Members
CommonSense Americans
We are a group of ordinary Americans, dubbed CommonSense Americans, working together to instill common sense into American politics. Our members, from diverse backgrounds, share a commitment to the country’s well-being and believe in the power of ordinary wisdom, echoing Jefferson’s trust in the common people’s moral sense. We advocate for practical policy changes supported across the political spectrum, embodying Madison’s vision that America’s diversity is its strength, not a source of division. Our mission requires a broad and representative membership, and we invite you to join our journey toward meaningful change.
Are you a CommonSense American? Join Us
Ambassadors
Meet Our Ambassadors — the vital voices of CommonSense Americans in each state. These dedicated individuals bridge the gap between citizens and Congress, ensuring that the insights from our comprehensive issue briefs are heard and acted upon on Capitol Hill. Beyond their pivotal role in legislative advocacy, our Ambassadors are at the heart of our community, cultivating engagement and growth among our members. Meet the individuals behind this nationwide movement towards common sense governance.
If you are interested in this work and want to become an Ambassador, click here to complete an application.
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Michelle has led a variable path during her life as each plan was adapted to reality. From missing persons recovery, emergency medical services and firefighting, Michelle propelled forward after college to a short career in workforce planning. She then supported her family during her husband’s tenure as a U.S. Air Force Officer, maintaining a stable and supportive environment for her three children, each with unique special needs, while residing in Upstate New York, South Dakota, rural Alaska, and Utah.
During years of advocating for the educational needs of her children, including homeschooling at times, Michelle volunteered as a French teacher, library clerk, scouting leader, PTO board member, religious education teacher, religious service leader, Officers’ Spouses Club Thrift Shop Manager, Town Hall Renovation Committee member, Library Feasibility Committee Chair, soccer coach and historical walking tour host for elementary students.
At the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA, Michelle completed an Honors Thesis: The Diffusion of Gifted Education in America. This capstone led to graduation with a B.A. Sociology, summa cum laude. She continues to pursue new understanding in how people relate to one another in groups and building productive relationships through effective communication. Michelle’s greatest strength lies in meeting people where they are, listening to understand their needs, matching them to the resources to reach their goals, and assisting to guide a course of action to completion.
Born and raised in small-town Massachusetts, Michelle and her husband now call Fairbanks, Alaska home. Their three grown children are in college or graduated. They have two beautiful huskies, Tikaani and Cloie. Michelle works elections with both the Fairbanks North Star Borough Clerk’s Office and the State of Alaska Region III Elections Office. She maintains a personal blog and is active in several civil discourse opportunities through CommonSense American, One Small Voice, Living Room Conversations and Braver Angels.
Through community service and interactions with her neighbors, Kathleen has learned that citizens of Mesa have more in common and share more values than disagreements. The city of Mesa works to envision a city “where all those living in, working in, or visiting Mesa are entitled to equal dignity and respect and have fair access to opportunities to thrive.”
In early 2020 Kathleen received an email inviting her to join CommonSense American and she discovered an organization that also shared her desire to work together to “instill common sense into American politics.” By reading briefs where all members review the same data- based information through CSA, the majority of members can find consensus. In 2023 Kathleen became a CSA Facilitator of conversations and became acquainted with other members yearning for a safe space to have conversations about vital issues such as infrastructure and revising the Electoral Count Act. She is proud to be an Arizona Ambassador.
During his travels with Lockheed Martin in Africa and South America, he developed Security Sector Reform Programs for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, with a focus on Military Capacity Building for U.S. partner nations.
Currently a resident of Oro Valley, Arizona, Michael is an Executive Advisor for several non-profits in the greater Tucson community.
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Janice is also involved with various environmental groups, among them Th!rd Act, where she is the liaison to the Leadership Committee.
She has a background in science and science education, having taught Environmental Science, Biology, and Physics in the public schools. As well, she has many years’ experience as a Field Biologist for MassAudubon. Other involvement has been at the Ecotarium, a museum for Environmental Exploration, and as a Senior Technical Assistant and manager of a Microbiology Laboratory at the UMass Medical School in Worcester, MA. Janice has a B.S. in Natural Science from Worcester State University, and is currently working towards her Master’s in Education. Her passion is Environmental Education and empowering people to act as advocates for the environment and clean energy.
