About Us
The mission of the Protect Our Care Education Fund is to protect and strengthen health care in America by increasing coverage, lowering costs, and addressing racial, ethnic and other inequities in our health care system. We will make health care a right, not a privilege, for all Americans.
The Protect Our Care Education Fund (POCEF) is the 501(c)(3) affiliate of Protect Our Care that engages in research, public education, citizen engagement and policy development to empower Americans to advocate for better, more equitable and more affordable health care.
Our Team
Leslie Dach, Founder and Chair
Founder and Chair Leslie Dach served in the Obama Administration as Senior Counselor to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and as the Department’s global Ebola coordinator. He was a member of the management committee at Walmart Inc, where he led the development of initiatives in sustainability, food and nutrition, women’s economic empowerment, and the Walmart Foundation. Dach was also the global vice chairman of Edelman, the global communications firm, and served in senior roles in six U.S. presidential campaigns.
Brad Woodhouse, Executive Director
Executive Director Brad Woodhouse is a longtime Democratic strategist, having previously served as President of some of the nation’s leading progressive groups including Correct the Record, American Bridge 21st Century, and Americans United for Change. Woodhouse took on these roles after a five-year (2008 to 2013) run as a senior strategist for the Obama campaign and Communications Director for the Democratic National Committee.
Luke Albee, Legislative Affairs Senior Advisor
Luke Albee, described as “the Dean of Senate Chiefs of Staff” by Politico, has served as chief of staff to Senators Mark Warner (2009-15) and Patrick Leahy (1993-2004), directing a broad array of legislative, policy, political and communications activities for both Members. From 2004 to 2008, Albee was a Principal at Ricchetti, Inc., a Democratic lobbying and consulting firm. He has a Master’s degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics, and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Vermont.
Tanya Bjork, States Director and Senior Advisor
Tanya Bjork has more than 25 years of campaign, communications, advocacy and legislative experience. She has developed and implemented every aspect of successful political and issue campaigns. Tanya served as a Strategic Advisor to Biden for President, Senior Advisor to Hillary for America and both Obama campaigns as well as Director of Federal Affairs for Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, Regional Director for EMILY’s List, the AFL-CIO and worked in the Minnesota and Wisconsin legislatures. She resides in Middleton, Wisconsin.
Tara Brooky, Press Assistant
Tara Brooky joined Protect Our Care in April 2022 as a Press Assistant. She recently graduated from Loyola University Maryland with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and English. She began her work in health policy while interning at NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland in 2019. Prior to joining Protect Our Care, she worked as a legal assistant and freelance writer. Tara currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland, but originally hails from West Michigan.
Joi Chaney, Policy and Health Equity Senior Advisor
Joi is a political, policy and strategic partnership expert with nearly 25 years of experience. She is the founder of J.O.I. Strategies, where she works at the intersection of gender and race to advance justice, opportunity and inclusion for underserved populations. Previously, Joi served as SVP of Policy at the National Urban League, and she has served in several other roles over the years, including as Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Democratic National Committee, and as an appointee during the Obama Administration. Joi is a graduate of Howard University and Harvard Law School.
Erin Donald, Deputy Director of Development
Ellen Doneski, Legislative Affairs Senior Advisor
Ellen has three decades of legislative policy experience in the House and Senate. She was a senior leadership aide to Democratic Leader Harry Reid for tax, economic and labor policy. Ellen served as Senator John D. Rockefeller IV’s staff director of the Commerce Committee for six years leading the Committee’s work arguing for the Medical Loss Ratio and plain language explanations of health plan benefits in the ACA. Ellen was staff director of the Senate Finance Committee’s Health Subcommittee for more than a decade as well as Legislative Director for Senator Rockefeller.
Sean England, Digital Director
Sean England is the Digital Director for Protect Our Care. Prior to joining our team, Sean worked extensively in all facets of digital communications, advising progressive organizations and campaigns on website development, video content, social media strategy, and digital advertising. Over the years, Sean has worked with the Democratic National Committee and organizations like American Bridge, World War Zero, NARAL, Planned Parenthood, Demand Justice, and Protect Our Care to advance progressive causes and fight for issues that he is passionate about.
Kelsey Evans, Research Assistant
Kelsey started as a research assistant at Protect Our Care in August 2021. Prior to working at POC, Kelsey was a graphic designer for SBDigital where she worked to elect left-leaning candidates in the 2020 election cycle through digital advertising. Kelsey holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and psychology from Allegheny College in Meadville, PA.
Matt Farrey, Chief Development Officer
Matt Farrey has more than two decades of experience in nonprofit management and fundraising. He has had held senior Development roles at the Pew Research Center, Families USA, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Earlier in his career, he managed campaign finance programs for the Alliance for Better Campaigns and the League of Women Voters. He has worked with health policy advocates to raise funds for a wide range of projects that aimed to make high-quality health care affordable for all. Matt has a master’s degree from American University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Jesse Ferguson, General Strategist
Jesse Ferguson is a battle-tested Democratic Strategist and General Consultant with executive-level experience managing more than $200 million in major advertising and public-relations campaigns. He has served in senior roles at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee IE, Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, and at a variety of SuperPACs, Independent Expenditures and issue-focused advocacy campaigns, including Protect Our Care. The National Journal has described his work saying his “creative, out-of-the-box independent-expenditure ads, tailored to each district, are a bright spot” and Politico highlighted his digital advertising program for focusing on “the most persuadable voters with an online onslaught.” In 2019, Campaigns and Elections Magazine named him one of its 40-under-40 Rising Stars and the National Journal had featured him as one of its “35 and Under Power Set.”
