Programs

Outreach Manager

Charlie Stewart

Charlie Stewart is the Outreach Manager for Ohio Voice. They focus on community and relationship building, incubation and onboarding, project management, outreach, and capacity and needs analysis for civic engagement programs.

Charlie was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. They are a Black, indigenous, and queer radical organizer living in Columbus, Ohio. Their background includes volunteer coordination and management, grassroots organizing, campaign strategic planning and analysis, cultural competency and inclusion, event planning and fundraising. They graduated with a B.A studying political science, Spanish, and queer studies at Denison University in Granville, Ohio. 

In their spare time, they are one of the lead organizers for a grassroots organization, Black Queer & Intersectional Collective (BQIC), that works towards the liberation of Black queer, trans, and intersex people from all walks of life through direct action, community organizing, education on issues, and creating spaces to uplift Black voices. They are also the co-founder of Columbus Community Pride which is a grassroots LGBTQIA+ pride celebration consisting of four events and a festival focused on BIPOC identities and vulnerable communities without police and rainbow capitalism. As an abolitionist fighting against state sanctioned violence, they are a proud member of Columbus Freedom Coalition and Columbus Freedom Fund. Their goal in fighting for liberation and freedom is to help BIPOC communities address trauma from imperialism, capitalism, and systemic racism. Bless

Co-Director

Gavin Devore Leonard

Gavin DeVore Leonard is the Executive Director for Ohio Voice, responsible for fundraising and finance, strategic planning, and more.

His background includes serving as State Director of One Ohio Now (our budget and tax policy coalition) from 2011-17, State Director of Ohio’s Center for Progressive Leadership from ’08-’11, co-founder and Executive Director of Elementz (a hip hop-based youth arts center in Cincinnati) from ’05-’08, and years working for affordable housing organizations, canvassing on environmental issues, and plenty of volunteer work – often on racial justice and police accountability. He didn’t finish New York University because he was so excited to get to work :).

Gavin lives in Yellow Springs with his wife and two kids and loves rivers, basketball, Tetris, hip hop, flavorful food, and reading.

Training & Fellowship Manager

Alwiyah Shariff

Alwiyah Shariff is the Training & Fellowship Manager at Ohio Voice. In 2007, as a high-schooler,  she started her organizing career on a campaign to raise the minimum wage and learned how to advocate for young people in the system. Since then, she has worked in multiple sectors of the social justice movement including protest organizing, lobbying, union organizing and field organizing – registering over 45,000 young people in Ohio to vote as Ohio Student Association’s Field Director. She’s also been a trainer for multiple training institutions including the Midwest Academy, Momentum and WildFire. She is coming to us from her role as the National Membership Coordinator with the Working Families Party and is eager to work (strictly) in Ohio at such a critical time in our country. She lives in Columbus, Ohio with her family and loves to travel back home to East Africa.

Co-Director

James Hayes

James is Ohio Voice’s Deputy Director, and works in close partnership with the Executive Director to set and meet organizational goals and budgets, develop strong relationships with partners and other stakeholders, and more.

In 2012, James co-founded the Ohio Student Association (OSA) where he served as Co-Director for four years. In 2015, James was named to the Root 100 as one of the one hundred most influential Black leaders in the country.

Most recently, James worked as Training Director for the Ayni Institute where he designed and led training programs on organizing and movement building for leaders from across the nation and across different movements.

James was born and raised in Columbus, OH where he currently lives with his wife Amelia and dog Ella. He graduated from the Ohio State University in 2012 with a degree in political science and a minor in history.

Co-Director

Gavin Devore Leonard

Gavin DeVore Leonard is the Executive Director for Ohio Voice, responsible for fundraising and finance, strategic planning, and more.

His background includes serving as State Director of One Ohio Now (our budget and tax policy coalition) from 2011-17, State Director of Ohio’s Center for Progressive Leadership from ’08-’11, co-founder and Executive Director of Elementz (a hip hop-based youth arts center in Cincinnati) from ’05-’08, and years working for affordable housing organizations, canvassing on environmental issues, and plenty of volunteer work – often on racial justice and police accountability. He didn’t finish New York University because he was so excited to get to work :).

Gavin lives in Yellow Springs with his wife and two kids and loves rivers, basketball, Tetris, hip hop, flavorful food, and reading.

Data & Digital Director

Adam Parsons

Adam Parsons is the Data & Digital Director for Ohio Voice, and assists partners with VAN (Voter Activation Network) administration, campaign planning and analysis, and digital outreach tools and methods.

His background includes grassroots campaign infrastructure, volunteer management, and social media planning and advertising. He has an M.A. in modern U.S. history from Syracuse University and received his undergraduate degree from Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA.

Outreach Manager

Charlie Stewart

Charlie Stewart is the Outreach Manager for Ohio Voice. They focus on community and relationship building, incubation and onboarding, project management, outreach, and capacity and needs analysis for civic engagement programs.

Charlie was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. They are a Black, indigenous, and queer radical organizer living in Columbus, Ohio. Their background includes volunteer coordination and management, grassroots organizing, campaign strategic planning and analysis, cultural competency and inclusion, event planning and fundraising. They graduated with a B.A studying political science, Spanish, and queer studies at Denison University in Granville, Ohio. 

