Michael Sargeant, Executive Director
Michael has been at the DLCC since 2001. He previously served as the national political director from 2003 to 2007. Before joining the DLCC, Michael was the director of the Tennessee House Caucus. He has also managed races in New Jersey, California, Michigan, and Missouri. He holds a degree from St. John’s University and is a New Jersey native.

Whitney Denton, Political Assistant
Whitney joined the DLCC in March of 2009. She previously worked on the Obama for America campaign in Indiana. She also worked as a legislative assistant in the Oklahoma State Senate for former-President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan and interned for the Oklahoma Democratic Party. She's a proud Sooner born and bred.

Carolyn Fiddler, Communications Director
Prior to joining the DLCC in May of 2010, Carolyn was Director of External Affairs at Media Matters for America. She graduated from the University of Arkansas with a BA in international relations, European studies, and political science, and she received her JD from the the College of William & Mary. Prior to law school, she worked for the Democratic Party of Virginia, where she served as Deputy Finance Director and later as Communications Director. During law school, she interned with Virginia Delegate Jim Scott and drew political cartoons for the school paper. Carolyn is a native of Warsaw, Virginia.

Elizabeth Gramling, Director of Operations
Lizz joined the DLCC in 2007. Prior to that, she spent two years as the office manager at John Kerry's Senate reelect committee and leadership PAC. She previously worked in the Voter Contact & Targeting Department at the Democratic National Committee. Lizz is from Burlington, New Jersey.

Megan Hannigan, Finance Associate
Megan joined the finance team in 2009, shortly after receiving her B.A. from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She previously served as a Klindt-Dye Intern with the DLCC in the summer of 2008. Originally from just across the Potomac in Arlington, Virginia, Megan has also worked in the office of US Senator Sherrod Brown.

Heather Johnk, National Finance Director
Heather joined the DLCC in 2005 as the director of financial services. She's worked extensively in Iowa politics, including time as finance director for the Iowa Senate Democratic Caucus. She hails from the Twin Cities area of Minnesota.

Karen Noonan, Research Director & Senior Advisor
Karen joined the DLCC in January of 2002. She has a masters in political science and completed coursework for a PhD in political science. Karen has worked at research and polling firms and taught classes at the University of Washington. She’s a native of Vancouver, Washington.

Emily Passini, Political Director
Prior to joining the DLCC in January 2010, Emily worked at a consulting firm managing public relations and grassroots campaigns in numerous states across the country. She also served as the Campaign Director for the Tennessee House Democratic Caucus in 2006 and as the Deputy Political Director for the New Jersey Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee in 2005. Before jumping into campaigns, Emily spent two years in Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen’s administration as the Special Assistant to the Commissioner of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities. A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, Emily has a Bachelor’s degree from Rhodes College and Master’s degree from the University of Memphis.

Jessica Post, Political Director
Before joining the DLCC in 2010, Jessica worked in more than 20 states on electoral, grassroots advocacy and ballot initiative campaigns, including a cycle as Deputy Caucus Director for the Minnesota Senate Democratic-Farmer-Labor Caucus. Most recently, Jessica served as Field Director for the Minnesota DFL party Coordinated Campaign for Al Franken and the DFL ticket, through the ensuing recount, and then directed legislative grassroots advocacy programs as a consultant for Anheuser-Busch. A St. Louis native, and a graduate of Truman State University, Jessica began her career managing a state representative campaign in rural Missouri.

Owen Shackelford, Political Director
Owen joined the DLCC in 2007. He previously served as the executive director of the Oklahoma Senate Democrats for three years. Owen has also served as the legislative administrative assistant for Senator Stratton Taylor, President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma Senate. He was the campaign manager for the successful Boren for Congress campaign.

Nathan Thomas, New Media Coordinator
Prior to joining the DLCC in 2009, Nathan worked on the writing staff of the Mack Crounse Group. He is a veteran of the 2008 Iowa Caucuses and later joined the field staff of Louisiana Democrat Don Cazayoux’s successful special election campaign for Congress. Before that, Nathan got his start as an intern for the 2006 congressional campaigns of Nick Lampson and Dan Maffei. Nathan is a native of New Orleans and a graduate of Syracuse University in New York.

Emily Wilson, Research Assistant
Emily joined DLCC in 2010 after graduating from Furman University in South Carolina with a B.A. in Political Science and Asian Studies. She previously served as an intern with the National Women's Political Caucus, Running Start, and US Representative John Spratt. Emily is a native of Hartsville, South Carolina.

John Winston, National Political Director
John oversees the political operations of the DLCC. Prior to joining the DLCC in 2005, he spent nearly a dozen years on the road working on or managing campaigns across the country. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and his Master’s degree from George Washington University. John is a native of Richmond, Virginia.