Gavin Devore Leonard
Co-DirectorGavin DeVore Leonard is Ohio Voice’s Co-Director, managing 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.
Email:[email protected]
Pronouns:he/him/his
James Hayes
Co-DirectorJames is Ohio Voice’s Co-Director, working to 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.
Email:[email protected]
Pronouns:he/him/his
Adam Parsons
Data & Digital DirectorAdam 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.
Email:[email protected]
Pronouns:he/him/his
Charlie Stewart
Outreach ManagerCharlie 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.
Email:[email protected]
Pronouns:they/them/their
Katie Vaughn
Finance and Administration DirectorKatie Vaughn is the Finance and Administration Director for Ohio Voice. She assists in the human resources, financial, administration, and operations of the organization.
Katie was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her background includes experience in human resources, finance, and administration. In 2019, Katie graduated from Capella University with her MBA with a specialization in human resources. Soon after graduation, Katie realized how much she loved education and decided to venture back into school as a tutor for Capella University, as well, continue on to receive her Doctorate of Business Administration. Katie is set to graduate in 2022 and can’t wait to have free time! Along with her husband, daughter, two crazy dogs, and two lazy cats, (oh, and a turtle!), Katie lives in Athens, Ohio, and enjoys spending time in the woods, going on vacation, long walks on the beach, reading, and spending time with her family.
Email:[email protected]
Pronouns:she/her/hers
Alwiyah Shariff
Training & Fellowship ManagerAlwiyah 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.
Email:[email protected]
Pronouns:she/her/hers
Angela Lin
Communications ManagerAngela is the Communications Manager for Ohio Voice, supporting the communications needs of partners and telling the story of Ohio Voice.
Born and raised in Dayton, Angela got her Bachelor’s degree in English at the University of Michigan (Go Blue!), where she also minored in Environment. Her involvement with Food Recovery Network during her time at U of M and as an alumna highlights her passion for environmental justice and food justice.
After moving back home to Dayton at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Angela served as the Employment Aide at Homefull through a three-month AmeriCorps term during the summer of 2020. Once that concluded, she continued her service as an AmeriCorps VISTA at the Second Harvest Food Bank of Clark, Champaign, and Logan Counties in Springfield. As their Client Engagement VISTA, Angela spent a year helping the food bank build capacity and expand their outreach and engagement strategies by writing social media and blog posts, starting a SNAP Assistance Program, planning community events, and sharing stories of neighbors, partners, and volunteers.
Angela is excited to be back in her hometown and learning more about the civic engagement work being done throughout the state and how she can support the movement from a communications standpoint. In her spare time, Angela enjoys playing Nintendo games, watching wombat videos, and working on various art projects depending on whatever phase she’s going through at the moment (previous phases include Sharpie pointillism, wire art, and string art!).
Email:[email protected]
Pronouns:she/her/hers
Stuart McIntyre
Development CoordinatorStuart McIntyre is the Development Coordinator for Ohio Voice. He supports collaborative fundraising efforts to expand and diversify revenue streams to benefit partners, and the broader civic engagement & progressive movement ecosystem in Ohio.
Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, Stuart inherited a deep sense of compassion, curiosity and a strong moral compass from his family, leading him to dedicate himself to the work of social, economic and racial justice. He co-founded the Ohio Student Association, and several other local and statewide organizations and initiatives, all with the purpose of empowering everyday people to repair our common social fabric, and build grassroots power for a safer, healthier, more equitable world. Most recently, working for the Ohio Federation of Teachers, Stuart brought together teachers, parents, administrators, community activists and others to launch the Ohio Community Learning Center Collaborative to grow the number of community-centered schools in Ohio. He brings experience in campaigning, leadership development and training, fundraising, and coalition-building in a diverse set of Ohio communities.
Stuart is an avid gardener, a soccer lover and a proud cat dad. He loves cooking for family and friends, reading, and playing chess.
Email:[email protected]
Pronouns:he/him/his
Courtney Flynn
Courtney Flynn is the Volunteer Engagement Manager for the Ohio Voter Rights Coalition. She focuses on connecting and engaging with organizations and volunteers across the state to ensure statewide election protection and that all Ohioans have the access and resources to vote confidently.
Courtney became very active in advocacy work as a senior studying Political Science and Pre-Law at Cleveland State University. Seeing the political climate around the country at the time, Courtney decided to take time off of school to become a field organizer, doing electoral organizing for candidates and issues that were important and affecting Ohioans. After returning to finish her degree, she realized how passionate she was for local grassroots activism and began organizing all across Ohio for various campaigns over the years trying to find creative ways to connect people and the issues they care about. Courtney is excited to keep organizing and connecting with volunteers and activists through the Ohio Voter Rights Coalition to build a strong network that will continually help educate, enfranchise, and mobilize more voters to get involved in communities all across Ohio.
