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Featured Speakers
Jill Stein
Jill Stein is a physician, an environmental health advocate and an organizer. In 2006, she transitioned from clinical medicine into “political medicine” to help heal "the mother of all illnesses”, our sick political system that’s literally killing us.
She was the Green Party presidential candidate in 2012, 2016 and 2024, where as ran the only pro-worker, anti-war, anti-genocide, climate emergency campaign on the ballot for a majority of voters. That work resulted in the Green Party emerging as the leading people-powered political alternative, receiving over five times the vote count of the next biggest non-corporate alternative.
This work continues now with greater urgency than ever in building the Green Party and laying foundations for solidarity and collaboration across people-powered parties and independents. We have nothing less than a moral responsibility to keep building political momentum to end genocide, dismantle empire, overcome oligarchy & fight fascism.
Miko Peled
Miko Peled is an American-Israeli activist and author of The General’s Son: The Journey of an Israeli in Palestine and Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five.
Currently, he is the founder and president of Palestine House of Freedom in Washington, D.C. A non-profit aimed at providing education and understanding with the goal of dismantling the Israeli Occupation and advocating for a free Palestine, from the river to the sea.
read more about Miko on www.gp.org
Ron Placone
Ron Placone is a comedian, writer, and filmmaker. A joke-slinging vagabond, he’s toured nearly everywhere in the US, Australia, Canada, and his solo-show, “Balding is Punk Rock”, premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2023 (****). His co-headlining tour with Graham Elwood sold out venues in Melbourne, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Miami. Ron’s been seen on the Discovery Channel, CrossTalk, Redacted Tonight, and he’s a regular contributor to Status Coup News. His debut album, “Agnostic Holiday”, is in rotation on SiriusXM.
In 2022, Ron took the dive into production. Since then, he’s released the webisode/pilot, Loner, his vertical series, Frank Azurri, premiered in Rome and then was later released on Status Coup News, and his debut feature, Left At Wall, enjoyed sold out screenings in Los Angeles and Pittsburgh, an international screening in London, and is available on Apple TV, YouTube Movies, Google Play, XBox, DVD, and more NOW!
Bit by the bug, he’s got a documentary in the works and is working on his next feature, Termination Fee, which premiered as a stage play at the Hollywood Fringe in 2025 to 3 sold-out houses and was nominated for the Inkwell Theater Playwright's Promise Award.
His podcast is 1000 w/ Ron Placone, where he goes on a quest to interview 1000 different people who have inspired or piqued his interest in some way.
He lives in the LA neighborhood of San Pedro where he enjoys having the beach and punk shows within walking distance. Loves: Cats, Unions, Cannoli, Music, Hockey, Soccer. Loathes: War, Capitalism, Corruption.
Workshop Presenters
Ann Link
Ann's media experience includes 2018 GPUS Media Coordinator, media support for Cynthia McKinney, 2008 Green Party candidate for President, media coordinator for Alison Duncan, 2006 Green Party candidate for Lieutenant Governor of New York, and media support for Gloria Mattera, 2005 Green Party candidate for Brooklyn Borough President.
Bryan Lamble
Using Ballot Access Drives to Build your State Party
Bryan Lamble joined the Green Party in November '24 after finally relinquishing the belief that the 2-party duopoly could self-correct. Bryan is a co-coordinator of GreensKC (The Kansas City Chapter of the Missouri Green Party), and its Chapter Representative to the MOGP Coordinating Committee. Along with other members of GreensKC, he has launched a podcast (and YT channel) called The Greater Good, the purpose of which is to begin a proactive conversation about how authentic, messy democracy is the only tool powerful enough to allow us to save ourselves from end-of-empire ruination.
Bryan intends to run for Missouri's 5th Congressional District seat in 2026 and 2028, on a platform of monetary reform, de-consumption, demilitarization, and eco-social justice.
Chris Blankenhorn
Using Ballot Access Drives to Build your State Party
Chris Blankenhorn has been involved with the Green Party since 2013. Chris is a former GPUS Co-Chair (2016 – 2018), served as the Social Media and Tech Director for the Hawkins/Walker campaign (2020), Co-Founder of the Green Socialist Organizing Project, and has held a number of other roles at the national, state, and local level.
Chris is the parent to two small child-shaped demons and has a degree in political philosophy and has worked as a community organizer, educator, and grant administrator.
Chris Mann
Build the Peace Movement: Build the Green Party
Cris Mann is a recently retired, Special Education teacher—born in Pittsburgh, PA. Cris went to Slippery Rock University (yes, there is a Slippery Rock!) and graduated in 1972 with a BA in Sociology. In 1979, her ideas and politics changed from merely seeing injustices in the world to becoming active in movements for social change such as fighting for the Equal Rights Amendment; attending anti-apartheid marches and rallies; and protests against the Viet Nam war and against nuclear weapons. I could see the connection of all of these issues because the logic of socialism provided the framework.
By joining a socialist group, I studied and found more evidence that capitalism perpetuates poverty, racism, women’s oppression and militarism. By taking non-traditional jobs (jobs that were deemed “not women’s work”), I could see more clearly the depth of sexism and racism. Interestingly enough, US trade unionists were leading the charge against the assaults on African Americans, women, immigrants and the environment. I learned that unions hold the potential of transforming society. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. writes that organized labor uplifts all of society. After working in many unionized shops (auto plant, fertilizer company, bathtub factory, brake pad company, plastics company, tank factory), I spent the last 18 years working as a public education teacher, focusing on children with autism, in both St. Louis and Kansas City, MO. Cris proudly brags that the wave of recent teacher strikes have contributed to the uplifting of social justice for those in society who have been under-valued---women and children. She organized a public education conference in Columbia, Missouri where she met keynote speaker and Chicago Teachers Union President, Karen Lewis.