Yvette Fontenot, Policy and Legislative Affairs Senior Advisor
Yvette Fontenot has nearly 25 years of Federal health care experience and has held senior positions on Capitol Hill as well as in the White House and at HHS. She is an expert on the Federal legislative and regulatory process and has longstanding relationships with lawmakers, regulators and thought-leaders. Yvette served as a Senior Advisor in the Obama White House as well as Deputy Director of the Office of Health Reform at the Department of Health and Human Services where she developed policy and coordinated and cleared all matters related to the Affordable Care Act and provided outreach to Congress and other stakeholders. Prior to her work in the Administration, Yvette served as Professional Staff with the Senate Finance Committee where she was a principle author of the Affordable Care Act and advised Chairman Baucus and Committee members on health insurance reform legislation.
Francisco Hernandez, Digital Content Producer
Francisco Hernandez is the Digital Content Producer for Protect Our Care. Prior to this, he has spent time working for various organizations and companies developing social media content and strategy. His most recent position was as Digital Producer for Made to Save, a COVID-19 Vaccine Awareness campaign. Francisco graduated from Columbia University in 2019 with a Bachelor’s Degree in History and Archaeology.
Adam Hoyer, National Organizing Director
Adam Hoyer has served as the National Organizing Director at Protect Our Care since 2017. In this role, Hoyer manages Protect Our Care’s key partnerships with allied groups at the state and national levels, organizes a coalition of dozens of health care and progressive organizations, and oversees Protect Our Care’s state team operations—which have executed grasstops organizing and earned media strategies in 23 states since 2017. Prior to joining Protect Our Care, Hoyer was a campaign and field organizing specialist, having worked on several state and national races—including both of President Obama’s successful presidential elections in 2008 and 2012. Hoyer holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame, where he was a member of the men’s golf team, and a master’s in public policy from Georgetown University. He currently resides in Washington, DC, but originally hails from Tampa, FL and remains a proud FloridaMan.
Vaishu Jawahar, Deputy Director of Policy Programs
Vaishu Jawahar joined Protect Our Care as Deputy Director of Policy Programs in July 2024, leveraging her expertise in the executive and legislative branches to expand healthcare access, lower drug costs, and reduce disparities. Previously, at Waxman Strategies, she directed health policy initiatives, championing legislation against anticompetitive practices used by the pharmaceutical industry. In her role as Domestic Policy Coordinator at the Office of the Vice President, Vaishu focused on equity-centered policies, helping drive implementation of the Biden-Harris Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Mortality Crisis. As a grassroots organizer, she mobilized over 4,000 doctors nationwide to advocate for healthcare affordability and access. Vaishu earned an M.S. in Medical Physiology and Biophysics from Georgetown University School of Medicine and a B.S. in Biology with minors in Public Health and Political Science from UNC Charlotte.
Ashlyn Kelly, Press Assistant
Ashlyn Kelly joined Protect Our Care as a Press Assistant in October 2022. She graduated from Framingham State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts and minors in Political Science and Journalism in May 2022. Prior to joining Protect Our Care, she interned on Senator Elizabeth Warren’s press team in 2021 and was a field fellow on Senator Ed Markey’s successful reelection campaign in 2020.
Brandon Lighty, Research Associate
Brandon Lighty joined the Protect Our Care war room in August of 2022 as a Research Associate. Before joining Protect Our Care, he studied International Affairs and History at the University of Colorado, Boulder and began political policy work for both national and international non-profits. He entered domestic U.S. politics through the Human Rights Campaign then proceeded to run national Democratic field campaigns in Massachusetts and Indiana for the 2020 and 2021 election seasons. Once these cycles were over he began editing and writing state legislative policy focused on expanding civil legal rights and worker cooperative development.
Joe Miller, Research Associate
Tega Orhorhoro, Digital Strategist
Tega is a Digital Strategist at Protect Our Care. She began working in the political space in 2015. She has spent time working for various candidates at state and local levels in government. She has worked in Michigan, Virginia and Washington DC most recently. Tega is from Nigeria and calls the state of Michigan her home. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations with a focus in government from Wayne State University.
Rebecca Parks, Research Director
Rebecca Parks has over 10 years experience in opposition and policy research including work on both Obama campaigns and at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. She served as Tracking Director at American Bridge and has been at Protect Our Care since February 2017. Rebecca holds a bachelors degree from the University of Michigan.
Anne Shoup, Communications Director
Anne Shoup is the Communications Director at Protect Our Care. With nearly two decades of experience, Anne cut her teeth in health care communications and advocacy at groups like the Center for American Progress and American Bridge 21st Century. Anne has worked with national and local organizations on strategic communications, providing full-scale communications support, working closely with reporters, drafting press releases and statements, placing hundreds of op-eds and letters to the editor, coordinating press relations for high-profile events, and booking policy experts on TV and radio. Throughout her various roles, Anne media trained hundreds of policy experts and progressive activists, giving them the tools to craft their own message, write and pitch op-eds, and give successful interviews.
Maddie Twomey, Deputy Communications Director
Maddie is the Deputy Communications Director at Protect Our Care. Prior to joining POC, Maddie worked on the health policy team at the Center for American Progress, where she helped develop and advocate for policies to expand health coverage, lower costs, and improve quality of care. She began her work in health policy and advocacy while interning at AARP during congressional attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2017. Maddie holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the George Washington University.
