Val is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of The Steady. She has nearly 20 years of experience working on political campaigns and in political office at all levels of government. Her expertise is in operations, scheduling, communications, and candidate management. Val owns Upstream a public-affairs business and is a Wheat Ridge City Councilmember.

Contact Val: Val@thesteady.net

linkedin.com/in/val-nosler-beck

The Steady Action Network Trainings: Val will be leading the December Flagship Trainings, And leads the curriculum development of all the training and workshops at The Steady

Why the Steady? Val founded "The Steady" after years of talented staff leaving campaigns because the unsteadiness of work made the environment traumatic and unsustainable. Often staffers feel undervalued, overworked and choose to make this work a hobby instead of their profession. The Steady provides consistency and support for existing campaign staff while also inviting new community-focused leaders into the profession of campaigning.v

Tyler Mounsey spent nearly two decades in the lobbying and political worlds. Most recently, Tyler served as a political consultant to the Hickenlooper for Colorado campaign. Prior to that, he was focused on healthcare, small business, and education lobbying at the State Capitol.
Tyler’s experience includes serving as Director of Government Affairs for Metropolitan State University of Denver and lobbying on behalf of the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) and Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA).
At CDHE, he blended passion with lobbying by helping secure record levels of funding for post-secondary education and expanding access to education for all of Colorado’s students. At DORA, he gained valuable experience supporting businesses and helping navigate the ever-changing landscape of regulations and rules. In 2010, he served as Director of Constituent Services for Governor Hickenlooper.
In the campaign world, Tyler’s career focuses on capitalizing on political outreach for successful outcomes. In 2020, he served as a political consultant for Senator John Hickenlooper and the Bloomberg 2020 campaign. In 2016, he served as State Political Director for Hillary Clinton in Colorado. He also worked on both the 2008 and 2012 campaigns for President Barack Obama. This lead to continued travel domestically and abroad with President Obama’s administration.
The Steady Action Network Trainings: Danielle will be leading a session during the December Flagship Training and will lead a workshop on resumes and interviews in March 2022.
Contact Tyler:
linkedin.com/in/tyler-mounsey

The Steady Action Network Trainings: Tyler will be leading two sessions during the December Flagship Trainings and will be a mentor to participants.

Why the Steady? In twenty years of campaign work, it's great to see a curriculum that touches on teaching things never discussed being successful in the campaign world, not only for your candidate but for yourself.

Leticia is a nationally recognized expert in community organizing who brings to Mission Control her vast experience in designing and implementing strategic field, mail, digital, and overall campaign plans. During her nearly 21 years of political experience, she has traveled to over 30 states to work on local, state, and federal candidate campaigns, as well as a variety of issue campaigns. Leticia is the daughter of a public school teacher and the granddaughter of both a steelworker and a bricklayer. She graduated from Smith College and the University of Denver College of Law. She lives in Denver with her husband and son.

Audrey Kline is an election policy expert who was born and raised in the northwestern suburbs of Denver. She earned a BA in Political Science at Metropolitan State College of Denver and went on to spend the next ten years working on all levels of campaigns, with organized labor, and nonprofits to equip new leaders to make big impacts.

Most recently, Audrey expanded her portfolio to over 45 states and worked to create state laws and policies that increased voting access for over 180 million voters. Audrey is passionate about civic engagement, good governance, and good campaigns and is always excited to share her experiences with the next generation of leaders.

Audrey loves to support local candidates and issues, but you can also find her on the weekends fussing over her garden, taking on projects with her wife, and listening to history podcasts while walking her dog, Roo. She lives in Denver with her wife Rachel and they are always looking for new ways to contribute to their community.