Currently living in central Massachusetts, Janice enjoys nature photography, hiking, solo kayaking, and habitat restoration through garden design.
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Linda earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Upsala College and her master’s degree in teaching from Marygrove College. During her tenure in education, she worked for a county vocational school system and witnessed firsthand the benefits of career connected learning. She worked with industry partners to secure paid internship positions providing students with invaluable work-related experience. Not only did this help students build the required technical skills, but it also helped them learn the much-needed softer skills employers desire.
Linda is an avid reader and a lifelong learner. She is currently researching her family genealogy and learning how to play chess. She enjoys walking, biking, and going to the beach.
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After retirement, Helen moved to Western North Carolina with her husband John. There she served as a Board member and president of an art-related nonprofit based in McDowell County and also as a Board member and Board President of the McDowell County Tourism Development Authority.
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Ron has served on the Board of MEASURE, a non-profit dedicated to elevating the experiences of people of color, using data and analysis to educate and recommend policy change and the President of the Board of Austin Smarter Cities Alliance, working to bring technology to the City of Austin to improve citizen services and the effectiveness of city agencies. He was the co-chair of the Affordable Housing Committee, where he is working to ease the effects of rapid growth on lower income families and individuals.
Prior to joining Heart+Mind, Maury founded and led a global strategic consulting group at Ipsos called Strategy3—launched after Ipsos acquired his own consultancy PURSUIT, a blend of branding, marketing communications, design, and market research disciplines.
A story-teller at heart, Maury is a three-time David Ogilvy Award winner for his work at Wirthlin Worldwide, Omnicom’s GSD&M, and PURSUIT. Maury started his career as a journalist before entering the consulting world of political strategy on behalf of candidates, associations, and non-profit organizations. He spent 10 years with Wirthlin in the US and Singapore. At GSD&M, Maury launched a new internal division at the ad agency called analytical solutions. His team developed tools and frameworks to link creative, media, and planning teams in a unified focus on accountability to deliver real, in-market results for the agency’s clients.
For the last 15 years, Maury has pioneered the development and application of systems thinking to mapping journey of human decision-making across categories. The solutions his teams have created provide the foundation for Heart+Mind Strategies’ journey mapping offer.
Over his career at both the research firm and ad agency side, Maury has consulted clients on five continents in most major verticals.
Maury studied at BYU and New Mexico State University. He regularly gives guest lectures at universities across the country and is an adjunct professor now at BYU. He also continues to lead the National Advisory Board for the NMSU College of Arts & Sciences.
Maury and his wife Jody live in Herriman, UT. They have a blended family of 10 kids from the ages of 29 to 16 – lots of love, chaos, and joy!
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Presently, Lisa is drawn to bridge-building across political chasms. She worries about partisanship creating artificial divides in communities and across America. Lisa wants to help others understand the complexity of contemporary issues, the nuance in most people's views, and the areas where common ground exists. This calling led her to Braver Angels and CommonSense American, which both seek to help Americans understand diverse viewpoints and to find common ground. It then led her to discover some balanced news sources that present viewpoints from varied perspectives. With a related interest in bridging divides between practitioners of various faith traditions, she is now contemplating ordination as an interfaith minister.
Lisa and her family share a farm in northwestern Virginia with a dog, a cat, a few chickens, and some itinerant cows. She and her husband dream of boating the great loop one day after he retires.
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In 2023 Kerry retired from a 28-year career with global investment firm Cambridge Associates, LLC during which span he served as a Managing Director and executive consultant to major endowments, foundations, and healthcare organizations on all aspects of asset management policy and implementation. Kerry has also worked in the banking profession managing commercial and consumer banking activities and serving on a merger & acquisition team. Prior to joining the private sector, Kerry served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps with deployments to the Far East, Middle East, the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and Scandinavia.
Kerry is a distinguished graduate of the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, VA where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and History and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA where he earned a Master of Business Administration degree.
