fbpx Staff | Carolina Federation

Staff.

Co-Director

Sendolo Diaminah

Sendolo Diaminah is the Co-Director of the Carolina Federation, where s/he works building governing power for working people and communities of color in North Carolina. S/he is a strategist with over 15 years of experience in community and electoral organizing, as well as experience winning and holding elected office. Before founding the Federation, Sendolo worked as training director at Black Organizing for Leadership & Dignity (BOLD), where s/he developed somatically-based leadership curriculum for organizers and executive directors.

Co-Director

Jenn Frye

Jenn Frye is a native North Carolinian with 17 years of organizing and training experience in voting rights, political education, electoral, and movement building work. She was a long-time staff member at Democracy NC, and served for six years on the board of Blueprint NC, the state c3 civic engagement table. Most recently, Jenn was the Training Director at LEAD NC, training progressive candidates running for local and state level office. She is passionate about supporting people to ground their leadership in their own story, knowledge and lived experience. Jenn calls Durham home, and lives there with her partner, Carolina, and their dog, Ruthie Bader Ginsburg.

Chief of Staff

Natasha Smith

Natasha Smith is a native North Carolinian, raised by her mother and grandmother who were local Winston-Salem organizers and activists. She's spent the majority of her life working at the intersection of political organizing and movement building, always approaching the work with a racial justice component. Natasha spent the 2020 election cycle as a Vice President at Run The World, leading email fundraising for people like Dr. Cameron Webb, Rep. Emilia Sykes, and Rep Lisa Blunt Rochester. Most recently, Natasha was the Vice President of Digital Engagement for Racial Justice and Equity in DC at BerlinRosen. Natasha lives in Winston-Salem with her son Nathaniel and dog Nick Furry. If you get an out-of-office reply from her, she's probably on the taekwondo mat or on the competition West Coast Swing dance floor.

Partnerships Director

Theo Luebke

Theo Luebke is a North Carolinian with more than 20 years of experience in electoral politics, movement-building, faith-based community organizing, teaching, training and grassroots democratic practice. From 2012 to 2017 he was the North Carolina Organizing Director for the America Votes c4 table, supporting progressive organizing and infrastructure in response to the right-wing’s rise in the state. In 2018, he co-founded the Carolina Federation alongside Sendolo Diaminah and served as Co-Director from 2018 to 2023.

Membership Director

Brandon Wrencher

Brandon is from a working-class family and small town in the Sandhills of NC. He comes to the Federation after more than twelve years of pastoring, teaching, community-building, faith justice organizing, and community organizing in rural and urban communities. Brandon has fought for racial and economic justice with working class and other marginalized communities on issues such as police violence, immigration, workers' rights, housing, environmental rights, and LGBTQ rights. His life's mission is to catalyze local circles of spirit and action that cultivate personal and social change. He believes deeply in the power of bringing new people into the movement, and through organization, community, and leadership development unleashing the power of everyday leaders to wage struggles that make a better quality of life for all people, not just the wealthy elite. Brandon is a published author, loves reading and writing, and spending quality time with his life and love partner Erica and their two young sons.

Movement Politics Director

Gabriel Gold Hodgkin

Gabriel came to the Federation from the Bernie 2020 campaign, where he was Iowa Deputy Field Director and Illinois Field Director. Grounded in Jewish tradition and family history, Gabriel began organizing as a student during the Fight for 15 movement and a dining hall workers strike, before developing his training craft as a teaching fellow for Marshall Ganz. He has spent the years since Trump’s election on electoral campaigns fighting for a government and economy that work for all of us, not just the wealthy few. The only way we will achieve this vision is by building a multiracial movement of working people, which is why Gabriel is committed to building a strong electoral program with the Carolina Federation.

Operations Director

Melissa 'Mel' Norton

Mel is a Durhamite that comes to the Carolina Federation with twenty years of experience in public policy, public history, and grassroots organizing related to affordable housing, living wages, and electoral politics. She loves word games, going down southern history rabbit holes, and spending as much time near North Carolina's rivers as possible.

Organizing Director

Sam Wohns

Sam has worked as an organizer, campaigner, and trainer on political, community, and labor campaigns across the South for the last ten years. Rooted in a deep commitment to grassroots organizing and leadership development, Sam believes in the transformative potential of a multiracial working class movement to achieve a more just future. In addition to organizing, Sam enjoys cooking with eggs from his backyard chickens, hiking in the mountains, and reading books about social movement history.

