Tom Freedman

President

As President of Freedman Consulting, LLC, Tom Freedman is an advisor to leading foundations, public interest causes, and non-profit organizations. Mr. Freedman served in the Clinton Administration as Senior Advisor to the President, and prior to that as Special Assistant to the President for Policy Planning. In the 1996 presidential campaign, Mr. Freedman was Chief of Staff for Strategy, helping to create the policy and communications plan for Clinton/Gore ’96. Previously he was Press Secretary and later Legislative Director to then Congressman Charles E. Schumer (D-NY). He co-founded the non-profit organization the Welfare to Work Partnership, which grew to include more than 20,000 companies that hired more than 1 million Americans off of public assistance.

Mr. Freedman is an honors graduate of Carleton College, and a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley where he was Editor-in-Chief of the California Law Review.

Mr. Freedman has been a Visiting Scholar at Resources for the Future, and was awarded a traveling Watson Fellowship in 1985 and conducted a year long study of the African famine. He has published opinion articles in a variety of newspapers including The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor and The Washington Post. In 2009, Mr. Freedman authored the chapter of recommendations for the next Domestic Policy Council in the book Change for America: A Progressive Blueprint for the 44th President (Center for American Progress) and wrote a chapter on ending child hunger in America with Joel Berg in the book Memos to the New President (Progressive Policy Institute). He serves on the Advisory Board for the Eli J. Segal Citizen Leadership Program. Mr. Freedman served as a member of the 2008 presidential Obama-Biden Transition Project on the Technology, Innovation, and Government Reform Policy Working Group, and was a policy consultant for President Obama’s reelection campaign in 2012, Obama for America.

Karin Freedman

Founding Partner & Chief Financial Officer

Karin K. Freedman is Founding Partner and CFO of Freedman Consulting, LLC, where she leads all financial and budgeting matters for the firm and advises on firm strategic direction, mission, and vision.

She served in the Clinton Administration from 1995 until 2001 in various capacities, including as Communications Director and Chief of Staff of the Domestic Policy Council at the White House, and as Special Assistant to the President. From 2001 through 2005, Ms. Freedman served at the Democratic Leadership Council and Progressive Policy Institute in Washington, D.C. as Press Secretary, the senior officer in charge of media relations.

Ms. Freedman has also served on Capitol Hill as a member of the staff of the United States Senate Budget Committee. Ms. Freedman is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

Kyra Jennings

Executive Vice President

Kyra Jennings serves as Executive Vice President of Freedman Consulting, LLC, utilizing her previous experience with top-level political campaigns and elected officials to advise leading foundations, non-profit organizations, and new coalitions and partnerships. Her work for clients includes communications strategy and messaging, policy and issue advocacy campaigns, high-level events, and strategic planning.

At Freedman Consulting, she has helped launch and worked to grow multiple nascent coalitions and public-private partnerships, including the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health, Next Century Cities, and Skills for America’s Future. Ms. Jennings has also managed strategic planning, communications campaigns, and event development for organizations such as the Ford Foundation, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the Broad Institute, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. She served as a consultant for Obama for America 2012.

Ms. Jennings previously served as Press Secretary for Alex Sink’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign in Florida and as Communications Director for Chief Financial Officer Sink in her statewide elected office. Prior to that, she was the Southern Regional Press Secretary for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) during their historically successful 2008 election cycle. Ms. Jennings also served as the Communications Director for Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and for former Congressman Chris Carney’s (D-PA) insurgent 2006 campaign. She graduated with distinction from Duke University.

Alexander Hart

Vice President

Alexander C. Hart is a Vice President with Freedman Consulting, LLC, where he leads and conducts projects in research, media and program evaluation, policy and strategic planning, and public opinion research. His work for firm clients covers a broad portfolio of issues including technology openness and access, poverty and economic opportunity, municipal policy, children and family policy, voting rights, and genomic medicine. Mr. Hart has worked with major political campaigns, foundations, and non-profit organizations including the Ford Foundation, Next Generation, Open Society Foundations, President Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, and Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity.

