Our Team
Marci Harris, J.D., LL.M
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As founder and CEO of POPVOX.com and the Executive Director of the nonprofit POPVOX Foundation, Marci is passionate about the responsible use of technology to improve government and benefit humanity. She is a lawyer and former congressional staffer, who worked on the House Ways and Means committee's Affordable Care Act team. She has held fellowships with Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center for Democracy and the New America Foundation, and is currently an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco and a political science lecturer at San Jose State University.
Aubrey Wilson
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Aubrey served as former Deputy Staff Director for the Committee on House Administration (CHA) in the 118th Congress. In this role, she coordinated efforts to make the House work more effectively, including overseeing the inaugural session of CHA’s bipartisan Subcommittee on Modernization. Prior, Aubrey served as Director of Oversight and Modernization for CHA during the 117th Congress. She is a former House legislative assistant and member of the R Street Institute Governance Policy and federal affairs team.
Victoria Houed
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Victoria is an engineer turned policy entrepreneur who has dedicated her career to improving the tech policy ecosystem and the modernization of government. She was previously a Manager at Schmidt Futures where she funded key science and technology policy initiatives and educated relevant stakeholders on how to best advocate for their policy ideas in the legislative and executive branch.
Prior to joining Schmidt Futures, Victoria worked for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as a TechCongress Congressional Innovation Fellow supporting the Speaker on all things tech, including internet accessibility, data privacy, antitrust, disinformation, Section 230, and autonomous vehicles. Throughout her fellowship she negotiated COVID Relief bills, is credited within the House Antitrust Subcommittee’s Investigation of Competition in the Digital Marketplace, and co-wrote a report on foreign influence campaigns targeting US elections which passed into law through the National Defense Authorization Act of 2021.
Before her time in Congress, Victoria worked as a Software Engineer and Product Manager at Cards Against Humanity, founded a non-profit for Black Women in Technology called BlackByte, helped lead the tech team of a mayoral campaign, and enjoyed working on different engineering projects for artists around her hometown of Chicago.
Victoria holds her B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University, where she focused on nanotechnology and systems engineering.
Gabriela Schneider
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Gabriela Schneider is the Senior Communications Advisor at POPVOX Foundation. She has dedicated her career to advancing democracy reforms and guiding strategic communications for mission-driven organizations. Most recently, she was the Communications Director for the Democracy and Open Government team at Demand Progress/Demand Progress Education Fund. She increased their media footprint and elevated national news coverage of the growing movement to modernize Congress through revamped technological systems and improved personnel policies to boost pay and benefits, diversity, and organizing rights for congressional staff.She previously served as Chief Communications Officer at Issue One, where she organized public awareness campaigns engaging former elected officials to champion bipartisanship in Congress, government ethics, and campaign finance reform. As Communications Director of the Sunlight Foundation, she led the organization’s myriad communications efforts and media partnerships, shaping the national dialogue on open government and transparency, civic tech, and the rise of dark money in elections.
Gabriela has been published in Teen Vogue, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. She earned her masters in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and bachelors in journalism from Lehigh University, where she proudly served as general manager of its radio station, WLVR.
Danielle Stewart
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Danielle Varallo Stewart joins POPVOX Foundation as Advisor for Congressional Initiatives after more than a decade of Capitol Hill experience. She most recently served as Chief of Staff to a freshman Member of Congress, and has served in multiple roles for various Member offices in the House and Senate, spanning from districts in California to New Hampshire. In 2019, she joined Rep. Tom Graves’ office as Communications Director shortly after he was named as Vice Chair for the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. Through the 116th Congress, Danielle served a dual role as Communications Director for both the Graves personal office and the “ModCom,” helping to tell the Select Committee’s story of bipartisan collaboration and institutional improvements.
Ben Harris
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Ben graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2001 where he earned a BS in Aviation Technology. He is an FAA Certified mechanic and commercial pilot. He is a “CO:founder” of theCO in Jackson, TN, a public-private partnership co-work, maker space and code academy designed to bring cutting edge technology and education to rural West Tennessee. Ben is a 2005 graduate of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce "Leadership Jackson" program, and a proud Boy Scout board member.
