Who We Are

A native of Australia, SJ Democracy Research Principal, Sarah John PhD, has been committed to improving democracy through reform for as long as she can remember. Sarah has over a decade of experience managing research in and with nonprofits in the D.C. area and has published widely on democracy reform. Trained in both qualitative and quantitative techniques, she'd be excited to work with you on your reform research needs. Sarah also has two pugs who enjoy visiting state capitols. 

Ian Holmes is a democracy and LGBTQ+ activist currently based in New Jersey and New York City. Concerning democracy his primary interests are in constitutions, legislatures, electoral systems, and access to elections. He is currently a Master's in Public Administration graduate student at NYU Wagner. As an undergraduate student at The College of New Jersey, he double majored in Political Science and Philosophy focusing on comparative politics, legal ethics, Europe, and political parties.

Mary’s career was primarily in the area of public finance, spanning over 25 years and covering cumulative advisory participation in over $4 billion in tax-exempt financings for school districts, local governments, and higher education. These financings funded school construction, municipal infrastructure and developmental projects, and environmental/energy initiatives. Mary’s services scope included financial modeling and projections, ensuring clients’ regulatory adherence, promotion of ballot questions, oversight of competitive and negotiated bond/note sales, and presentation to rating agencies and other credit enhancing institutions. Mary received qualification as a Municipal Advisor by the US Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board and holds a BA in Political Science and an MA in Politics with a concentration in Public Administration. In addition to her financial career, Mary has been an active community member and volunteer, including as the founder of an education foundation for her local school district, extensive “get out the vote” volunteering and tutoring students in ESL. Mary currently serves on a Board of Education and is the coordinator of the school district’s “Green Team.”

Spanning 16+ years in the public affairs consulting space, Evan has developed and managed successful programs at leading organizations, such as Edelman, Weber Shandwick, Landmark Ventures, Concordia, and The Climate Group, and on behalf of high-profile public, private and nonprofit clients, among which include the Embassies of China and Pakistan, the United Nations, Rockefeller Foundation, Gates Foundation, NCX, Deloitte, Bank of America, Microsoft, Nespresso, Expedia, and Qatar Airways. He has helped lead global development, corporate social responsibility and sustainability campaigns that have impacted millions of lives, on issues ranging from human rights and climate change to poverty and global health, as well as traditional corporate communications, crisis and reputation work.  

Evan holds an MA in European Public Policy with a focus in Political Strategy from the University of Kent’s Brussels School of International Studies, and a BA in Political Science and Spanish Literature with an International Relations focus from Rutgers University. 

Erica Frazier has a PhD in International Politics/Foreign Languages, Cultures and Literatures from Queen's University Belfast and the Université d'Orléans in France. After completing her graduate studies, Erica relocated to the DC area and began working and volunteering for organizations focused on the US electoral system. In her free time, Erica enjoys running and finding new books at her local public library.

Emily Patton is a graduate student at NYU Wagner, pursuing her Master's in Public Administration. As an undergraduate student, she majored in Finance and Economics at the University of Notre Dame and over the past 5+ years, has worked in corporate finance for Chicago and New York-based start-ups, currently as Sr. Finance Manager at theSkimm. Emily is passionate about equitable financial literacy for both individuals and organizations, with a particular focus on grantmaking and fundraising efforts. 

Matilda is an avid digital artist whose passion for engaging sociopolitical discussion is second only to her interest in tech. Though she graduated with a degree in Interactive Multimedia, her primary professional background as a secondary school tutor and teacher has been heavily focused on making education accessible and impactful (especially through the help of technology), and she strives to help DODO do the same. When she's not writing lesson plans or building widgets on the web, you can find her working on her comics and tending to the chickens.