Previous Heather Award Winners

 Ms. Karin Johanson -2010                                                                                                                 Karin Johanson is a principal in Dewey Square Group’s grassroots and government and relations practices. Johanson has more than 25 years of experience working in Democratic politics and on Capitol Hill, including serving as Chief of Staff to Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.

CASSANDRA McKee (2009)                                                                                                                                                                        The Field Director for USAction, a national progressive political organization, and its sister organization, USAction Education Fund (USAEF). Cassandra directs the USAction/USAEF national field operation for campaigns such as health care for all and economic justice. She is responsible for the provision of support and technical assistance to USAction's affiliates and partners in 26 states. In 2005, Cassandra's work contributed to the successful defeat of the President's plan to privatize Social Security.
Before joining the USAction staff in 2002, Cassandra was the Director of Grassroots Advocacy for the National Network for Youth where she managed legislative advocacy and implemented grassroots campaigns for a national network of youth service organizations. She began her organizing career with New Jersey Public Interest Research Group (NJPIRG) as a canvasser and later as a campus organizer, roles that provided her with practical experience in voter education, community outreach and leadership development. Cassandra has a degree in Women's Studies from Drew University and recently served on the board of Calvary Women's Services, a non-profit organization that provides housing and supportive services to homeless women in Washington, D.C. Originally from New Jersey, she lives and works in Washington, D.C. with her husband, artist Jeffry Cudlin, their two dogs and three cats.

Alicia Ybarra (2008)
Service International Employees Union (SEIU)
First generation Chicana activist, Alicia Ybarra grew up in Los Angeles and by the age of 14 became involved with MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán), a student group organizing Latino youth. She attended Stanford University, where she majored in political science and continued to work with MEChA, being elected the Co-Chair for two years. Just before graduation in 1990, Alicia became active in the United States Student Association and became part of the staff that same year. While at USSA she became a GROW Trainer with the Midwest Academy.

Upon, leaving USSA, Alicia was recruited by Citizen Action to open a new office in New Mexico where she served as the Program Director for a single-payer healthcare campaign. Alicia then returned to the east coast where she became the founding Director of Hispanic PAC USA in 1994, and later went on to join the 1996 electoral political action drive of the Service Employee International Union member NY local 1199. She has also worked with Unite For Dignity and Jobs with Justice in Miami, Florida organizing and training Latino and Haitian immigrants.

Throughout her career, Alicia has traveled and worked for extended periods in Latin America. In 1999 she moved to Guatemala. While there she conducted trainings for the Midwest Academy and designed training materials for the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA.org). Most recently Alicia worked in Belize with rural indigenous women before returning to the US earlier this year.

Alicia is currently working as the Training Director of SEIU International. She is married to Josh Lichtenstein, a human rights activist, they have two sons.

Sarita Gupta (2007)
National Field Director of Jobs with Justice (JWJ)
Sarita Gupta is the National Field Director of Jobs with Justice (JWJ), a national campaign for workers' rights and economic justice that consists of over 40 local coalitions in cities across the United States. JWJ local coalitions bring together labor, community, faith-based, and student organizations to address issues impacting working people and their families. JWJ educates working people about the connection between workers' rights and strong communities, and explores innovative community based organizing for economic justice. Sarita oversees the national field program and leads on strategic programs such as health care justice, organizing and collective bargaining rights campaigns, and immigrant workers' rights. Prior to joining the national JWJ staff in 2002, Sarita served as the Executive Director of Chicago Jobs with Justice (JWJ) for four years, where she helped build the coalition to over 70 member organizations and unions, and deepened their work to address key workers' rights issues including: health care justice, organizing and collective bargaining rights, immigrants' rights, day labor/temporary labor issues, housing, and globalization. During her tenure in Chicago, she served on the National Board of JWJ.

All of Sarita's work prior to Jobs with Justice has centered around involving students in the political process through grassroots organizing, voter registration/education work, and lobbying efforts. In 1996, Sarita was elected the National President of the United States Student Association (USSA), the country's oldest and largest grassroots legislative student organization, where she represented over 3.5 million students nationwide at the White House, on Capitol Hill, and at the Department of Education. She served as a trainer for the Grass Roots Organizing Weekend (GROW) program for three years, which is a project of USSA and the Midwest Academy. Sarita graduated from Mount Holyoke College where she was active in a wide range of issues including leading a successful recruitment and retention campaign of low-income students and students of color.
Sarita currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors of Choice USA, a grassroots, reproductive rights organization that mobilizes and provides ongoing support to the diverse, upcoming generation of young leaders who promote and protect reproductive choice both now and in the future.

Mary Beth Maxwell (2006)
Executive Director, American Rights at Work
American Rights at Work is a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to educating the American public about the barriers that workers face when they exercise their democratic rights in the workplace. Our mission is to fight for a nation where the freedom of workers to organize unions and bargain collectively with employers is restored, guaranteed and promoted.

Maxwell brings more than 15 years of political strategy, field organizing and management experience to her current position. She previously served as National Field Director for Jobs with Justice, where she significantly contributed to the organization's growth into a grassroots network of 43 local coalitions and organizing committees supporting workers? rights across the country. At Jobs with Justice, she engaged new allies, mobilized support and built relationships with multiple stakeholders to broaden and strengthen the cause of worker and economic justice.

Prior to Jobs with Justice, she was Deputy Field Director for NARAL, directing the pro-choice organization's electoral, legislative, media and fundraising training programs for local affiliates. She also served as Field Director for the United States Student Association where she designed field programs to organize students in targeted congressional districts to impact higher education policy, and managed a direct action training program, which mobilized thousands of students.

Throughout her professional career, Maxwell has developed a rare acumen for building broad, sustainable coalitions among sectors within the progressive community in support of workers? rights and other political issues. Her activist calling began during her undergraduate years when she became deeply involved in women's rights, racial justice and anti-apartheid issues and campaigns. She earned a BA in English, philosophy and political science from Marquette University. She currently sits on the Board of Directors of American Families United.