North Carolina’s pro-democracy coalition, aimed at educating the public on how to build a democracy where everyone participates, every vote is counted, voting rights are fully enforced, and everyone’s voice is heard.

Staff

Beatrice Beaubrun, Deputy Director
she/her/that girl
Beatrice Beaubrun is the Deputy Director at North Carolina For The People and has over a decade of experience in political organizing, nonprofit management, and communications. As the Deputy Director, she leverages her expertise to build coalitions, drive civic engagement, and advance digital security in the fight for equitable policies. A Jersey native and proud Haitian-American, Beatrice’s journey in advocacy began with her work on the 2008 election doing GOTV alongside her mom knocking on doors in the streets of Philly. Her passion for elevating marginalized voices led her to pursue a B.A. in Political Science from North Carolina Central University and an M.A. in Communications from Queens University of Charlotte. In 2020, Beatrice honed her digital organizing skills during the Census, a turning point that inspired her to launch BeaPixel Studio—a branding and web design firm tailored to political nonprofits.  Through her diverse roles, Beatrice remains committed to amplifying underrepresented voices and expanding opportunities for growth and change in the communities she serves.

Board of Directors

Melissa Price Kromm,  Chair and Executive Director
Melissa Price Kromm is the Chair and Executive Director of North Carolina For the People, where she has served as the leader of the statewide pro-democracy coalition for the past fourteen years. The coalition coordinates advocacy in structural democracy, voting rights, campaign finance reform, government ethics and transparency, redistricting reform, judicial independence, the right to protest, and election crisis prevention. Price Kromm led efforts to pass campaign finance disclosure reform, voting rights reform, and stop attacks on judicial independence. Recently, Price Kromm led the coalition to stop bills promoting campaign finance secrecy, attacking the freedom to vote, limiting the right to protest, and spearheaded pioneering legislation to prevent election sabotage. Before joining, Kromm was part of a successful effort to pass same-day voter registration at early voting sites in North Carolina and pre-registration of 16 and 17-year-olds. Email: melissa@ncforthepeople.org

Jackson Sailor Jones, Vice Chair
Sailor Jones joined Common Cause NC in 2022 as the organization’s Associate Director. In the years prior to joining Common Cause NC, Sailor focused on pro-democracy work as Southern Coalition for Social Justice’s Communications Director and Democracy North Carolina’s Campaigns Director. In both roles, he supervised messaging and communications work, digital efforts, resource creation, and training and worked closely with internal teams and external partners to coordinate successful organizing and advocacy campaigns and programs. During Sailor’s more than a decade of experience in social justice spaces, he served in various roles with other North Carolina-based organizations such as Equality NC, the League of Women Voters of NC, NARAL Pro-Choice NC, NC AIDS Action Network, North Carolina Voters for Clean Elections, and the North Carolina NAACP. Sailor hails from rural Eastern North Carolina and is a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and North Carolina Central University School of Law.

Jeanne Van Divender, Treasurer/Secretary
Jeanne Van Divender is happily retired after working for over 20 years in the Chemical and Pharmaceutical industries. Her work areas focused on Information Management. She is formerly a Board member of North Carolina Voters for Clean Elections. She has always loved volunteering with many organizations, including serving in leadership roles with PTA, church, and Girl Scouts. She has been a long-time volunteer with AARP – helping lead volunteers with Advocacy, DIY Presentations, community outreach, and technical assistance. She is currently serving as an AARP NC Executive Council member. Jeanne has also volunteered as an election poll worker for many years, serving as Chief Judge at her precinct. She received a BS in Chemistry from the University of Richmond and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia.

Ben Barber
Benjamin Barber is the democracy program coordinator at the Institute for Southern Studies, a contributing writer for Facing South, and a graduate of the School of Social Policy & Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Barton College in Wilson, North Carolina. His work at the Institute focuses on projects that link history, advocacy, policy, and civic engagement to promote equity, democracy, and social justice. He has written and spoken widely on Southern politics, voting rights, history, and movements for change across the region.

Jovita Lee, Ed.D, M.P.A, PgD
Jovita Lee, Ed. D, M.P.A., PgD is a North Carolina native and graduate of Meredith College with a BA in International Studies and a PgD in Business Administration. She has also completed her MPA from North Carolina Central University and Ed.D in Organizational Leadership at Gardner-Webb University. Her advocacy, policy, and justice work, specifically for environmental communities of interest and Black and Brown communities, is led on both a state and national scale. Her efforts intentionally highlight the intersection of justice work in all realms. During Hurricane Florence, she co-facilitated several community-based disaster relief efforts, including several water and land rescues and home restorations. Currently, she serves as Program and Policy Director for Advance Carolina and the North Carolina Black Alliance. She is the convener of the North Carolina Black and Brown Policy Network, a network of over 30 Black and Brown-led organizations across the state of North Carolina. She also serves on the board for North Carolina For the People 501 (c) 3 and Spiritual Learners 501(c) 3. She is also the Co-Founder of Meredith College Black Alumnae Collective. She recently served as the Senior Environmental Justice Organizer for the Center for Biological Diversity and the Center Action Fund, the Policy and Partner Support Specialist for Advance Carolina, and Adjunct Professor of Sociology at Meredith College. She’s a proud member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.