Staff


Bradford Fitch

President & CEO

bfitch-headshot-smallBradford Fitch has spent 36 years in Washington as a journalist, congressional aide, consultant, college instructor, Internet entrepreneur, and writer/researcher.

Fitch began his career as a radio and television reporter in the 1980s. He began working on Capitol Hill in 1988 where he served for 13 years. He worked in a variety of positions for four Members of Congress, including: press secretary, campaign manager, legislative director, and chief of staff.

Fitch left Congress in 2001 to work for the Congressional Management Foundation. As Deputy Director of CMF, he served as a management consultant for Members of Congress, offering confidential guidance, conducting staff training programs, and writing publications on enhancing the performance of individual congressional offices and the institution. He served as editor of Setting Course: A Congressional Management Guide for the 108th Congress and 109th Congress editions. In 2005 Fitch managed CMF’s Communicating with Congress project, and co-authored the report, How Capitol Hill is Coping with the Surge in Citizen Advocacy. He left CMF in 2006 to form a new company, Knowlegis, in affiliation with Capitol Advantage. Knowlegis is now a part of CQ-Roll Call Group, where Fitch served as a Vice President until 2010 when he returned to CMF.

Fitch is also the author of Citizen's Handbook to Influencing Elected Officials (TheCapitol.Net, 2010); Media Relations Handbook for Agencies, Associations, Nonprofits and Congress (TheCapitol.Net, 2004); “Best Practices in Online Advocacy for Associations, Nonprofits, and Corporations,” a chapter in Routledge Handbook of Political Management (Routledge, 2008); and articles on communications and advocacy. He is frequently quoted in media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, CBS News and CNN. He has taught journalism and public communications at American University in Washington, D.C, where he served an adjunct Associate Professor of Communications. He received his B.A. degree in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University and his M.A. degree in Journalism and Public Affairs from American University.

Nicole Folk Cooper

Acting Vice President, Director of Research & Publications

nicolefolkcooper headshotNicole Folk Cooper conducts research, analysis, writing, and outreach on a broad range of CMF activities, including managing and writing reports and publications; consulting with congressional offices; conducting training programs; and managing and conducting project work.

Currently, Nicole is the project manager for the "Life in Congress" research series that reports on the employee engagement, job satisfaction, and work-life of congressional staff and House Members. Her most recent work on this project was the publication of the "Workflex Toolkit for Congress," a practical guide to implementing more flexible workplace policies in the House and Senate.

Nicole was the project manager and editor of the last seven editions of Setting Course, CMF's premier publication on setting up and managing congressional offices; the 90-Day Roadmap to Setting Up a Congressional Office; and the 2010 edition of Keeping It Local: A Guide for Managing Congressional District & State Offices. She is co-author and editor of The Insider's Guide to Research on Capitol Hill, and the editor and project manager of the most recent edition of the Congressional Intern Handbook. Nicole also manages and contributes to the communications and technology research reports produced by CMF's Partnership for a More Perfect Union, including the 113th Congress Gold Mouse Awards and the Communicating with Congress series.

Nicole came to CMF in 2001 from InterAmerica Technologies, which was one of the primary vendors of correspondence management systems (CMS) to House and Senate offices. Prior to her work at InterAmerica, she served as Office and Systems Manager for a Member of Congress. A native North Dakotan, Nicole lived in Washington, DC, for 12 years before becoming a full-time remote worker, first from Portland, Maine and currently from Seattle, Washington.

Crystina Darden

Office Administrator & Membership Assistant

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Crystina Darden assists with the administrative and fundraising duties of CMF and provides support for the projects and services of the organization. She joined CMF in September 2021 and has previously worked on Capitol Hill with another nonprofit, a consulting firm and as a petsitter. Crystina has previously studied Anthropology and is currently working towards a degree in Communications. When not working, Crystina enjoys catching up on podcasts, working through her queues of understated indie dramas and tending to her houseplants.

Anna Lee Hirschi

Manager of Citizen Engagement

Anna Lee Hirschi manages the outreach for CMF’s citizen engagement work, primarily through the Partnership for a More Perfect Union. She also supports CMF’s democracy reform and strategic communication efforts.

Anna Lee started her career in Alaska, organizing the inaugural Sitka Arts & Science Festival and working with a range of nonprofits including the Alaska Historical Society, Art Change, and the Sitka Maritime Heritage Society. She has since worked on political campaigns including a presidential campaign in Pennsylvania, and congressional races in South Carolina and Texas. She has also worked in municipal government and policy. Most recently she was deputy political director for MJ Hegar’s US Senate campaign in Texas.

Anna Lee attended Smith College and enjoys running, visiting museums, and participating in a Hannah Arendt reading group.

Miata Sannoh

Membership Coordinator

Miata pictureMiata Sannoh is the Membership Coordinator of CMF, her primary responsibilities are supporting our newest service, The Citizen's Advocacy Academy. Prior to joining CMF, she worked with Victory Housing, Inc where she led special projects, and GSCNC leading major recruitment/outreach initiatives. Miata received her Bachelor of Science degree from Bowie State University. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and spending time with family.                           

                 

Sarah Thomson

DIRECTOR of Operations

20230915 ENP CMF 1091Sarah Thomson manages all CMF events, also acting as overall project manager for our signature program, the Democracy Awards. In addition to running the day to day finances of the organization, managing our annual audit and assisting with budget creation, she also coordinates with our consultants to arrange strategic planning retreats for congressional offices.

As a British expat since 1998, Sarah has worked for a variety of international organizations in nonprofit, corporate, and public sectors in 5 countries. She joined CMF in 2014, bringing with her a variety of experiences including work at an event management firm in South Africa and extensive financial management at the British Embassy in Senegal.

Sarah earned her BA in linguistics from University of Newcastle upon Tyne (UK) and tries to keep up her French language skills.

Jaime Werner

Vice President of Strategy and Development

jwerner-headshot-smallJaime Werner is the strategic and operational leader overseeing CMF's Partnership for a More Perfect Union (PMPU), where she works to inspire and support meaningful engagement between citizens and Congress. She focuses on relationship management, internal operations, strategic growth, and is usually accompanied by a service dog in training wherever she goes.

Jaime has led CMF's membership management since 2015, liaising regularly with PMPU partner organizations to ensure that their citizen advocates have ready access to the most up-to-date guidance and best practices. She has managed CMF's advanced advocacy training program since its inception, using proven techniques to significantly enhance effective advocacy by constituents. She is a contributor to the Communicating with Congress series, the Democracy Awards program, the RepDemocracy coalition, and is a founding member of the Diversity in Government Relations Coalition. As Vice President, Jaime is part of CMF's leadership team where she is instrumental in all strategic, financial, personnel, and operational decisions for the organization, including the supervision of multiple CMF employees.

Jaime joined CMF with more than 10 years of campaign and member management experience. Previously, she served as the Director of Strategic Partner Relations at the American Retirement Association, where she focused on outreach to financial institutions working in the 403(b)/457 retirement market. In addition, she has experience working in PAC fundraising for advocacy organizations and Members of Congress. She also has expertise in field organizing and event management for ballot initiatives, issue campaigns, and Congressional races.

Originally from Ukiah, CA, Jaime made her way to Washington, DC by way of Union College in Schenectady, NY, where she earned her BA in Political Science and Philosophy with a focus on Political Ethics. She is a proud resident of Capitol Hill where she enjoys the historic neighborhood and morning strolls on the Mall with her ever-rotating Canine Companions puppy in training.