Cris thought that the Green Party Platform (Platform - www.gp.org) was impressive and joined the GP in 2016.
Cris thinks that the Green Party is forming and reforming itself through discussion, actions, and refining key platforms. While this is happening, it’s an exciting place to be! Cris is also active as a volunteer programmer for a labor rights show on community radio; active in PeaceWorks KC, and is the outreach coordinator for Greens KC. She relies on her fellow members of the Green Party Peace Action Committee to both challenge, solidify and debate peace-making strategies.
Cris Mann, [email protected]
Cody Mahar-kjos
Graphics and Engagement for Social Media
Cody Mahar-Kjos is the Facilitator of the Green Party of Northeastern Washington and an active member of the Green Party of Washington State. An ecosocialist organizer with a focus on digital outreach, Cody uses social media and graphic design to support grassroots campaigns and community engagement. He advocates for public education, men’s mental health, accountability, and international solidarity, especially with the Palestinian people.
At this year’s Annual National Meeting, Cody will help lead a workshop on effective social media practices, including how to create and resize graphics for different platforms to better promote Green values and mobilize supporters.
Dr. Daniel Lugassy (he/him/his);
Emergency Medicine Physician & Healthcare Justice Advocate
Danny is an emergency medicine physician currently practicing in NYC and has worked for 20 years in some of the busiest emergency departments in Baltimore & NYC constantly bearing witness to the harsh realities and cruelty of our corporate for-profit healthcare system.
He was an active leader in the “Healthcare for the 99%” a working group within the NYC Occupy Wall Street movement and has served on the Board of Directors of the NY-Metro Chapter of PNHP for the last decade.
He joined the Green Party in 2012 and considers establishing a Single-payer/Medicare for All system in the US not only a personal goal, but a professional obligation to every patient he cares for in the emergency department.
David Cobb
David Cobb is a “people’s lawyer” who has sued corporate polluters, lobbied elected officials, run for political office himself, and been arrested for non-violent civil disobedience. He believes we must provoke—and win– a peaceful revolution to create a just, sustainable and cooperative society if we are to survive.
In 1996 he helped form the Green Party of Texas (GPTX), and managed Ralph Nader's presidential campaign in Texas in 2000. In 2002 he ran for Attorney General and helped to grow GPTX from 4 active chapters to 26. In 2004, he ran for President of the United States on the Green Party ticket and forced a recount in Ohio that helped launch the Election Integrity movement.
In 2010 he co-founded Move To Amend, a campaign for a constitutional amendment to abolish the illegitimate, court-created doctrines of “corporate constitutional rights” and “money equals speech.” In 2016 he served as the Campaign Manager for Jill Stein’s Green Party presidential campaign.
Currently David serves as the Co-Coordinator of the US Solidarity Economy Network and is on staff with the People’s Network for Land Liberation, a consortium which seeks to decommodify the land and to reestablish a right relationship with the earth and all of our relatives and relations. He also serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors of the newly formed Build & Fight 501(c)(4).
Dominic Lucero (he/him)
Beyond the Two-Party Trap: What It Means to Be Green and Growing the Green Movement
Dominic is an active Union member and a dedicated advocate for workers' rights. He has worked in the labor movement for over 16 years. After spending more than a decade as a welder, he worked passionately for three years as an apprenticeship instructor, passing on the critical skills necessary for safety and livable wages. Recognizing the need for change, he founded the New Endeavors Research & Development Committee (N.E.R.D.) to help his fossil fuel-reliant local Union transition to more sustainable energy solutions. His initiatives came to light with projects for bio-char processing and hydrogen production, all aimed at breaking the stranglehold that large oil corporations have on the working class. For the past three years, Dominic has served as the business development agent and union representative for his local Union, covering Northern California and Nevada. In this role, he handles negotiations and files grievances on behalf of working-class individuals who are being exploited by their employers.
Eric LaRue
Using Ballot Access Drives to Build your State Party
Eric LaRue has been the co-chair of the Nevada Green Party since early 2025, as well as serving nationally on the GPUS Ballot Access and Accreditation Committees.
He was previously registered as an elector for Jill Stein in the 2024 Presidential election.
Esmée Silverman
Growing the Green Party by Engaging Young People
While most speakers can be introduced through their career accomplishments, Esmée is quite an exception. She was born 90 days early after a rare medical condition threatened her life in utero. Doctors told her family to prepare for the worst and that even if she did live, they shouldn’t expect much. Esmée defied them all with her unrelenting drive and infectious enthusiasm, learning how to play basketball when she was 6, being accepted into a state choir at 13, and finishing second in her middle schools Geography Bee.
When Esmée went into high school, she finally had the words to label herself as non-binary and turned to her high schools GSA for support. The result was Esmée once again defying expectations and over the past 8 years has led tens of thousands in protest across the country, created a pride in her home town, starred in a Disney Channel commercial, mentored dozens of young people, and tamed her fear of public speaking to advocate for queer & trans people across the country.
Currently, Esmée serves as the co-president of Queer Youth Assemble, a nonprofit that assembles queer & trans youth across the United States through events, protests, and other initiatives that bring autonomy and joy to our community. By the way, did they mention they're entirely queer & trans youth-led? Esmée currently lives in Portland OR, where she can be found planning a future political campaign and working on her full length transgender movie scripts.
Gini Lester
Using Ballot Access Drives to Build your State Party
Gini Lester has been a member of the Illinois Green Party since 2007. She has been a member of the Ballot Access Committee since 2019.