Mr. Hart joined the firm in 2012 as a Senior Associate. Previously, Mr. Hart covered the House of Representatives for Congressional Quarterly and was a Reporter-Researcher for The New Republic. He graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service with a degree in international economics.

His work has been published in The New Republic, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, Congressional Quarterly, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, CQ Weekly, The Orlando Sentinel, ABCNews.com, and The Alexandria Times. Mr. Hart was also one of the lead authors on the report A Future of Failure: The Flow of Technology Talent into Government and Civil Society, which was featured in Politico and cited in a White House report on Big Data.

Ashley Anderson

Vice President

Palo Alto, California

Ashley Anderson is a Vice President with Freedman Consulting, LLC, where she drives strategy, research, and policy advocacy efforts for clients ranging from large foundations to international corporations on issues including democracy, tech policy, poverty, and more. 

Prior to joining Freedman, Ms. Anderson completed a consulting engagement for MasterCard where she researched government payment flows in emerging markets. In addition, she was a 2015 summer fellow for the Millennium Challenge Corporation in the Philippines, where she conducted stakeholder interviews to report on the impacts of MCC’s development programs. She also has several years of experience in strategic communications and marketing, specifically for associations and advocacy groups.

Ms. Anderson has a Master’s Degree in International Affairs from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Journalism from the College of Charleston.

Bill Nichols

Vice President

Bill Nichols is a Vice President at Freedman Consulting, LLC, where he uses his significant experience in journalism to advise clients on innovative and proven strategies for success. He joined the firm after a 35-year career in journalism, most recently as the founding Managing Editor of POLITICO. Mr. Nichols brings decades of experience in covering Washington and national politics and a successful track record guiding two innovative media startups: the launch of POLITICO in 2007 and POLITICO Europe in 2015.

Before joining POLITICO, where he served as Managing Editor from 2007-2012 and Editor-At-Large from 2012-2015, Mr. Nichols spent more than 20 years at USA Today. He covered the Clinton White House from 1993-1999, the State Department from 1999-2004 and was a senior correspondent in the newspaper’s Washington bureau. As a reporter and editor, Mr. Nichols covered 8 presidential campaigns, 16 national conventions and traveled to more than three dozen countries.

Mr. Nichols has been a frequent speaker on the media’s digital transformation both nationally and internationally and has been part of the Bosch Foundation’s Journalism Program for German and American Journalists since 2010. Mr. Nichols was a juror for the Pulitzer Prizes in 2009 and chaired the National Reporting jury in 2010. He also is a past Secretary/Treasurer of the Executive Committee of the Reporter’s Committee for Freedom of the Press. He graduated from Indiana University.

Jon Barrett

Editor-in-Chief

Jon Barrett is Editor-in-Chief of the Bloomberg Cities Content Unit at Freedman Consulting, LLC, and is using his two-decade experience as a journalist to uncover and tell stories about public-sector innovation. Mr. Barrett previously served as Editor-in-Chief at The Advocate, Los Angeles Bureau Chief at Entertainment Weekly, Features Director at O at Home, and Senior Editor at Real Simple, Cargo and a number of other magazines. Additionally, he has written and collaborated on a number of books, including Hero of Flight 93: Mark Bingham; Why Marriage Matters (with author Evan Wolfson), and The New York Times-bestseller The Meaning of Matthew (with author Judy Shepard). He is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and Idaho State University.

Conor McKay

Project Director

Conor McKay is a Project Director with Freedman Consulting, LLC, where he leads projects focused on research, policy development, strategic planning, and issue advocacy.

Mr. McKay has worked as a political and policy advisor in and out of government, in the public, private, and non-profit sectors, at both the federal and local levels. Before joining the firm in 2019, he was an Aspen Institute Fellow and inaugural director of the Institute’s Future of Work Initiative, investigating the ways in which technology and globalization are reshaping work in the 21st century, and developing bipartisan policy solutions to protect and restore economic opportunity. Mr. McKay led and authored policy white papers on reimagining capitalism, reinventing workplace benefits and protections, reforming the social safety net, and preparing the workforce for automation. Prior to his work at Aspen, he was a Special Assistant on Vice President Joe Biden’s staff at the White House. He served as Chief of Staff for the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles debt reduction commission. And he provided key policy development and data analysis for Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan’s efforts to revitalize basic city services.

