New York City Comptroller, the economic watchdog of America’s largest city, during which he led intergovernmental and legislative affairs. He is an Upstate New Yorker, and his partner and he are uncles to a curious and adventurous 5-year-old.

Heather Sanders Jefts is a small business owner, community leader, and member of the Cedar Park, Texas, City Council. Heather serves as President of the Board of the Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center and is active with Reveal Baby Blessings diaper ministry and as a Literacy Partner with Education Connection amongst other volunteer roles. She and her husband, Richard, have two sons.

Marlon Marshall is a Senior Advisor and Founding Partner at 270 Strategies. Marlon was Special Assistant to the President and Principal Deputy Director in the Obama White House Office of Public Engagement, where he was a key player in a number of public engagement initiatives at the White House and led the on-the-ground enrollment effort for the historic Affordable Care Act. Marlon lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife Stacy and two daughters.

Nick Merrill is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Evergreen Strategy Group and one of Hillary Clinton’s longest-serving advisors. He is the father of a 1-year-old named Eleonora.

Ann O’Leary is an attorney and mother of two. She has previously served as Senior Policy Advisor to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, Co-Executive Director of the Clinton-Kaine Transition Project, and Chief of Staff to California Governor Gavin Newsom, for whom she developed and implemented an agenda to expand opportunity and affordability through notable expansions of tax credits.

Aaron Ostrom is founder and Executive Director of Fuse Washington and the father of two children. He is a strong proponent of the Child Tax Credit because it provides critically-needed support for raising healthy kids in the face of an uncertain economic future.

Janelle Perez is a proud Cuban-American, small business owner, cancer survivor, and mother of two girls. In Miami’s diverse community, Janelle saw firsthand how the Child Tax Credit provided direct support for parents and working families.

Aaron Pickrell is the Principal at Remington Road Group and has been a leader in national and state campaigns, government, and public affairs for more than two decades in Ohio and across the country. Most recently, he served as Senior Advisor for President Joe Biden’s Ohio campaign and earlier to both of President Obama’s Ohio campaigns. Previously, he has had prominent roles in Governor Strickland’s administration and campaigns, as well as serving as Chief of Staff to a Member of Congress. He and his wife are proud parents of two 2nd grade daughters, Lillian and Amelia.

Holly Shulman is a seasoned public affairs professional, who has served as press secretary for the Democratic National Committee; communications director for congressional and Senate races in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas; New Hampshire communications director for Obama for America; and as Spokesperson for International Affairs for the US Treasury Department. She lives in Concord, New Hampshire, with her husband and her son, Zeke.

Dorian Warren is the co-president of Community Change, co-chair of the Economic Security Project, and co-host of System Check. A progressive scholar, organizer, and media personality, Dorian has worked to advance racial, economic, and social justice for over two decades. He taught for over a decade at the University of Chicago and Columbia University, and he also worked at MSNBC, where he was a contributor and host, as well as the executive producer of “Nerding Out” on MSNBC’s digital platform. He serves on the boards of Working Partnerships USA, the Leadership Conference Education Fund Board, the National Employment Law Project, and The Nation magazine, among others. Dorian is married and has one child.

Buffy Wicks is a California Assembly Member representing the East Bay. Elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2020, her district spans the communities of Oakland to Richmond, and includes the City of Berkeley. A lifelong community organizer, Asm. Wicks previously served on both of President Barack Obama’s campaigns, and worked for him in the White House. She lives in Oakland with her husband, Peter, and daughters, Jojo and Elly.

Keep Families Afloat is a project of Economic Security Project Action.