Alvina Vasquez is a community leader and political strategist who has played a key role in many of Colorado’s most important political battles. Her years of experience in broadcast media combined with her strong relationships with Colorado’s policymakers have made her one of the state’s most sought-after media and political advisers.
In 2018, Alvina served as political director on Jared Polis’s gubernatorial campaign, where she was responsible for building a statewide network of influential leaders and supporters that helped power Polis to a strong victory. She has also served as senior vice president in the Colorado office of Strategies 360, a top public affairs firm, where she led coalition-building and messaging efforts on a variety of local and national initiatives.
Alvina also brings to the table more than 20 years of experience in Spanish-language and general-market broadcasting, working with many of Colorado’s leading editors and reporters, with whom she maintains close ties. Her sophisticated knowledge of Colorado’s media landscape enables her to develop effective messaging, manage crisis communications, and deliver on-target earned and paid media for her clients.
Alvina received her Bachelor’s in Communications from Regis University in Denver and was recently recognized as one of Denver’s 40 Under 40. She is seated on various organizational boards focused on education, equality, and civic engagement, and currently serves as a fellow at the Latino Leadership Institute Executive Program at the Daniels College of Business.

The Steady Action Network Trainings: Alvina will be leading a session on political organizing and power mapping during the December Flagship Training.

Megan is a campaign and compliance veteran with over 18 years of experience. She has, at one time or another, worked in almost every department on a campaign — and knows a well-run operation can mean the difference between winning and losing.
Upon graduating from the University of Missouri, Megan joined Senator Jean Carnahan’s office as scheduler, served under Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnihan, and organized for Senator Claire McCaskill. In 2007, Megan worked in Iowa and Nevada’s presidential caucuses. In 2011, Megan moved to Washington, D.C., to help re-elect President Obama as Compliance Director for a scrappy little Super PAC called Priorities USA Action. Throughout her career, Megan has managed on-the-ground compliance and operations for state parties, coordinated campaigns, and competitive U.S. Senate races.
Megan and Steve formed Mele Brengarth & Associates to be a resource for political organizations looking for campaign compliance experience and tremendous customer service.
Megan lives in Denver, Colorado where she hikes in summer and snowboards in winter. Sometimes she lets her husband, two children, and her dog Scout tag along.

Tallon is a founding board member of The Steady. Since 2016, Tallon has worked on all levels of campaigns, from school boards to federal races. She is most proud of helping elect the first woman District Attorney in Jefferson and Gilpin counties. Tallon is passionate about supporting the working class, parents, and first-time candidates running for office. She currently lives in Colorado Springs and is a graduate of the University of Denver.

Contact Tallon: Tallon@thesteady.netlinkedin.com/in/tallon-clancy

The Steady Action Network Trainings: Tallon will be leading a training on Finance and Fundraising in February 2022.

Why The Steady? As campaign staffers, we need a sustainable way to help our democracy thrive. The Steady gives us the tools, the network, and the consistency we need to continue doing the work we love and supporting our local leaders who bring the change we need most.

Lauren Lalonde specializes in implementing successful fundraising and organizing strategies for political campaigns and non-profits. She is currently the Campaign Manager for Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07).

Previously, she served as the National Director of Candidate Fundraising Development at Leadership for Educational Equity (LEE), a nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering educators to grow as leaders in their communities.

Before her role at LEE, she worked as a fundraising consultant on several campaigns including Seattle City Councilmember Lorena González, Seattle City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, WA State Senator Pramila Jayapal, Kathleen Drew for WA Secretary of State, and Peter Steinbrueck for Seattle Mayor.

Lauren is passionate about combating inequity in her community, promoting social justice reform, and supporting youth involvement in politics. She is a Seattle native and is a graduate of the University of Washington.

Conor hails from the mountains of Southwestern Colorado. He attended Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana where he served as the Co-President of the Student Government and graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Politics. He set multiple fundraising records working in Texas for the Obama campaign during the 2008 election cycle, and has experience in community outreach and international comparative climate policy.

In 2015, Conor joined Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper’s Office of Community Partnerships as the Manager of Special Initiatives, working to support Colorado’s most vulnerable citizens and to manage a diverse portfolio of projects including the Governor’s Clergy Council, the Governor’s Executive Internship Program, and important pieces of the 100 million dollar Colorado Pedals Project. Conor went on to serve as the Director of Advance and Special Advisor to the Governor and finished the Administration as the Director of External Affairs and Senior Advisor to the Governor, staffing him at all external events and meetings, managing relationships around the state and country, and advising on all speeches, political and communications strategy and a multitude of policy decisions. After closing out the Governor’s final term, Conor served as a Senior Advisor on Climate and Conservation on Michael Bloomberg’s 2020 presidential campaign.

