Emily Teixeira
Executive Director
Emily Teixeira
Emily is a wife, mother, and worked as a political strategist in Oregon. As such, she knows the value of having more voices and ideas engaged in our political processes and the difficulty of balancing that work with caring for a family. She recently relocated to the Greensboro, NC area, and prior to that, Emily lived overseas and worked as an intelligence officer for the US government. She is a registered yoga teacher and a lover of adventures, maps (mostly geo-political), office supplies, and strong democracies.
Kirsten Wyatt
Board President
Kirsten Wyatt
Kirsten is the co-founder and executive director of ELGL, the Engaging Local Government Leaders network. ELGL is a 5,000 member professional association for people who work for towns, cities, counties, and districts. Previously, she served as Assistant City Manager of West Linn, budget analyst for the Virginia Department of Education, and as a communications consultant with Pacific Public Affairs. Currently, she serves as a fellow at the Beeck Center at Georgetown University. Kirsten received her B.S. from Willamette University and her MPA from UNC-Chapel Hill.
Luis Guitart
Board President-Elect
Luis Guitart
Luis joined Delta in 2020 as an Account Executive on the Global Corporate Sales team supporting relationships with Delta’s top corporate customers. He came from partner airline Aeromexico, where he worked closely with Delta to promote the Delta-Aeromexico join venture and transborder products in the Northwest United States. A Minnesota-native, Luis graduated from the University of Minnesota with degrees in Marketing Management and Political Science. A personal and professional advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, Luis spent time as a spokesperson for the Emma Bowen Foundation. He supports Oregon Business Travel Association and WorldOregon as a board member. Outside of work, Luis is an avid traveler, writer, public speaker and a fan of sporting and culinary events alike. He likes to spend time with his nieces and nephew in Minnesota and consuming political news 24/7.
Sierra Tillery
Board Secretary
Sierra Tillery
Sierra is an attorney with a focus on business transactions. Prior to law school, Sierra worked in the political department of the US Embassy in Madrid. She was formerly a childcare worker and knows how lack of childcare can be a huge barrier to civic engagement. She is excited to work with Politisit to help empower families and allow more voices to be heard.
Melody Bell
Board Treasurer
Melody Bell
Dr. Melody Bell launched Financial Beginnings in 2005 after a career in finance, during which she repeatedly encountered individuals who were forced to delay life goals such as higher education, homeownership, and retirement after failing to navigate the increasingly complex and predatory financial system. She discovered that, despite a growing need to educate young people about personal finance, few schools offered financial literacy curricula. Driven by her belief that sound financial decisions are the result of early education, Dr. Bell went to work creating high-quality accessible and unbiased financial education programming to fill the gap at her local schools.
Stephanie Holmberg
Board Member
Stephanie Holmberg
Stephanie is an attorney at Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt PC. She currently leads the firm's Real Estate and Construction industry group and is a Shareholder in the Litigation Department. The bulk of her practice involves helping developers, contractors, and design professionals resolve disputes. But - first and foremost - Stephanie is a mom to two children and an involved, passionate community member. Stephanie is excited to work with Politisit to help make a positive impact for families and communities throughout Oregon and across the nation.
Keyanna Jones
Board Member
Keyanna Jones
Keyanna is a Political and Social Justice Activist and Community Organizer, who is a staunch advocate for quality, affordable childcare and equity in education. Before moving back to Georgia in 2020, Keyanna was a Community Organizer in Roselle, NJ, where she was eventually elected to the Board of Education. She served two terms as a member of the Parent Policy Council of The Leaguers, Inc. Head Start, where she helped parents learn how to organize and advocate to effect change for their children. She also served The Leaguers as a member of the Board of Trustees for 3 years. She is the proprietor of E Equals MC Squared Educational Services, LLC, where she works as a Homeschool Curriculum Consultant, IEP Advocate and German Translator. Keyanna is the wife of Jerrod R. Moore and mother to their 5 unique and extraordinary children.
Michelle McCloskey
Board Member
Michelle McCloskey
Michelle has over a decade of experience in HR and HR Operations for organizations ranging from tech start-ups, major non-profits, and Fortune Global 500 companies in both the US and Canada. A jane-of-all-trades, Michelle has been a Philadelphia public school teacher (6-12th grades), an Executive Director of a non-profit focused on creating language resources for less commonly taught languages in the US, a Resident Director for teenagers studying Turkish in Turkey, and an amateur cat trainer. Michelle is excited to work with Politisit to help remove some the barriers for parents and caregivers to be more civically engaged.
Rachel Sowray
Founder & Board President Emeritus
Rachel Sowray
Rachel is a mom and attorney who has always cherished a healthy American democracy and engaged communities. She spent time working on healthcare, housing, and education policy on Capitol Hill while earning her Masters in Public Policy. After law school, Rachel continued as a public servant and became a prosecutor. She also teaches Constitutional Law. Rachel is excited to watch Politisit's program continue to grow and empower families.