Board of Directors 

Gordon Allen, Treasurer  rejoined the Board in 2020, having previously served as Chair from 08-17.  Gordon has served on many non-profit boards in New Hampshire, as well as teaching economics.  He was also Executive Director of the Monadnock Workshop in Peterborough.  Gordon also serves as the Founding Chair of WNHN-FM.  (Antrim, NH )

Ken Barnes, Co-Chair  is a public interest lawyer.  Most recently, as a sole practitioner, his work has focused on civil rights and employment rights, including sexual harassment, unequal pay for women, and abortion rights.  As a legal aid lawyer in NH and the South Bronx, Ken stood up for the rights of poor and low-wage people who were struggling to make ends meet.  He has won lawsuits against state and federal agencies vindicating rights to health care, protecting children from abuse, and public access to Freedom of Information about “what our government is up to.”  Early on in his career, Ken successfully defended a U.S. Congressman who was being sued by the Moonies, and, while at Yale Law School, he was involved in campus speech issues.  He has done extensive volunteer work relating to immigrants’ rights and voting rights.  (Concord, NH) 

Kate Coon, Co-Chair is Chairperson of the PeterboroughPlus unit of League of Women Voters (LWVNH), established in 2017, representing 13 towns in the Monadnock region. She is also one of 5 elected members of the Peterborough Recreation Committee, an active member of Peterborough’s Community Task Force on Housing and a board member (VP) of Peterborough Folk Music. One of the First Women of Yale College, graduating from Yale in 1973, Kate taught and advised students in greater Boston area independent schools for over 30 years, until moving with her husband Seth to Peterborough in 1998. She has enjoyed participating in the Granny D Memorial Walk and supporting Open Democracy in the enduring legacy Granny D Doris Haddock: intrepid and inspiring advocate of strong democracy. (Peterborough) 

Kelsey (Douville) Fisk presently works for America Votes in New Hampshire as part of the voting rights team. Kelsey's background in both issue organizing and candidate campaigns includes working as the lead organizer at Civix Strategy Group in New Hampshire, as a field manager for Forward Montana in Bozeman, Montana, and as a campaign manager for a state Senate race in New Hampshire. She has also worked for campaigns in Colorado and Iowa. Originally from New Hampshire, Kelsey is passionate about community organizing and getting outside. She lives in Massachusetts with her partner and her two dogs, Ken and Callie. (Lincoln, MA)

Ed Taylor, Secretary works with ACLU of New Hampshire  and formerly the Digital Organizing Director for NextGen NH. Ed is a South Florida native who has been in the Granite State for a few years now working to build people power in young and marginalized communities. Ed also works as a Lead Organizer with Rise! in the Upper Valley. Ed is fiercely passionate about empowering, educating, and mobilizing marginalized people to redesign the structures that were created to exclude black people, and people of color. Ed graduated of Florida A&M University, a Historically Black College & University, in 2018 with a Political Science and Economics degree. 

 Maya Getter, Senior Policy Advisor for the City of Boston

** Affiliations listed for identification purposes only. Board members serve in their individual capacities.

Staff 

Olivia Zink, Executive Director 

Olivia has been working as a community organizer in New Hampshire since 2000. Before becoming OD's Executive Director, she served as the Grassroots Engagement Coordinator for the Governing Under the Influence Project in Concord, a project of the American Friends Service Committee. Olivia served as the Program Director for the Coalition for Open Democracy for four years.  She has worked on a broad range of campaigns for economic and social justice with groups including the New Hampshire Citizens Alliance, National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare and the Priorities NH Campaign. Olivia also spent a year in Bolivia working with the Democracy Center.  In 2008, she was named one of New Hampshire’s “40 under 40,” by the NH Union Leader. She is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Sustainable Living, and a graduate of Southern New Hampshire University with a master’s degree in Community Economic Development.

Autumn Raschick-Goodwin, Program Coordinator

Autumn is passionate about equity for all, with a deep affinity for nonprofit work. As Program Coordinator, she plans to utilize her creativity and previous marketing, event planning, fundraising, and volunteer management experience to help build the organization. She works to advocate for the rights of others and encourages individuals to be their own advocates so we can work together toward a brighter future. This role is an opportunity to grow her skill set while making real change to bolster voters' rights. Autumn is an avid human and animal rights supporter with dreams of one day opening her own animal sanctuary and shelter.

In her free time, she loves reading, crocheting (really any creative activities), and traveling.

Extraordinary Open Democracy Fellows 

Davis Allen, Democracy Fellow, 2022 Keene State College

Sara Lobdell, Democracy Fellow, 2020 Antioch University New England

Eden Gebeyehu, Democracy Fellow, 2017

Jordan Cozby, Democracy Fellow, 2017

Kazi Ateea, Democracy Fellow, 2017

Niambi Mercado, Voting Rights Fellow, Spring 2017 Antioch University

Jazmine Langley, Democracy Fellow, Summer 2016 Elon University

Ian Duffee, 2015, SUNY Geneseo (Democracy Matters)

James Giles, 2015, Dartmouth College

Taisuke Iwasaki, 2015, New England College

Kimberly Manriquez, 2015, Humboldt University (Democracy Matters)

Colin McCarty, 2015, Colgate College (Democracy Matters)

Emma Stein, 2015, Union College