Conor currently serves as the Director of Conservation Strategies, Policy and Advocacy in the West for the Trust for Public Land (TPL) working to create billions of dollars in public funding for conservation. He also serves as a Vice President on the TPL Action Fund board.

Conor is an avid outdoorsman and loves to escape to the mountains to snowboard, hike, mountain bike, rock climb, SUP, and Kayak. He is a cancer survivor who proudly serves on the non-profit First Descents Alumni Advisory Board and mentors other young people battling cancer. He also serves as a national board member for the anti-bullying non-profit Stand for Courage and is a 2019 McKinsey Academy Leadership Fellow.

Originally from Colorado, Tiffany is a political strategist now operating in Washington state. Tiffany caught the political bug while in college, successfully advocating for Title IX policy reform in her University’s administration. In 2018, after moving to Seattle, Tiffany took the plunge to make her political side hustle a full-blown career.

Sick of being told the way politics and campaigns “are supposed to be done” she joined a scrappy start-up firm that sought to do things differently, elevating communities that are furthest from traditional power structures. She has had the pleasure of working with dozens of first-time candidates, candidates of color, and candidates who come from outside of traditional political networks. Now, Upper Left Strategies is one of the most successful and sought out BIPOC and woman-run firms in Washington State.

At Upper Left, Tiffany leads their portfolio on legislative advocacy and strategic communications, as well as advises on campaign fundraising, strategic marketing, and graphic design.

Danielle Young-Kombo is a founding board member of The Steady, she has years of experience working as and principal consultant at D.K. Global Consulting, LLC. She made history when she ran for the Colorado House of Representatives becoming the first woman of color to win a Democratic primary election in House District 45 in 2018. She continued her work in Colorado politics by running for the U.S. Senate in 2019 and serving as the Women’s Vote Director for the Colorado Coordinated Campaign in 2020 for the Biden-Harris ticket. Before her journey into politics, Danielle worked as a physician recruiter and primary care clinic leader in the healthcare industry.

Contact Danielle: Danielle@thesteady.net

linkedin.com/in/daniellekombo

The Steady Action Network Trainings: Danielle will be leading a session during the December Flagship Training and will lead a workshop on resumes and interviews in March 2022.

Why the Steady? Working on a political campaign whether as staff or as a candidate can be a life-changing experience. I have been on both sides of the coin. I found that after the joy and madness of the election wears off, it can leave you with feelings of uncertainty. At the end of campaign season, most of us are trying to figure out what to do next. Why should you join The Steady? Because of the camaraderie, shared experience, and the support to get you through the downtime until the next window of opportunity to follow your bliss opens up. We all need something we can count on while we are in transition. You're in the right place if you're ready to get your career back on track or if you are looking for training to sharpen your skills as a campaign staffer. Apply today to give your career in politics a boost!

Maisha Fields is Vice President of Organizing at Brady, bringing a lifelong focus on victim advocacy, violence prevention, and public health to her role.
Fields began her career as a trauma nurse at King Drew Medical Center in South-Central Los Angeles, where she developed a commitment to improving the lives of children and families who live in poverty and are impacted by community violence.
In 2005, Fields joined the ever-growing club that no person wants to be a part of: gun violence survivor. Her brother, Javad, and his fiancé, Vivian, were murdered in retaliation for an upcoming trial in which Javad was set to testify as a witness. Javad and Vivian had just graduated from Colorado State University only 30 days prior.
Following this loss, Fields became a nurse practitioner and political strategist for common-sense gun reform. In 2013, she worked with Rep. Rhonda Fields (CO) and Colorado Gov. Hickenlooper to pass one of the largest gun violence legislative bill packages in the country. She also later worked with Gov. Hickenlooper on both his successful gubernatorial and senate campaigns. Throughout this period, Fields founded the DAWN Clinic and Dayton Opportunity Center, which provides free healthcare and mental health services for the undocumented and uninsured in North Aurora, Colorado.
Fields was named one of the Denver Business Journal’s ‘40 under 40’ and has received numerous accolades, including the Martin Luther King Humanitarian Award, 40 under 40 in Public Health, and a Loving Portraits Award from the National Negro Council of Black women.

