Kyra Aboujaoude
NH Field Canvasser
Kyra Aboujaoude is a first-generation Lebanese-American artist based in Southern New Hampshire. She earned her BFA in Woodworking and Furniture Design at Maine College of Art in 2023. Her parents trained her to be an advocate from a young age. At only ten years old, she got her first taste of politics on a family visit to Washington, D.C., for Boston Children’s Hospital Family Advocacy Day. Here, her family met with elected officials to advocate for continued funding for the Children’s Hospital network. Since then, she has advocated daily, standing up for what is right wherever she can. Now, she is here with RAD, excited to have an opportunity to stand up for her local community. She can be reached at kyra@radmovement.org.
KATY ALLEN
VT Community Organizer
Katy believes in reclaiming our connection to the earth and sacred ancestry, harnessing this energy to inform our political movements, social systems, and interpersonal connections. She’s a student and practitioner of healing arts, including herbal medicine and massage therapy. During the 2020 Election, Katy came to RAD and discovered Deep Canvassing alongside inspiring and radical coworkers. Since then, she’s remained inspired by this strategy’s capacity to shift the political paradigm towards one that acknowledges our interconnection, outsmarting the polarization that prevents us from collectively thriving as a society. In college, Katy began organizing with the Slow Food movement at UNH, and is proud to have contributed to other organizations including Magpie Community Foundation and The Waysmeet Center. She can be reached at katy@radmovement.org.
DÖGG HUGOSDÓTTIR
Deputy Director
Dögg was born in Iceland and moved to the U.S. in 2014. She is a classically trained pianist with a BA in Philosophy and a post-graduate degree in International Development Studies. Dögg started working with Iceland’s Left Green Movement in the early 2000’s, where she saw how a dramatic narrative shift can have a huge impact on a whole country. She joined RAD’s deep canvassing team in 2020 because she believes that by having deep conversations with people we can shift their views and create a more progressive and wholesome future, where everyone has a seat at the table. You can reach her at dogg@radmovement.org.
MK KILCOYNE
NH Field Canvasser
MK Kilcoyne began their career in progressive politics in 2016 with the Bernie Sanders Campaign out of The University of New Hampshire. This was following a 2014 cancer diagnosis (now nine years in remission) and wanting to get more involved in healthcare politics. From there, they worked on many issue-based campaigns, such as paid family and medical leave and increased COVID vaccination rates in NH. MK has also done a lot of work in the accessibility field and has testified on many LGBTQIA2+ bills at the state house. In their spare time, MK loves cooking, reading books about mythology/folklore, and playing DnD!
BRANDON LEMAY
Interim NH Field Manager
Brandon Lemay was born and raised on the West Side of Manchester. As the descendant of three generations of union laborers, his social and political views have been deeply influenced by the labor movement. While studying Political Science and French at Plymouth State University, Lemay was introduced to organizing by working on the 2014 Coordinated campaign. Since that time, he’s worked for NextGen, League of Conservation Voters, American Bridge, Joyce Craig for Mayor, and Andrew Yang for NH. He is excited to be organizing in his hometown and is glad that Rights & Democracy is making a long term commitment to community organizing in the Manchester and Nashua Greater Areas. You can reach him at lemay@radmovement.org.
Eric Morgan
NH Canvassing Coordinator
Eric Morgan was born and raised in a conservative home in North Carolina. He grew up and soon became a progressive. He firmly believes we should treat others how we want to be treated and always get to know people for who they are. He had two open heart surgeries as a teen and spent his late teens talking to other teens about not letting one’s situation define you. He finally graduated college in 2000 after recovering from two strokes, and he moved to New Hampshire in 2015, where he became a single father. Knowing that he could not in good conscience raise his son in a world in which he watched from the sidelines, he started working as a Field Organizer with Bernie 2020, issue-based campaigns for the general election, canvassed for various progressive local candidates as well as Organizing for Volinski for NH. Eric loves spending time with his 8-year-old son, hiking, and reading urban fantasy and political history.
ALISON NIHART
Executive Director
Alison joins the Rights & Democracy staff after 5 years as a member leader, board member, and member of the Vermont Leadership Committee. She spent the last 9 years working for the University of Vermont, most recently as Strategic Implementation Specialist for UVM Extension. She has worked on state legislative electoral campaigns and while at UVM was a leader in the staff union, UVM Staff United. She holds an M.S. in natural resources from the University of Vermont. You can reach her at alison@radmovement.org
TOM PROCTOR
VT Community Organizer
Hailing from the damp shores of Manchester, England, Tom has lived in the Green Mountains for 5 years and been involved in local politics since the start. Cutting his teeth during the Bernie 2016 campaign, he’s organized for single-issue campaigns, canvassed for mayoral campaigns and most recently, was the Campaign Manager for the Zoraya Ward 1 Burlington City Council race. You may recognize him from hosting RAD-TV, live on Burlington’s Channel 17, or you may recognize him from standing on your doorstep extolling the virtues of progressive policy. You can reach him at tom@radmovement.org.
HEATHER STOCKWELL
NH Community Organizer
Heather has been a resident of New Hampshire for almost 50 years. She attended college in Boston and New York, only to return to New Hampshire after her studies. She currently lives in her hometown where she started her own family in the house she grew up in. She is one of the founding members of the Monadnock Progressive Alliance, a local chapter of Rights & Democracy NH. She aspires to apply what she’s learned over the last two years by using these experiences across the Granite State. You can reach Heather at heather@radmovement.org.
Kirthana Vallesi
Executive Assistant
Kirthana Vallesi grew up in Italy, where she lived and studied international politics until 2010. Before moving to Vermont in 2017, she traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia and Africa. She holds a master’s in international development from the University of Brussels and a Master’s in Global Health and Infectious Disease from the University of Edinburgh. Kirthana has worked with international nonprofits in Haiti, Ecuador, and Tanzania. She currently lives in Burlington with her husband and 2 children. She is passionate about social justice, cooking and studying. You can reach her at kirthana@radmovement.org.