National Priorities Project
Staff Biographies
September 2008

Juan Carlos Aguilar, Development Officer, has many years of non-profit funding and development experience. He previously served as Program Officer for the Environmental and Global Justice Programs at the Solidago Foundation and Director of Grants and Training at the Peace Development Fund. Juan Carlos also serves on the Board of The Commonwealth Center for Change.

Barb Chalfonte, Senior Research Associate, has a background in science and technology research as well as in organizing for social and economic justice. Prior to joining NPP, Barb worked at Bell Communications Research and was on the faculty of Mt. Holyoke College. She has written and lectured on how people understand and remember information and how to design technology to support that understanding. She has also worked on several political campaigns, served on the boards of political action committees, and holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University and a BA from Williams College.

Jo Comerford, Executive Director, joined the National Priorities Project staff in July 2008 bringing with her nearly two decades of experience in community organizing, strategic program planning, organizational development and fundraising. Most recently, Jo directed the programs of The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and worked to meet the complex and immediate demands of hunger in the region as well as for systemic community food security. Prior to The Food Bank, Jo directed the American Friends Service Committee's justice and peace-related community organizing efforts in the western Massachusetts. She holds an MSW in community organizing from Hunter College School of Social Work and is an adjunct faculty member of Smith College School of Social Work.

Kristine Elinevsky, Director of Administration & Finance, has been with NPP since 1997. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from UC San Diego and a Master's degree in Public Administration for Non-Profit Management from the University of San Francisco. She has worked in education, activist and non-profit settings for over 30 years.

Lauren Goldrich, Development Coordinator, has worked for several non-profit organizations regionally, providing administrative and programmatic support. She has also worked in documentary video and the visual arts. Lauren is a staff member at Amherst Community Television and is a member of River Valley Tech Collective, a tech support and design group on a mission to leverage open-source technologies for non-profits and small businesses.

Jillian Hanson, Communications Director, has more than a decade's worth of experience working as a development and communications specialist for the non-profit sector. Most recently, she served as Associate Director of Development (and interim Director of Development) at The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, and as Director of Foundation Relations at the National Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts. She also works as a communications and marketing consultant and a freelance writer, and holds a BA from Northwestern University.

Daniel McLeod, Outreach Coordinator, has worked in the global justice movement, peace, and labor organizing. He is also a mental health counselor and a freelance writer with a bachelors degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in Communication & Sociology.

Mary Orisich, Research Associate, is a long-time activist concerned with issues of social justice, labor, and the environment. Mary is a doctoral candidate in Economics at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and an adjunct instructor at Holyoke Community College.

Brendan Smith, IT Coordinator, has diverse skill and expertise in the field of IT. He has worked in infrastructure and development for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and for various web design and development firms. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science from Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston.

Suzanne Smith, Research Director, joined NPP as the manager of the NPP online database. She now oversees the planning and research for NPP materials and web resources. Before joining NPP, Suzanne worked as a Senior Education Data Specialist at the Massachusetts Institute for Social and Economic Research (MISER), researching affirmative action in higher education, demographic change and migration in New England, and segregation in the metropolitan Boston area. She previously taught Economics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and worked with adolescents at a residential treatment program. Suzanne holds a Master's Degree in Economics from the University of Massachusetts, and a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from Smith College.

Greg Speeter founded the National Priorities Project in 1982 as a way for community groups and the public to understand and participate in critical federal budget decisions. He has been a featured speaker at both policy conferences and training sessions for community organizers, has held a number of budget briefings on Capitol Hill, and is frequently sought out by the media for analysis of budget policies. Before founding the National Priorities Project, Greg worked for six years at the Citizen Involvement Training Project in Amherst, MA, where he authored training books on community organizing and access to the political process. He began his career as a VISTA Volunteer in 1966, and spent the first decade of his professional life as a community organizer and policy analyst.

Beth Spong, Development Director, has more than 20 years experience in results-oriented fundraising. Twenty-four years as a successful entrepreneur has honed her skills in marketing, customer service, and public speaking. Beth has traveled nationally as an educator in the allied health care field and, more recently,as a leadership development trainer for professionals. Fundraising and organizational development consulting with non-profits allows Beth to pursue her lifelong passion for social justice. She has served on numerous boards of directors, both locally and nationally. Beth holds a BA from Mount Holyoke College.