Ambassadors
Ambassadors are the vital voices of CommonSense Americans in each state. These dedicated individuals bridge the gap between citizens and Congress, ensuring that the insights from our comprehensive issue briefs are heard and acted upon on Capitol Hill. Beyond their pivotal role in legislative advocacy, our Ambassadors are at the heart of our community, cultivating engagement and growth among our members.
Meet the individuals behind this nationwide movement towards common sense governance. Click here to see who the Ambassador for your state is.
Keith Allred, Founder & Executive Director
Keith has spent over two decades focusing on the problem of bringing ordinary citizens together across partisan divides to identify and champion good public policy. Keith developed the state-level pilot for CommonSense American, known as The Common Interest , and led it in Idaho for five years. There, he demonstrated the success of the four-step process by passing commonsense legislation in one of the nation’s reddest legislatures.
In 2017, Keith decided to take the four-step process to the national level and organized CommonSense American. When the National Institute of Civil Discourse heard of his work, they offered to be the platform from which to launch. On January 1, 2019, Keith became NICD’s Executive Director.
Keith’s brings significant experience in the business world and academia to the work of promoting good government. Prior to coming to NICD, he worked as a Senior Partner at the Cicero Group, ranked the 12th best boutique management consulting firm in the world by Vault.com. He also served as COO of Health Catalyst where his leadership was critical to concluding a deal with Sequoia Capital. He is a member of the Board of Directors for Midas Gold, which trades on the Toronto Exchange (TSX: MAX).
Keith started his career as a professor at Columbia University, and, subsequently, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, where his teaching and research focused on conflict resolution. He holds a BA in American History from Stanford and a PhD in Organizational Behavior from UCLA.
A fifth-generation Idahoan, Keith grew up working summers on the family cattle ranch. In 2017, he finished 8th in the World in the 15,000 Amateur Class of the National Cutting Horse Association after competing in the World Finals in Fort Worth. He is married to Christine Edwards Allred. They are the parents of two daughters and a son.
In 2017, Keith decided to take the four-step process to the national level and organized CommonSense American. When the National Institute of Civil Discourse heard of his work, they offered to be the platform from which to launch. On January 1, 2019, Keith became NICD’s Executive Director.
Keith’s brings significant experience in the business world and academia to the work of promoting good government. Prior to coming to NICD, he worked as a Senior Partner at the Cicero Group, ranked the 12th best boutique management consulting firm in the world by Vault.com. He also served as COO of Health Catalyst where his leadership was critical to concluding a deal with Sequoia Capital. He is a member of the Board of Directors for Midas Gold, which trades on the Toronto Exchange (TSX: MAX).
Keith started his career as a professor at Columbia University, and, subsequently, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, where his teaching and research focused on conflict resolution. He holds a BA in American History from Stanford and a PhD in Organizational Behavior from UCLA.
A fifth-generation Idahoan, Keith grew up working summers on the family cattle ranch. In 2017, he finished 8th in the World in the 15,000 Amateur Class of the National Cutting Horse Association after competing in the World Finals in Fort Worth. He is married to Christine Edwards Allred. They are the parents of two daughters and a son.
Our Staff
Prior to joining NICD, she served as the Senior Director of Field Support for the League of Women Voters of the United States. There she worked with national, state and local leadership on internal governance programs and civic capacity building through development of a nationwide training system and volunteer coaching structure to increase organizational outreach and effectiveness. Prior to that she served as Executive Director of AFL-CIO’s national youth group, where she developed an international anti-child labor campaign called the Toycott (a boycott of toys made in China). Cheryl also served as Legislative Director for the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG) and helped pass a state “motor voter” law designed to increase voter registration among under represented populations through public agencies. She also worked as a district Field Representative for Minnesota Congressman Gerry Sikorski when he served in Congress.
She and her husband Alain Fournier enjoy spending time in nature and observing birds through experiences in our country’s state and national parks.
Prior to relocating to Washington, DC, she served as President of Boise City Council and was integral to the creation and adoption of Boise’s comprehensive and progressive modern zoning ordinance. She worked to bolster local businesses, support working families, and to pass and implement Boise’s goals of 100% clean energy by 2035 and carbon neutrality by 2050. Holli has also served as a Ambassador in the Idaho Legislature and in 2014 ran for Idaho Secretary of State. She’s a proud graduate of Boise State University with a BA in English and Executive MBA.
