Staff

Kate joined the Statewide Poverty Action Network in 2009 and works as the Government Relations Manager. She focuses on developing and advocating for public policies that help people living on low incomes meet their basic needs and access opportunities to prosper. These policy areas include state-level safety net programs, educational and vocational training opportunities, consumer protection regulations, and asset building opportunities. In addition to her policy work, Kate works with Poverty Action members to travel to the state capitol to share their stories about living on a low-income with law makers and weigh in on public policy decisions. Kate also serves on the Board of Directors of Seattle Education Access, which helps low-income young adults access higher education. Kate received her Masters degree in Social Work with a concentration in public policy from the University of Washington.

Contact Kate at kate@povertyaction.org

Marcy began as a volunteer with Poverty Action in 2001 and came on staff in 2005. Since joining the staff, she has recruited and managed volunteers, led our grassroots outreach, coordinated the People’s Summit and March, led our 2008 Vote For A Change campaign, staffed the national Equal Voice for America’s Families campaign and coordinated our membership and communications efforts. Marcy now serves as Poverty Action’s Director, overseeing a stellar staff and working with our talented board. She has worked and volunteered in the social justice movement in Seattle, Texas and Central America. Marcy received her Bachelors degree in Psychology and Women’s Studies from the University of Washington.

Contact Marcy at marcy@povertyaction.org

Senait Brown serves as the Community Organizer for the Statewide Poverty Action Network. Senait works to mobilize grassroots support around ending poverty through empowering low-income communities and communities of color to access their political voice. Currently, Senait serves as the lead coordinator for Poverty Action’s faith-based organizing, leadership development, anti-racist organizing, and our Vote For A Change campaign. Senait received a Masters degree in Urban and Regional Planning-concentration in community development for social justice from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Contact Senait at senait@povertyaction.org

Danielle works as Poverty Action’s Campaign Manager. She focuses on coalition-building, mobilizing grassroots communities around the state, and coordinating media and lobbying efforts in order to win fair and reasonable consumer protections for low-income and working families. In addition, she coordinates APPL (Alliance to Prevent Predatory Lending), a coalition made up of over 100 community organizations that work on battling predatory lending at the state level. Danielle’s passion for social justice has led her to be a professional community organizer for 7 years, working on a variety of social and economic justice issues, in addition to legislative campaigns around Washington State. She received a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Washington in 2005.

Contact Danielle at danielle@povertyaction.org

EJ is Poverty Action’s Development Coordinator. He focuses on building our membership throughout Washington state, fundraising, and coordinating communications. EJ has worked to elevate underrepresented communities to positions of power and engage young people in civic life through innovative campaigns all over Washington State. In addition, he also serves on the Board of the Washington Bus, an organization that engages tomorrow’s leaders on their own terms, and empowers them through education, civic and cultural engagement, and hands-on democracy. With a deep commitment to social justice, EJ has sharpened his organizing skills in Yakima, Tacoma and Olympia. EJ currently is working on a Master’s degree in Cultural Studies at the University of Washington where he is a Civic Engagement Fellow.

Contact EJ at ej@povertyaction.org

As Poverty Action’s Policy Director, Tony oversees Solid Ground’s advocacy programs: the Statewide Poverty Action Network; Family Assistance, which provides free legal representation to low-income people on public assistance, Medicaid and child care issues; Community Voicemail, which provides voicemail to low-income and homeless adults. He also coordinates Solid Ground’s advocacy work with local government on issues related to funding and human service policies. Tony was a founding member of Poverty Action in 1996, playing an essential role in its development and direction. Tony has more than 20 years of experience working on legal justice and legislative issues, including work as a Public Benefits Attorney at Evergreen Legal Services and as the legislative director at the WA Association of Churches. He is the past chair of the Governor’s Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs and is a founding member of the Asian Pacific Islander Coalition of King County.

Contact Tony at tony@povertyaction.org