Mr. McKay holds a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Michigan and a Bachelors in English from the College of William and Mary.

Jarrid Green

Project Director

Jarrid Green is a Project Director at Freedman Consulting, LLC., where he provides public policy and philanthropic research, strategic planning, and business development support for the firm and its clients. Prior to joining the Freedman team, Mr. Green served in senior research and project management capacities at The Democracy Collaborative and The Center for Social Inclusion where he focused on the development and promotion of racially-equitable community and economic development policies. Additionally, Mr. Green’s experience includes tenures with The Smithsonian Institution’s Office of Policy and Analysis and Center for Education and Museum Studies, respectively, as well as the 2012 Obama Campaign.

Mr. Green is a 2016 Council of Urban Professionals Leadership Institute fellow, a former White House intern, a U.S. Department of the Interior fellow, and a recipient of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund’s Earl Warren Scholarship. Mr. Green earned a Master of Business Administration from Bard College’s MBA in Sustainability Program in 2018 and a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature from the University of Maryland at College Park in 2009.

Maria White

Project Director

New York City, New York

Maria White is a Project Director at Freedman Consulting, LLC, where she leads client engagements involving policy research, strategic planning, and issue advocacy campaigns. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. White was the Deputy Director in the Office of the Secretary at the Democratic National Committee.

Ms. White was with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) for six years in a number of high-level roles, including as the Political Research Director, where she developed and managed SEIU’s research infrastructure, and as the Health Care Reform Campaign Lead Researcher. She also served as a Senior Member Strength Specialist on Immigration, where she focused on activating and training local SEIU leaders and membership.

She previously worked as a Research Analyst at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee during the 2008 election cycle, and held research positions with Athena Group Research, MSHC Partners, Inc., and the International Peace Operations Association. Ms. White has a degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University.

Talya Karr

Project Director

Talya Karr is a Project Director with Freedman Consulting, LLC, where she leads strategic planning, public policy, and philanthropic research efforts for a variety of clients.

Prior to joining Freedman, Ms. Karr worked at Deloitte Consulting, where she managed strategy projects for public sector clients including the Department of State and Library of Congress. Previously, she supported global public health programs, focusing on HIV/AIDS and gender, at the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Ms. Karr serves on the Advisory Council for the nonprofit Global Kids. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from the University of Washington, and a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University.

Michelle Diggles

Deputy Editor, Director of Research

Michelle Diggles is the Deputy Editor, Director of Research of the Bloomberg Cities Content Unit at Freedman Consulting, LLC. Drawing upon decades of political experience and multi-method research expertise, Dr. Diggles unearths knowledge and insights from public sector innovation at the municipal level to help practitioners better engage and serve their communities. She previously was the lead public opinion and political analyst at the Washington, DC-based think tank Third Way, served as an advocate for students and tenants, and worked on several political campaigns. Dr. Diggles was a professor of international affairs and political science at Lewis & Clark College and has also taught at American University, the University of Oregon, and Portland State University. Her work has appeared in such outlets as MSNBC, FOX News, Washington Journal, The Atlantic, The National Journal, USA Today, Real Clear Politics, Politico, The Washington Post, and Slate. Dr. Diggles earned her Bachelor of Science in Political Science at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and her Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Oregon.

Christopher Swope

Deputy Editor

Christopher Swope is Deputy Editor of the Bloomberg Cities Content Unit at Freedman Consulting, LLC., where he tells stories about public-sector innovation in cities around the world.  Previously, he launched and edited Citiscope, an online news site focused on urban solutions, and worked at NPR as editorial coordinator of StateImpact, a project focused on coverage of state government by stations in eight states. Mr. Swope’s two decades in journalism include an editing role at the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Stateline news site, and roles in writing, editing and management at Governing magazine. He is a graduate of American University’s School of Communications.

