The Members and Officers of the Board of Directors are elected in separate elections held annually in May.
Officers (2016-2017):
| President | Kate Linker |
| Vice Presidents | Kim Moscaritolo |
| Ahmed Tigani | |
| Secretary | Dale Corvino |
| Treasurer | Maki Isayama |
Members
Robin Brown
Robin Brown
Robin Brown currently serves as Director of Government Relations at Millennial Strategies, a political consulting firm. She started out in politics on the 2008 Obama campaign, traveling throughout the Northeast working on events. Since then, she has worked on numerous political campaigns in the Northeast, from congressional to state senate races.
Dale Corvino
Dale Corvino was awakened to progressive activism by the 2008 Obama campaign, and has been contributing on messaging, communications, and coordination fronts ever since. He is appointed to Manhattan’s Community Board 4 and on New York City’s Democratic County Committee.
A graduate of the Cooper Union, Dale has had a decidedly non-linear career in design, as an entrepreneur, operating a photo studio in DUMBO, as a manager for some of New York City’s largest real estate interests, and currently as a sales rep in New England and the mid-Atlantic states, the bluest territory in the country. He lives in the Hudson Yards area. You can reach Dale at dale.corvino@gmail.com.
Heather Roberson Gaston is a New York-based writer and activist whose work focuses on peace and justice issues, both at home and abroad. She has been involved in Democratic politics since 2004, training and organizing hundreds of progressive New Yorkers to engage in electoral and lobbying work on behalf of policy issues that include economic justice, marriage equality, campaign finance reform, and non-partisan redistricting in New York State. Heather holds an undergraduate degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of California at Berkeley; a Master’s Degree in Human Rights from Columbia University; and a certificate of advanced study from the Harriman Institute, the oldest research institute on Eastern Europe. She has advised international organizations on issues of democracy and media freedom and has co-authored three books, among them the graphic novel Macedonia: What Does it Take to Stop a War? (2007) with the late, great Harvey Pekar.
Maki Isayama
Maki Isayama is the Manager of IT for the Copper Development Association, focusing mainly on IT strategy, content strategy, user experience, and usability issues. In his off hours, he has volunteered with Greater NYC for Change, Chelsea/West Village for Change, 350NYC and worked extensively with Obama for America NYC during the 2012 campaign and in Pennsylvania during the 2008 campaign, and in Pennsylvania and Arizona during the 2016 presidential campaign. A life-long resident of New York City, his progressive roots go back to his youth, when he once helped transport Jimmy Carter’s luggage from LaGuardia airport to his hotel in Manhattan. You can reach Maki at gotb2gotvpa@gmail.com.
Leah Kozak
Leah Kozak is the former Associate Director and Director of Programs and Social Media at The Micah Institute at New York Theological Seminary, where she also earned her Masters in Divinity. The mission of Micah is to educate and equip faith leaders to fight poverty and injustice through advocacy and organizing.
Leah became involved in political action and organizing during the 2008 Presidential campaign as a co-organizer of ObamaNYC, a volunteer-run voter awareness organization to support Barack Obama’s candidacy. Utilizing online tools for mobilization, Leah worked with a team of co-organizers to help the grassroots group grow from 12 people at its first meeting in January 2007 to over 2,000 members by Inauguration Day in January 2009. After the president’s election, the group’s name was changed to VoterbookNYC and its focus shifted to local politics and community involvement. VoterbookNYC was active through 2012.
Leah has volunteered with New York Faith and Justice, sits on the Executive Committee of Downtown Independent Democrats, and is an active member of South Bronx Unite, a coalition of residents, organizations, and allies working together to improve and protect the social, environmental, and economic future of the South Bronx. You can reach Leah at leahkozak@gmail.com.
Kate Linker
Kate Linker is passionate about health care reform, campaign finance reform, and the protection of workers’ rights, particularly those of the low-wage workers of New York City’s five boroughs. She is a former member of the Legislative Committee of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence and the Founder and Team Leader of Chelsea/West Village for Change. An organizer for Obama for America in the 2008 and 2012 elections in Bucks and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania, she was a coordinator of the Caucus of Democratic Clubs and Progressive Organizations for the NYC Living Wage Coalition.
A widely published writer on contemporary art with a focus on issues of sexuality and representation, Kate is the author of numerous articles and museum catalog essays as well as three books. You can reach Kate at kateplinker@gmail.com.
Betsy Malcolm
Betsy Malcolm has volunteered for numerous campaigns and causes, notably the grassroots effort to secure marriage equality in New York and, more recently, several New York State Senate campaigns and anti-IDC efforts. Her particular interests are redistricting, passing campaign finance reform and transgender equality.
Kim Moscaritolo
Kim is a television news professional by trade, but her passion is political activism. She is a former President of the Manhattan Young Democrats, the largest and most active Young Democrats group in the country.
She was a founding board member of the White Roof Project and formerly chair of the Legislative Committee of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence. She loves organizing around many issues, including gun control, health care, workers’ rights, and reproductive freedom. In 2015 she was elected Democratic District Leader on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. You can reach Kim at kimmosc@gmail.com.
Ahmed Tigani
Ahmed Tigani is an organizer and urban planner. Born and raised in New York City, he began his career in the arts as a designer, director, and actor in social justice theater, but was quickly drawn to a life in public service.
Ahmed worked in the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs as Director of Material Donations for the Materials for the Arts program from 2007 to 2011. While at DCA, he pursued a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning, completing it in 2013. As a graduate student, Ahmed served as a Sen. Krueger Affordable Housing Fellow for the Pratt Area Community Council during the rent renewal effort of 2011, a Community Planning Fellow for then-Borough President Scott M. Stringer at Manhattan Community Board 6, and worked on community analysis reports examining the future of industrial sections along Brooklyn’s waterfront and cultural relations in Northern Staten Island in 2013.
Ahmed’s political involvement began as a volunteer for the 2008 Obama campaign. Since then, he has worked or consulted on four state and city races. Other professional associations include volunteer positions with the Manhattan Young Democrats, The Tank NYC, and the American Planning Association NYC Chapter. Formerly the Legislative Director for NYC Council Member Helen Rosenthal, Ahmed currently serves as Assistant Director for Land Use, Planning and Development in the Office of Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. You can reach Ahmed at tighani.ahmed@gmail.com.