Currently she is one of the BAC´s Co-chairs. She was on Howie Hawkins 2020 presidential campaign team, coordinating presidential and vice presidential filings with various state boards of elections.
Gloria Mattera
Gloria Mattera has been a member of the Green Party since 2001. Coming to the Green Party through the Nader campaign, Gloria has been involved in building a left, political independent movement since the mid 90's as a leader in the Labor Party New York Metro Chapter. She has served as a coordinating member of System Change Not Climate Change and is a founding member of Left Elect.
Working in the New York City public hospital system over the years, Gloria experienced firsthand how unjust and inhumane this country's healthcare system is and got involved in the single-payer healthcare movement. She has been a board member of the Physicians for a National Health Program NY Metro Chapter for many years. Gloria soon realized that the two corporate parties in power would never bring a national health program to the U.S. and turned toward independent political party building, initially as a founding member of the Labor Party under Tony Mazzocchi, then NYC coordinator of Labor for Nader in 2000, and finally the Green Party.
Gloria is currently a co-chair of the Green Party of New York and a delegate to the National Committee.
Holly Hart
Holly became a member of the local and state Green Party in the late 1990’s, and also became involved with the national Green Party, focusing on platform, elections and media work.
Holly has over 25 years’ experience in broadcasting including both public and commercial radio in major and regional markets. She currently oversees a volunteer-operated community radio station.
In the Green Party at state and national levels, Holly has organized and hosted “in person” and virtual press conferences and other candidate events, created press releases, served as Media Committee co-chair, and participated in several campaign schools.
Howard Switzer (he/him)
Party Building with Monetary Reform
Howard Switzer is an ecoarchitect advocating for sovereign monetary reform. He is a founding member and former co-chair of the Green Party of Tennessee. He served many terms on the Green Party’s National Committee as a delegate from Tennessee running for office in Tennessee three times. In 2017 he led a successful defense of the Greening the Dollar plank in the Green Party Platform against an effort by outside advocates of MMT to remove it from our platform. He is a founding board member and former president of the Alliance for Just Money. He is a co-founder and a current co-chair of the GPUS Banking and Monetary Reform Committee (BMRC)
Johanna Epke
Johanna Epke (she/her) is the founder and director of Build & Fight, a 501(c)4 launched in 2025 to democratize elections, the economy, and the law. She is a movement lawyer with twenty years experience fighting for climate justice, democratic elections, and the abolition of corporate rights.
J. Weeds (he/him)
Beyond the Two-Party Trap: What It Means to Be Green and Growing the Green Movement
J. Weeds is a historian, political scientist, and civics educator whose revolutionary fire has burned since 2007, fighting for Palestinian liberation and self-determination. A Green party advocate since 2016, Weeds challenges its slide to ward liberalism and communism--vulnerable to Democratic infiltration--pushing instead for its anarchist and socialist libertarian roots. With a Scholar's precision and a rebel's defiance, Weeds exposes the two party sham, dismantling elite control and empowering communities to forge true freedom from the ground up.
Justin Paglino
Green Party-Building - a Roundtable and Discussion among State Party and Caucus Leaders
Justin Paglino is a GPUS Co-chair. GPCT co-chair, and Greater New Haven Green Party Chair. Justin joined the Green Party in 2019. He ran for US House of Representatives in 2020 and 2022, and US Senate in 2024. He was co-Field Director for Jill Stein 2024.
He ran for Selectman in his home town of Guilford in 2021 and is running again in 2025.
Kalia Fitzgerald
Graphics and Engagement for Social Media
Born and raised in the Carolinas, Kalia J. Fitzgerald wears many hats in the Green Party. She is currently the Co-Chair of the Black Caucus of the North Carolina Green Party. She is a member of the NCGP Coordination Committee, Media Committee, & Membership Committee. She is the former campaign manager for Michael Dublin when he ran for US House District 2 in 2024. She is also on Steering Committee of the People's Power Coalition as a NCGP representative.
On the GPUS national side, she is a delegate to for the NCGP, she is on the ANMC, the Communications Director for the GCCC, a member of the National Black Caucus, and she helps with the CCC as well. She attends many events including protest, rallies, vigils, etc. to support her community and causes. She also has a weekly show on TikTok - Green Party Tea - @greenparty_tea - which airs on Sundays at 6:00 pm
Kevin McCormick (he/him)
Party Building with Monetary Reform
Kevin McCormick was born in Peoria, Illinois in 1955. He is a member of the Green Party of Texas and has a law degree from University of Houston
He was the Green Party Candidate for U.S. Congress, 24th District, Dallas, Texas in 2016 and has been a member of the Banking and Monetary Reform Committee since its inception.
He was a High School Math teacher and is presently retired and residing in East Texas.
LeBeau Kpadenou
Using Ballot Access Drives to Build your State Party
LeBeau Kpadenou is a prominent figure in Florida's progressive political landscape, known for his activism and leadership within the Green Party. Born in Michigan to Dr. Samson Kpadenou, an immigrant, and Dr. Ethelene Jones, the grandson of a former US congressman, LeBeau's diverse background informs his advocacy.
As a co-founder of Black Lives Matter of Palm Beach County and Palm Beach County DSA, he has championed environmental justice, affordable housing, and reducing corporate influence in politics. His 2018 run for Florida House of Representatives District 87 as a Green Party candidate garnered 15.5% of the vote, reflecting his focus on grassroots support and working-class issues.
Kpadenou served as co-chair of the Green Party of Florida from 2018 to 2022 and was re-elected to the role in June 2025. He played a significant role in Jill Stein’s 2024 presidential campaign, serving as a key advisor, press liaison, and placeholder running mate in several states, where he gained firsthand insight into the ballot access challenges faced by state parties. With experience as a waiter and tech freelancer, Kpadenou brings a unique, grounded perspective to his work in advancing progressive causes.