Kyla Elzinga

Director of Operations & Special Assistant for Planning

Kyla Elzinga is the Director of Operations & Special Assistant for Planning with Freedman Consulting, LLC, where she oversees general office operations, hiring processes, assists with special projects and firm planning, and oversees the firm internship program. Prior to joining Freedman Consulting as an Administrative Associate and later serving as Special Assistant to the President, she was a Production Assistant with the media consulting firm, McKenna Pihlaja. Ms. Elzinga previously interned with the White House in the Office of the Vice President and for Representative Keith Ellison’s campaign and Representative Dave Loebsack. Ms. Elzinga is a graduate of Hope College with a degree in Political Science.

Mira Kline

Director of Talent Acquisition

Mira Kline is the Director of Talent Acquisition for Freedman Consulting, LLC, where she is responsible for driving hiring processes and working with senior staff to develop talent strategies that support the ongoing needs of the firm.

Prior to joining Freedman, Ms. Kline spent over six years working with executive search firms supporting leading national and international nonprofit organizations, philanthropic institutions, and think tanks in their hiring and talent needs. Ms. Kline has worked with organizations across a range of policy and issue areas spanning veterans affairs, internet freedom, technology and human rights, and health and human services, among others. Previously, she served as Consular Associate at the U.S. Embassy Branch Office Tel Aviv and as a Program Analyst within the Center for Public Health Policy at the American Public Health Association.

Ms. Kline holds a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Brandeis University and a Master of Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Pia Ulrich

Director of Contracts and Administration

Pia Ulrich is the Director of Contracts and Administration at Freedman Consulting, LLC, where she works closely with the CFO in handling the firm’s contracting, finance, and benefits needs. Prior to joining Freedman Consulting, she worked at the Federation of American Scientists, first as a Policy Analyst, and later in the Operations & Finance Executive Team. Previous work experiences include a research internship at the Partnership for Global Security, and four years as a Researcher at the European Legal Studies Institute in Germany. Ms. Ulrich has a Master’s degree in Security Policy Studies from The George Washington University, and holds a law degree from the University of Osnabrueck, Germany.

Emily Van Dusen

Project Manager

As a Project Manager with Freedman Consulting, LLC, Emily Van Dusen conducts strategic planning, in-depth policy research, and issue advocacy for foundations and nonprofit clients. Her portfolio has included providing advice and analysis around criminal justice reform, government innovation, consumer issues and the future of work, and strategies for high-impact philanthropic giving.

Prior to joining the firm as a Research Associate, she worked for the Clerk of the House of Representatives as a Public Information Specialist, where she assisted congressional staff with disclosure documentation and helped members of the public navigate congressional procedures. Ms. Van Dusen also helped manage donor relations as a Development and Communications Assistant at University of Michigan’s Center for the Education of Women. Her previous experience also includes internships at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the U.S. Department of Education, and the office of Congressman John Dingell (MI-12).

Ms. Van Dusen graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, where her degree included a focus area on civil rights and social justice.

Sandra Fuentes Hashimoto

Senior Research Associate

Sandra Fuentes is a Senior Research Associate at Freedman Consulting, LLC, where she supports the Bloomberg Cities Content Unit.

Prior to joining the firm, she worked for C230 Consultores, a public policy consulting firm based in Mexico City that specializes in the analysis, design, evaluation and implementation of public policies. She worked in projects related to criminal justice, crime prevention, public health, innovation, urban planning, housing, economic development, education and social mobility. In addition, she worked at the University of Chicago Survey Lab where she designed qualitative and quantitative tools for data collection processes related to three public health projects in order to characterize access to healthcare in the US. She did a short-term consulting project with Tala, an international development firm that specializes in micro finance, by offering micro loans to people without credit history or access to credit in emerging countries.  Her previous experience also includes internships at the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, the French Embassy in Mexico City, the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Executive Office of the President in Mexico City.