Gavin Devore Leonard
Co-DirectorGavin DeVore Leonard is Ohio Voice’s Co-Director, managing 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.
Email:[email protected]
Pronouns:he/him/his
James Hayes
Co-DirectorJames is Ohio Voice’s Co-Director, working to 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.
Email:[email protected]
Pronouns:he/him/his
Adam Parsons
Data & Digital DirectorAdam 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.
Email:[email protected]
Pronouns:he/him/his
Charlie Stewart
Outreach ManagerCharlie 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.
Email:[email protected]
Pronouns:they/them/their
Katie Vaughn
Finance and Administration DirectorKatie Vaughn is the Finance and Administration Director for Ohio Voice. She assists in the human resources, financial, administration, and operations of the organization.
Katie was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her background includes experience in human resources, finance, and administration. In 2019, Katie graduated from Capella University with her MBA with a specialization in human resources. Soon after graduation, Katie realized how much she loved education and decided to venture back into school as a tutor for Capella University, as well, continue on to receive her Doctorate of Business Administration. Katie is set to graduate in 2022 and can’t wait to have free time! Along with her husband, daughter, two crazy dogs, and two lazy cats, (oh, and a turtle!), Katie lives in Athens, Ohio, and enjoys spending time in the woods, going on vacation, long walks on the beach, reading, and spending time with her family.
Email:[email protected]
Pronouns:she/her/hers
Alwiyah Shariff
Training & Fellowship ManagerAlwiyah 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.
Email:[email protected]
Pronouns:she/her/hers
Angela Lin
Communications ManagerAngela is the Communications Manager for Ohio Voice, supporting the communications needs of partners and telling the story of Ohio Voice.
Born and raised in Dayton, Angela got her Bachelor’s degree in English at the University of Michigan (Go Blue!), where she also minored in Environment. Her involvement with Food Recovery Network during her time at U of M and as an alumna highlights her passion for environmental justice and food justice.
After moving back home to Dayton at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Angela served as the Employment Aide at Homefull through a three-month AmeriCorps term during the summer of 2020. Once that concluded, she continued her service as an AmeriCorps VISTA at the Second Harvest Food Bank of Clark, Champaign, and Logan Counties in Springfield. As their Client Engagement VISTA, Angela spent a year helping the food bank build capacity and expand their outreach and engagement strategies by writing social media and blog posts, starting a SNAP Assistance Program, planning community events, and sharing stories of neighbors, partners, and volunteers.
Angela is excited to be back in her hometown and learning more about the civic engagement work being done throughout the state and how she can support the movement from a communications standpoint. In her spare time, Angela enjoys playing Nintendo games, watching wombat videos, and working on various art projects depending on whatever phase she’s going through at the moment (previous phases include Sharpie pointillism, wire art, and string art!).
Email:[email protected]
Pronouns:she/her/hers
Stuart McIntyre
Development CoordinatorStuart McIntyre is the Development Coordinator for Ohio Voice. He supports collaborative fundraising efforts to expand and diversify revenue streams to benefit partners, and the broader civic engagement & progressive movement ecosystem in Ohio.
Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, Stuart inherited a deep sense of compassion, curiosity and a strong moral compass from his family, leading him to dedicate himself to the work of social, economic and racial justice. He co-founded the Ohio Student Association, and several other local and statewide organizations and initiatives, all with the purpose of empowering everyday people to repair our common social fabric, and build grassroots power for a safer, healthier, more equitable world. Most recently, working for the Ohio Federation of Teachers, Stuart brought together teachers, parents, administrators, community activists and others to launch the Ohio Community Learning Center Collaborative to grow the number of community-centered schools in Ohio. He brings experience in campaigning, leadership development and training, fundraising, and coalition-building in a diverse set of Ohio communities.
Stuart is an avid gardener, a soccer lover and a proud cat dad. He loves cooking for family and friends, reading, and playing chess.
Email:[email protected]
Pronouns:he/him/his
Courtney Flynn
Courtney Flynn is the Volunteer Engagement Manager for the Ohio Voter Rights Coalition. She focuses on connecting and engaging with organizations and volunteers across the state to ensure statewide election protection and that all Ohioans have the access and resources to vote confidently.
Courtney became very active in advocacy work as a senior studying Political Science and Pre-Law at Cleveland State University. Seeing the political climate around the country at the time, Courtney decided to take time off of school to become a field organizer, doing electoral organizing for candidates and issues that were important and affecting Ohioans. After returning to finish her degree, she realized how passionate she was for local grassroots activism and began organizing all across Ohio for various campaigns over the years trying to find creative ways to connect people and the issues they care about. Courtney is excited to keep organizing and connecting with volunteers and activists through the Ohio Voter Rights Coalition to build a strong network that will continually help educate, enfranchise, and mobilize more voters to get involved in communities all across Ohio.