Logan Martinez
Build the Peace Movement: Build the Green Party
Logan Martinez is a community activist in Dayton, Ohio. For over 40 years he has been involved with numerous issues impacting the people of Dayton from plant closings and the loss of unemployment benefits to utilities rate hikes & shut offs. He fought to stop the Zimmer Nuclear Power Plant here in Ohio. Logan has been involved in the peace movement from the Vietnam War to Central American Solidarity, and most recently with the movement to end the war on Gaza.
Logan has run five times for elected office as a Green Party candidate. While not winning, he gained experience on how to run a campaign. Over the last 30 years, Logan has worked on numerous campaigns for candidates in Ohio.
Madelyn Hoffman
Build the Peace Movement: Build the Green Party
Madelyn Hoffman was the director of the GrassRoots Environmental Organization (GREO) in New Jersey from 1983 – 1998. She worked with over two hundred citizens’ groups from every part of New Jersey on issues of toxic chemical pollution. She then was the director of New Jersey Peace Action (NJPA) from 2000 - 2018.
Madelyn Hoffman holds a B.A. cum laude from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut obtained in 1978 and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Rutgers Newark obtained in 1981. Hoffman teaches U.S. Government, Ethics, Environmental Studies and Public Speaking, while coaching ESL students in reading and writing.
Madelyn was Ralph Nader’s Vice Presidential running mate in 1996. She has run as the Green Party candidate for New Jersey Governor in 1997 and again in 2021. She also ran for the U.S. Senate as a Green in 2018 and 2020. During her candidacies, she’s been interviewed dozens of times and is respected as a powerful voice of the Green Party of the United States where she also serves as the co-chair of the Green Party Peace Action Committee.
She is the author of Corona City, Voices from an Epicenter, Lorraine Ash editor, 2020, Magic Dog Press “Protesting, COVID Style.”; Cultures of Contamination: Legacies of Pollution in Russia and the U.S., Michael Edelstein, Editor, Elsevier Press, 2007, “A Grassroots Perspective on the Brownfields and Superfund Programs.” Toward a New Political Humanism, Barry Seidman and Neil Murphy, editor, Prometheus Books, 2004 “No More Walls: Humanism’s Role in Building Lasting Coalitions.”
For three years, Madelyn Hoffman was part of a 3-person op-ed writing team. She had at least 25 op-ed pieces published in the column titled “The Public Square” for the Bloomfield Life newspaper. Her first novel “A Fleeting Glance: How One Look Across an Apartheid Wall” was published by Europe Books in May 2025. [email protected] or www.madelynhoffman.com.
Marci Henzi
The Environmental Impacts of Regenerative Agriculture
Marci is a Delegate to the Green Party of Pennsylvania representing the Green Party of Allegheny County. She moved to Pittsburgh fifteen years ago from the York/Harrisburg area. She is a member of both the Animal Rights and the Eco-Action Committees of GPUS.
She has been a registered Green for more than two decades and a Vegan for almost a decade. She is an Adjunct Professor, a Professional Math Tutor and the Recording Secretary for USW Local 1088.
Matthew Arndt
Growing Greens with Sunlight on State Crimes and Corruption
Matthew Arndt is a Wisconsin-based business owner, financial strategist, and lifelong advocate for environmental stewardship, peace, and economic justice. With a background in tax policy and financial planning, Matthew brings a practical perspective to the intersection of business and ethics. He is deeply committed to building a cleaner, more sustainable future; opposing militarism and war; and promoting a fair, transparent tax system that serves the public good.
Matthew believes in strong environmental protections, the dignity of labor, and the fundamental rights of workers to organize and be heard. He is outspoken in his opposition to corporate influence in our democracy, advocates for strong regulatory oversight of the banking and financial system, and holds a firm anti-establishment stance rooted in the belief that the status quo too often serves the powerful at the expense of the public. Rooted in Midwestern values and shaped by decades of professional and civic engagement, Matthew’s work reflects a belief that sound policy and moral clarity must go hand in hand.
Mary Rooker
The Environmental Impacts of Regenerative Agriculture
Mary joined the Maryland Green Party in 2002 and has served as her local and State co-chair. She is currently her local Montgomery County Co-Chair again.
She has also served on the GPUS National Committee as a Delegate from MD and is currently an Alternate Delegate. She is a member of the Lavender and Women's Caucuses and serves on both the EcoAction and Animal Rights Committees.
Patrick Romano
Using Ballot Access Drives to Build your State Party
Patrick has over 30 years of experience in electoral, legislative, and issue-based campaigns. In 2012 he started his own consulting firm and has worked on hundreds of races from local to state and federal. His expertise is
He has a BA from the University of California, Berkeley and a MA from the University of Pennsylvania and currently serves as the Treasurer for both the Green Party of Connecticut and the Greater New Haven Greens.
Patricia Vener-Saavedra
Build the Peace Movement: Build the Green Party
Ballerina, artist, astrophysicist, and former primary family caregiver (10+ years!) for her mother with Alzheimer's Disease, Patricia C Vener-Saavedra grew up in a household where sharing with others and a left leaning perspective was the norm. Her grandfather, a Jewish socialist since the early 20th century, gave her the ACLU pamphlet "Your Right to Dissent in Times of Turmoil" when she was 17 in 1970. She is a Marxist who believes that revolution in thinking can bring humanity to a cooperative future. That and compassion. "But we really have to work at it!" She is active with the debters union, The Debt Collective, as well as serving on the Green Party Peace Action Committee and "making good trouble" at her Connecticut Town's Legislative Council meetings.
