Members
CommonSense Americans
We are a group of ordinary Americans, dubbed CommonSense Americans, working together to instill common sense into American politics. Our members, from diverse backgrounds, share a commitment to the country’s well-being and believe in the power of ordinary wisdom, echoing Jefferson’s trust in the common people’s moral sense. We advocate for practical policy changes supported across the political spectrum, embodying Madison’s vision that America’s diversity is its strength, not a source of division. Our mission requires a broad and representative membership, and we invite you to join our journey toward meaningful change.
Are you a CommonSense American? Join Us
Ambassadors
Meet Our Ambassadors — the vital voices of CommonSense Americans in each state. These dedicated individuals bridge the gap between citizens and Congress, ensuring that the insights from our comprehensive issue briefs are heard and acted upon on Capitol Hill. Beyond their pivotal role in legislative advocacy, our Ambassadors are at the heart of our community, cultivating engagement and growth among our members. Meet the individuals behind this nationwide movement towards common sense governance.
If you are interested in this work and want to become an Ambassador, click here to complete an application.
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Alabama Ambassador
Michelle Goodwin
Alaska Ambassador
Kathleen Rahn, a retired school psychologist, and her family have lived in Mesa, Arizona for 30 years. In addition to her work in public schools, she has served her community on advisory boards and committees in the city of Mesa, Mesa Public Schools, and other nonprofit organizations. Kathleen has a history of advocating for public school funding, early childhood education and mental health services.
Through community service and interactions with her neighbors, Kathleen has learned that citizens of Mesa have more in common and share more values than disagreements. The city of Mesa works to envision a city “where all those living in, working in, or visiting Mesa are entitled to equal dignity and respect and have fair access to opportunities to thrive.”
In early 2020 Kathleen received an email inviting her to join CommonSense American and she discovered an organization that also shared her desire to work together to “instill common sense into American politics.” By reading briefs where all members review the same data- based information through CSA, the majority of members can find consensus. In 2023 Kathleen became a CSA Facilitator of conversations and became acquainted with other members yearning for a safe space to have conversations about vital issues such as infrastructure and revising the Electoral Count Act. She is proud to be an Arizona Ambassador.
Michael Bartelle serves as one of CommonSense American’s Arizona Ambassadors after retiring from a distinguished service career. A native of the Bronx, NY, Michael Bartelle retired in 2009 after over 30 years of active-duty service in the U.S. Army. Upon retirement from military service, Michael served as a Senior Management Analyst for Lockheed Martin Corporation and then Vice President of Overseas Operations for a military affiliated credit union in Europe.
During his travels with Lockheed Martin in Africa and South America, he developed Security Sector Reform Programs for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, with a focus on Military Capacity Building for U.S. partner nations.
Currently a resident of Oro Valley, Arizona, Michael is an Executive Advisor for several non-profits in the greater Tucson community.
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Arkansas Ambassador
After many years working in the public and private sectors as lawyer, teacher, advocate, student, peacebuilder and conflict resolver, Dr. Irmer retired from fulltime work and moved with her husband from the Washington, D.C. area to Southern California. She has a passion for acknowledging under-represented voices and for comprehending social complexity. As volunteers, she and her husband: conduct outreach to the homeless in San Diego, putting people in touch with services; pick up, yearly, tons of trash from the San Diego Riverbed; support the creation of the San Diego Braver Angels Alliance; study and respond to CommonSense American (CSA) detailed policy briefs. She also serves as the CSA volunteer state ambassador for California.
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Colorado Ambassador
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Conneticut Ambassador
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Delaware Ambassador
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Florida Ambassador
I'm a Louisiana born and bred girl, but have been fortunate to live in a few other places before returning to my home state. Currently, I'm in my 15th year of working at LSU of Alexandria where I advise students, make the Ms. LSUA pageant sash, and perform in plays (when I'm not making costumes). I hope to expand my understanding of politics and become more involved in helping to shape this country as a member of CommonSense American.