The Steady Action Network Trainings: Maisha will be leading a session on organizing and mobilizing during the December Flagship Training.

Nick Passanante is the Founder and President of Boulder Strategies LLC and Managing Partner of Turn It Blue Digital. Nick is a leading strategic relations, marketing and advertising executive, with more than fifteen years of experience in the fields of political action, cause marketing and digital strategy. He has helped guide his clients to an impressive win rate at the ballot box (85% in 2020 // 92% in 2018 // 86% in 2016), and is often sought to consult on today's most engaging omni-channel programs for candidates, causes and non-profit advocacy clients.

Prior to founding Boulder Strategies (2013) and Turn It Blue Digital (2018), Nick served in senior roles on presidential and top-targeted congressional campaigns, as an aide to former President Bill Clinton, and as the National Political Director and Director of Electoral Programs to former DNC Chairman Governor Howard Dean, and his national PAC, overseeing many well-publicized voter engagement programs across the country.

Nick's work has been recognized with more than 25 industry awards, including recognitions for Overall Campaign Excellence, Best Overall Digital Campaign, Best Overall Digital Creative, Best Campaign Branding, and Best New Firm.

Alan Salazar was born in Leadville, Colorado and is a fifth-generation Colorado native. His family traces its roots to the historic San Luis Valley and throughout the Western Slope. He grew up in the Denver metro area and is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he studied history and political science. He is also a lawyer (currently inactive) and graduate of the University of Colorado School of Law, where he secured distinction as a published member of the University of Colorado Law Review and as a Phillip A. Danielson Scholar (for “outstanding promise of public service.”) Alan has had a storied career in public service in Colorado, first as a member of U.S. Senator Gary Hart’s Colorado staff, and later working as the State Issues Director for U.S. Senator Tim Wirth, as Deputy Chief of Staff and Policy Director for Colorado Governor Roy Romer, and as Chief of Staff to U.S. Representative Mark Udall (later U.S. Senator Udall). He also oversaw Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper’s policy, legislative, and communications staff as the Governor’s Chief Strategy Officer. Alan worked in senior-level positions in President Bill Clinton’s election (1992) and re-election (1996) campaigns, and most recently in Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. Alan is a member of the History Colorado Board and has been active in other civic efforts over the years, including service on the Equality Colorado Board of Directors, as a Public Interest Trustee for the Federal Home Loan Bank Board of Topeka, and the Vision Hispanica Leadership program. In November of 2016, Alan began a new chapter of public service when he was appointed by Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock to serve as his Chief of Staff.

For over 20 years, Alexandra Acker-Lyons has worked for some of the nation’s most prominent donors, campaigns, and progressive organizations.

Alexandra is the President and Founder of AL Advising, a philanthropic and political consulting firm. AL Advising works with progressive philanthropists to create a portfolio of civic engagement, policy, and advocacy investments including 501c3, 501c4, candidate, and related political giving. She is also the Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Chambers Initiative, a family office based in Denver, CO.

Alexandra is a recognized political commentator and travels internationally as a trainer for the National Democratic Institute. She is also the author of The Political Ladder: Insider Tips on Getting a Job in Politics, published in 2012.
From 2011-2015, Alexandra served as Director of the Youth Engagement Fund at the Democracy Alliance, raising and re-granting over $5 million to youth-focused civic engagement efforts. She led the Young Democrats of America as Executive Director during the historic 2008 election cycle. Alexandra served as the Executive Director of Democratic GAIN, professional organization for political operatives, for the 2010 election cycle, having previously worked for GAIN as Training Director. She has also worked in various capacities for the John Kerry for President Campaign and the Democratic National Committee, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY).

Alexandra currently serves on the Boards of the Alliance for Youth Action, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains Action Fund, ProgressNow Colorado, and SAFE Communities Coalition. She graduated summa cum laude from the State University of New York at Binghamton. Originally from Nyack, NY, Alexandra spent time in Washington, DC and Palo Alto, CA. She currently lives in Denver, CO with her husband and five-year-old son.

Topher has spent over ten years building campaigns and movements in the Rocky Mountain West. As an award-winning digital and communications strategist, Topher’s mission is to ensure every change-maker has the skills to build a winning campaign. As a past recipient of Montana’s 25 under 25 awards, they believe in the power that young people have to change the world.

