Emily Teixeira

Executive Director

Emily Teixeira

Emily is passionate about making civic life more accessible for everyone. She’s worked everywhere from the statehouse to campaign war rooms, and even served as a U.S. intelligence analyst—giving her a front-row seat to how much our democracy needs voices like yours (and hers). Emily is a fan of escapist fiction, an enthusiast of both office supplies and geopolitical maps, and a firm believer that good food and strong democracies make life worth living. She’s based in North Carolina with her partner and two kids, who remind her daily why civic voice matters.

Kirsten Wyatt

Board President

Kirsten Wyatt

Kirsten is a Senior Director of the Digital Service Network at the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University. She co-founded and was executive director of ELGL, the Engaging Local Government Leaders network. ELGL is a 5,000 member professional association for people who work for towns, cities, counties, and districts. Prior to that, she served as Assistant City Manager of West Linn, budget analyst for the Virginia Department of Education, and as a communications consultant with Pacific Public Affairs. She currently serves as a director on the West Linn-Wilsonville School Board. Kirsten received her B.S. from Willamette University and her MPA from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Luis Guitart

Board President-Elect

Luis Guitart

Luis Guitart is the Regional Sales Manager at Delta Air Lines, based in Austin, where he leads sales efforts working closely with key corporate, civic, and community partners. Prior to his time in the airline industry, Luis built professional experience in marketing, strategy, and communications across a number of diverse organizations in big-box retail, local news and state government. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with degrees in Marketing Management and Political Science. Away from the office Luis spends his time traveling, wine tasting and attending sporting events.

Keyanna Jones

Board Secretary

Keyanna Jones

Keyanna is a Political and Social Justice Activist and Community Organizer, who is a staunch advocate for quality, affordable childcare and equity in education. Before moving back to Georgia in 2020, Keyanna was a Community Organizer in Roselle, NJ, where she was eventually elected to the Board of Education. She served two terms as a member of the Parent Policy Council of The Leaguers, Inc. Head Start, where she helped parents learn how to organize and advocate to effect change for their children. She also served The Leaguers as a member of the Board of Trustees for 3 years. She is the proprietor of E Equals MC Squared Educational Services, LLC, where she works as a Homeschool Curriculum Consultant, IEP Advocate and German Translator. Keyanna is the wife of Jerrod R. Moore and mother to their 5 unique and extraordinary children.

Michelle McCloskey

Board Member

Michelle McCloskey

Michelle has over a decade of experience in HR and HR Operations for organizations ranging from tech start-ups, major non-profits, and Fortune Global 500 companies in both the US and Canada. A jane-of-all-trades, Michelle has been a Philadelphia public school teacher (6-12th grades), an Executive Director of a non-profit focused on creating language resources for less commonly taught languages in the US, a Resident Director for teenagers studying Turkish in Turkey, and an amateur cat trainer. Michelle is excited to work with Politisit to help remove some the barriers for parents and caregivers to be more civically engaged.

Deb Marke

Board Member

Deb Marke

Deb is a civic engagement and community impact strategist working at the intersection of dialogue, democratic participation, and institutional leadership. As Associate Director in the Office of Civic & Community Engagement at Wake Forest University, Deb provides strategic and operational leadership across multi-program civic initiatives, supervising professional staff, and aligning food equity, community-based education, and democratic engagement into a cohesive strategy for impact. She leads nonpartisan engagement efforts like Deacs Decide and designs dialogue infrastructure through Deacon Dialogue, strengthening belonging, civic learning, and political agency in complex environments. Rooted in Black feminist thought and reproductive justice, Deb approached leadership as both relational and structural, cultivating resilient leaders while building sustainable systems that advance equity and democratic participation.

Marissa Grass

Board Member

Marissa Grass

Marissa Grass (she/her) is a self-described local government nerd. When she is not at community events with her two kids, she likes reading, camping, and hiking with her friends and family. Her career in local government spans areas such as city planning, utilities, garbage and recycling, emergency management and parks and recreation. Marissa ran for class president in 8th grade because of her belief that individual action, collectively, is what will change the world. Her book, A Kids Book about Civic Engagement, is a blueprint for how to do just that, and (spoiler alert!) you don't have to be a grownup to do it. Marissa is excited to work with Politisit to make civic engagement a family activity. 

Rachel Sowray

Founder & Board President Emeritus

Rachel Sowray

Rachel is a mom and attorney who has always cherished a healthy American democracy and engaged communities. She spent time working on healthcare, housing, and education policy on Capitol Hill while earning her Masters in Public Policy. After law school, Rachel continued as a public servant and became a prosecutor. She also teaches Constitutional Law. Rachel is excited to watch Politisit's program continue to grow and empower families.