Prior to entering public service, she worked in the renewable energy industry helping to develop and finance wind farms in Idaho and Minnesota before founding Woodings Group, a consultancy specializing in startup energy companies. She has been honored as one of Idaho Business Review’s Women of the Year and Accomplished Under 40, as a Women’s and Children’s Alliance TWIN awardee, a recipient of the Girl Scouts of the USA Thanks Badge and a Boise State University Alumni of Distinction.
Holli has served on many nonprofit boards including the Boise State Foundation, Idaho Women in Leadership, and as Chair of the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage and the North End Neighborhood Association. She has volunteered for the Washington Urban Debate League, Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital, YMCA, NEW Leadership Idaho, and the Yes! For Boise Schools campaign.
Holli lives in NW Washington with her husband Ryan and their two children. They love to explore their new city (especially the restaurants!) by foot, bike, bus and Metro.
In addition to her role at NICD, she lectures international college students on Conflict Resolution, Volunteerism, Diversity in the U.S., Cultural Awareness, and U.S. Government and Politics. She has lived in Israel, England and most recently Denmark.
Mary earned her bachelor’s degree in International Law and Diplomacy with a minor in Middle Eastern Studies from Brigham Young University, and her Masters of Science in Education and Training with an emphasis in empowering women through adult education programs in rural villages of developing countries from the University of Reading in the UK.
She currently resides in Northern Virginia where she loves spending time in nature with her husband, five children and two dogs
Jason brings over 20 years of experience in development and design. He has a wide range of familiarity with different web platforms and technologies. He has worked with varying businesses and organizations in both the private, nonprofit and public sectors. Jason has created and managed over a 100 sites that range in both scale and function. He aligns tightly with NICDs purpose and objectives, and is passionate about helping this organization successfully make a difference.
Jason graduated with a degree from BYU Idaho. Jason and his wife Sheri have 5 children ranging in age from 21 to 5 (Talia, Braden, Cooper, Finley, and Gracie). They are active in their church and enjoy supporting and coaching their kids in sports, music, and life.
She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Summa Cum Laude with a double major in Diplomatic history and International Relations. Her honors thesis in International Relations, The Paradox of International Aid: A Case for Democratic Aid Theory focused on strengthening democracy through coordination between nations. While in university, Steele served her class as the Vice President of External Affairs, President of Alpha Phi, President of Best Buddies and studied abroad at the University of Oxford.
Steele’s work experience includes being an AmeriCorps Member in Ketchikan, Alaska; Center of High Impact Philanthropy in Philadelphia; Crossroads Foundation in Hong Kong; and the African Community Learning Program in Philadelphia.
When Steele’s not working, she enjoys running, reading, pilates, and loves exploring art museums and painting abstracts.
She recently graduated from The George Washington University with a Master of Arts in Political Science. She completed her undergraduate studies May 2022 at GW where she double majored in Political Science and Criminal Justice.
Prior to joining NICD, Ariana worked at Branch Politics as an Elections Reviewer, where she focused on educating voters on potential candidates for the November election. Before that, she was a Research and Communications Intern at Issue One, focusing on government transparency. She helped research 11 states and their respective county clerks and predecessors to identify the clerk turnover rate following the 2020 election.
Ariana aspires to play a role in promoting democracy in the United States and/or Latin America.
Outside of work, you can find Ariana reading at a park.
Jack attended William & Mary, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s of Economics and Public Policy, and received his Master’s of Public Policy in May of 2023. His research and professional experiences center around congressional reform and legislative procedure. Jack spent the summer of 2022 working in the House of Representatives with the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, where he conducted research to support the committee’s mission to create a more transparent, efficient, and effective congress. Jack has also worked on the legislative team of former Virginia Delegate Michael Mullin. Jack’s previous non-policy roles include bartending at fine dining restaurants and directing waterfronts at a summer camp on Lake Michigan.
Outside of the NICD, Jack enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, taking his puppy out on walks, supporting Michigan football, and playing board games with friends.