Rodney McKenzie, Jr., Director, NY
For a total of four years, Rodney was a Project Director in the Organizing & Training Department at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. McKenzie’s work focused on building grassroots political power in gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities across the country. During his tenure at the Task Force, he played a key role in defeating historic anti-gay ballot measures in Miami, Florida, Tacoma, Washington, and Ypsilanti, Michigan. In 2004, McKenzie was the deputy field director of the No on 36 Campaign in Portland, Oregon.
From 2005-2006, he served as Program Director at Freedom to Marry, the gay and non-gay coalition to win the right to marry for all people. He was charged with the overall programmatic direction of the organization and was responsible for a $300,000 regranting program, providing grassroots organizing technical assistance to key state and national partners.
Rodney has taught hundreds of people the skills needed to build grassroots LGBT political power. His trainings have focused on building a multi-racial organization, recruiting and motivating a large volunteer base, creating a clear and honest message, and using a variety of organizing tools to ensure a win.
Rodney resides in Brooklyn, NY.
Jason Cooper, Program Director, NY
Jason has worked for more than a decade as a community and electoral organizer for nonprofit organizations with a focus on progressive political advocacy. Jason began his career as a Senior Field Organizer for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force where he oversaw the recruitment of thousands of volunteers and coached and mentored organizing teams working on a variety of issues ranging from immigration to marriage equality to affirmative action. At the Task Force, Jason worked side by side with state and local leaders across the country to build grassroots political power from the bottom up. Jason coached and mentored staff and volunteers through 13 campaigns in 11 states and trained thousands of activists in grassroots organizing, fundraising, multiracial team building, grassroots lobbying, and developing and running a winning campaign.
Most recently Jason served as the Deputy Director of Young People For (YP4), a program of the People For the American Way Foundation that works with young, talented, diverse leaders and activists to create positive social change at the local, state and national level. While at YP4, he was responsible for the execution and launch of the organization’s leadership development initiatives, aiming to develop a national infrastructure to support the newest generation of progressive leaders.
Through hands-on work, tested in high profile political and public education campaigns, combined with leadership, organizational and training expertise, Jason has developed the tools and experience critical for working with leaders of all sectors to build power from the ground up.
Brigid Flaherty, Program Associate, CA
Brigid has dedicated her career to organizing and advocating for fundamental social change. For over five years, Brigid has worked to empower and support women and girls, gay and lesbian youth, and people living with HIV/AIDS. Most recently, she served as the Program Associate for the Mount Sinai Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention (SAVI) Program. At SAVI she was responsible for the development and maintenance of their burgeoning project, the Prevention Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation (PACSE). Facing the unique challenge of sustaining a project with limited staff, funding, and resources, Ms. Flaherty brought her knowledge of fundraising, community organizing, and organizational development and helped build a strong, financially secure, and effective program. Woven throughout her work is the desire to bring people together to organize, advocate, and create solutions to injustice. In 2006 she was named a young leader for social change in New York City by the Global Youth Action Network. She also is a board member for RightRides for Women’s Safety, was the chair of the programming subcommittee for Third Wave Foundation, and has written on issues related to youth and community organizing. Brigid resides in Los Angeles, California.
Larry Parachini, Organizational Development Consultant, MD
Larry has worked with a wide range of community-based and other non-profit organizations and private foundations across the country in 12 years as an independent consultant. Through his consulting practice and in earlier leadership roles with various organizations at the national level, he has provided direction and assistance in organizational development and strategic planning; program and public policy development and implementation; leadership development; multi-racial team- and coalition-building; and research and evaluation. The author of numerous publications about revitalizing low-income communities and communities of color, he has focused much of his writing and consulting practice on community organizing and related leadership development strategies for social and economic justice and community change. Larry resides in Silver Springs, Maryland.
