Team Members
Connie Watts, Executive Director
Connie hails from Utah, but most recently lived in Washington, D.C.,
where she worked for seven years as National Field Director for Planned
Parenthood Federation of America. During her 18 year tenure at Planned
Parenthood, Connie worked closely with affiliates from across the
country. Among her many accomplishments, she headed the organization's
efforts toward the March for Women's Lives, the largest march on
Washington, DC in United States history. Connie and her partner are the
proud parents of a wonderful son.
Thomas Pitchford, Development & Outreach Director
Thomas has spent the last several years working with political
campaigns and consulting candidates primarily in the areas of campaign
finance and strategy. Prior to joining Equal Rights Washington, Thomas
worked first with Colby Underwood, a firm specializing in campaign
finance, then later as an independent consultant. He earned Bachelor's
degrees from both Southeastern Louisiana University and Louisiana State
University, and a Master's degree from Indiana University. He and his partner,
Andrew, live in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle.
Kate Fredenberg, Volunteer & Administrative Manager
Kate was born and raised under the big skies of Missoula, Montana.
After graduating with honors from the University of Montana with a BA
in Psychology and Gender Studies, she moved to Washington with hopes of
finding her niche in the realm of social activism. However, in true
Seattle fashion, she became a barista extraordinaire, spending her free
time as a volunteer field intern at Equal Rights Washington. Although
she continues to appreciate a good americano, she was thrilled to leave
the world of coffee to join the ERW team as the Volunteer and
Administrative Manager. Kate has been accepted into University of
Washington's Masters of Social Work program and will pursue her passion
for social justice by focusing her studies on the needs of the LGBT
community. When not in the throes of political advocacy, you will find
Kate attempting to learn acoustic guitar, watching Buffy the Vampire
Slayer, or spending time with her adorable animals.
Adam Kuglin, Visual Communications Lead
Adam, yet another non-native, comes to ERW from the icy tundra of
Minneapolis, Minnesota. His previous experience includes brand
development, graphic design and event promotion for OutFront Minnesota;
event coordination and brand design as the assistant program director
of the Twin Cities-based Playhouse Theater; and graphic design, print
buying, and web development in his continuing role as a freelance
graphic artist. Adam works closely with our fundraising,
communications, and advocacy teams to creatively raise public awareness
of the agency, our mission, goals, and events. Adam is a Taurus, a
useless trivia buff, and a chai tea addict.
Kara Gallemore, Communications Manager
Raised in Southern California, Kara spent most of her young life distracted
by a misguided calling as an actress. After years of waiting tables, fighting
Los Angeles traffic, and ignoring a quiet but persistent passion for social
justice work, she packed up her stale Hollywood dreams and moved to Seattle.
On a frigid March morning in 2009, she attended an equality rally, hosted by
Equal Rights Washington, on the steps of the state capitol. Outrage and
inspiration moved her to get more involved. After five months co-starring as
an intern on the set of ERW, she landed a lead role as Field and Communications
Manager. She spends her free time reading anything by Carl Sagan or watching crime
scene shows with her cross-eyed cat Gaia.
Erin Clark, Field & Outreach Manager
Erin trekked across this vast country from Connecticut, land of the cold shoulder, autumn, and liberal arts. Still a bit bewildered by friendly pedestrians and the rain, she is doing her best to put her BA in American Studies from Wesleyan University to good use. She's spending most of her time these days pondering the application of social movement and queer theory to the real world's phonebanking, conference calls, and voter registration—and loving every minute of it. Too much thinking is easily balanced out by exercising her complete lack of spatial direction in Seattle and trying to play rugby, two things which may or may not be connected. Erin is thrilled to harness her passion for coalition building and anti-oppression work in field organizing and outreach with ERW.
