JORDAN APPLEWHITE
NH (Vice Chair)
Jordan is a maple farm worker and bar owner living in the North Country. They serve locally as a supervisor of the checklist and chair their town’s community power committee.
JO SABEL COURTNEY
VT
Jo has been a RAD Member for 5 years, has served on numerous boards and committees, and is Trustee and Development Committee Chair for the Vermont Arts Council. Jo helped organize March for Our Lives, the Let Equality Bloom Festival, and the VT Women’s March 2019 and 2020. She was an At-Large Delegate, DNC for Bernie Sanders 2016, a dedicated Bernie volunteer, a 2020 Alumni of Emerge Vermont, and a 2020 VT State Rep candidate.
STEFFEN GILLOM
VT
Steffen holds a BS in Political Science (Pre-Law) from Southern IL University Edwardsville, an MA in Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation from the School of International Training, and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Antioch University New England. Steffen works as a Marriage and Family Therapist, Conflict Resolution specialist, professional mediator, diversity consultant, TESOL educator, conference trainer, and a commentator for Vermont Public Radio (VPR). He is passionate about increasing awareness concerning disability rights and providing mental health services to communities of color and other marginalized individuals. In 2019, he was selected as State Delegate for the state of Vermont and awarded Vermont Business Magazines 40 under 40 ‘Rising Star’ Award. Most recently, the bulk of his activism work is through the NAACP, where he currently serves as President and Founder of the Windham County Vermont Branch of the NAACP.
DANA HACKETT
NH
Dana Hackett joins the board with a wealth of experience as a longtime New Hampshire resident, low income single working parent, and fierce advocate for intersectional justice. In the summer of 2020, Dana was one of the five activists arrested at the New Hampshire State House in protest of the passage of the divisive state budget. She looks forward to stepping into this new role within Rights & Democracy to help further the mission for collective liberation, justice, and equity for all.
ALEX HILLIARD
VT
Alex is the owner-operator of the Poultney-based, Black-owned personal training studio, VT AthletaFit. They work as an inclusive personal trainer and serve on boards across the state, where they bring a social justice lens to as many space as possible. Additionally, they’re an MBA graduate, trail runner, and parent of three rambunctious elementary/pre-school aged kids.
JEETAN KHADKA
VT (Co-Chair)
Jeetan works as an Employment & Training Counselor with the Association of Africans living in Vermont (AALV, Inc). Before this, Jeetan managed and owned Nepali Kitchen of Essex Junction. Jeetan has also worked with the UN Sustainable Development Goals project, Spectrum Youth & Family Services, the Burlington Community & Economic Development Office, and served as Commissioner of Burlington’s Parks & Recreation Department.
MK KILCOYNE
NH (Co-Chair)
After beating cancer in 2015, MK was heavily impacted by our healthcare system and wanted to see change. They started working for Bernie and then Hillary out of Ohio for the general election. At that time, they got to organize with queer young people and they found the vocabulary to come out. Since then, MK has been dedicated to queer rights and healthcare organizing in New Hampshire.
BARBARA WILSON
VT (Treasurer)
Barb grew up on a small dairy farm in Michigan and graduated with a B.S. in Secondary Education and Mathematics from Michigan State University. She spent 38 years working for a large telecommunications software development company in New Jersey, where she designed, implemented, and deployed engineering support software. Upon moving to Shoreham in 2008, she started a small fruit farm where she grows berries, peaches, and other fruits to make value added specialty products, such as jam and sorbet.
Barb has been a member of Rights & Democracy since 2016 and was first elected to the RAD C4 board in 2020. She has been active on many fronts, where those most impacted are often unable to fight back, including litigating on behalf of an elderly neighbor, fighting the expansion of the VT gas pipeline and exposing Vermont Gas’ deceptive marketing practices, advocating for healthcare reform, and fighting to keep rural schools opened.