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Hawaii Ambassador
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Illinois Ambassador
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Indiana Ambassador
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Iowa Ambassador
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Kansas Ambassador
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Kentucky Ambassador
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Louisiana Ambassador
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Maine Ambassador
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Maryland Ambassador
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Massachusetts Ambassador
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Michigan Ambassador
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Minnesota Ambassador
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Mississippi Ambassador
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Missouri Ambassador
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Montana Ambassador
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Nebraska Ambassador
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Nevada Ambassador
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New Hampshire Ambassador
Linda was born in New Jersey, where she and her husband raised their two children. She is a retired educator who now has more time to devote to those interests she is passionate about, such as the CommonSense American program.
Linda earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Upsala College and her master’s degree in teaching from Marygrove College. During her tenure in education, she worked for a county vocational school system and witnessed firsthand the benefits of career connected learning. She worked with industry partners to secure paid internship positions providing students with invaluable work-related experience. Not only did this help students build the required technical skills, but it also helped them learn the much-needed softer skills employers desire.
Linda is an avid reader and a lifelong learner. She is currently researching her family genealogy and learning how to play chess. She enjoys walking, biking, and going to the beach.
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New Mexico Ambassador
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New York Ambassador
Helen is a retired career federal civil servant, with 30 years experience. She began her career as an Army JAG, then after a short stint in the private sector, moved on to serve as a civilian attorney, first with the Library of Congress, then with the Defense Mapping Agency. She concluded her service with 13 years in the Office of the General Counsel to the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon, including serving as a senior level attorney.
After retirement, Helen moved to Western North Carolina with her husband John. There she served as a Board member and president of an art-related nonprofit based in McDowell County and also as a Board member and Board President of the McDowell County Tourism Development Authority.
After retirement, Helen moved to Western North Carolina with her husband John. There she served as a Board member and president of an art-related nonprofit based in McDowell County and also as a Board member and Board President of the McDowell County Tourism Development Authority.
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North Dakota Ambassador
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Ohio Ambassador
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Oklahoma Ambassador
Allen is a first-generation Cuban-American originally from Miami, Florida, and is now proud to call the Pacific Northwest home. His guiding principles of curiosity, empathy, and kindness aligned with the values of CommonSense American. As a member since 2020, a conversation facilitator, and state ambassador for Oregon, Allen takes pride in supporting an organization that brings people from across the political spectrum together to engage in productive dialog and then sharing that collective wisdom with our elected officials and their staff.
Preston enjoyed a career in the U.S. Coast Guard, then another career in community news media at the Jersey Shore. Preston and his wife now live in a small mountain lake community in Northeastern Pennsylvania. A search for constructive socio-political engagement led Preston to CommonSense American, where he now serves as CSA's Ambassador for Pennsylvania.
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Rhode Island Ambassador
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South Carolina Ambassador
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South Dakota Ambassador
Mr. Andrews has over 40 years experience in the development and direction of energy, environmental and policy analysis projects and organizations. This includes systems analysis, decision support, risk management, program development and management, international business, public communication, and stakeholder engagement.
Ron is a recently retired IBM Distinguished Engineer from their Sustainability Software organization, with products that manage Assets, Building Facilities, Supply Chains, Weather and Environmental Intelligence and ESG Reporting product suites, featuring climate risk analysis and financed emissions. He led the Environmental Insights Strategy, the SRE discipline and operations technology for SaaS offerings. Having previously led the design and delivery of the expansion of AI and Analytics on Internet of Things content. Prior to this, he was the Director of Geospatial Content & Analytics in the Weather Company, leading the curation of global location data from our mobile and web properties and their use in industry and consumer applications. This global data lake is one of the largest IOT platforms in the world, with world-class spatial-temporal analytics capabilities. Ron was also the technical executive leading the IBM Smarter Cities software portfolio, and its corresponding domain products in Transportation, Water, City Planning & Operations, Video Analytics, and Energy. This software supports cities, regional municipal entities, stadiums, airports, and other operations-based organizations. Bringing together different agencies into a single view, these products were named the industry leader for three straight years by Frost & Sullivan, IDC, and Navigant for their vision and breadth of features. He holds over a dozen software patents.