She was also a contributor to and the reader of the GPAX emergency declaration last May.
Rita Maniotis
Growing Greens with Sunlight on State Crimes and Corruption
Rita Maniotis has been a Green Party member for 20 years. She is Co-chair of the Membership Committee of the Wisconsin Green Party and also serves as Chair of Membership Outreach for The Greater Milwaukee Green Party.
Samantha Hull (she/her)
Beyond the Two-Party Trap: What It Means to Be Green and Growing the Green Movement
Samantha Hull is a long time Green, having served asmTreasurer for the Green Congressional Campaign Committee, Member of the Green Party of Colorado, and Regional Coordinator for Jill Stein's 2024 campaign. Samantha has been a humanitarian activist for more than 15 years. Beginning her fight organizing in Florida for issues like Palestinian Liberation, Marches against Monsanto & Oppressive religious policies in Scientology.
Samantha has a commitment to the growth of the Green Party & passion for keeping the party values at the forefront.
Sue Peters (she/her)
Party Building with Monetary Reform
Sue Peters has degrees in History and Education and was an information technologist specializing in finance. Having spent 35 years on Wall Street, she has an insiders knowledge of the relationship between Wall Street and money. She gave a public in-depth class on the book, The Lost Science of Money, by Stephen Zarlenga; the extensive class materials can be viewed from the HISTORY tab on the website, GreensForMonetaryReform.org.
She is a member of The American Monetary Institute (AMI), National Organization for Raw Materials (NORM), the website GreensForMonetaryReform.org, and New Yorkers For Wired Tech.
Wissam Charafeddine
Wissam Charafeddine is an Arab American thinker, activist, author, entrepreneur, educator, and engineer. He holds a Master’s Degree in Software Engineering from the University of Michigan–Dearborn and serves as an Optimization Expert at W Design and Development, as well as the Family and Community Engagement Liaison at HES School District.
A prolific writer and published poet, Wissam is the author of The Opposite Swings, Climbing Leaves, and Pains. His published works also include The Awaited Arab State, a visionary proposal for Arab confederation; Universal Declaration of Human Values, a bold philosophical treatise on shared ethics across civilizations; and كون من عدم (A Universe from Nothing), an eloquent Arabic exploration of scientific understanding of the world and humanist ideas.
Wissam is the founder of the nascent Arab American and Muslim American Green Party Caucus, advocating for political independence, ecological justice, and the values of peace, equity, and freedom. He is also the cofounder of the Arab American Center for Culture and Arts and the PanIslamic Alliance. A hyper-entrepreneur, Wissam has launched several businesses and nonprofit organizations and remains deeply engaged in Islamic studies, reformist thought, and issues of Arab identity and historical renewal.
Annual National Committee Members & Event Planners
Deanna “Dee” Taylor
Dee Taylor is a devoted community advocate with a passion for building community resilience and well-being. Dee has been a longtime member of the Green Party of Utah, where she has held leadership positions, run for office, and been elected to municipal office.
Nationally, Dee has served as co-chair of the Green Party’s National Women’s Caucus, co-chair of the Annual National Meeting Committee, and helped form the Green Elders Caucus, along with holding other leadership roles on various committees of the Green Party of the United States over the last two and a half decades.
Dee believes the Green Party is the only political organization with a platform capable of transforming the current political system and fostering a global movement for social change.
Read full bio here: https://deannataylor.net/about-2/leonaslair/dees-bio/
Tamar Yager
Aly Schmidt
This Didn’t Start Yesterday: Legacy, Escalation, and the Fight for Immigrant Justice
National Committee Focus Group Report
Aly Schmidt serves on the GPUS ANM Committee and the Merchandise Committee, is a National Committee alternate, and is Co-Chair of the Green Party of Texas.
As campaign manager to Eddie Espinoza for Railroad Commissioner in 2024 she helped his campaign earn over 300,000 votes for the Green Party in Texas, which secured the party ballot access in Texas for 10 more years.
Jacqui Deveneau
Portland, Maine. [75] Member of the Green Party since 2000. Chair of the Maine Cumberland County Greens, Senior Advisor to the Maine Green State Committee, Maine NC member to the GPUS and member of the Global Green Democracy Network. Have been a member of the ANMC since 2004. Also on the Women's Caucus and the Animal Rights, GPAX and Diversity committees.
A retired from work, but very active activist in Maine. Maine Green Party liaison to the Wabanaki Alliance and work with the groups SURJ and Southern Maine Workers Center here in Maine as well as the National Uhuru and WECAN organizations. Spending my days connecting all things activism via the internet, on zooms, at Rallies. But my work for my selfcare and soul is dancing three days a week on a street corner, with music and holding a big heart with the "Love Factory" a group of people just spreading LOVE.
Other Speakers
Andy Ellis
Andy Ellis is one of the Co-Chairs of the GPUS Coordinated Campaign Committee. He is currently running for Governor of Maryland and is seeking the nomination of the Maryland Green Party. in 2018 he ran for State Delegate, and has served as Co-Chair of the Baltimore City and Maryland Green Party.
Andy is a two time National Champion college debate coach and has taught young people all over the country how to argue and advocate. He is also actively engaged in local political issues in Maryland and served as an appointed member of the Baltimore City Charter Commission in 2023-24. He chaired Baltimore for Democracy a grassroots ballot issue committee that defeated an attempt to reduce representation for Baltimore residents.
Andy lives in Baltimore Maryland with his wife, four cats and six chickens.