Anne Meeker
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Anne is Deputy Director of POPVOX Foundation, and a former House caseworker. She was a founding member of the POPVOX Foundation team as Director of Special Initiatives. She previously served as Director of Constituent Services for Congressman Seth Moulton, where she worked to use data and technology to deliver smarter casework services to residents of the MA06. Anne holds a bachelor's degree in Anthropology from the University of Oxford (St. Hugh's College), and an MSc in History from the London School of Economics. She is also a proud Clevelander, and will take any opportunity to talk up the Rust Belt.
Juan García
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Juan is a communications professional with experience spanning non-profit organizations, government agencies, and the private sector. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering & Applied Science from Caltech, but after a transformative summer internship in Washington, DC, decided to pursue his passions on Capitol Hill instead of Silicon Valley. Juan is passionate about graphic design, craft beer, and the Oxford comma. He currently lives with his husband (and their dog, Spock) in Washington, DC.
Taylor J. Swift
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Taylor serves as the Director of Government Capacity at POPVOX Foundation. Prior to joining POPVOX Foundation, Taylor was a senior policy advisor at Demand Progress, focusing on Congressional transparency, efficiency, capacity, and modernization. Taylor also worked at the House of Representatives Democratic Caucus where he focused on congressional modernization, budget, appropriations, education, labor, environmental, and tax policy. Taylor graduated with his master’s degree from The University of Akron, working as a teaching assistant for the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics.
Nicole Tisdale, J.D.
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Nicole is the founder of Advocacy Blueprints, a training and consulting firm that empowers communities to create change. She recently served in the Biden Administration as a senior advisor for the National Security Council, leading the NSC’s legislative and oversight portfolios on cybersecurity, intelligence, disinformation, counterterrorism, election security, and foreign policy for the western hemisphere. She also served on the 2020 Biden Presidential Transition Team.Nicole worked in Congress for over a decade — staffing the Homeland Security Committee for 96+ hearings, selecting and questioning 375+ witnesses, and assisting with the passage of 354 bills through the House. She has also represented the U.S. on official delegations to more than 30 nations on security, economic, intelligence, political, human rights, and parliamentary issues.
She is the author of Right to Petition: A Practical Guide to Creating Change in Government with Political Advocacy Tools and Tips and passionate about helping people understand how to engage with their government. Nicole holds a B.A. And J.D. from the University of Mississippi and was recently honored by the Alumni Association on its inaugural “40 Under 40” list. Nicole resides in Washington, DC and is originally from Nettleton, MS. She is also a frustrated golfer who enjoys entertaining in her home.
Alero Simon
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Alero Simon is an intern at POPVOX Foundation and a Master of Public Policy candidate at the University of Chicago. Before starting graduate school, she served for two years in AmeriCorps and was an NYC Service Fellow in the New York City Mayor’s Office. Prior to joining POPVOX Foundation, Alero interned with the Chicago Mayor’s Office and the US Government Accountability Office, focusing on process improvement and program evaluation. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and a B.A. in International Studies from Louisiana State University.
Beatriz Rey, Ph.D.
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Beatriz is a Fellow at POPVOX Foundation and a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of São Paulo. She was a Visiting Fellow at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University and a Senior Researcher at the Center for Studies on the Brazilian Congress at the State University of Rio de Janeiro. She worked as a legislative assistant for Rep. Gregory W. Meeks at the U.S. House of Representatives. Beatriz holds a Ph.D. in political science from Syracuse University and a M.A. in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Kaitlin Sommer
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Kaitlin Sommer is an intern at POPVOX Foundation and a second-year student at Syracuse Law. At Syracuse, Kaitlin is receiving a certification focusing on National Security and Counter-Terrorism. She received her Political Science degree from Rochester Institute of Technology where she became interested in cybersecurity policy. Kaitlin is interested in a range of policy areas, from national security to disability rights. Additionally, she has interned with Assemblyman Sayegh in Albany, New York, and Congressman Joe Morelle [D, NY] in Washington, DC.