Ron has served on the Board of MEASURE, a non-profit dedicated to elevating the experiences of people of color, using data and analysis to educate and recommend policy change and the President of the Board of Austin Smarter Cities Alliance, working to bring technology to the City of Austin to improve citizen services and the effectiveness of city agencies. He was the co-chair of the Affordable Housing Committee, where he is working to ease the effects of rapid growth on lower income families and individuals.
Maury Giles
Utah Ambassador
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Vermont Ambassador
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Washington Ambassador
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Wisconsin Ambassador
Kerry serves as an Ambassador-at-Large focusing on briefing members of Congress and policy staff on the selected legislative issues in current focus for bipartisan support. He also assists the National Staff and State Ambassadors in advancing membership participation and development.
In 2023 Kerry retired from a 28-year career with global investment firm Cambridge Associates, LLC during which span he served as a Managing Director and executive consultant to major endowments, foundations, and healthcare organizations on all aspects of asset management policy and implementation. Kerry has also worked in the banking profession managing commercial and consumer banking activities and serving on a merger & acquisition team. Prior to joining the private sector, Kerry served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps with deployments to the Far East, Middle East, the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and Scandinavia.
Kerry is a distinguished graduate of the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, VA where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and History and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA where he earned a Master of Business Administration degree.
Ambassadors
Ambassadors are the vital voices of CommonSense Americans in each state. These dedicated individuals bridge the gap between citizens and Congress, ensuring that the insights from our comprehensive issue briefs are heard and acted upon on Capitol Hill. Beyond their pivotal role in legislative advocacy, our Ambassadors are at the heart of our community, cultivating engagement and growth among our members.
Meet the individuals behind this nationwide movement towards common sense governance. Click here to see who the Ambassador for your state is.
Keith Allred, Founder & Executive Director
Keith has spent over two decades focusing on the problem of bringing ordinary citizens together across partisan divides to identify and champion good public policy. Keith developed the state-level pilot for CommonSense American, known as The Common Interest , and led it in Idaho for five years. There, he demonstrated the success of the four-step process by passing commonsense legislation in one of the nation’s reddest legislatures.
In 2017, Keith decided to take the four-step process to the national level and organized CommonSense American. When the National Institute of Civil Discourse heard of his work, they offered to be the platform from which to launch. On January 1, 2019, Keith became NICD’s Executive Director.
Keith’s brings significant experience in the business world and academia to the work of promoting good government. Prior to coming to NICD, he worked as a Senior Partner at the Cicero Group, ranked the 12th best boutique management consulting firm in the world by Vault.com. He also served as COO of Health Catalyst where his leadership was critical to concluding a deal with Sequoia Capital. He is a member of the Board of Directors for Midas Gold, which trades on the Toronto Exchange (TSX: MAX).
Keith started his career as a professor at Columbia University, and, subsequently, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, where his teaching and research focused on conflict resolution. He holds a BA in American History from Stanford and a PhD in Organizational Behavior from UCLA.
A fifth-generation Idahoan, Keith grew up working summers on the family cattle ranch. In 2017, he finished 8th in the World in the 15,000 Amateur Class of the National Cutting Horse Association after competing in the World Finals in Fort Worth. He is married to Christine Edwards Allred. They are the parents of two daughters and a son.
Keith has spent over two decades focusing on the problem of bringing ordinary citizens together across partisan divides to identify and champion good public policy. Keith developed the state-level pilot for CommonSense American, known as The Common Interest , and led it in Idaho for five years. There, he demonstrated the success of the four-step process by passing commonsense legislation in one of the nation’s reddest legislatures.
