Staff List

Michael Petit - President
Michael Petit, Founder and President, served as commissioner of Maine's Human Services Department and was Deputy Director of the Child Welfare League of America. He has worked to advance children and family issues for more than 30 years.

Staff

MaryLou Beaver - State Campaigns Director/ECM New Hampshire Director
MaryLou coordinates ECM's state campaigns and our field office in New Hampshire. She has worked with children and families in NH for more than 20 years as Executive Director of a non-profit childcare center and educational coordinator of a federal grant serving childcare professionals among other advocacy positions.

Stephen Clermont - Research Director
Stephen manages the political, policy, and public policy research at ECM. He was a polling and survey researcher for more than a decade at Hickman-Brown Research and Princeton Survey Research Associates.

Mary Rose Conroy - Development Associate
Mary works on fundraising, grants, and other development projects.  She previously was a Research Assistant at the American Council on Renewable Energy. She is a graduate of Providence College with a BA in Public & Community Service Studies and Political Science and is pursuing a Master of Public Policy at American University.

Ursula Ellis - Campaigns Director
Ursula directs the national campaigns and coordinates staff in the field offices. She came to ECM after directing a federal education grant in northern Virginia schools, and was the Deputy Director of the National Community Education Association and the Senior Vice President of the National Association for Hospital Development.

Brendan FitzSimons - Operations Director
Brendan oversees all administration, management and development operations for ECM. He was a founding member and Vice President of Fight Crime: Invest In Kids.

Nadra Harrison - ECM Louisiana Communications Director
Nadra Harrison previously worked as press assistant for the House Homeland Security Committee and as a deputy press secretary for a Louisiana congressman.  She is a graduate of Northwestern State University in broadcast journalism and is a native of New Orleans.

Alaina Kaczmarski - Campaign Associate
Alaina works to coordinate national and state campaigns, as well as assisting in organizing the National Training Institute. She is a graduate of Syracuse University with degrees in Communications and Psychology.

Thomas LaPointe - Communications Coordinator/ECM Iowa Director
Thomas LaPointe coordinates media communications and directed the Iowa field office. With more than 30 years advocating for children, Tom was a member of the Maine Legislature and a public affairs officer in the Maine Department of Human Services. He also worked in ECM field offices in Arkansas, West Virginia, and Virginia.

Tony Larson - Online Advocacy Associate
Tony Larson coordinates our e-advocacy network and databases, assists in managing online communications, and helps administer the National Training Institute. Tony is a graduate of The College of William and Mary with a BA in Public Policy and Environmental Studies.

Shacara Lewis - ECM Louisiana Campaign Director
Shacara coordinates ECM’s campaign and field office in Louisiana. She previously worked in fundraising for political campaigns and is a graduate of Howard University in political science.

Angela Blake Madnick - Campaigns Communications Manager
Angela served as Vice President for Public Education at the League of Conservation Voters and was the Director of Public Affairs at ECM from 2002 to 2005.  She has also worked at the Child Welfare League of America, the White House Office for Women's Initiatives and Outreach, and the Democratic National Committee.

Grayson Richey - Campaign Associate
Grayson assists in field campaign operations. He is a VISTA member who initially started in the ECM New Hampshire office and helped in the state primary campaign.

Mick Schommer - Online Communications Director
Mick manages the website and online/e-communications strategies. Previously, he was a consultant advising nonprofit organizations, managed online communications at the ACLU in New York City, and held similar roles at large universities.  

Danielle Tiley - Communications Associate
Danielle assists in coordinating our media and campaign outreach efforts. She graduated in 2007 with a bachelors degree in Communications from the University of Maryland, College Park. Previously, Danielle worked in the Online Outreach department at Media Matters for America.

Rebecca Wilkinson - Finance & Administration Manager
Rebecca Wilkinson moved to Washington, DC from Georgia after completing a Master of Public Administration degree and working as a finance professional for non-profit organizations for twelve years.  She is a member of the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers.