Our Work

Govern For America is fighting to reactivate the promise of democracy: government of, by, and for the people it serves. We connect emerging leaders into full-time government jobs and provide the training, mentorship, and community they need to build the skills to lead while sparking a lifelong commitment to public service. 

What it’s all about

If we want policy truly designed around people, we need a government composed of emerging leaders from all backgrounds who know how to create change where it matters.

About GFA

Learn more

Government is where we confront our nation’s toughest challenges. The choices that public servants make every day determine whether we can drink clean water, access affordable internet, receive life-saving healthcare, learn in safe environments, exercise our right to vote, and more. To solve these challenges, we need a government made up of the people it serves.

Here’s what we know and what we’re up against:

The facts

3%

of local and state governments successfully recruit Gen Z

meaning governments are struggling to engage the next generation of leaders.

15%

of Americans say they trust government to do what is right

showing that a large majority of our communities don’t trust government to serve them.

17%

of state government workers are under 30

proving young people are underrepresented.

53%

of state and local government human resource mangers are expecting a wave of retirement in the next few years

creating space for the next generation of leaders.

Our mission

Our mission is to build the next generation of public servants to create a more responsive government that better reflects and serves our communities.

Our Vision

Public servants leverage their power in government and grounding in the community to ensure public systems achieve greater opportunity for all people.

Our Values

  • We purposefully seek and promote diversity, champion equitable policies and processes, and foster inclusive climates in all our work.

  • We pursue innovative ideas and partnerships that challenge the status quo and support the communities we serve.

  • We recognize that our goals are ambitious and the progress we seek will take time, empathy, and compassion for ourselves, our communities, and our country.

  • We actively value, seek input from, and make decisions in the best interest of our Fellows, government partners, and the broader GFA community.

  • We use data and evidence to examine our assumptions, learn from different lived experiences, make decisions, and shape our vision.

  • We foster a culture of trust by being honest with Fellows and partners about our strategy, plans, and decisions.

  • We are more than a network of mission-aligned leaders: we nurture interdependent and supportive bonds among Fellows and partners.

Our Story

Back in 2018, a group of government leaders, public educators, and recent college graduates came together. We saw—both from inside and on the receiving end of policymaking—that government wasn’t working for us or for the communities we were serving. But we also understood the power of a government that centers people.

So we banded together to build a pathway for emerging leaders from all walks of life to use our collective experience to make our public systems more flexible and responsive to the things that matter to people. And to build a government for everyone.

Breakdown

Programs

Snapshot

GFA Fellowship

Who & What:

Our Fellowship program recruits early-career professionals and places them into full-time roles in government with a two-year commitment.


When:

We recruit candidates between November and January of each year, and Fellows begin their Fellowship around July 1st of each year. 

“We all know and believe that our democracy can and must deliver for all of us, and we all have a role to play in that.”

Octavia Abell | Co-Founder & CEO, Govern For America

Meet the Team

  • Octavia Abell

    Octavia Abell

    Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer

    —

    Octavia was inspired to launch GFA after recognizing the power that public servants have to ensure government can meet community needs when they center people in policymaking while serving as the Director of Strategy for the Rhode Island Governor’s Office of Innovation. As GFA’s CEO she leads GFA's vision, strategy, and fundraising.

  • Kyleigh Russ

    Kyleigh Russ

    Co-Founder

    —

    Before co-founding GFA, Kyleigh taught at a Boston charter school, witnessing the negative impacts of policy decisions on underrepresented communities, which inspired her to launch GFA with a mission to transform the hiring system for a more inclusive government.

  • Sophanite Gedion

    Sophanite Gedion

    Chief Program Officer

    —

    Sophanite leads the articulation, development, and evaluation of all participant programming at GFA. Sophanite’s approach draws from a career focused on advocating for equitable outcomes in K-12 education in the public and private sector at the New York City Council Progressive Caucus, Denver Public Schools, and Columbia Law School's Center for Public Research and Leadership.

  • Jorge Luis Paniagua Valle

    JL Paniagua Valle

    Chief Operating Officer

    —

    Jorge Luis Paniagua Valle, with experience spanning roles at the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City, the New York City Mayor's Office Appointments, and more, oversees GFA's financial resources, talent, and daily operations, bringing a wealth of expertise in championing equity and supporting vulnerable communities.