In 2017, Keith decided to take the four-step process to the national level and organized CommonSense American. When the National Institute of Civil Discourse heard of his work, they offered to be the platform from which to launch. On January 1, 2019, Keith became NICD’s Executive Director.
Keith’s brings significant experience in the business world and academia to the work of promoting good government. Prior to coming to NICD, he worked as a Senior Partner at the Cicero Group, ranked the 12th best boutique management consulting firm in the world by Vault.com. He also served as COO of Health Catalyst where his leadership was critical to concluding a deal with Sequoia Capital. He is a member of the Board of Directors for Midas Gold, which trades on the Toronto Exchange (TSX: MAX).
Keith started his career as a professor at Columbia University, and, subsequently, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, where his teaching and research focused on conflict resolution. He holds a BA in American History from Stanford and a PhD in Organizational Behavior from UCLA.
A fifth-generation Idahoan, Keith grew up working summers on the family cattle ranch. In 2017, he finished 8th in the World in the 15,000 Amateur Class of the National Cutting Horse Association after competing in the World Finals in Fort Worth. He is married to Christine Edwards Allred. They are the parents of two daughters and a son.
Our Staff
Cheryl Graeve currently serves as the Director of National Programs for NICD, including the Engaging Differences and Golden Rule 2020 programs. She works with communities and partner organizations to foster civil discourse capacity and help bridge political divides through online and in person NICD programs.
Prior to joining NICD, she served as the Senior Director of Field Support for the League of Women Voters of the United States. There she worked with national, state and local leadership on internal governance programs and civic capacity building through development of a nationwide training system and volunteer coaching structure to increase organizational outreach and effectiveness. Prior to that she served as Executive Director of AFL-CIO’s national youth group, where she developed an international anti-child labor campaign called the Toycott (a boycott of toys made in China). Cheryl also served as Legislative Director for the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG) and helped pass a state “motor voter” law designed to increase voter registration among under represented populations through public agencies. She also worked as a district Field Representative for Minnesota Congressman Gerry Sikorski when he served in Congress.
She and her husband Alain Fournier enjoy spending time in nature and observing birds through experiences in our country’s state and national parks.
Holli Woodings is a Senior Fellow at the National Institute for Civil Discourse. Her focus is on representing over 65,000 CommonSense American members and presenting their responses to the 2023 Career Connected Learning issue brief on Capitol Hill, both directly and in cooperation with the Regional and State Ambassadors in the Far West Region.
Prior to relocating to Washington, DC, she served as President of Boise City Council and was integral to the creation and adoption of Boise’s comprehensive and progressive modern zoning ordinance. She worked to bolster local businesses, support working families, and to pass and implement Boise’s goals of 100% clean energy by 2035 and carbon neutrality by 2050. Holli has also served as a Ambassador in the Idaho Legislature and in 2014 ran for Idaho Secretary of State. She’s a proud graduate of Boise State University with a BA in English and Executive MBA.
Prior to entering public service, she worked in the renewable energy industry helping to develop and finance wind farms in Idaho and Minnesota before founding Woodings Group, a consultancy specializing in startup energy companies. She has been honored as one of Idaho Business Review’s Women of the Year and Accomplished Under 40, as a Women’s and Children’s Alliance TWIN awardee, a recipient of the Girl Scouts of the USA Thanks Badge and a Boise State University Alumni of Distinction.
Holli has served on many nonprofit boards including the Boise State Foundation, Idaho Women in Leadership, and as Chair of the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage and the North End Neighborhood Association. She has volunteered for the Washington Urban Debate League, Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital, YMCA, NEW Leadership Idaho, and the Yes! For Boise Schools campaign.
Holli lives in NW Washington with her husband Ryan and their two children. They love to explore their new city (especially the restaurants!) by foot, bike, bus and Metro.
