Peter Hardie, Executive Director, NY
Peter Hardie comes to the Pushback Network from Wayfinding Organizational and Leadership Services, of which he was the principal. He built that consulting practice incorporating principles of community and discovery into the dynamics of organization, social justice and social impact. Having served as an executive for TransAfrica Forum, an international advocacy organization, and as a consultant to the Ford Foundation, he is passionate about the need for global perspective and understanding in social change. He served until recently as president of the Board of United for a Fair Economy, an organization dedicated to reversing racial and economic inequality in the United States.
A graduate of Harvard University, a labor and community activist upon leaving college, Peter has worked on local and national electoral campaigns in field and leadership positions, most notably as campaign manager for the first Latino elected to the Massachusetts state legislature. He helped shape many grassroots community initiatives around peace and justice, violence against women, police conduct, youth involvement and public schools. As union representative for SEIU, he organized, negotiated, and managed public employee contracts in Massachusetts. He spent many years teaching in the public high schools, and worked with activists on public school reform efforts. He served as executive director for Roxbury Youthworks, a successful community-based program in Boston for youth involved in the juvenile justice system.
Consulting clients have included the Ford and W.K. Kellogg Foundations, Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, Third Sector New England, United for a Fair Economy, United Way of New York City, and a variety of community and advocacy groups. He is currently affiliated with Management Assistance Group in Washington D.C., and Community Impact Consulting in New York City.
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, Director of Resource and Organizational Development, NC
Brigid has dedicated her work to organizing for fundamental social change. For over 7 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 Organizer 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 Durham, North Carolina.