Ms. Fuentes earned a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Economics at Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM) and a Master’s in Public Policy at the University of Chicago, where she specialized in international development and program evaluation.

Marcus Ransom

Senior Associate

Marcus Ransom is a Senior Associate at Freedman Consulting, LLC. As a Senior Associate, he supports project teams in strategic planning, research, and communications for clients.

Prior to joining Freedman Consulting, LLC, Mr. Ransom served as a Legislative and Public Policy Summer Clerk for Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP. In this capacity, Mr. Ransom worked closely with a diverse team of attorneys, policy advisors, and policy specialists within the issue-areas of education, international trade, and healthcare policy, among others. Mr. Ransom supported the practice group by conducting legislative research and analysis, drafting reports for clients, covering Congressional hearings, researching regulatory grants, and preparing daily policy briefings. He also participated in multiple visits to Capitol Hill to advocate for the public policy interests of various clients.

Before joining Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP, Mr. Ransom worked as a Business Development Intern for the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation and a Legislative Intern for the Office of Congresswoman Kathy Castor (FL-14). As a Business Development Intern, Mr. Ransom worked closely with the Business Development team, in conjunction with CareerSource Tampa Bay, to recruit companies for programs to promote the career development of young professionals.

As a Legislative Intern, Mr. Ransom drafted reports on multiple Congressional Briefings related to domestic commerce, international affairs, immigration, and sustainable environmental policy, researched legislation in order to appropriately respond to daily constituent concerns, and facilitated multiple constituent tours of the Capitol building.

Mr. Ransom graduated from Emory University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a minor in Political Science.

Mira Ahmad

Senior Associate

Palo Alto, California

Mira Ahmad is a Senior Associate at Freedman Consulting, LLC, where she supports the firm’s California clients with strategy, research, and communications.

Prior to joining Freedman Consulting, Ms. Ahmad worked as a Senior Associate at the Global Development Incubator, where she partnered with startups and entrepreneurs to design, build and launch their social impact enterprises. Before joining the Global Development Incubator, Ms. Ahmad spent two and a half years at Abt Associates Inc. developing and implementing the firm’s digital strategy, and project managing priority business development efforts. She has consulted for a number of clients on digital interventions for social impact, including the Partnership for Newborn, Maternal and Child Health, Discovery Learning Alliance, and Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Ms. Ahmad earned a Bachelor of Arts in History with a minor in Urban Studies from Princeton University.

Omnia Shedid

Senior Associate

Omnia Shedid is a Senior Associate at Freedman Consulting, LLC. As a Senior Associate, she supports project teams in strategic planning, research, and communications for clients.

Prior to joining Freedman, Ms. Shedid was a Political Research Associate at Priorities USA, where she led the research effort for high profile Democratic U.S. Senate and House campaigns. In addition, Ms. Shedid provided quality assurance and substantiation for external content as well as political advertisements.

Before joining Priorities USA, Omnia was a member of the United States Foreign Service Internship Cohort with the U.S. Department of State. As a Foreign Service intern, Ms. Shedid served at the Office of Policy for the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and at the U.S. Embassy in Spain. While at the Office of Policy, Ms. Shedid assisted in preparing outgoing Foreign Service Officers, conducted foreign policy research, and helped the policy office maintain communication with participants of foreign exchange programs. During her time at the U.S. Embassy, Ms. Shedid wrote daily reports on U.S. – Spain relations and supported research projects for the Political and Economic Section portfolios. Her previous experiences include internships on congressional and gubernatorial campaigns as well as Capitol Hill.

While an undergraduate, Ms. Shedid founded the Higher Education Initiative, a program that provided Baltimore City high school students with mentorship and preparation for college and vocational schools. Ms. Shedid also served as Solicitor General of her alma mater’s Student Government Association, where she fought for students’ rights and organized the university’s first ever Know Your Rights Campaign.

Ms. Shedid graduated from Towson University with a degree in Political Science and American Studies.