Antonio Rodriguez
This Didn’t Start Yesterday: Legacy, Escalation, and the Fight for Immigrant Justice
Antonio Rodriguez is the Regional Commander for the Brown Berets in North Texas. He was born in Los Angeles and has called Texas home for the last 23 years. He is a loving husband and father. The child of a migrant worker, Antonio grew up and worked in the agricultural fields of California. In Texas he worked his way through school and up to management, and has also been a business owner. Antonio was a Violence Interrupter for the city of Dallas, working with At Risk Youth in low income neighborhoods.
Antonio Rodriguez helms the local community ICE WATCH and Response. From 5am to 10pm (daily) he continuously works with the local monitors investigating, confirming and warning vulnerable neighbors about ICE activity. This ICE WATCH consists of thousands of volunteers covering 6 North Texas counties.
In March 2025, Antonio was a featured speaker at a Green Party of Texas Iftar celebration in Irving, Texas.
Arshia Papari
This Didn’t Start Yesterday: Legacy, Escalation, and the Fight for Immigrant Justice
Arshia Papari is a youth organizer, political strategist, volunteer lobbyist, and Green Party candidate for Texas State Representative in House District 49. He is also a candidate for the national Steering Committee of the Green Party of the United States, based in Texas. Arshia is committed to the fight for immigrant justice and human rights. A second-generation Iranian-American and student of Government and Middle Eastern studies at the University of Texas at Austin, his experience and steadfast political perseverance is shaped by years of leadership in direct action, legislative advocacy, and grassroots organizing.
As an outspoken member of the Green Party and a leader in Austin organizing and political advocacy, Arshia has helped mobilize mass protests demanding an end to deportations, immigrant detention, and the militarization of the U.S. border. His advocacy centers on full legalization for all, the abolition of ICE, and the construction of an immigration system rooted in dignity, demilitarization, and human rights. bringing this vision into both the streets and the halls of government.
Arshia’s efforts span from crafting policy and lobbying state legislators to mentoring youth leaders and advancing public discourse through writing and speaking. Arshia has fought for immigrants not only in the streets but in the halls of power. His approach weaves together anti-imperialist, and abolitionist principles, insisting that the struggle for immigrant justice is inseparable from the broader fight for peace, and human dignity.
On this panel, he brings a clear-eyed commitment to liberation and a generation’s urgency to confront the violence of borders with courage, care, and unrelenting clarity of purpose.
Butch Ware
Professor Butch Ware is a lifelong activist, world-renowned historian, and now a bold candidate for Governor of California. He’s spent over two decades putting scholarship in service of liberation—organizing teach-ins, building grassroots education, and standing on the front lines against genocide, imperialism, and racial injustice. From Gaza to George Floyd’s Minneapolis, Ware has shown what it means to lead with truth and moral clarity.
Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Minneapolis, Butch earned his Ph.D. in history from the University of Pennsylvania and has taught at Northwestern, the University of Michigan, and UC Santa Barbara. As a leading voice on Africa, Islam, and the U.S. Black Radical Tradition, he brings unmatched depth, integrity, and vision to the political arena.
Rooted in African, Indigenous, and Abrahamic traditions, Ware’s campaign is about building a just, peaceful, and sustainable future for all Californians—one where communities thrive, not just survive. He’s not a politician playing the game. He’s a movement builder, a truth-teller, and a revolutionary educator stepping up to lead California with courage.
This isn’t just another campaign. This is a call to rise.
Cassandra Lems
Cassandra Lems (she/her) is Co-Chair of the 2024 Credentials Committee, and while she is looking forward to retiring from that position after the committee submits its final report, she would like to acknowledge that the other committee members have been delightful to work with.
Cassandra also serves as Program Committee Chair for the Green Party of Nassau County, New York, as a New York State Committee member representing Nassau County, as a member at large of the Executive Committee of the Green Party of New York, and as a New York delegate to the National Committee.
She ran for office four times as a Green before disgraced former Governor Cuomo took away our ballot line. Cassandra is a former paralegal specializing in foreign patents, but began her working life as an editor of books, trade magazines, and newsletters. She is a voracious reader, a skilled needleworker, and a pretty good home cook. She sometimes sings with a community choir, and has performed in 11 of the 14 Gilbert and Sullivan operettas.
Chibu Asonye
Chibu Asonye is the 2024 Illinois Green Party Congressional Candidate IL-13. She is a community advocate in central Illinois, focusing on ballot access, policy, and related issues. She is the Co-Chair of the GPUS Coordinated Campaign Committee.
In the upcoming 2026 election, Chibu will act as a campaign manager and Volunteer trainer for the Illinois Greens.
Eddie Espinoza
Eddie Espinoza was the Green Party candidate for Texas Railroad Commissioner in 2024, running on an anti-fossil fuels and pro environment platform.
His campaign garnered over 300,000 votes, equating to 2.8% of Texas voters. This significant achievement for Texas Greens secured ballot access for the Green Party of Texas for the next 10 years.
Eddie's journey began in the US Army, after which he devoted himself to serving our country as an elementary school teacher for 25 years.
Now retired from teaching, Eddie’s experiences with young students fuel his passion for peace and climate activism.
Gabriel Medina
Gabriel made local history in 2024 as the first Green Party candidate elected to the PVUSD Board, defeating a MAGA-aligned incumbent. He ran on a bold platform centering student rights, labor solidarity, and community power. His vision includes creating a Student Bill of Rights, expanding ethnic and Chicano studies, integrating dual enrollment with Cabrillo College, and transitioning the district to a 4-day school week.
With a background in Chicano studies from UCLA and a Master’s in Film Producing and from USC, Gabriel applies a scholar-activist lens to board governance—challenging neoliberal contracts, opposing police presence on campus, and fighting for transparent budgets. He’s been a vocal critic of district leadership for suppressing community-led agenda items, cutting culturally responsive programs like Barrios Unidos, and allowing School Resource Officers (SROs) to cite students without parental consent.
