BPC Action Leadership

Staff

Michele Stockwell

President

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Michele Stockwell is president of BPC Action and also serves as a BPC senior vice president. Prior to joining BPC, she was policy director for then-House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, overseeing a policy team focused on setting and advancing the majority’s congressional agenda. Previously, she worked as a senior policy advisor to former Senator Joe Lieberman and as a legislative aide to former Representative Dave McCurdy.

Stockwell served as the policy director for Joe Lieberman’s presidential campaign, shaping his platform. In 2004, she joined the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), where she directed PPI’s family, social, and education policies. At PPI, she commented frequently on national media outlets, including National Public Radio, Voice of America, and The Washington Times, and contributed to online journals and a nationally published higher education course book.

Stockwell has been selected by The Washingtonian as one of its 100 most powerful women. A native of Oklahoma, she has a B.A. in political science and Spanish from the University of Kansas, and a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma.

Laura Hall

Executive Director

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Laura Hall is the executive director of BPC Action. Prior to joining BPC Action, Hall spent eight years on the staff of former Representative Dennis Moore, a member of the Financial Services and Budget Committees. For the last five of those years, Hall served as Moore’s legislative director. In that role, she developed and coordinated the legislative agenda and floor strategy for the congressman on a wide range of issues, working closely with House leadership, senior committee staff, and key caucuses. Additionally, she advised the congressman on international relations, defense, homeland security, trade, and immigration policy. Hall has a bachelor’s degree in diplomacy and foreign affairs from Miami University in Oxford, OH, and an M.A. in legislative affairs from George Washington University.

Kimberly Dean

Senior Director

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Kimberly Dean serves as a senior director for BPC Action. Prior to joining BPC Action, she worked for former Senator Jim Bunning for 10 years. Dean served the legislative office in several capacities, including legislative assistant, legislative director, counsel, and chief of staff. In these roles, she oversaw Bunning’s efforts on a wide range of legislative issues, supporting the senator’s work on the Senate Finance Committee, Banking Committee, Energy Committee, and Budget Committee. Dean also developed and coordinated political and Senate floor strategy, and was responsible for supervising the senator’s D.C.-based legislative and press staff.

David Brown

Director

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David Brown is a director with BPC Action. Prior to joining BPC Action, he served in several roles at the U.S. Small Business Administration, including in Congressional and Legislative Affairs, as Director of Policy and Planning, and as Acting Chief of Staff.

Previously, David worked as Economic Advisor to U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), managing Coons’ work on taxes, the federal budget, manufacturing, retirement, labor, housing, and small business. David also previously worked as deputy director of the Economic Program at the think tank Third Way, as an associate at the political risk consulting firm Eurasia Group, and as a middle and high school social studies teacher, in both Houston, TX and Nyeri, Kenya. A native of Atlanta, David holds a B.A. from Rice University and M.A. from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, and lives with his wife and daughter in Alexandria, VA.

Andrew Hu

Director

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Andrew Hu serves as a director for BPC Action. Prior to joining BPC Action in January 2022, he was the former Director of Public Policy and Government Relations for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). He was responsible for PCORI’s engagement with policymakers, agencies, and officials at all levels of government to increase their understanding of, and support for, PCORI’s mission and strategic goals.

 

Hu has broad health policy and legislative experience, including health care reform, evidence-based medicine, and patient-centered outcomes research. Before PCORI, Hu was a senior director with the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), where he worked on a portfolio that included comparative effectiveness research and delivery system reform. Hu also spent several years on Capitol Hill, serving on the Finance Committee under then-Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT), and for Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) as her lead staffer on health policy issues.

 

As a California native, Hu earned his BA in political science and BS in biology from the University of California, San Diego, and his MPP from American University.

Michael Kelley

Director

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Michael Kelley is a director with BPC Action. Prior to joining BPC Action, he worked in various roles at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as the principal advisor to the secretary, deputy secretary, and senior department officials on all matters pertaining to Congress and state and local governments.

Previously, Mike worked as deputy chief of staff and legislative director to former Rep. Marlin Stutzman (IN-03), managing Stutzman’s work on the House Committees on Financial Services and Budget, and as legislative assistant to former Rep. Steve Buyer (IN-04), managing Buyer’s work on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce in the areas of commerce, trade and consumer protection. Mike also has extensive experience in the government/legislative relations world having worked for the Natural Products Association, Mayer Brown, and the Moffett Group.

Geoff Lane

Director

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Geoff Lane serves as director for BPC Action. Before joining BPC Action in March 2024, he worked in a variety of capacities at four different leading tech policy associations. These associations represented the interests of hardware manufacturers, software publishers, and platform creators. Lane has worked on issues spanning the industry, including AI, privacy, data flows, intellectual property, content moderation, workforce, and tax and trade. He has coordinated and led several broad, multi-sectoral coalitions to advance various legislative priorities. He began his career in Washington, D.C., working for Speaker Nancy Pelosi, coordinating extensively with the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee.

