Veterans and military communities fighting for progressive values
Founded in 2016, Common Defense is the nation’s largest grassroots organization of US military veterans and the only one that invests in the leadership of its members through training and deployment in campaigns that connect directly to their history of service, including voting rights, climate justice, and anti-militarism. Common Defense’s family of organizations includes the Common Defense Education Fund (501c3) for training and organizing, Common Defense Civic Engagement (501c4) for issue based and electoral advocacy, and Common Defense Action Fund (PAC) for lobbying and electoral support.
Common Defense Education Fund (CDEF)
Veterans Organizing Institute — our flagship non-partisan training program for veterans
Ongoing member education and training
Voter education and registration
Organized efforts to combat voter suppression
Non-partisan get out the vote efforts in targeted states and districts
Common Defense Civic Engagement (CDCE)
Lobbying and advocacy around particular legislative issues and bills
Member education around particular legislative issues and bills
Endorsements of progressive candidates
Candidate specific voter contact
Common Defense Action Fund (CDAF)
Targeted, non-coordinated electoral support
Paid advertisements
Our Staff
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Jose Vasquez
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
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Janice Jamison
TRAINING DIRECTOR
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Perry O'Brien
SR. NATIONAL CAMPAIGNS DIRECTOR
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Joanna Sweatt
ORGANIZING DIRECTOR
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Jessica James
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
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Jacob Thomas
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
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Naveed Shah
POLITICAL DIRECTOR
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Oscar Arbulu
DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR
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Stephanie Manansala
OPERATIONS MANAGER
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SOPHIA-HELENE MEES DE TRICHT
VOI PROGRAM MANAGER
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Lakiesha Lloyd
CLIMATE JUSTICE ORGANIZER
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Camille Breaux
GEORGIA ORGANIZER
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Carrie Frail
VOI PROGRAM ASSOCIATE
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Jim Sandoe
CLIMATE JUSTICE ORGANIZER
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Nique Williams
NORTH CAROLINA ORGANIZER
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June Spence
PENNSYLVANIA ORGANIZER
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Kayne Bland-Clark
DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR
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Derek Duba
ARIZONA LEAD ORGANIZER
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Moises Montalvo
PENNSYLVANIA ORGANIZER
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Clyde Gunter
SOCIAL MEDIA LEAD
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Jermaine Collins
DC LEAD ORGANIZER
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Ted Spencer
POLICY ANALYST
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Ricardo Reyes
ARIZONA ORGANIZER
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Miguel Cruz
HOUSTON LEAD ORGANIZER
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Heidi Dragneff
ELECTORAL COORDINATOR
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Ben Sacks
SUSTAINABLE GROWTH ADVISOR
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Paulette Yazzie
NATIVE ORGANIZER
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Tariq Smith
FIELD DATA MANAGER
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Mike Beatty
CLIMATE JUSTICE FELLOW
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Ed Anderson
GEORGIA LEAD ORGANIZER
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Mario Fraticelli
DIGITAL ADVOCACY MANAGER
Common Defense Civic Engagement Board
Common Defense Education Fund Board
Our 2023 Annual Report
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You can view our 2022 Annual Report here: Common Defense Annual Report | 2022