  • Talita Elizeu

    Talita Elizeu

    Director of Partnerships

    —

    Talita Elizeu, whose background in union organizing and legislative aid work has driven her passion for empowering the working class, leads government partnerships at GFA. She believes in the value of proactive government engagement and resource provision for historically marginalized communities.

  • Manuela Muz

    Manuela Muz

    Director of Talent

    —

    Manuela, who brings her commitment to access and equity in the workforce development space from her own immigrant experience, AmeriCorps service, and professional background, leads the strategy and support for the recruiting and selection of GFA Fellows, with a vision to enact systemic change.

  • Bri Whitaker

    Bri Whitaker

    Director of Fellowship

    —

    Bri, a first-generation college graduate with extensive experience leading high-performing teams in the EdTech sector to drive educational and career mobility opportunities, directs program development, fellow experience, and an exceptional team of managers and associates at GFA.

  • Mya Padilla

    Mya Padilla

    Fellowship Program Manager

    —

    Mya, informed by her family's legacies of immigration and committed to community empowerment, assists the program team in developing and executing GFA's fellowship programming, bringing experience in criminal justice reform, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and supporting adjunct professors' unionization efforts.

  • Ana Garmendia

    Ana Garmendia

    Partnership Development Associate

    —

    Ana aids in the growth of Govern For America's government and public sector partnerships, drawing from her background in political science and her previous work in the housing nonprofit sector focused on helping individuals experiencing homelessness.

  • Alejandra Vallejos

    Alejandra Vallejos

    Talent Associate

    —

    Alejandra plays a key role in supporting GFA's Fellowship recruitment and selection, bringing a background in psychology and experience in college access programs, with a deep commitment to helping individuals from diverse backgrounds achieve their goals and aspirations.

  • Bree Clark

    Bree Clark

    Talent Manager

    —

    Bree manages the recruiting and selection cycle for GFA’s Fellowship program, with a strong background in environmental policy and a deep commitment to improving access to clean water and addressing government inefficiencies and inequities.

  • Andrea Brown

    Finance & Development Associate

    —

    Andrea serves as GFA's Finance & Development Associate and manages projects and workflows related to expense management, grant obligations, and operational processes. She believes that GFA's work to amplify the voices of young people will cultivate policies that better reflect the diverse needs and voices within our communities.

  • Lia Hansen Headshot

    Lia Hansen

    Fellowship Program Manager

    —

    Lia assists the Fellowship team in planning and executing its programing, and brings a background in public administration and policy, with experiences in the fields of human rights and immigration. She is passionate about leadership development, and is committed to working together to make government more diverse, inclusive, and responsive.

  • Ian McMahon

    Ian McMahon

    Development & Communications Associate

    —

    Ian helps drive Govern For America’s communications and fundraising efforts. As a writer with a background in international development, human services, and the literary arts, he has a passion for developing engaging narratives that inspire social change. 

  • Joing our team

    Interested in joining our team?

    Open Positions →

Kyra Tirana Barry

Board Chair

Octavia Abell

CEO and Co-Founder, Govern For America

Kyleigh Russ

Co-Founder, Govern For America

Scott Warren

Fellow, SNF Agora Institute

Sagar Desai

Executive Coach & Organizational Consultant

Jeni Dhodary

Research & Data Analyst, The State of Missouri

Yasmin Yacoby

Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of Energy Justice and Equity, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Tre’ Scott

CEO, Folk Media Group

Toren Kutnick

Managing Director, Family Office

Advisory Board

Our Advisory Board inspires us to stay true to our community, with their diverse experiences and unwavering support for our mission and vision. Their guidance helps us take one step closer to our goals, every single day.

Dean Williams

former State of Colorado

Elizabeth Linos

The People Lab at the Harvard Kennedy School

Kishan Yerubandi

Georgetown University

Andy Moss

New York University

Kimberly Austin

The Center for Public Research and Leadership at Columbia University

Anthony Russ

Integra LifeSciences

Bari Harlam

Trouble

Mandara Meyers

The States Project

Billy Watterson

Galaxy Gives

Raja Sooriamurthi

Carnegie Mellon University

Govern For America

Govern For America (GFA) is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) working to build the next generation of public servants to create a more responsive government that better reflects and serves our communities.

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