National Priorities Project
Staff Biographies
September 2009

Jo Comerford, Executive Director, joined the National Priorities Project staff in July 2008 bringing with her nearly two decades of experience in community organizing, strategic program planning, organizational development and fundraising. Most recently, Jo served as Director of Programs at The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and worked to meet the complex and immediate demands of hunger in the region as well as for systemic community food security. Prior to The Food Bank, Jo directed the American Friends Service Committee's justice and peace-related community organizing efforts in western Massachusetts. She holds an MSW in community organizing from Hunter College School of Social Work and is an adjunct faculty member of Smith College School of Social Work.

Greg Speeter, Director of Networking and Training, founded the National Priorities Project in 1983 as a way for community groups and the public to understand and participate in critical federal budget decisions. He served as NPP’s Executive Director for more than two decades. He has been a featured speaker at both policy conferences and training sessions for community organizers, has held a number of budget briefings on Capitol Hill, and is frequently sought out by the media for analysis of budget policies. Before founding the National Priorities Project, Greg worked for six years at the Citizen Involvement Training Project in Amherst, MA, where he authored training books on community organizing and access to the political process. He began his career as a VISTA Volunteer in 1966, and spent the first decade of his professional life as a community organizer and policy analyst.

Chris Hellman, Director of Research, joined NPP after serving as a military policy analyst for the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation where his work focused on national security spending, military planning and policy, base closures, major weapons systems, trends in the defense industry, global military spending, and homeland security. Prior to joining the Center, Hellman spent six years as a Senior Research Analyst at the Center for Defense Information. He also worked for two years as a military budget specialist at Physicians for Social Responsibility. Previously, Hellman spent ten years on Capitol Hill as a congressional staffer working on national security and foreign policy issues. He is a frequent media commentator on military planning, policy, and budgetary issues and is the author of numerous reports and articles. Hellman holds a B.A. from Middlebury College in Vermont.

Kristine Elinevsky, Director of Administration and Finance, has been with NPP since 1997. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from UC San Diego and a Master's degree in Public Administration for Non-Profit Management from the University of San Francisco. She has worked in education, activist and non-profit settings for over 30 years.

Beth Spong, Development Director, has more than 20 years experience in results-oriented fundraising. Twenty-four years as a successful entrepreneur has honed her skills in marketing, customer service, and public speaking. Beth has traveled nationally as an educator in the allied health care field and, more recently, as a leadership development trainer for professionals. Fundraising and organizational development consulting with non-profits allows Beth to pursue her lifelong passion for social justice. She has served on numerous boards of directors, both locally and nationally. Beth holds a BA from Mount Holyoke College.

Juan Carlos Aguilar, Associate Director of Networking and Training, has many years of non-profit funding and development experience. He previously served as Program Officer for the Environmental and Global Justice Programs at the Solidago Foundation and Director of Grants and Training at the Peace Development Fund.

Brendan Smith, IT Coordinator, has diverse skill and expertise in the field of IT. He has worked in infrastructure and development for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and for various web design and development firms. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science from Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston.

Sara Lockard Silvia, Development Officer, has close to thirty years of non-profit experience primarily in the human service and health care fields. Her work has encompassed administration, human rights, diversity, third party billing, information systems, training and fundraising. Prior to NPP, Sara worked with the Sisters of Providence Health Care System, Center for Human Development and Behavioral Health Network. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and a Masters Degree in Organizational Development.

Barb Chalfonte, Senior Research Associate, has a background in science and technology research as well as in organizing for social and economic justice. Prior to joining NPP, Barb worked at Bell Communications Research and was on the faculty of Mt. Holyoke College. She has written and lectured on how people understand and remember information and how to design technology to support that understanding. She has also worked on several political campaigns, served on the boards of political action committees, and holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University and a BA from Williams College.

Mary Orisich, Research Associate, is a long-time activist concerned with issues of social justice, labor, and the environment. Mary is a doctoral candidate in Economics at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Jillian Hanson, Communications and Grants Coordinator, has more than a decade's worth of experience working as a development and communications specialist for the non-profit sector. Most recently, she served as Associate Director of Development (and interim Director of Development) at The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, and as Director of Foundation Relations at the National Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts. She also works as a communications consultant and professional coach, and holds a BA from Northwestern University.