Our Staff

 
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Elyssa Feder
Executive Director

(She/her)

Elyssa Feder is the Executive Director of Rising Organizers. She has over a decade of experience as an organizer and trainer for social movements, and has held roles as the Training Director for EMILY’s List and Deputy Training Director at Priorities USA, the largest Democratic Super PAC. While at EMILY’s List, she created multiple new training programs, including the Ignite Change Fellowship, which trained women from underrepresented communities to increase their presence in political office. She co-founded Rising Organizers in 2016 to provide core grassroots organizing skills to emerging activists and organizers. The organization has since gone on to train nearly 4,000 individuals and hold fourteen intensive community organizing fellowships, with alumni now organizing in states across the country.

All told, Elyssa has trained over 10,000 activists, political operatives, and candidates in the pursuit of social justice and civic engagement. In 2020, Elyssa was recognized for her work by being named one of Washingtonian Magazine’s 40 Women Under 40.

 

Aaron Booe
Community organizer

(He/They)

Aaron Booe is the Community Organizer at Rising Organizers. He brings years of experience working with youth and leading grassroots campaigns for racial and economic justice. Aaron began organizing as a high school student in Texas, where they led campaigns against school segregation and advocated for equitable public education.

While attending Howard University, they organized with SEIU Local 500 to support the non-tenured faculty union, helping to build a strong student-labor coalition on campus. Previously, Aaron worked with Black Swan Academy, where they supported middle and high school students in campaigns focused on public safety and education in D.C. 

At Rising Organizers, Aaron helps RO alumni stay connected, strengthen the skills of emerging activists, and builds relationships with partner organizations. They are currently working on campaigns to defend D.C.’s home rule and fight for a people-centered city budget that reflects the needs of DC's working-class communities.