
1 in 2
alums and trainers are women of color

100
trainings per year

12,500
young women trained

90%
of our alums who run win

100%
nonpartisan and issue neutral

75%
of women in Congress support our work
Success Stories

Sarah Lilly, R
Elect Her Alum
Former senate speaker, University of Maryland

Allyson Carpenter, I
Elect Her / Internship Alum
Youngest-ever elected official in Washington, DC.

Rana Abdelhamid, D
High School Alum
Founder, Women's Initiative for Self Empowerment

Sophia Houdaigui, D
High School Alum
2017 #ILookLikeAPolitician ambassador

Avery Bourne, R
Congressional Fellowship Alum
Youngest-ever elected legislator in Illinois

Antonia Okafor, R
Congressional Fellowship Alum
Founder, EmPOWERed

Brooke Lopez, D
High School Program Alum
Youngest-ever public official, Wylie, TX

Nadya Okamoto, D
Mentorship Alum
Founder, period.org
Former candidate for city council, Cambridge, MA

Jessica Smith, D
Elect Her Alum
Elected official, Washington, DC

Regina Monge, D
Internship Alum
Former elected official, Washington, DC

Imani Ross, D
Internship Alum
Former SGA senator & presidential candidate, George Washington University

Ashley Carter, R
Mentorship Alum
State Board of Education Representative, Washington, DC

Allyson Carpenter
"Running Start met me where I was — literally. I walked into my college residence hall and somehow ended up in a daylong conference called Elect Her. Lured by the free breakfast, I stayed for an experience that would alter my path forever.
They didn’t just convince me that I could run for office one day — they convinced me that I could do it right then. The only thing that stood in my way were election laws that don’t allow a 17 year old college freshman hold elected office. But six short months after attending Running Start’s Elect Her Training, I ran to represent my neighborhood, which included my college, in DC’s Advisory Neighborhood Commission. With only one semester and two political science classes under my belt, I was elected to office.
I owe a lot of credit to Running Start for giving me the tools I needed to mount a successful campaign. I owe them even more credit for the work they do to reach everyday women who come from modest means."
Our Staff

Susannah Wellford
President & Founder
Susannah founded two nonpartisan organizations, Running Start and the Women Under Forty Political Action Committee (WUFPAC), that raise the political voice of young women in America. Susannah has also trained women to run in Algeria, Belgium, Germany, Israel, Jamaica, Kuwait, the Maldives, Russia, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
Susannah has worked in all parts of politics — as a lobbyist, on the Hill, and even in the White House!

Melissa Richmond
Vice President
Melissa worked with Mitt Romney for 10 years in the Massachusetts statehouse, on two PACs, on his 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns, and on the SuperPAC that supported his second presidential run. Melissa has appeared in/on The Washington Post, NPR, BBC, and US News.
Melissa was elected to represent Virginia at the 2016 RNC as an alternate delegate!

Carly Madsen
Program & Events Coordinator
Though a Utah native, Carly has lived on-and-off in Thailand for 3 years. She spent a summer in Chiang Mai leading a research project studying Thai political identity. In 2018 she lived in Bangkok as a Boren Fellow focused on gender equality and its relationship to democracy and US national security.

Sara Blanco
Communications Director
As a Latina, Sara's especially interested in empowering women of color to run for office. Her leadership experience includes participating in and then co-chairing a women's leadership development series in her grad program. Sara is a current and lifelong Arlingtonian.
Under Sara’s fresh leadership, Running Start’s social media presence has grown 500%!

Jessica Kelly
Leadership & Programs Director
Jessica's passion for college women's leadership stems from her experience as a first-generation college student, wanting to make sure all college women have the tools to navigate leadership opportunities and make the most of their college experience. Jessica's favorite part of her job is working with students on campus, and she has personally trained women in 21 different states plus Mexico and Jamaica. Jessica has also advised at the LGBT Resource Center Program at George Washington University!

Lucky Sasiphong
Operations Assistant
Lucky, originally from Queens, New York is a first generation Thai American womxn who has dedicated her career to strengthening the political pipeline for womxn and the Asian American Pacific Islander community. Her passion for this work stems back to her studies and engagement with various non-profit organizations and female Congressional members who aim to politically empower those from marginalized communities.
Our Board

Will Hurd
Republican Co-Chair
Texas Congressman

Jenniffer González-Colón
Republican Co-Chair
Puerto Rico Congresswoman

Tim Ryan
Democratic CoChair
Ohio Congressman

Yvette Clarke
Democratic CoChair
New York Congresswoman

Laura Cox Kaplan
Hunt Companies / CoStar Group

Tasha Cole
Democratic CoChair
CBCF

Alethia Jackson
Secretary
Walgreens

Angela Baker
Treasurer
Qualcomm Wireless Reach

Jana Barresi
Walmart

Rosemary Becchi
McGuire Woods

Nancy Bocskor
Nancy Bocskor Company

Peter Brown
Deloitte

Larry Duncan
Lockheed Martin

Hagir Elawad
UAE Strategies

Anne Fabry
The Fabry Group

Natalie Farr
Subject Matter

Isaac Fordjour
Boston Scientific

Karen Green
Akin Gump

Jessica Grounds
Mine the Gap

Sohini Gupta
WellCare Health Plans

Jenn Higgins
Chamber Hill Strategies

Jessica Hogle
PG&E

Emily Lenzner
Atlantic Media

Poppy MacDonald
USA Facts

Jessica Marventano
iHeartMedia

Kelley McCormick
Under Armour

William Minor
DLA Piper

Alyse Nelson
Vital Voices

Lucinda Robb
KidsGiving

Sabrina Schaeffer
Republican CoChair
White House Writers Group
See our Advisory Council
- Heather Barmore
- Liz Berry
- Stephanie Bosh
- Angela Brightman Struebing
- Jamie Brown
- Amy Budner Smith
- Jill Canino
- Marjorie Clifton
- Charlotte Clymer
- Karen Defilippi
- Allison Dunatchik
- Nadia Farjood
- Kelly Gibson
- Karen Goldmeier Green
- Emily Goodin
- Elizabeth Hagen
- Kate Houghton
- Kristen Hughes
- Louisa Imperiale
- Courtney Johnson
- Kelly Keenan Trumpbour
- Heather King
- Linda Kramer Jenning
- Melissa Lirstman
- Poppy MacDonald
- Neri Martinez
- Liz Martinez Baldick
- Jonathan McGee
- Amanda Miller Littlejohn
- Heather Mills
- Kinya Mururu
- Cathy Nyce
- Pamela O'Leary
- Jim Phalen
- Prita Pierkara
- Danielle Prendergast
- Ali Rodway
- Liz Sidoti
- Christie St. Clair
- Wendy Susswein
- Shira Teoplitz Center
- Sarah Venuto Perez
- Amy Warnick Gawne
- Jennifer Weissbrot
- Shelley Whelpton
- Dani White
- Liz Wing
- Kimberly Woodard