Ian Reitz

Social Media Manager

Ian Reitz is the Social Media Manager of the Bloomberg Cities Content Unit at Freedman Consulting, LLC., where he works to develop and execute impactful social media strategies to elevate the rapidly evolving public-sector innovation movement. Previously, Mr. Reitz served as the Communications VISTA for College Possible Philadelphia, a college access and success non-profit. He was responsible for implementing print and digital strategies to enhance stakeholder engagement and increase the organization’s visibility. Mr. Reitz is a graduate of Saint Joseph’s University, with degrees in Marketing and Business Intelligence.

Lauren Schumitz

Executive Manager for the President

Lauren Schumitz is the Executive Manager for the President at Freedman Consulting, LLC, where she aids the firm president with project tracking, new business acquisition, research, and scheduling and logistics. She is also a member of the administrative team, where she helps with firm operations and the management of the internship program.

Ms. Schumitz started at Freedman Consulting in 2018 as an Administrative Associate. Prior to joining the firm, she interned at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as the Production Intern, where she supported theater and event logistics. Ms. Schumitz also interned at The Smithsonian Associates Discovery Theater, during which time she assisted with stage and audience management. In addition, Ms. Schumitz spent a summer in China as an English teacher for elementary school children.

Ms. Schumitz graduated summa cum laude from The George Washington University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Sciences and a minor in Psychology.

Ake Kankirawatana

Research Associate

Ake Kankirawatana is a Research Associate at Freedman Consulting, LLC, where he supports project teams with strategic planning, research, and communications for clients.

Mr. Kankirawatana’s background lies in a range of experience across the public and non-profit sectors. Prior to joining the firm, he interned at the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington, D.C. in the Climate and Clean Energy program, assisting in policy research on climate change-related health disparities and disaster preparedness of marginalized populations. Previously, he served the Intergovernmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees as an intern at the International Organization for Migration in Geneva, Switzerland, conducting landscapes of European countries’ migration policies to inform member states of evolving trends in the management of global migratory flows. Before that, he interned at OneAmerica, the largest immigrant and refugee advocacy organization in Washington State, supporting policy research and issue advocacy on a variety of immigration and environmental issues, as well as organizing for an issue campaign centered on climate and economic justice for people of color.

Mr. Kankirawatana graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and minor in History. He is also a certified Wilderness First Responder.

Chrissy Rujiraorchai

Research Associate

Chrissy Rujiraorchai is a Research Associate with Freedman Consulting, LLC. In this role, she supports project teams in strategic planning, research, and communications efforts for clients.

Prior to joining Freedman Consulting, Ms. Rujiraorchai worked as a PURE Member Advocate in high-net worth insurance to manage a variety of projects that involved strategic planning, research, and composition skills.

As an undergraduate, Ms. Rujiraorchai was a Denning Fellow and worked with Safe Passage’s development office to provide a holistic education for the poorest, most at-risk students in the Guatemala City dump. At Safe Passage, her work allowed her to develop a better understanding of cross-cultural non-profits. Her research investigated how language and culture influences the processing, expression of, and recovery from grief and crisis, as well as how these things might impact the provision of services, regulation, and policy in working with multicultural communities. While working with Safe Passage, she focused on developing self-sustainable programs and materials for recruiting and cultivating engagement with the organization. Her worked primarily focused on program design, analysis, strategy, and implementation.

Ms. Rujiraorchai graduated from Bowdoin College with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Legal Studies, specializing in International Relations and Comparative Government, and a second major in Hispanic Studies. While at Bowdoin, Ms. Rujiraorchai was awarded the Henni Friedlander award, which is  awarded to an undergraduate who has overcome adversity in his or her own life and gone on to contribute significantly to the common good. As a student leader, she participated in advocacy and community-oriented groups serving many roles including the BSG Vice President of Academic Affairs, CLT Baldwin Mentor, Joseph McKeen BVC Fellow, Orientation Fellow, and was the student representative of Bowdoin’s executive search committees and Trustees committees.