Mary Tanner is the Director for CommonSense American’s Ambassador Program and oversees the design and implementation of ambassador training programs and recruitment. She has a background in education, training, and Participatory Learning and Action (PLA). Mary is passionate about building trust, resolving conflict, and helping others find common ground.
In addition to her role at NICD, she lectures international college students on Conflict Resolution, Volunteerism, Diversity in the U.S., Cultural Awareness, and U.S. Government and Politics. She has lived in Israel, England and most recently Denmark.
Mary earned her bachelor’s degree in International Law and Diplomacy with a minor in Middle Eastern Studies from Brigham Young University, and her Masters of Science in Education and Training with an emphasis in empowering women through adult education programs in rural villages of developing countries from the University of Reading in the UK.
She currently resides in Northern Virginia where she loves spending time in nature with her husband, five children and two dogs
Jason Honn is the Chief Technology Officer for the National Institute for Civil Discourse. He has created and helps manage NICDs websites including: NICD.Arizona.edu, CommonSenseAmerican.org, NxtGenUSA.org, EngagingDifferences.org, GoldenRule2020.org, and NICDResearch.org. He also assists with video production and graphic design.
Jason brings over 20 years of experience in development and design. He has a wide range of familiarity with different web platforms and technologies. He has worked with varying businesses and organizations in both the private, nonprofit and public sectors. Jason has created and managed over a 100 sites that range in both scale and function. He aligns tightly with NICDs purpose and objectives, and is passionate about helping this organization successfully make a difference.
Jason graduated with a degree from BYU Idaho. Jason and his wife Sheri have 5 children ranging in age from 21 to 5 (Talia, Braden, Cooper, Finley, and Gracie). They are active in their church and enjoy supporting and coaching their kids in sports, music, and life.
Steele Parkerson is the Director of Congressional Engagement and Strategic Initiatives.
She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Summa Cum Laude with a double major in Diplomatic history and International Relations. Her honors thesis in International Relations, The Paradox of International Aid: A Case for Democratic Aid Theory focused on strengthening democracy through coordination between nations. While in university, Steele served her class as the Vice President of External Affairs, President of Alpha Phi, President of Best Buddies and studied abroad at the University of Oxford.
Steele’s work experience includes being an AmeriCorps Member in Ketchikan, Alaska; Center of High Impact Philanthropy in Philadelphia; Crossroads Foundation in Hong Kong; and the African Community Learning Program in Philadelphia.
When Steele’s not working, she enjoys running, reading, pilates, and loves exploring art museums and painting abstracts.
Ariana Rojas is the Director of Congressional Engagement and Data Analytics.
She recently graduated from The George Washington University with a Master of Arts in Political Science. She completed her undergraduate studies May 2022 at GW where she double majored in Political Science and Criminal Justice.
Prior to joining NICD, Ariana worked at Branch Politics as an Elections Reviewer, where she focused on educating voters on potential candidates for the November election. Before that, she was a Research and Communications Intern at Issue One, focusing on government transparency. She helped research 11 states and their respective county clerks and predecessors to identify the clerk turnover rate following the 2020 election.
Ariana aspires to play a role in promoting democracy in the United States and/or Latin America.
Outside of work, you can find Ariana reading at a park.
Jack Thomas is the Director of Congressional Engagement and Public Policy.
Jack attended William & Mary, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s of Economics and Public Policy, and received his Master’s of Public Policy in May of 2023. His research and professional experiences center around congressional reform and legislative procedure. Jack spent the summer of 2022 working in the House of Representatives with the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, where he conducted research to support the committee’s mission to create a more transparent, efficient, and effective congress. Jack has also worked on the legislative team of former Virginia Delegate Michael Mullin. Jack’s previous non-policy roles include bartending at fine dining restaurants and directing waterfronts at a summer camp on Lake Michigan.
Outside of the NICD, Jack enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, taking his puppy out on walks, supporting Michigan football, and playing board games with friends.