Engagement Director

Ashley Evans

Ashley is a North Carolina native who grew up in Lumberton. She came into electoral work doing paid field and gradually learned the ins and outs of running a field program across several cycles. She joined the Carolina Federation for the 2022 Field Program and immediately knew that this was a place that was serious about fighting for everyday people. Ashley is a deep sports lover, especially the Boston Celtics, and loves spending time with her girlfriend and her grandmother.

Guilford for All Senior Organizer

Kenneth Cole

Kenneth is originally from South Central Los Angeles, California and was raised in a family with many faith ministry leaders. During his upbringing Kenneth learned that his faith came with a duty to bring community and support to those whom our society has left out. With this foundation, Kenneth emerged as an activist in the student movement to create social and economic change for underrepresented students during his time at the University of Wisconsin. This led to Kenneth connecting with the Wisconsin Leadership Development Project, where was trained in the craft of organizing and eventually developed in his capacity to train and coach others in the same tradition. During Kenneth's 8 years of policy, organizing, and community-based work, he has also grown as an artist, making music that you can find under the stage name K.Sankofa.

Guilford for All Organizer

Shante Woody

Shante Woody has many years of experience in community affairs and events for several non-profit organizations. She has served as a board member of East White Oak Community Center, is a currently a board member of Glenwood Neighborhood Association, and has fulfilled duties as a meal coordinator for Christ United Methodist Church. She is also currently the market manager for People’s Market in Greensboro, NC where she collaborates with the community to address issues from food insecurity to economic disadvantages. The skills that she has learned along with many network connections; undoubtedly make her a reliable resource for many different areas in the community. She is very excited to be a contributor to this great organization.

 

 

 

 

 

Forsyth Freedom Federation Organizer

Tosha Hargrave

Tosha started as a member of the Forsyth Freedom Federation and joined the Carolina Federation organizing staff after completing the Organizer in Training program. She is originally from Mount Airy, NC . Tosha is a single mom dedicated to building political power among the working class so that we can control the narrative of our lives. She enjoys adventurous activities and hanging out with friends.

 

 

 

 

 

Movement Politics Senior Organizer

Micah Jenkins

Micah Jenkins was born and raised in rural South Carolina. He first got his start in political organizing in 2018 volunteering for his Local Party and later working for the South Carolina Democratic Party. Micah came to the Federation following the Bernie 2020 campaign, where he was a Field Organizer in South Carolina and Georgia. He has worked on several local campaigns including his own County Council race in 2021.

Regional Office Director

SheQuita Ross

SheQuita comes from a long line of Carolina natives with many family members who were/are a part of the Armed Forces. Her family influenced her to want to help and uplift people.  She began electoral work as a canvasser in the 2018 Virginia Congressional race, and hasn't looked back. SheQuita joined the Carolina Federation for the 2022 Field Campaign, and brings to the organization her "Jack of All Trades" style of collaboration, passion, and excitement to fight for the rights of the people.

Regional Office Director

Ben O'Connor

Ben is a child of Vietnamese refugees who fled from Sài Gòn to Virginia in search of safety and freedom from persecution. He grew up in Chicago and moved to North Carolina to attend Elon University. Ben is deeply invested in supporting equitable social change that lifts up marginalized people and immigrants like his own family. He likes playing punk rock, cooking spicy food, watching cheesy action films with friends, and exploring the Piedmont.

Operations Coordinator

LaToya Skinner

LaToya is a Virginia native who has lived in the Triangle for 7 years. Her first experience in electoral and voter registration efforts was working for a phone bank in 2016. LaToya is passionate about equality and breaking barriers that hinder growth and access for everyone. LaToya brings years of business experience to Carolina Federation. In her spare time, she enjoys time with her family, vacations, and a good comedy show.

Movement Politics Senior Organizer

Tabitha Bayne-Petree

Tabitha is a lifelong resident of Greenville, South Carolina, and dove headfirst into organizing in 2015 with the Bernie Sanders campaign. Since then, she has worked on a variety of Federal, State, and Municipal campaigns as a field director, regional field director, campaign manager, and consultant. Tabitha joined the Federation team in 2021, and is now a Senior Organizer on the Movement politics team where she facilitates the Statewide Endorsements process with member leaders and is organizing the 2024 Distributed Program. Her empathy and compassion for others in their struggles, and her fierce love for her three daughters, drive her determination to fight for an equitable and sustainable future where all can live, thrive, and experience joy. Tabitha has a passion for growing food and flowers, and really loves delving into the mysteries of cryptozoology, UFOs, and government conspiracies.

 

New Hanover for All Senior Organizer

Ashly Spannbauer

Ashly is originally from Vermont, but has lived in North Carolina for more than a decade. She joined the Carolina Federation team in 2023. A lifelong advocate for justice through systemic changes, Ashly has a background in progressive electoral and grassroots field work and a vested interest in the future of Southeast NC. She is excited to bring her wide-range of life experiences into the Federation’s fight for racial and class equality as the Senior Organizer in New Hanover County.

