Mara Dolan’s public service began with her work as a public defender in Lawrence, Massachusetts. She ran for office on the state’s first platform to lead on criminal justice reform. Today she is a respected television and radio political commentator and analyst, distinguished by her emphasis on facts, policy, and principled crisis management, with a liberal dollop of creative social media on the side. She’s worked at the highest levels of state government and for candidates, using her exceptional media skills to develop strategies across traditional and new media. An avid bicyclist and hiker, she loves Walden Pond. She can’t cook like Deb Kozikowski, but her Yorkshire pudding comes out perfect every time.

Deb Kozikowski has organized issue based and voter education campaigns in 24 states from Massachusetts to Montana as founder of the national advocacy organization RuralVotes. She managed field operations helping voters in Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia where strict voter ID laws were in place. Elected to the DNC in 1996, Deb is currently ranking vice president of the Association of State Democratic Committees. She provides political commentary to numerous major media outlets including the New York Times, Boston Globe and Washington Post. She regularly cooks picture perfect meals, enjoys attending Jacques Pepin lectures at BU and won a national recipe contest for her Spicy Blueberry BBQ Sauce.

We mourn the loss of our dynamic Sue Thomson. Gifted with exceptional interpersonal skills, she had a unique understanding of politics, policy, and people. Among her many accomplishments, Sue was the first woman in Massachusetts history to be elected president of the Massachusetts Electoral College. Sue was honored by Zonta with the Making a Difference award and she most certainly did make a difference. We are ever in debt to her wonderful family for lending Sue to Left of Center. We will miss Sue forever and a day.