Most recently, Topher was the Senior Digital Strategist with the National Vote at Home Institute where they worked to expand mail-ballot access and bring the Colorado voting model to states across the country. Prior to their work with NVAHI, they built the digital organizing program for John Hickenlooper’s Presidential and U.S. 1Senate campaigns. They also served as Denver Mayor Michael Hancock’s Digital Director and consulted on a wide range of congressional campaigns from coast to coast.

Prior to returning to their home state of Colorado, Topher spent many years in Montana where they cut their teeth organizing with Montana Conservation Voters, Forward Montana, and several other statewide ballot measures.
An alum of and national facilitator for New Leaders Council, Topher continues to be passionate about training activists in the art of change-making. They are currently serving on the executive board of Cobalt Advocates - Colorado’s leading abortion advocacy group - and live in Lakewood, CO with their partner Austin and their cat Lucy Lou.

Beth is the Partner and COO at Turn It Blue Digital and has worked on political and advocacy efforts at all levels for the past ten years, starting as a canvasser and phone banker in college. She managed legislative campaigns and independent expenditures, as well as statewide media-focused campaigns before joining the Boulder Strategies team in 2016.

In the five years since, she has directed our project management and creative production teams, coordinating digital-first persuasion and turnout campaigns in support of candidates and ballot initiatives across the country. Using her background in down-ballot races, Beth helped develop our sister agency—Turn It Blue Digital—aimed at providing effective and affordable digital resources to state and local campaigns. Turn It Blue was subsequently recognized as the 'Democratic Party's Best New Firm' in 2020.

Beth became Partner and Chief Operating Officer in 2021.

Camilo is a veteran of over a dozen political campaigns of all shapes and sizes, having traveled coast to coast in search of the next campaign. Specializing in field and organizing, Camilo has been a critical member of some of the most contentious races in recent memory. Most recently, he served as the Deputy Campaign Manager for now-Congresswoman Shontel Brown in her special election to replace Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge.

In 2020, Camilo served as Political Director for John Hickenlooper, helping flip the Senate for the Democrats, and prior to that oversaw the Iowa caucus program and New Hampshire field program for Sen. Michael Bennet’s presidential campaign.

Considered a veteran of Colorado Politics, Camilo also played an instrumental role in Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock’s re-election campaign, overseeing a field and political operation that powered the Mayor to the largest 3rd term margin of victory in city history. He also managed Rep. Bri Buentello’s 2018 surprise victory, flipping an R+ 16 district and electing a Democrat to the seat for the first time in decades.

Contact Camilo: vilaseca.camilo@gmail.com

The Steady Action Network Trainings: Camilo will be leading a session on field operations and on how to use the votebuilder voter database during the December Flagship Training.

Why the Steady?: Campaigns historically have been dominated by white men from elite institutions. By increasing access for folks interested in politics, we can make politics a more inclusive and representative field that ultimately reflects the communities we serve. Paired with high-quality training and mentorship for individuals looking to get involved in public service, we can provide the in-depth guidance that does not always happen on the campaign trail or in office. In other words, The Steady will provide a deep talent pool, while also providing the structure, support, and resources that political operatives have not had to date. The Steady will make politics a better place.

Nick Brown is Co-founder and CEO of Effct.org. Since 2017, Effct has led more than 20 campaigns to victory using digital media. The firm's areas of focus are climate, education and voter access, as well as candidates who prioritize these issues.

Brown also served as state Digital Director for Mike Bloomberg, helping Mike win 19% of the vote in Colorado, his largest vote share nationwide. On this campaign, Brown coordinated a team of 80 staffers to send more than 1 million text messages.

Nick's passion for education and social change was sparked during his time as a teacher with Teach For America, teaching 4th, 5th, and 6th grade in the Mississippi Delta. It was furthered during his time as a Fulbright Scholar in Colombia where he taught English through the lens of entrepreneurship.

He is a cum laude graduate of the University of Southern California with a B.A. in Political Science. And he is currently earning his Masters in Business Administration from the University of Colorado - Boulder. In his free time, Nick loves to ski, work out, and journal.