LEADERSHIP
Carolina Lopez is the Executive Director at the Partnership for Large Election Jurisdictions (PLEJ) and has over two decades in election administration and building coalitions. She spent a decade administering elections in Miami-Dade County, Florida where she optimized operations, transparency, and good governance. Thereafter as a democracy advocate, she leveraged stakeholder relationships and expertise across broad coalitions to guide legislative advocacy, shape clerk engagement and election protection programs, and strengthen national and in-state relationships. Given her unique insight on how elections are run in large jurisdictions and creating strong relationships among national, state, and local coalitions, Carolina understands the pivotal role that PLEJ plays in connecting a through-line across states with peers from similarly-sized jurisdictions. Carolina holds a BBA and an MBA in Business Administration from Florida International University.
Steering Committee
Derek Bowens joined the Durham County Board of Elections in June of 2017 as the Director of Elections. Previously, Mr. Bowens was the Director of Elections in New Hanover County, N.C. and has served in elections since 2012 in various capacities. He has a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and a Certificate in Project Management from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He is also a North Carolina Certified Elections Administrator and is a nationally certified elections administrator through the Election Center. Throughout his career, Mr. Bowens has been nationally recognized by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) and the National Association of Counties (NACo) for innovation in election administration. Mr. Bowens has also sat on federal and state panels to provide analysis on critical matters related to election administration. He currently sits on the Committee For Safe and Secure Elections (CSSE), sponsored by the Brennan Center.
Maureen G. Bugdon is the Superintendent of Elections & Commissioner of Registration for Atlantic County, New Jersey, achieving that appointment in 2013, after serving 8 years on the Atlantic County Board of Elections. She also represents her peers as President of the New Jersey Association of Election Officials, a professional non-profit organization comprised of election officials from all 21 counties in the State. Maureen works closely with the NJ Attorney General’s Office as well as the Division of Elections; and has spoken before legislators, committees and various community groups on important election topics and bills. Prior to her work in elections, Bugdon served as the President of Atlantic City Race Course, serving as the first female officer in the history of the seashore oval and the only female lead of a horse track in the country in a non-ownership position. Bugdon’s professional associations included serving as Vice Chair of the Atlantic County Improvement Authority, Commissioner on the Volunteer Center of Atlantic County, the Atlantic Riding Center for the Handicapped, Board Member of Buddy Ball Sports League and Co-Chair of the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey’s Annual Spring Scholarship Benefit, and donates her time as a Patient-to-Patient Cancer Survivor Advocate. In her private life, Maureen is a 20+ year rare cancer survivor, a published writer, caregiver to a parent with dementia and the proud Latino mother of 3 miracle children all born through a selfless gestational carrier. Ms. Bugdon resides in Mays Landing, New Jersey.
Katharine E. Clark is the Santa Fe County Clerk who has served since 2021. Under Clerk Clark, the Santa Fe County Clerk’s office won its first ever EAC award and Clark has created several voter modernization projects including the first SMS ballot tracking program in New Mexico and a high school civics outreach and voting practice program called #Democracy101. Prior to elected office, Clerk Clark was a small business owner who has experience in campaign management, lab management and marketing management in the tech world. She holds a dual BA from University of California, Berkeley in Cognitive Neuroscience and Moral Psychology and a double emphasis MBA in Strategic Management and Public Policy from the University of New Mexico.
Eric Fey is a lifelong St. Louisan and has been serving as the Director of Elections in St. Louis County since 2015. Eric received a BA in Political Science from Webster University and a MPPA (Public Policy Administration) from the University of Missouri St. Louis. Eric’s professional life has been devoted to public service having worked in various roles in the field of election administration since 2004. Eric currently serves on the Executive Board of the Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities and the International Association of Government Officials. In 2021 Eric began co-hosting an election administration focused podcast called “High Turnout Wide Margins”. In his free time Eric enjoys spending time with his wife and two children. Eric also enjoys participating in international election observation missions and has volunteered for missions in twelve countries including Ukraine, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan.
