DGA Announces Senior Staff

Today, the Democratic Governors Association announced the hiring of its senior staff for the upcoming gubernatorial cycle. Noam Lee was previously announced as the DGA’s executive director in December.
“I am excited about the depth and breadth of knowledge each of these individuals brings to the DGA,” said DGA Chair Gina Raimondo. “The majority of Americans are now seeing how Democratic governors deliver progress, and this team will ensure we grow our ranks to increase health care coverage, improve schools, and put people back to work.”
“The DGA has assembled a strong team of talented individuals with a wealth of experience across Democratic politics,” said DGA Executive Director Noam Lee. “Together, we will build on the momentum from DGA’s historic 2018 cycle to elect even more Democratic governors in the years ahead.”
 
Below are bios for each member of the senior staff:
Deputy Executive Director: Wendi Wallace
Prior to coming to the DGA, Wendi Wallace most recently worked at Planned Parenthood Action Fund for more than four years, first as PAC Director and then as Political Outreach Director. She was the point person for Federal level endorsements and was the liaison to the political teams for partner organizations as well as party committees. Additionally, she served as a political advisor to affiliate staff all over the country on candidate endorsements and contributions. She gained extensive experience in advocacy and campaign building during stints at Democracy Alliance and Americans for Financial Reform. Wendi is also a proud graduate of  Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
 
Finance Director: Meghan Meehan-Draper
Meghan Meehan-Draper has been with the DGA since 2015, serving as its Major Donor Director, where she grew the program by 400% from the previous cycle. She has worked on more than half a dozen campaigns, including statewide races in Florida, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Louisiana. Meehan-Draper was Pennsylvania state Finance Director for Allyson Schwartz’s campaign for Governor, Finance Director for Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy’s successful re-election, and has served as Finance Director for multiple congressional and down-ballot statewide campaigns. She is a Florida native and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Eckerd College.
 
Political Director: Marshall Cohen
Marshall Cohen served as Deputy Political Director at the DGA the last two cycles, working on more than 19 governors races, including some of 2018’s biggest wins in Michigan, Nevada, Colorado, Connecticut, and Kansas. Before joining the DGA, Cohen managed federal and state races across the country, working in Maryland, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Nevada. Cohen has his master’s in Political Management and a bachelor’s in Political Communication from The George Washington University.
 
Digital Director: Laura Carlson
Laura Carlson is an experienced digital strategist, grassroots fundraiser, and online communicator. Most recently, she served as Senator Jacky Rosen’s Digital Director and raised $9.6 million online for her winning campaign. Previously she worked as a digital strategist for Leader Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Patrick Murphy, and the DSCC. Laura is a native Hoosier and Indiana University graduate and lives in Washington, DC with her two cats.
 
Communications Director: David Turner
David Turner worked as the DGA’s Deputy Communications Director for the last year. He came to the organization after serving as Communications Director for Governor Ralph Northam’s successful campaign in Virginia. Previously, Turner served as Communications Director in Missouri for Attorney General Chris Koster’s gubernatorial campaign, spokesman for Senator Mark Warner’s re-election campaign in Virginia, and Communications Director for Barbara Buono’s gubernatorial campaign in New Jersey.
 
Research Director: Heather Owens
Heather Owens has worked as the DGA’s Research Director since March 2015. She previously served as Research Manager at EMILY’s List, at a prominent research consulting firm, and as a Research Analyst at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee during the 2006 cycle. Owens has a M.A. in Public Policy from The George Washington University and a B.A. from Fairfield University. She is a proud Connecticut native.
 
Chief Operating Officer: Stephen Hill
Stephen Hill is the Chief Operating Officer at the Democratic Governors Association. Last cycle, he oversaw the 50-state compliance strategy while collaborating with numerous stakeholders to help the organization achieve record-breaking fundraising and political successes. Throughout Stephen’s tenure at the DGA, he has overseen more than $200 million in political and operational spending to support the organization’s mission.
Before joining DGA in 2015, Stephen partnered with dozens of campaigns, non-profit organizations, progressive businesses, and political action committees as a voter contact and operations consultant to elect Democrats to office around the country.
 
Events Director:  Lindsay Hayes
Lindsay Hayes joined the DGA as Events Director in 2016.  Prior to that, she served as a political appointee in the Obama Administration as Director of Scheduling and Advance for the Small Business Administration and in the Department of Scheduling and Advance at the White House.  She began her career at the Children’s Defense Fund and then worked at the DGA in multiple roles on the finance team.  She is originally from Ohio and is a graduate of the Ohio State University.
 
Policy Director: Nathan Weiss
Nathan Weiss joined DGA as Policy Director in the spring of 2018 and is continuing in the role this cycle.  Prior to joining DGA, Weiss worked on policy and implementation for programs serving migrant and seasonal farmworkers at the U.S. Department of Education. Weiss has a Masters of Public Administration from American University in Washington, D.C.