Kevin Johnson is co-founder and executive director of Election Reformers Network, a nonpartisan nonprofit advancing innovations that protect elections from polarization. Since 2017 Kevin has led ERN’s research and advocacy programs focused on impartial election governance, independent redistricting, and voting rules. Kevin draws on decades of experience supporting emerging democracies overseas and advancing reforms in the US.
Kevin has authored studies of secretary of state conflict of interest, election commission models, comparative election management, and proportional approaches to electoral college reform. He has also published more than two dozen opeds on a wide range of reform topics in media outlets including The Washington Post, Governing, The Fulcrum, and The Hill.
Kevin has held board or advisory positions with The Carter Center, Common Cause Massachusetts, Rank the Vote, and American Promise. For 18 years Kevin ran Liberty Global Partners, an investment advisory firm focused on venture capital and private equity in emerging markets. Kevin earned an MBA from Wharton and a BA from Yale, and lives with his wife and three children in Newton, MA.
A fifth-generation New Mexican, Heather W. Balas brings over 25 years of experience in public policy, including policy research, citizen deliberation, legislative advocacy, voter education, and coalition-building to ERN. She is a senior consultant to the Carter Center, where she advises on advancing reforms to strengthen American democracy.
Heather is also the previous President and Executive Director of New Mexico First, a cross-partisan public policy organization co-founded by U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Pete Domenici.
Previous employers include the Thornburg Foundation, where she managed a $1.2 million portfolio of good government investments, as well as the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Commission on Presidential Debates, and the California Center for Civic Participation. Heather holds a master’s degree in political communication from the University of Maryland and a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She is married and mother to two young adults.
Michael Parsons is Senior Counsel at Election Reformers Network and the Founder and Principal of Parsons Law PLLC.
As a practitioner, Michael advises clients who are working to make government more representative, responsive, and responsible. He has also represented merits parties and amici in major constitutional cases implicating the law of democracy and the separation of powers, including Rucho v. Common Cause (partisan gerrymandering), Blumenthal v. Trump (emoluments), and Patchak v. Zinke (separation of powers).
At Election Reformers Network, Michael provides policy guidance, strategic legal advice, legislative drafting assistance, and in-depth analysis of developments in state and federal legislation, election litigation, judicial doctrines, and emerging scholarship.
As a scholar, Michael studies political representation and how the law shapes, supports, and subverts that concept, especially in the areas of federalism, the separation of powers, and the law of democracy. His scholarship has been published in academic journals such as the California Law Review, Minnesota Law Review, Indiana Law Journal, and University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law, and his commentary has been published on the Harvard Law Review Blog, Election Law Blog, Take Care Blog, Democracy Docket, and in outlets like Mass. Lawyers Weekly, City & State New York, and The Hill. His work has been cited in multiple federal court opinions and his proposals have been incorporated into legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Amber McReynolds is one of the country’s leading experts on election administration and policy. She was appointed by the President and confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as a Governor for the United States Postal Service, she is an elections policy and administration expert and consultant, co-author of the book ‘When Women Vote’, and is the former Director of Elections for the City and County of Denver, Colorado and the former CEO for the National Vote At Home Institute and Coalition. Amber is an experienced election professional and is nationally recognized as an innovator and has proven that designing pro-voter policies, voter-centric processes, and implementing technical innovations will improve the voting experience for all. Amber also served on the Colorado Independent Legislative Redistricting Commission.
Amber was recognized as a 2018 Top Public Official of the Year by Governing Magazine for her transformational work to improve the voting experience in Denver and across Colorado; she was recognized as one of the Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business in Colorado in 2020; and was named as a 2021 Titan CEO. Amber serves on the National Task Force on Election Crises, the National Council on Election Integrity, the Advisory Board for the MIT Election Data and Science Lab, Advisor to Vot-ER, Secure the Vote Advisory Board, City Year Denver Board of Directors, Represent Women Board of Directors, and the Women’s Foundation of Colorado Empowerment Council.Amber holds a Masters of Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.
Ankit Jain works as an independent legal contractor for Parsons Law, providing legal support to the Election Reformers Network. At ERN, he provides policy guidance, strategic legal advice, legislative drafting assistance, and in-depth analysis of new legal developments. Prior to joining Parsons Law, Jain worked as an independent legal contractor for FairVote and as an attorney for the Sierra Club. At FairVote, he authored over 47 bills for jurisdictions seeking to implement ranked choice voting and served as lead writer for model language and default RCV policy for all national RCV groups. At Sierra Club, he was one of the lead negotiators who secured a settlement that committed the federal government to spending more than $1 billion rectifying environmental harm caused by President Donald Trump’s border wall.
He is also Washington, D.C.’s elected non-voting Senator—elected in 2024. In this role, he advocates for Washington, D.C. to become the 51st state in the Union, to protect DC Home Rule, and to advance the interests of Washington, D.C.’s 700,000 residents.
Jamie Dillon is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) with more than 15 years of experience helping democracy, civic engagement, and humanitarian organizations grow, thrive, and build a better future. She is passionate about the power of philanthropy and authentic donor relationships to drive meaningful, lasting change.
Jamie has held leadership roles at Issue One, Mikva Challenge, and Mercy-USA for Aid and Development, and specializes in helping small nonprofits with bold visions scale sustainably. Whether developing a new fundraising strategy or connecting with donors, Jamie approaches each partnership with purpose, clarity, and joy.
She holds a master’s degree from the University of Edinburgh and a bachelor’s degree from Claremont McKenna College. Jamie lives in Washington, D.C., and is a 2021 graduate of the Allstate Foundation Executive Leadership Program.
With a focus on nonprofit advocacy, public policy, and political campaigns, Kim Nickols brings over two decades of communications strategy experience to ERN.
Kim previously served as Director of Communications and Press Secretary in the California State Assembly. Her portfolio includes coordinating communications for statewide ballot initiatives and local, state, and congressional campaigns, directing media coordination for visiting foreign dignitaries, speechwriting for presidential candidates, developing public relations and advocacy strategies for Fortune 100 companies, and facilitating government relations and public affairs outreach for Native American tribes throughout California.
Kim earned a bachelor's degree in Communication Studies from the University of San Diego. She is a member of Lambda Pi Eta, the National Communication Association’s Honor Society.
Kim Robinson brings over a decade of experience in nonprofit operations, project management, and strategic administration to her role as Operations Manager at Election Reformers Network. A skilled organizer and systems-builder, Kim has led cross-functional teams supporting civic engagement, policy advocacy, and healthcare access in complex, fast-paced environments. Her career includes senior roles at the Children’s Defense Fund and the Mississippi Center for Justice, where she oversaw national initiatives, streamlined HR and grants operations, and built partnerships across sectors.
Prior to joining ERN, Kim supported federal outreach efforts for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and worked as an independent consultant advising advocacy organizations. Her leadership is grounded in values of equity, care, and efficiency, ensuring mission-driven work is well supported by strong internal infrastructure. Kim holds deep roots in the South and a long-standing commitment to expanding access, strengthening democracy, and supporting community power through operational excellence.
Joe is a political science researcher with a focus on democracy reform in the United States and around the world. His research focuses on how election reforms can reduce polarization and how to safeguard public support for the core institutions of liberal democracy.
He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in political science from George Washington University, as well as a B.A. in International Relations and Spanish from Saint Joseph's University. He currently lives in Pennsylvania outside Philadelphia.