Beyond the boardroom, Gabriel is a filmmaker, educator, and community organizer dedicated to building political awareness through media, mutual aid, and public storytelling. He stands firmly with Palestine, supports local farmworker struggles, and consistently calls for accountability from corporate agribusiness in the region.
For Gabriel, Green politics means practicing solidarity, not just talking about it. His activism is grounded in lived experience, not political convenience.
Glo Vader
This Didn’t Start Yesterday: Legacy, Escalation, and the Fight for Immigrant Justice
Glo Vader is a Dallas-based organizer, paralegal, teacher, visual artist, and a proud member of the Brown Berets of North Texas (BB.NTX). She works at an immigration law firm, advocating for families targeted by ICE and helping people from all over the world navigate through the immigration process. Outside of the law firm, she also volunteers with BB.NTX’s ICE watch, rapid response, and community defense efforts alongside Commander Tony and other Brown Beret members.
She is also a private Spanish teacher and a professional photojournalist, filmmaker, and award-winning music video director. Her work spans broadcast TV, print publications, music videos, live music, and professional sports.
Glo has organized and participated in direct actions, including banner drops from the highway bridge near her home in support of Palestine, the Green Party, and other struggles for justice. Whether through legal work, teaching, media, or movement building, she remains focused on collective defense, mutual support, and standing up for those most impacted by state violence.
Jennifer Sullivan
A lifelong feminist activist. Currently serving as National Committee Delegate for the Green Party of Florida and spokesperson, as well as Treasurer and representative on both the GPUS Merchandise and International Committees for the National Women's Caucus,
Born in the NW Chicago suburbs, Sullivan has lived in Colorado, California and (since 1996) the West Coast of Florida. Majoring in art and marketing, she has managed businesses and served on several boards of directors in various areas. She is also a nationally certified soccer coach.
Sullivan began her political life at age 15, reading and studying Ramparts magazinefollowed by a spell working for Ralph Nader to try and prevent nuclear power plants. In 1968, she supported Senator Eugene McCarthy for POTUS. In 1972, Senator George McGovern ---- wished that Shirley Chisholm was his VP. This was her first vote since 18 year olds attained that.
Finding the Disappointingacrats lacking, she Dem-Exited in 1972. Jen worked for the few progressive campaigns that were out there and either funded or was a direct activist in about all of the topics in our GP platform.
Sullivan considers herself blessed with a daughter and son. For over 20 years, she has supported four little girls in Africa and was able to meet one of them (Winnie Kanna) in Nairobi, Kenya. She has traveled to all 50 states, four continents and many countries. Particularly interested in the CA and SA which included activist trips to Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezuela - but always making the effort to delve into the real places skipping the tourist spots.
Independent until 1996, she then joined the Green Party and helped found the Hernando County Green Party. Her local has produced various products; billboards for a living wage and Jill Stein, and two full seasons of a broadcast TV show in Tampa called On the Table With the Green Party, (which she co-produced and hosted). The show featured discussions with activists, professors, executives, doctors and group representatives on many topics aligned with the Green Party platform.
Sullivan has produced several radio programs and hosted/produced a debate show called The Fairness Doctrine on Tampa's WMNF FM.
She served as the Hernando County Green Party delegate to the Green Party of Florida for 10 years; 4 plus years as a GPFL Co-Chair; re-organized 3 key Affiliates, and served as a Florida Delegate to the GPUS National Committee for several years.
A firm believer in public funding only for all elections, Jennifer organized 2 lobbies of Greens to our US Congress and Senate DC (2010 and 2019) and hosted events in DC at The National Press Club and Bus Boys and Poets. She is adamant that Greens need to get nationally elected.
Justin Flip
Justin Filip is currently the Secretary of the Pacific Green Party and served as a member of the State Coordinating Committee from 2021 to 2024. He is also the co-chair of the Eugene chapter of the Pacific Green Party. In April of 2024, Justin, along with other concerned faculty and staff at the University of Oregon, founded the UO Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine to help support and protect the student protesters. He was later terminated from the University of Oregon for his activism and calls for the university to divest from arms manufacturers and companies complicit in the genocide in Palestine.
Justin's top priorities include ending the genocide in Palestine and reigning in our military spending, bringing federal dollars back to CD4 to help address the housing and unhoused crisis, and ensuring strong protections for our federal lands.
Lily Benavides
This Didn’t Start Yesterday: Legacy, Escalation, and the Fight for Immigrant Justice
Lily Benavides is the mother of four children, grandmother of eight grandchildren, and a wife. Family is her number one priority, and the motivation for her activism. Lily was born and raised in Cartago, Valle, Colombia, and came to the US 36 years ago. Lily comes from a big family centered around her loving grandparents. Her grandparents’ house was one of open doors and welcoming to everyone, especially those in need. Lily learned to serve others from them.
Lily has volunteered for many years with various immigrant and human rights organizations. As a low income woman of color Lily knows the struggles of our communities and is committed to help create a better future for our new generations.
Mark Elbourno
This Didn’t Start Yesterday: Legacy, Escalation, and the Fight for Immigrant Justice
Mark Elbourno is a principled Green Party leader committed to justice, political independence, and ending the corrupt two-party system. As Vice Chair of the North Carolina Green Party and President of the state’s Arab & Muslim American Caucus, Mark has helped lead a grassroots surge in support for an unapologetically anti-war, anti-genocide movement rooted in people power—not party loyalty.
As Co-Chair of the Abandon Biden / Abandon Harris campaign in North Carolina, Mark has been on the frontlines of holding power accountable—rejecting any politician who funds war, supports occupation, or enables genocide. His message is clear: political loyalty ends where complicity in mass suffering begins.
