PATRICIA DUFF
Founder/CEO
Patricia Duff founded The Common Good in 2007 in New York to bring together major policy leaders from government and authoritative figures from business, media, journalism and academia to speak candidly on the most important issues of the day. These meetings are meant to provide ideas and information, advocate citizen participation, and encourage finding common ground. The Common Good is rooted in Show Coalition, an influential entertainment industry-based organization that she and others started in 1988. Duff’s work has spanned the entertainment and political worlds. Duff worked as vice president of two of the country’s leading political strategy and consulting firms in Washington D.C., and has lent her energy and expertise to dozens of political races across the country, including several Presidential election efforts.
Duff also served on the Congressional investigative committee that reexamined the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, had her own television political talk show, led women’s outreach for political campaign efforts, and has served on a number of boards, including the Library of Congress Board of Trustees, Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service Board of Advisors and the board of the Lincoln Center Film Society. Duff is a member of the Economic Club and the Council on Foreign Relations.
Kate Molzahn
Digital Media Director
Email: kate.molzahn@thecommongood.net
Kate is the Digital Media Director at The Common Good. She previously interned for a State Senator in Colorado as well as for women-run PAC, Blue Rising.
Kate received her undergraduate degree from Colorado State University where she majored in Political Science, and minor in Legal Studies and Business. In her past internships Kate participated in the Colorado Legislative Internship working for a State Senator. Along with this Kate has also worked with Colorado based Blue Rising PAC working to implement new policy in Colorado to navigate and decrease the increased used of marijuana in underage teens.
Calypso Leonard
Project Manager
Email: calypso.leonard@thecommongood.net
Calypso is a Project Manager at The Common Good. She previously worked for the New York City good government group Citizens Union.
Calypso grew up in New York City before moving to Minnesota to receive her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Carleton College. Having been named for a character in a Greek epic, she also minored in Classical Studies. In past positions, Calypso developed policy papers for an Israel-based think tank, evaluated candidates for New York state and city office, and helped to develop advocacy goals for fairer elections and greater accountability in New York.
In her spare time, Calypso is an avid baker - she enthusiastically participated in the sourdough craze during the COVID-19 lockdown. She is also keenly interested in studying and addressing systemic inequality in municipal systems, from housing and education to public transportation.
Aleksandra Jelonek
Program and Administrations Associate
Email: aleksandra.jelonek@thecommongood.net
Aleksandra is the Program and Administrations Associate at the Common Good. She received her undergraduate degree from Fordham University where she studied humanitarian affairs.
Aleksandra is currently pursuing a masters degree at Fordham. She previously interned at Catholic Charities Community Services New York in the Refugee Resettlement Division and Future Families in Pretoria, South Africa. Aleksandra has a passion for human rights and national and international politics.
Maya Huber
Email: maya.huber@thecommongood.net
Maya is a current intern at The Common Good. She is a senior at the University of Toronto, majoring in political science and history.
She has delved into the world of student government at her college while having the opportunity to be the voice and represent some 5,000 of her peers. She has also recently started exploring various positions during several Model United Nations Conferences at her school. She has thoroughly enjoyed all of these experiences and hopes to continue building upon them after she graduates.
Maya grew up in the United States but attended high school and university in Canada making her a dual citizen. While living in Vancouver and Toronto, she has developed a love for film, photography and watching movies.
Charlotte Peterson
Email: charlotte.peterson@thecommongood.net
Charlotte is a senior at Hobart and William Smith Colleges (HWS) in Geneva, New York, majoring in Political Science and History.
Charlotte is very passionate about protecting human rights and social justice. Previously, she has interned with Mwatana for Human Rights, where she assisted their Accountability Team with research and reports on the Yemeni Civil War. She has spent time helping fellow students become civically engaged with HWS Votes, organizing in the Geneva community with the Geneva Women's Assembly, and has been a Writing Colleague, serving as a peer writing editor and mentor.
Charlotte currently lives in Stamford, Connecticut. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors and at the beach, singing, listening to music, and hanging out with her family, friends, and dogs.
Sarah Unterberger
Email: sarah.unterberger@thecommongood.net
Sarah is a current intern at The Common Good. She is a Junior at New York University studying Political Science and Journalism.
