Juan Carlos Aguilar

Juan Carlos Aguilar is the Development Officer of the National Priorities Project. He has many years of experience working in area non-profits. Previously Juan Carlos was 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. jcaguilar at nationalpriorities.org

Barb Chalfonte

Barb Chalfonte is a Senior Research Associate at the National Priorities Project.  Barb comes to NPP with 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 and served on the boards of political action committees.  Barb holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University and a B.A. from Williams College.  barb at nationalpriorities.org

Jo Comerford

Jo Comerford, Executive Director, joined the National Priorities Project staff in July 2008. Most recently, Jo directed the programs of The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, working to meet the immediate demands of hunger in the region as well as for systemic community food security. Prior to The Food Bank, Jo coordinated the American Friends Service Committee's justice and peace-related community organizing efforts, also in the western Massachusetts region. She holds an MSW in community organizing from Hunter College School of Social Work. jo at nationalpriorities.org

Kristine Elinevsky

Kristine Elinevsky, Director of Administration & Finance at National Priorities Project, 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. kris at nationalpriorities.org

Daniel McLeod

Daniel McLeod is the Outreach Coordinator for National Priorities Project. He first became politically engaged during the IMF/World Bank protests of 2000 and has since lent efforts to the global justice movement, peace, and labor organizing. He is also a mental health counselor, freelance writer, and member of UAW Local 2322. His articles dealing with corporate power have appeared in Z Magazine and you can catch him playing the singing saw from time to time with local musicians. Dan has a bachelors degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in Communication & Sociology. dmcleod at nationalpriorities.org

Mary Orisich

Mary Orisich, Research Associate at the National Priorities Project, joined the staff in 2006. She 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. morisich at nationalpriorities.org

Suzanne Smith

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, including the database, tradeoffs, and quick reports. 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. smsmith at nationalpriorities.org

Greg Speeter

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. greg at nationalpriorities.org