New Hanover for All Organizer

Leo Hussein

Leo is a passionate advocate for people, politics, and social justice. With family roots in the Middle East, he embraces his diverse heritage, with a commitment to fostering connections and commonalities across communities. Through grassroots activism and community organizing, Leo strives to amplify marginalized voices and burn down barriers to equity and inclusion. Driven by a deep love for humanity, he is dedicated to creating a more just and compassionate world, with a goal of inspiring others to join him in creating meaningful change for generations to come.

Guilford for All Organizer

Tyree "Ty" Hall

Ty is the chapter organizer with Guilford for All. She was born in Hartford, Connecticut to a newly divorced young mother of two. Her inner city upbringing grounded her in purpose as she did what she could do for her community. She has advocated for the rights of others since she was a child, and believes in making the most out of opportunities. Ty started off as a Guilford for All member and rose through the ranks to become a part of the Chapter Steering Committee. In 2023 she joined the Organizer in Training program and was hired as full time staff for Carolina Federation. She soulfully plays the drums at church, and enjoys bowling, laser tag and arcade games.

Interim Durham for All Director

Whitney Maxey

Whitney (she/her) works collectively with our staff and members to manage the well-being of Durham For All (D4A) through strategy and campaign development, organizational and leadership development, and long-term visioning. She believes in the power and potential of communities of color and their allies to create systemic change by harnessing the power of elections.
Her experience in social justice organizations began in Florida and spans over more than a decade working in issue areas from anti-gentrification to immigration rights. Whitney enjoys the outdoors and a good book.

Interim Durham for All Deputy Director

Anthony J. Maglione

Anthony works alongside the Durham for All chapter staff to implement Durham-based programming for our issue and electoral campaigns. He was a 2016 founding member of Durham for All, where he led fundraising, finances, operations, and HR to grow the organizational infrastructure for staff and members to thrive. Anthony has nearly 20 years of social justice experience in and around Durham, including student-worker campus organizing, census and redistricting mobilization, care management within community health centers, youth leadership development, and electoral organizing. He finds nourishment in cooking and sharing meals he learned from his Puerto Rican abuela and Southern Italian nonna, being a trickster, and soaking up daily delights from the abundance of nature and the brilliance of kiddos.

Durham for All Organizer

Cedric Craig

Cedric recruits, trains, and manages member leaders and volunteers for D4A’s organizing and voter engagement work. This includes leading door knocking, phone banks, and campaign events, as well as developing members to take on greater leadership in the organization. Cedric cares about D4A because of the commitment, drive, and passion to inspire change for the betterment of all. He is excited about the opportunity to help the Durham community progress toward a better future. Before D4A, Cedric worked in the retail and service industries. In 2022, he completed Seed the Vote’s Generation Rising Organizing Fellowship. Cedric enjoys staying active, trying and cooking new food, and traveling. He has a love for all things history, comics, pop culture, and politics.

Digital and Data Organizer

Nahid Soltanzadeh

Nahid manages data systems and leads digital organizing efforts to better integrate data-driven electoral work with relational organizing work both online and offline. Their obsession with stories and narratives as powerful forces for dismantling oppressive systems fuels their passion for digital organizing, cultural campaigning, and healing justice. Nahid is a queer nonbinary immigrant from Tehran, Iran. After moving around the east coast for a while, they found a political home in Durham For All as a member leader soon after they moved to Durham in 2018. A Kairos Fellowship alum, Nahid has worked as a tech justice organizer at the intersections of militarism, policing and surveillance, systemic Islamophobia, and prison industrial complex. Before arriving at digital organizing, they have been a teacher, an online facilitator, an educational consultant, a babysitter, a caregiver, and a poet.

Deputy Data Director

Dylan Wolters

Born and raised in South Carolina, Dylan began his journey into politics by volunteering for the Bernie campaign in 2016. He joined Bernie's second campaign as a field organizer in 2019, where he saw the importance of data in enabling working class activism - particularly in the rural south. He quickly made studying data and organizing tools a top priority, and later went on to apply those skills at the South Carolina Democratic Party, AFL-CIO, and Smithsonian Institution. His work at the Carolina Federation will be focused upon building tools and pipelines that will enable the federation to continue its fight for a better future! In addition to data and organizing experience, Dylan also brings with him an endless supply of bad puns, mostly useless Star Trek trivia, and a robust knowledge on how to mess up a frozen pizza!