Happy 2022!
We’re thrilled to announce that we have welcomed three new staff members to the Network Team:
Marianne Anthonette Miranda | Brigade Community Research Specialist
Jess Manapul | Brigade Community Specialist
Michael Collado | Senior Manager, Network Marketing and Communications
Mari, Jess, and Michael will be working closely with the Network Team to help meet the needs of our Network and support the Brigade program. Keep reading to learn about our new & current team members!
Em Burnett | Associate Director, Network
Em Burnett (they/them) is the Associate Director on the Network Team, working with Brigades as well as the entire Network portfolio. Their day-to-day is focused on Network engagement and change management. In 2021, they helped lead the Network ReVisioning project and in 2022, they will focus on refreshing the Network’s priorities and public presence to align with ReVisioning. They are also really excited to work on the Network’s participatory processes in 2022 and to help plan Brigade Congress.
Prior to joining Code for America, Em consulted on local political campaigns and with clients like Maine Equal Justice and the Maine AFL-CIO. They helped lead several local political campaigns in Maine and are on a political hiatus… for now.
More about Em
- Em loves to cook, ferment things, and to learn as much as they can about the plants, animals and fungi in the woods behind their house.
Ben Treviño | Brigade Program Director
Ben Treviño (he/him) is the Brigade Program Director on the Network team. His day-to-day involves supporting Brigade Program Staff, operationalizing the ReVisioning Recommendation, and developing leadership throughout the network. You can learn more about his program priorities here.
Ben is a 2018 Community Fellow and a former co-chair of the 2020 National Advisory Council. As a civic technologist, Ben advocates for indigenous perspectives on science, technology, and innovation, and allyship with native and indigenous communities.
More About Ben:
- Ben loves LEGOs, houseplants, and typewriters
- Most of Ben’s stories involve his wife – and roommate – Tori (also his closest friend and most trusted confidant
- Tori is pregnant and she and Ben are expecting their first child this summer!
Marianne Anthonette Miranda | Brigade Community Research Specialist
Mari (she/her) is the Brigade Community Research Specialist on the Network team. Her day-to-day involves monitoring Network activities, building infrastructure to enable connections within the Network, and exploring questions about volunteer motivations, hopes, and dreams. Her priorities for Quarter 1 of 2022 are setting Brigades up for 2022 success with strategic consultations, operationalizing Brigade activity reporting, and piloting a training for building inclusive and restorative communities.
Mari first became involved within the Network volunteering as the UX Research Team Lead for the Brigade Organizer’s Playbook (BOP) Extension Project. She’s eager to continue learning from Brigade community members – schedule a call with Mari here!
More About Mari:
- Mari enjoys learning about theme parks and attractions and holds a controversial opinion that Universal Studios > Disneyland
- Her full name is 32 letters long and can get into deep conversations about the struggle of having a long name (and unhyphenated double-first names)
- Mari can impersonate Elmo (and also dislikes Rocco)
Jess Manapul | Brigade Community Specialist
Jess Manapul (she/her) is the Brigade Community Specialist on the Network team. Her day-to-day involves tending to Brigade Program operational needs, designing campaigns to communicate Network updates, and creating learning opportunities for the Brigade network. Her priorities for Quarter 1 of 2022 are to lead in the implementation of a cross-brigade learning framework and get to know all of the incredible Brigade volunteers! 
Jess is also a member of Code for Hawaii. Her most recent projects involved developing a learning framework for Code for Hawaii’s Brigade members and organizing their local participation in the 2021 National Day of Civic Hacking.
More About Jess:
- Jess resides in Hawaiʻi
- Her last name “Manapul” is pronounced similarly to “Monopoly”, just minus the last syllable
- Jess loves to try different mediums of art. Her hobbies include practicing photography and singing too loudly in the shower while pretending to be Christina Aguilera. Jess is also a freelance graphic and web designer.
Michael Collado | Senior Manager, Network Marketing and Communications
Michael Collado is the Senior Manager of Network Marketing and Communications. His primary role on the Network team will be marketing its projects and sharing the great work you’re all doing with a wider audience. He’s already eager to hear stories from the ground and learn about your Brigade’s efforts. Schedule an intro call with Michael now.
Stay tuned for more 2022 updates over the next couple of weeks.