Amplifying Your Voice: Leveraging Grassroots Advocacy
05/01/2025 08:30 AM - 09:30 AM ET
Admission
- Free
Description
Amplifying Your Voice: Leveraging Grassroots Advocacy
Thursday, May 1
8:30 - 9:30 am via Zoom
In recent weeks, nonprofit leaders and board members have found themselves facing significant turbulence both financially and in practice as a result of the uncertain federal political environment. While advocacy—educating policymakers and political leaders—has always been part of a nonprofit’s role, today’s environment demands a more strategic and proactive approach. This webinar will equip board members and staff with the tools and insights needed to effectively engage with representatives at all levels of government and ensure their voices are heard. We hope you will join us for this interactive event.
Featured Speakers
Kathleen C. Marchi
President & CEO, Samaritans, Inc.
Kathleen C. Marchi is the CEO and President of Samaritans, Inc., the largest suicide prevention organization in New England. Kathy is a senior leader with extensive experience in nonprofit, public education, higher education, and for-profit sectors. In her work, Kathy has been recognized for superior team and relationship building skills, executive management expertise including change and knowledge management, and strategic approaches to building partnerships and achieving organizational success.
Kathy joined Samaritans in December 2019, just before the Covid-19 pandemic brought disruption, loss, and isolation to all communities, and the killing of George Floyd brought the pain of racial injustice to the forefront. With Kathy’s more than 30 years of leadership, advancement, and management skills, she was able to guide the organization through these challenging times, expand services to meet expanding needs, oversee a strategic planning process that is refocusing and deepening Samaritans work with marginalized communities, survivors of suicide attempts, young people, and those most impacted by mental health challenges and suicide loss.
Prior to joining Samaritans, Kathy worked at the MIT Sloan School of Management where she held the position of Director of Alumni Relations. Previous positions included serving as the Executive Director of The Newton Partnership Child Care Scholarship Fund where she managed the annual scholarship program, oversaw the board of directors, engaged with community leaders, and collaborated with local agencies to understand student/family needs and target support to families for maximum impact. Kathy also worked for Newton Public Schools as Grants Director and provided leadership for The Newton Partnership, a collaborative overseeing more than $7.5M in federal funding from the Department of Education, Department of Justice, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. In addition, Kathy served as the Acting Executive Director of The Genesis Foundation for Children, an organization that helps children with genetic disorders, rare diseases, and disabilities reach their full potential and lead happy, productive lives.
Mary Ann Mulligan
Founding Partner, Global Strategies, Inc.
Mary Ann Mulligan is proud to be a founding partner of Governmental Strategies, Inc. For the last three decades, Mary Ann has represented issues that span the spectrum of health care and human services from Early Intervention for infants and toddlers with developmental delays, to nursing care, management and leadership, to home care for elders and persons with disabilities, to hospital pharmacies and collaborative drug therapy management, to affordable housing and homelessness prevention.
Mary Ann has the lobbying acumen and expertise to help groups have a major impact, establishing their identify as experts to the decision-makers on Beacon Hill and achieving success in their advocacy efforts. Her skills at problem solving, strategic planning and coalition building assist her clients in securing budget appropriations, changing regulations, enacting legislation, and influencing public policy decisions.
The ability to communicate complex issues clearly and effectively is one of Mary Ann's greatest assets as a lobbyist. She developed her communication skills working as a Director/Associate Producer at WBUR Radio in Boston and as a media relations specialist at Deaconess Hospital. Mary Ann's media relations expertise continues to assist her clients in obtaining news coverage and developing and sustaining media contacts.
Mary Ann takes pride in her ability to demystify the often confusing legislative and political process and synthesize complex issues in a way that is clear and accessible to her clients, coalitions, and key stakeholders.
Kate Robinson
Principal, Gallo & Robinson, LLC
Kate Robinson, Principal at Gallo & Robinson, LLC, is an active lobbyist who believes that her clients are the experts in their field. She works to forge ongoing communication and strong relationships between clients and policy makers so that they can make well informed decisions, and better serve our state and its residents.
After serving as the Clerk of the Planning and Development Committee and running two state-house campaigns, Kate went to work for Betty Gallo & Company in 2000. Since then, she has worked on dozens of pro-active proposals relating to strengthening the safety net, public health, education, energy security and affordable housing including, but not limited to, improved access to abortion care and long acting contraceptives, the passage of the Connecticut Child Tax Rebate, increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit, increased access to free school meals, re-establishing student loan reimbursement for health care providers in public health, the removal of non-medical exemptions from state vaccination requirements to enroll in school, increased the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21, CPR in schools, increased access to Narcan, monitoring access to mental health treatment for people with private insurance, established funding for year-round energy assistance, increasing and preserving funds for affordable housing options and housing stability for people facing homelessness, restoration of voting rights for people who have served their sentences in the criminal justice system, and assuring that tenants in public housing can elect the Tenant Commissioner on the Housing Authority if they choose to.
She has also worked as part of the lobbying team that passed paid family medical leave, increased access to paid sick days, significant gun safety legislation, marriage for same-sex couples, and abolished the death penalty in Connecticut. She actively organized the Connecticut Lobbying Conference for 13 years, and started a Post-Election Discussion Series for Gallo & Robinson Clients. Kate has been a guest lecturer for courses at the Yale School of Public Health, The UConn School of Social Work, The UConn Encore Program at the School for Public Policy and The Central Connecticut State University Political Science Department.
Kate is a graduate of High School in the Community in New Haven, holds a B.F.A. from the University of Connecticut and earned a master’s degree in Public Policy from Trinity College in Hartford. Kate is proud to have been honored for an Outstanding Contribution in Arts Advocacy in 2010 by the Connecticut Arts Administrators Association, received the Outstanding Partner Award from the Connecticut Public Housing Network in 2012 and Lifetime Membership in 2013. In 2017, she received a Legislative Champion Award from the Keep the Promise Coalition, and in 2019, she received the Scott Shuler Distinguished Art Advocate Award from the Connecticut Arts Education Association. You can read more about Kate’s background here.
Kate became a named partner at Gallo & Robinson in 2014, and Principal of the firm in 2018. She lives in West Hartford with her husband, Rob, and two sons, Alex and Theo, and pandemic puppy, Sasha. For fun, Kate likes to attend theatrical productions, live music, singing, and has recently taken up the drums. She goes “running” before work most days with a group of super friends. This early morning activity has led to the completion of 14 half marathons since 2007.
Suzanne Letso (Moderator)
Co-founder and former CEO, Milestone Behavioral Sciences
Suzanne Letso is a healthcare executive and entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience. As co-founder and former CEO of Milestones Behavioral Services, she grew a grassroots initiative into a $20M+ enterprise, pioneering innovative programs across multiple states, including specialized schools, behavioral health clinics, and comprehensive educational services.
As a legislative advocate and Connecticut's first licensed Behavior Analyst (#1), with additional licenses in Massachusetts and New York, Letso has been instrumental in shaping healthcare policy. Her advocacy efforts have been crucial in establishing and protecting behavior analysis practice standards. Her leadership extends to numerous professional boards, including roles as Vice Chairperson of Marrakech, Inc. and President of The Elija School and Foundation.
Letso's entrepreneurial acumen spans multiple sectors, including venture capital and real estate development. Her business portfolio includes founding several real estate companies and executive experience in medical products marketing and venture capital startups. Currently, as Principal of Insights Consulting Group in Boston, she provides strategic guidance to behavioral health organizations and educational institutions.