National Student Leadership:
Jake Twomey // CALPIRG Students Board Chair
Jake is a 3rd year student at UC Santa Barbara, majoring in Economics and Political Science. As well as being treasurer on the statewide board, he also serves as the vice chair of the UCSB chapter. He got involved with CALPIRG in 2023 working to increase protections for California’s coast. After that, he went on to fight climate change by running the CALPIRG Students 100% clean energy campaign, calling on the UC system to lead the nation by committing to 100% clean energy by 2035. Running the 100% clean energy campaign, he was able to organize students across the state to lobby their Universities to set more aggressive targets for clean energy.
Sean Simonini // MASSPIRG Students Board Chair
Sean Simonini is the Chair of MASSPIRG’s Statewide Board and has served as the President of the MASSPIRG Chapter at UMass Lowell, where he is studying international affairs. During his time with MASSPIRG, he has helped to coordinate a number of advocacy efforts on important topics such as investing in renewable energy and combating the food-insecurity crisis on college campuses. His favorite part of the MASSPIRG experience is getting to meet students across the Commonwealth, and empowering them so they can use their voices to make a difference in their communities. In his free time, Sean enjoys spending time in Boston’s North End and going on hikes throughout New England.
Maggie Lu // NJPIRG Students Board Chair
Maggie is a sophomore studying Political Science and Psychology. After getting heavily involved with NJPIRG’s funding referendum during her first semester at Rutgers-New Brunswick, she ran for the chair of her New Brunswick chapter, as well as chair of the statewide NJPIRG board. As state and chapter chair, she works on building the chapter and mission of student activism at Rutgers. She is currently coordinating the Save the Bees campaign, while also managing relations with student government to advance support for the Hunger and Homelessness and Textbook Affordability campaigns.
Matteah Davis // WashPIRG Board Chair
Matteah (they/she) is WashPIRG’s State Board Chair, and the University of Washington’s Affordable Healthcare campaign coordinator. She is super excited to help train and organize students across the state and work with other states as state chair, and educate about and lobby for changes in healthcare accessibility. Matteah is a third year double major in political science and journalism + public interest communications. In their free time, you can find them reading about people falling in love, usually while listening to Taylor Swift.
Caleb Gustavson // Georgia State University
Caleb Gustavson is a second-year Public Policy and Philosophy double major at Georgia State University. Caleb founded the Georgia State chapter of Georgia PIRG. He works for PIRG because of how effective the organization structure is at winning campaigns and building student power. Caleb does not work on a specific campaign and is focused more on building organizational power for Georgia PIRG at the state and campus levels while developing the other leaders of Georgia PIRG. His highlight is running the New Voters Project in the fall of 2024 and individually contacting over 5,000 Georgia student voters with helpful election information.
Disha Kaklotar // Temple University
Disha ia a freshman Accounting major at Temple University and is from from the suburbs of Pennsylvania. She joined PIRG because she wanted to be involved in a movement to take on rising issues in the current world amd be a part of something bigger for a greater cause. She believes that joining clubs that are directly involved in social outreach helps students fit in a community that values their morals and actively campaigns for the greater good and that one by one we can all make a difference in the world!
Clara Gilles // University of Pittsburgh
Clara is a junior Political Science and Philosophy student and the President of PennPIRG at the University of Pittsburgh. She has lead many events both on-campus as well as in the broader Pittsburgh community. She also took part in the Student PIRGs Civic Leadership Fellowship program over the summer to organizer other parts of the state and ensure that the organization’s work and campaigns have a state-wide impact.
Sydney Greenway // University of Pittsburgh
Sydney is a senior Urban Studies and Sociology double major at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. She got involved with PIRG in 2021 while she was a student in Michigan, working to reduce single-use plastic on her campus. She has been the president of PIRGIM at Wayne State University as well as the campaign coordinator for the New Voters Project at WSU ahead of the 2022 Midterm Election and is and the campaign coordinator for the Affordable Textbooks campaign at WSU. She now works coordinates PennPIRG’s campus relations and coalition organizing at Pitt.
Danna Jaramillo // University of Central Florida
Danna is a senior Environmental Studies major who is interested in pursuing conservation work. She want is passionate about helping endangered species and got involved with Florida PIRG at UCF because so that she can contribute to panther conservation by taking part in the campaign to fund wildlife corridors.
Sanchita Teeka // University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Sanchita is a Senior Finance and Psychology major at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, and the former Student Trustee to the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, as well as an Illinois PIRG student leader. She got involved with the Student PIRGs to empower students to bring true change to both her local community and to the broader country on issues like textbook affordability, voter registration, climate action, and more.
Staff:
Andy MacDonald // Executive Director
Andy manages our staff who work on 38 campuses in nine states, as well as training, staff development, volunteer programs, campaign strategy and canvassing. Andy has maintained a funding base for the student chapters, built a pipeline for students and staff to become lifelong activists, and been a part of a variety of social change campaigns. He has held numerous positions within the network, including regional director and assistant national summer canvass director for Fund for the Public Interest. Andy lives in Amherst, Massachusetts, with his family, and enjoys all outdoor sports, especially running.
Dan Xie // Political Director
Dan began her career in college as a student leader with CALPIRG, where she helped to bring high-speed rail to California. In her current role she directs the national political strategy for the Student PIRGs. She advises staff and students on strategic campaign plans and amplifies our work with coalition partners and at conferences. Dan has managed successful campaigns to cap global warming pollution, fight the high cost of higher education, and make voting more accessible for students. Dan lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, where she is an avid cyclist and climber.
Manny Rin // New Voters Project Director
Manny began his career in college as a student leader with CALPIRG. Now he works with staff and students to make sure the largest voting block in the country is activated and empowered. Previously the executive director of Change Corps, Manny has extensive experience leading campaigns, including working with MoveOn.org Political Action to get out the vote in swing states in 2014, and with Everytown for Gun Safety to pass gun safety legislation in Oregon. Manny lives in Denver, where he enjoys running, playing pool and trivia with friends.
Michael Basmajian // National Administrator
As the national administrator for the Student PIRGs, Michael oversees the team’s tracking systems, plans national trainings, and provides administrative and web support for Student PIRGs staff across the country. Michael has worked on a number of successful campaigns including helping to persuade major fast food chains, including McDonald’s and Subway, to protect public health and stop serving meat raised on the routine use of medically important antibiotics. Michael lives in Somerville, Massachusetts, where he enjoys playing guitar, going to shows and practicing heavy metal yoga.
Liam Horstick // Recruitment and Digital Director
As recruitment director for the Student PIRGs, Liam works to identify, recruit and empower people looking to make a difference. Before taking his current role, Liam was a campus organizer with CALPRG Students for four years, where he worked to train student leaders to run and win strategic campaigns. Liam has worked on successful campaigns in California to help students register to vote and turn out to the polls, commit the state and the UC system to 100 percent clean electricity, and pass and defend California’s plastic bag ban. Liam was born and raised in California, where he enjoys spending time at the beach or in the ocean, seeing live music and cheering on the Los Angeles Lakers.