Claire Carey

Research Associate

Claire Carey is a Research Associate at Freedman Consulting, LLC. As a Research Associate, she supports project teams in strategic planning, research, and communications for clients.

Prior to joining Freedman Consulting, LLC, Ms. Carey was a Fulbright Scholar in Brazil where she acted as an English Teaching Assistant at the University Federal de Viçosa. Ms. Carey has experience working in communications and policy as an intern for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and for Public Knowledge. At the Center, she was responsible for tracking live legislation and reporting media coverage of state and federal policy designed to reduce poverty and inequality within housing, food assistance, healthcare, and immigration. She acted as a liaison between different policy teams and the communications team when assisting in media trainings, press rollouts, and pitches. In addition, she conducted an independent research project creating lesson plans to teach public policy through a lens of poverty and racial equity. At Public Knowledge, Ms. Carey researched telecommunications and anti-trust law, wrote political actions, and planned constituent events focused on the intersection of technology and social justice. Carey also worked for a Member of the British Parliament and for a legal nonprofit, where she focused on local issues in housing, criminal justice, and immigration.

Ms. Carey graduated summa cum laude from Villanova University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and minors in Sociology and Spanish. While at Villanova, Ms. Carey was a student leader for the school’s Special Olympics program and a board member for Villanova’s Chapter of Habitat for Humanity. She also volunteered as a tutor in Philadelphia and as a mentor for low-income Brazilian students applying to college in the United States.

Matt James

Special Projects Advisor

Matt James has long been a non-profit and philanthropic leader, and is recognized as an innovator in communications initiatives for social good, both in the Bay Area and nationally. Mr. James’ award-winning contributions extend to strategic communications and campaigns in health, climate change and early childhood development. He most recently was a visiting scholar at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, where he worked to increase funding on health and climate change. Mr. James was co-founder and president of Next Generation and spent many years at the Kaiser Family Foundation, where he was a principal architect of Kaiser Health News and oversaw the Foundation’s media and public education work. He began his career in politics, serving as a key aide to Congressman Mo Udall as well as Senators Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Dale Bumpers. Passionate about public health, Mr. James currently serves on the board of the CDC Foundation, as well as advisory committees for the National Wildlife Federation and the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health.

Mary Smith

Senior Advisor

Mary L. Smith specializes in corporate governance, compliance, operations, regulatory matters, data privacy, government and public policy, and risk management. Ms. Smith is also a national leader on health equity. She has served on boards, as the chief executive officer of a $6 billion national healthcare organization, and as chief legal officer. Her industry experience includes healthcare, insurance and banking.

In her private sector experience, Ms. Smith started her career in technology at Walgreens and Northern Trust. In these positions, she worked side-by-side with the business leaders to address technology needs, attract customers and develop strategy. Ms. Smith is currently Vice Chair at the VENG Group where she consults on business development, strategy, healthcare, and corporate governance. She previously served in a senior role at Tyco International (US) Inc., a $40 billion public company, where she managed one of the most high-profile corporate governance matters in the country. At Tyco, Ms. Smith managed a $60 million budget and regularly advised the board and senior executives on corporate governance matters and compliance. Ms. Smith also served as Special Counsel & Estate Trust Officer at the Office of Special Deputy Receiver in Chicago, Illinois where she managed over 20 insurance companies with approximately $1.5 billion in assets.

Ms. Smith has served at the highest levels of government, both at the federal and state level. Ms. Smith was the chief executive responsible for managing a national healthcare system (the Indian Health Service) serving over 2.2 million persons with a budget of over $6 billion that included 26 hospitals. Ms. Smith has also served on the senior team of the Civil Division at the United States Department of Justice and was General Counsel at the Illinois Department of Insurance and member of senior management, overseeing legal and compliance functions. Earlier in her career, Ms. Smith served in the Clinton White House as Associate Counsel to the President and Associate Director of Policy Planning in the Domestic Policy Council.