A Philadelphia-area native, Lane graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Karen Quarles

Director

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Karen Quarles joined BPC Action in November of 2024 as a director, where she partners with the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Human Capital Initiative.

 

With over 25 years of senior experience in the government and non-profit advocacy, Karen’s common-sense expertise has been called upon to solve complex problems for Members of Congress, the Secretary of Education, the Governor of California, and highly respected non-governmental organizations such as the American Red Cross, the Bipartisan Policy Center, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).  

 

Beginning her career, Karen rose to be a senior staff member for House Education and Workforce and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon of California. She also served as a political appointee for President George W. Bush in the U.S. Department of Education and later in Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s DC office. For the last ten years, she has served in senior government affairs roles for national non-profits–the American Red Cross, NCMEC, and New Profit.

 

A native of California and graduate of UCLA, she and her family live on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. 

Lori Pickford

Senior Energy Advisor

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Lori J. Pickford serves as a senior energy advisor for BPC Action. Before joining BPC Action, she was the Vice President of Federal Affairs at Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, a right-of-center advocacy organization, where she developed and promoted clean energy and climate policies to expand awareness among conservative policymakers. She previously led The Ferguson Group’s Energy Practice where she specialized in power and water policy for a nationwide client base. Pickford was also a Principal at Morgan Meguire, LLC, a boutique lobbying shop, where she worked on matters related to climate, energy, and tax policy for a wide range of utility clients. Working with Congress and the Administration, Pickford has engaged in the policy process from almost every perspective, helping clients understand the nuances of policy making – and developing creative ways to influence the process- in order to make strategic decisions to effectively advocate for their interests. She has successfully advocated for bipartisan energy policy included in the Energy Act of 2020, the Infrastructure Jobs and Infrastructure Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act. In years past, she actively worked to enact the Hoover Power Allocation Act of 2011, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, and the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

 

Pickford grew up in New Jersey and graduated from Old Dominion University, moving to Washington, DC to work in policy. She earned a master’s degree from George Washington University, is married, and has three amazing kids. 

Loren Scribner

Associate Director

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Loren Scribner is associate director of communications for BPC Action. Prior to joining BPC Action, Scribner was the communications manager at the Millennial Action Project, a nonprofit activating young lawmakers to bridge the partisan divide and develop future-focused policy solutions. She began her career in communications as the first-ever publicist for Regnery History where she designed and executed national media campaigns, including a national bestseller. She also has a background in political campaigns, having served on Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam’s first and second gubernatorial campaigns and as campaign manager for a Tennessee State House candidate.

Anna Przebinda

Legislative Manager

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Anna Przebinda is a Legislative Manager for BPC Action and is experienced in advocacy, politics, and policy. Prior to joining the team, Przebinda helped lead the women’s issues portfolio in the Office of Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, handling policy related to reproductive choice, maternal health, and domestic violence. She also campaigned for the Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential election, organizing in Nebraska, Washington state, and Virginia. Prior to her career in policy, Przebinda worked in women’s advocacy, working at a rape crisis center and her local domestic violence shelter.

Przebinda studied International Relations and Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Oklahoma, completed her study abroad at Oxford University, and achieved her Masters of Public Policy at Georgetown University.

Meghan Adams

Communications Coordinator

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Meghan Adams is a Communications Coordinator at BPC Action. Before joining BPC Action, she served as the policy affairs intern at Convergence Center for Policy Resolution, where she conducted media tracking, researched legislation, and strategized outreach to bring the organization’s bridge-building work to Congress. During her two congressional internships, Adams assisted the legislative and communications teams with policy research and social media content. Adams graduated with a B.A. in political science from Loyola University Chicago, where she promoted interfaith community building and service work as a council member of Christian Life Communities.

Christopher Firch

Project Assistant

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Christopher Firch is a Project Assistant at BPC Action. Previously, he interned on Capitol Hill, where he supported Senator Mullin’s social media team and conducted legislative research with a focus on education and health care reform.

Christopher recently graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. During his time at OU, he worked for the Oklahoma House of Representatives and served as Student Body President, addressing pressing issues such as food insecurity, mental health, and student safety.

Board of Directors

Candi Wolff, Chair

Managing Director and Head, Global Government Affairs, Citigroup Inc.

Ralph Cavanagh

Former Senior Attorney and Co-Director, Energy Program, Natural Resources Defense Council

Neil Chatterjee

Senior Advisor, Hogan Lovells

Edda Collins Coleman

Principal, Axiom Advisors | Co-founder, All In Together Campaign

Rachel Hirschberg

President and Co-founder, Berger Hirschberg Strategies

Katherine Lugar

Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Hilton

Manuel Ortiz

Founder and President, VantageKnight

Parker Poling

Political Consultant

Mike Smith

Principal and Director, Cornerstone Government Affairs