A Message from Arena’s New Executive Director

It is a profound honor to introduce myself today as Arena’s new Executive Director.

I step into this role with immense gratitude for the leaders who paved the way. Especially our outgoing Executive Director, Lauren Baer, whose vision and care shaped Arena into the force it is today. Now, as a part of Zinc Collective, we are positioned to scale our impact and power the next generation of Democratic talent needed to win up and down the ballot.

I joined Arena in 2017. Since then, I’ve worn nearly every hat: Arena Academy Emcee, Data Track Lead, Arena Toolbox builder, coach, and “emergency phone-a-friend,” to name a few. I arrived here as a data strategist ready to step out from behind the computer, and along the way, I’ve learned just as many lessons as I’ve given.

My favorite days at Arena usually come the day after a big training. It’s not the relief that we reached a successful conclusion to the work. It is the realization of the hope felt when we were in the early stages of reviewing applications.

As we read through applicants, it is easy to get excited about the potential of each individual who wants to come to our training. There’s the person getting started in their career. An application from a junior staffer stepping into a leadership role. There’s applications from seasoned professionals from other industries hoping to make a difference. They all start out as names in a spreadsheet. They come to life with hopes, creative ideas, and aspirations for better, stronger campaigns that win.

Along the way, something else happens. These wonderful individuals meet each other. Our team gets to watch in real time as they find their people. People who are working towards similar goals. They start to feel less alone. They feed on the collective’s energy.

Being witness to that reenergizes me. After an Arena Academy, when I should be exhausted, I’m feeling my best. Even greater than the individuals we empower, we fostered a community that energizes people, and they can take that back to their own communities across the country.

The challenges we face won’t be solved by an individual, but by a collection of everyday people across the country working and pushing towards similar goals that improve the lives of everyone.
Arena is a place where you learn what it means to be a leader, how you can step into that role, and find others you can ally yourself with in today’s fight and the ones to come.

I know that as Executive Director, I will learn as much from you as I could ever hope to teach. This community is the antidote to hopelessness, and I am honored to be part of the work ahead.
I invite you to join us in the next chapter of Arena. This is not an invitation to be a witness. It is an invitation to be an active participant who takes what they get from Arena and changes their community.