Ms. Smith was an attorney at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in Washington, D.C. While at Skadden, Ms. Smith specialized in governmental investigations and securities class actions.

Ms. Smith is Secretary and a member of the board of directors of the American Bar Association and a board member of the National Women’s History Museum. She is also a Member of the National Policy and Innovation Council for WellCare (NYSE: WCG). She is also the Founder and Board Chair of the Caroline and Ora Smith Foundation which promotes Native American girls in STEM fields. She has completed the Stanford Law School’s Directors’ College as well as Women’s Director Development Program at Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. She is also an NACD Board Leadership Fellow.

Ms. Smith graduated from the University of Chicago School of Law, cum laude and received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Computer Science, magna cum laude, from Loyola University of Chicago. Ms. Smith is Native American and is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation.

Monique Rizer

Senior Advisor

Monique Rizer is a Senior Advisor with Freedman Consulting, LLC. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Washington, D.C. region of Urban Alliance, a national youth development nonprofit.

Ms. Rizer started work as a Marketing Assistant at LeMaster & Daniels PLLC before taking a job as a Development Associate at the National Military Family Association. From there, Ms. Rizer worked in freelance writing and editing for two years until she was hired as Deputy Director of Spouse Programs, Marketing and Contract Services at the Military Officer’s Association of America. In this position, she created the Keeping a Career on the Move® program, which earned the American Society for Association Executives (ASAE) ‘Power of A’ Silver Award, was featured multiple times by the White House and continues today, having tripled in growth since its launch. Following this position, Ms. Rizer was the Senior Director of Communications and Marketing at Child Care Aware of America. She then became the Chief of Staff for Be The Change, Inc. before joining one of its three issue-based campaigns, Opportunity Nation, as the Executive Director.

Ms. Rizer was a member of the first class of Gates Millennium Scholars, earning her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Gonzaga University and a master’s degree in information management from Syracuse University. Ms. Rizer is mom to two sons, the eldest who serves as an Infantrymen in the Army National Guard.

Xavier Briggs

Advisor

Xavier Briggs is an Advisor with Freedman Consulting, LLC. He currently serves as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at NYU and as a nonresident senior fellow at the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings.

Mr. Briggs served as vice president of the Ford Foundation for six years, overseeing the foundation’s inclusive economies and markets work globally along with its regional program teams based in China, India, and Indonesia. Following a reorganization in early 2019, he helped the foundation consolidate and launch the division of U.S. Programs, overseeing domestic programming in a wide range of areas. He led the foundation’s efforts to build the field of impact investing and, starting in 2017, to commit $1 billion of endowment assets for that purpose over a decade. Mr. Briggs was also a member of the executive committee of the board of Living Cities, a consortium of America’s largest private foundations and financial companies.

Prior to joining the Ford Foundation, Mr. Briggs was tenured full professor of sociology and urban planning in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and served as head of MIT’s Housing, Community, and Economic Development Group. His books include The Geography of Opportunity (Brookings, 2005), Democracy as Problem Solving: Civic Capacity in Communities Across the Globe (MIT Press, 2008), and Moving to Opportunity: The Story of an American Experiment to Fight Ghetto Poverty (Oxford University Press, 2010).

From January 2009 to August 2011, while on public service leave from MIT, Mr. Briggs served as associate director of the White House Office of Management and Budget. Earlier in his career, he served as a community planner in the South Bronx, a policy advisor and R&D director at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, a fellow of the Urban Institute, and associate professor of public policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Mr. Briggs currently serves on the boards of the Global Impact Investing Network, Demos, Just Capital, and the Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences and is an elected member of the National Academy of Public Administration. His views have appeared in the New York Times, Boston Globe, CNN, and other major media, in English and in Spanish.

Mr. Briggs holds an engineering degree from Stanford University, an MPA from Harvard, and a PhD in sociology and education from Columbia University. He studied as a Rotary Scholar at the Federal University of Bahia in Brazil. Raised in Miami and The Bahamas, and with roots in Africa, Europe and Latin America, he and his wife live in Brooklyn.