Mark also serves as Senior Advisor to the 2024 Stein-Ware presidential campaign, where he leads national coalition-building and mobilization efforts, especially among Arab, Muslim, and working-class communities demanding a real alternative to imperialist and corporate-controlled politics.
Through organizing, media strategy, and direct outreach, Mark is helping launch Arab and Muslim American Green Caucuses in multiple states, advancing a national platform focused on peace, human rights, environmental justice, and economic liberation.
His leadership is rooted in clarity, courage, and conviction: the time is now to abandon the politics of fear and build a future grounded in integrity and liberation—for all people, everywhere.
Michelle DeVillier
I'm originally from a Texas rice farm and horse/cattle ranch. I've spent my life raising a family and working in the sciences. From agricultural to pharmaceutics to political science.
Education is extremely important to me and I'm presently conducting research on radioactive waste associated with fracking.
I'm running for Maryland delegate seat 1b against the Republican minority leader. I worked closely with the Stein/Ware campaign most of last year.
Mike Feinstein
Mike Feinstein serves as the Elections Database Manager, Green Party of the United States
He is the former Green Mayor and City Councilmember, Santa Monica, CA and Co-founder of the Green Party of California.
Mike has served as a Former Co-chair, Green Party of the United States and was the 2018 Green candidate for California Secretary of State.
Natalie J. Reyes
This Didn’t Start Yesterday: Legacy, Escalation, and the Fight for Immigrant Justice
Natalie J. Reyes is a first-generation Latina activist, strategic communicator, and policy researcher. The daughter of Central American migrants, she grew up in L.A. witnessing the quiet resilience of immigrants in the face of systemic discrimination. She observed how others treated them with indifference or contempt instead of respect. These experiences led her to ask questions about creating a more just society: Who gets seen, heard, and valued, and what does justice look like when we truly listen?
As a young organizer, Natalie first experienced the power of collective action when she helped overturn the U.S. visa denial of Afghan parliamentarian and anti-war activist Malalai Joya. By coordinating a grassroots campaign, she learned that when people unite around shared convictions, their energy can grow into a force greater than any opposition.
In addition to her U.S. advocacy, Natalie worked in the Middle East to amplify migrants’ and women’s voices. While teaching English in Turkey, she organized roundtables between Syrian civil society actors and global donors, advocated for displaced communities, and challenged exclusionary narratives through policy briefs and public forums. As a Boren Fellow, she traveled to Tajikistan as part of her commitment to fostering cross-cultural understanding.
Natalie currently volunteers with the party’s Latino Caucus, where she has authored public statements on racial and immigrant justice. She believes that the only way to protect our freedoms and future is by showing up for one another. Because standing with others is, ultimately, standing up for ourselves. Today, it’s them; tomorrow, it could be us.
Nancy L. Jones
Pooyan Ordoubadi
This Didn’t Start Yesterday: Legacy, Escalation, and the Fight for Immigrant Justice
Pooyan Ordoubadi is a committed immigration attorney known for his unwavering advocacy and multilingual fluency in English, Spanish, French, and Farsi. He represents clients nationwide in asylum cases, deportation defense, and family-based immigration, driven by a deep commitment to justice and human rights.
Practicing across North Carolina, including in Wake, Durham, and federal courts, Pooyan brings strategic legal skill and compassion to every case, fighting for those most often ignored by the system.
During the student-led pro-Palestine encampment at UNC Chapel Hill, Pooyan provided critical pro bono legal support to student activists facing disciplinary or legal threats for exercising their rights. His efforts helped protect free speech and ensure students advocating for Gaza were not silenced.
In 2022, Pooyan also played a pivotal role in defending democracy by representing the North Carolina Green Party (NCGP) in federal court. When the State Board of Elections attempted to block the party from appearing on the ballot, Pooyan helped lead a successful legal challenge that restored NCGP’s access, affirming the rights of independent and third-party candidates across the state.
Whether defending immigrants, students, or voters, Pooyan Ordoubadi stands on the front lines of justice with courage, integrity, and an unshakable commitment to the people.
Robin Brownfield
Robin Brownfield, former college sociology professor, union organizer, current professional artist, and Collingswood, NJ resident, ran for the House of Representatives in NJ Congressional District 1 in 2024, as the anti-genocide, pro-human rights, workers rights, and environmental justice candidate.
She is currently running for NJ General Assembly in Legislative District 5, working to get Medicare for All, expanded social services, a clean, safe environment, protecting immigrant rights, and freedom of speech.
Safia Mahjebin
Rev. Seth Kaper-Dale
This Didn’t Start Yesterday: Legacy, Escalation, and the Fight for Immigrant Justice
Seth Kaper-Dale and his co-pastor wife Stephanie have served the Reformed Church of Highland Park in New Jersey (RCHP) since 2001. In addition to traditional church ministry Seth has created a robust network of church-based non-profits that exist to provide affordable housing, homelessness diversion, disaster relief, cancer care, community health, re-entry support after prison, mental health services, small business development, a refugee-run café, a fair trade store, an upcycle shop, an urban farm, immigrant advocacy, and support for veterans, unaccompanied minors, victims of trafficking, asylees and refugees and survivors of domestic violence. The ministries Seth manages serve over 6,000 people a year.
Seth serves as President of the board of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture for 6 years. In 2013 Seth published his first book, “A Voice for Justice: Sermons that Prepared a Congregation to Respond to God in the Decade After 9/11.” In 2017 Seth was the Green Party of New Jersey’s candidate for governor. Seth and his wife have three grown daughters: Sena, Leah and Cora.
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