In their spare time, they are one of the lead organizers for a grassroots organization, Black Queer & Intersectional Collective (BQIC), that works towards the liberation of Black queer, trans, and intersex people from all walks of life through direct action, community organizing, education on issues, and creating spaces to uplift Black voices. They are also the co-founder of Columbus Community Pride which is a grassroots LGBTQIA+ pride celebration consisting of four events and a festival focused on BIPOC identities and vulnerable communities without police and rainbow capitalism. As an abolitionist fighting against state sanctioned violence, they are a proud member of Columbus Freedom Coalition and Columbus Freedom Fund. Their goal in fighting for liberation and freedom is to help BIPOC communities address trauma from imperialism, capitalism, and systemic racism. Bless

Election Administration Director

Camille Wimbish, Esq.

Camille Wimbish is the Election Administration Director for Ohio Voice. She organizes statewide election protection efforts and coordinates the Ohio Voter Rights Coalition which advocates for modern election reforms and improved voter access. Camille also coordinates the Ohio Fair Courts Alliance, which is dedicated to creating a court system that exemplifies and protects equity, fairness and justice for all.

Camille has been a valued staff member of Ohio Voice since 2012, collaborating with organizations on programs that strengthen our democracy, including redistricting, fair courts and voter education. Prior to joining Ohio Voice, Camille was a litigation attorney in Cleveland and Columbus. She received her J.D. from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and her bachelor’s degree from Smith College. She is a board member of the Columbus Zoo Association and previously served as a guardian ad litem for CASA Franklin County. Camille and her husband Bruce are raising their two mighty girls to dream their biggest dreams and speak truth to power.

Co-Director

Gavin Devore Leonard

Gavin DeVore Leonard is the Executive Director for Ohio Voice, responsible for fundraising and finance, strategic planning, and more.

His background includes serving as State Director of One Ohio Now (our budget and tax policy coalition) from 2011-17, State Director of Ohio’s Center for Progressive Leadership from ’08-’11, co-founder and Executive Director of Elementz (a hip hop-based youth arts center in Cincinnati) from ’05-’08, and years working for affordable housing organizations, canvassing on environmental issues, and plenty of volunteer work – often on racial justice and police accountability. He didn’t finish New York University because he was so excited to get to work :).

Gavin lives in Yellow Springs with his wife and two kids and loves rivers, basketball, Tetris, hip hop, flavorful food, and reading.

Budget & Tax Policy Director

Nick Bates

Nick has worked on state budget and tax policy since 2012 with One Ohio Now – advocating for great public services that strengthen our community. Nick has joint degrees from Trinity Lutheran Seminary and Capital University Law School where his studies centered on a moral and ethical response to injustice in the world. Prior to his graduate studies, Nick worked for the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO) for nearly six years. He worked on voter registration, leadership development of homeless and transitional youth, and statewide ballot initiatives related to payday lending (2008) and minimum wage (2006). He also worked to bridge the gaps between multiple state and federal social service systems that allowed many youth to fall between the cracks during transition.

Nick is also a consecrated Deacon in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ECLA) where he works to strengthen faith voices to build a stronger and more inclusive Ohio.

Data & Digital Director

Adam Parsons

Adam Parsons is the Data & Digital Director for Ohio Voice, and assists partners with VAN (Voter Activation Network) administration, campaign planning and analysis, and digital outreach tools and methods.

His background includes grassroots campaign infrastructure, volunteer management, and social media planning and advertising. He has an M.A. in modern U.S. history from Syracuse University and received his undergraduate degree from Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA.

Co-Director

James Hayes

James is Ohio Voice’s Deputy Director, and works in close partnership with the Executive Director to set and meet organizational goals and budgets, develop strong relationships with partners and other stakeholders, and more.

In 2012, James co-founded the Ohio Student Association (OSA) where he served as Co-Director for four years. In 2015, James was named to the Root 100 as one of the one hundred most influential Black leaders in the country.

Most recently, James worked as Training Director for the Ayni Institute where he designed and led training programs on organizing and movement building for leaders from across the nation and across different movements.

James was born and raised in Columbus, OH where he currently lives with his wife Amelia and dog Ella. He graduated from the Ohio State University in 2012 with a degree in political science and a minor in history.

Co-Director

Gavin Devore Leonard

Gavin DeVore Leonard is the Executive Director for Ohio Voice, responsible for fundraising and finance, strategic planning, and more.

His background includes serving as State Director of One Ohio Now (our budget and tax policy coalition) from 2011-17, State Director of Ohio’s Center for Progressive Leadership from ’08-’11, co-founder and Executive Director of Elementz (a hip hop-based youth arts center in Cincinnati) from ’05-’08, and years working for affordable housing organizations, canvassing on environmental issues, and plenty of volunteer work – often on racial justice and police accountability. He didn’t finish New York University because he was so excited to get to work :).

Gavin lives in Yellow Springs with his wife and two kids and loves rivers, basketball, Tetris, hip hop, flavorful food, and reading.