Sarah served as the Communications and Policy advisor for Delaware State Senator Kyle Evans Gay’s campaign in 2020. Previous to that, she interned at the Delaware Superior Court.
In addition to her interests in politics and law, Sarah is an avid writer. She is published in the NYU publication, Cooper Squared, with articles ranging from New York City politics to Broadway to Zoom learning.
Sarah is proud to be from Wilmington, Delaware, and hopes one day soon to cross paths with President Biden. In her free time, she loves to read, listen to show tunes, and walk along the Hudson.
Axelle LaBaw
Email: axelle.labaw@thecommongood.net
Axelle is a current intern at The Common Good. She is a student in The Honors College at University at Albany, studying Philosophy with a double minor in Creative Writing and Law & Philosophy. After graduation, she plans to attend law school to become a trial lawyer, with hopes of someday publishing a book or two along the way.
Currently, Axelle is an active board member on the Mock Trial team and a teaching assistant for UAlbany's Writing & Critical Inquiry class. Passionate about women's rights and advocating for survivors, she has conducted research on the jury selection for a #MeToo sexual violence trial, and recently wrote an award-winning story to highlight misconceptions revolving around domestic violence situations.
In her free time, Axelle can be found with a book in hand, playing Scrabble, or at the tennis courts.
Kendall Reed
Email: kendall.reed@thecommongood.net
Kendall is a current Public Affairs intern at The Common Good. She is a junior at The University of Maryland, College Park, majoring in Public Relations with a minor in Professional Writing.
Her passion lies in writing, whether it be technical, editorial, or creative.This passion has led to her involvement in various student-run publications as well as nonprofit work. Her most recent freelance project is a website that brings awareness to restorative justice initiatives in the DMV through storytelling. She believes truthful storytelling and transparent media are integral in producing change and protecting democracy.
A Maryland native, Kendall enjoys hiking, visiting every used book store the state has to offer, traveling, and exploring DC on the weekends.
Eric Miller
Email: eric.miller@thecommongood.net
Eric is a current intern at The Common Good. He is a senior at Colby-Sawyer College who is majoring in History and Political Studies.
Previously, Eric interned with Gilmartin Legal, LLC as a Law Clerk focusing on Civil Law and Real Estate. He is also a member of his college's Student Government Association as a Class Senator, Chair of Safety Committee, and Committee member in Dining and Issues Committees. Eric is also the President and Co-Founder of Modern World Events Club at his college campus and member of the Presidential Blue Key Society at Colby-Sawyer College.
A native of Lombard, Illinois, in his free time Eric loves to go to the movies, record his sports and entertainment podcast, and cheer for his favorite sports team The Chicago Blackhawks.
Athena Gana
Email: athena.gana@thecommongood.net
Athena is a current intern of The Common Good. She is currently on track to get a Master’s degree in International Relations at New York University.
She was born and raised in the Philippines, and has worked as an intern under the legal department of the Philippine Congress prior to moving to New York for her graduate studies. She is passionate about women’s human rights, humanitarian rights, and Southeast Asian studies.
In the future, she wants to be able to bring to light the issues that the Philippines has been facing, and hopes to make a difference in her country as best as she can.
Jennifer Lambert
Email: jennifer.lambert@thecommongood.net
Jennifer Lambert is a current intern at The Common Good. She is a senior at Villanova University where she is majoring in Political Science with minors in Communication and Public Administration.
Previously, she wrote for Currently, the politics and activism vertical at Odyssey. In April, she published her first book Voter Z which explores youth political behavior in the United States. She also worked as an intern on her hometown mayor’s re-election campaign. Jennifer is passionate about increasing youth political engagement.
Jennifer is from Fanwood, New Jersey. In her free time, she enjoys collecting vinyl records and hanging out with her two cats, Dakota and Cody.
In Loving Memory of Brandon Peart-Wright
Brandon Peart-Wright was an intern at The Common Good over the summer of 2019. Brandon was a handsome, smart, positive young man who touched all of us with the warmth of his smile. He will be miss.
Brandon participated in our My American Story initiative. Click to learn more about him and his family.