Dean C. Logan oversees the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, the largest and most complex county election jurisdiction in the country with more than 500 political districts and 5.6 million registered voters. He has more than 25 years of experience in elections administration, records management, and public service; and has served as president for the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials (CACEO). He serves on the California Secretary of State’s Language Accessibility Advisory Committee, the Board of Directors for the National Election Center, as an advisor to the MIT Election Data Science Lab, and an active participant in the Future of California Elections collaborative. Past work includes serving on the California Statewide Voter Registration System Advisory Committee and on the Pew Center for the States Voter Registration Modernization and Election Performance Index Working Groups. He is also an instructor for the MPA program at California State University, Northridge. He holds a degree in organizational leadership from Azusa Pacific University and an executive MPA from the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington.
Paul D. López is the third elected Clerk and Recorder in the City of Denver and the first Mexican American elected to this position. The Office of the Clerk & Recorder performs several important functions for the City and County of Denver including serving as the City Clerk, the Public Trustee, managing recordings, and administering elections. Prior to his election, Clerk Lopez served three terms on the Denver City Council. He was born and raised in Denver, and prior to public office, he organized communities throughout Denver and the country in service of civic engagement. Paul D. López is a proud graduate of Denver West school and the University of Colorado at Denver, and a proud father to his daughter Nayeli.
Noah Praetz is a founding partner of The Elections Group. Formerly he ran elections in Cook County Illinois where he was responsible for management of one of the largest jurisdictions in the country. He consults on election security and administration with local, state and federal agencies. Noah is also an adjunct law professor at DePaul University College of Law and is on the advisory board of the University of Chicago Cyber Policy Institute. He started in elections as a minimum wage temporary worker hired to do data entry prior to the 2000 presidential election. Bush v. Gore had him hooked. Since then he has dedicated his professional life to institutionalizing the trustworthy administration of democracy. In his free time Noah loves to run for hours on the trails and roads of America.
Kate Sweeney Bell is the elected Clerk of Marion County in Indianapolis, Indiana, a voting district with nearly one million people and over 600,000 registered voters.
Born and raised in the vibrant state of Indiana, her passion for public service was ignited while she earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Indiana University.
Prior to serving as County Clerk, Sweeney Bell served two terms as County Recorder, during which she oversaw crucial aspects of Marion County's administrative functions. She led efforts to modernize the Recorder’s office and completed a digitization project that helped preserve several million historic documents in danger of being destroyed or forgotten. As Recorder, she served on an advisory committee with the Public Records Industry Association, and on the National Association of County Recorders, Elected Officials and Clerks board of directors.
In recognition of her contributions to the most vulnerable in her community, Sweeney Bell was honored with the William A. Crawford Public Service Award. This award recognized her unwavering commitment to helping those in Marion County who are experiencing homelessness by securing funding for additional resources and permanent housing solutions.
Kate Sweeney Bell is a devoted wife and loving mother of two. She is a recipient of the Sagamore of the Wabash, the highest honor awarded by the governor of Indiana.
Derek Bowens joined the Durham County Board of Elections in June of 2017 as the Director of Elections. Previously, Mr. Bowens was the Director of Elections in New Hanover County, N.C. and has served in elections since 2012 in various capacities. He has a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and a Certificate in Project Management from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He is also a North Carolina Certified Elections Administrator and is a nationally certified elections administrator through the Election Center. Throughout his career, Mr. Bowens has been nationally recognized by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) and the National Association of Counties (NACo) for innovation in election administration. Mr. Bowens has also sat on federal and state panels to provide analysis on critical matters related to election administration. He currently sits on the Committee For Safe and Secure Elections (CSSE), sponsored by the Brennan Center.
Maureen G. Bugdon is the Superintendent of Elections & Commissioner of Registration for Atlantic County, New Jersey, achieving that appointment in 2013, after serving 8 years on the Atlantic County Board of Elections. She also represents her peers as President of the New Jersey Association of Election Officials, a professional non-profit organization comprised of election officials from all 21 counties in the State. Maureen works closely with the NJ Attorney General’s Office as well as the Division of Elections; and has spoken before legislators, committees and various community groups on important election topics and bills. Prior to her work in elections, Bugdon served as the President of Atlantic City Race Course, serving as the first female officer in the history of the seashore oval and the only female lead of a horse track in the country in a non-ownership position. Bugdon’s professional associations included serving as Vice Chair of the Atlantic County Improvement Authority, Commissioner on the Volunteer Center of Atlantic County, the Atlantic Riding Center for the Handicapped, Board Member of Buddy Ball Sports League and Co-Chair of the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey’s Annual Spring Scholarship Benefit, and donates her time as a Patient-to-Patient Cancer Survivor Advocate. In her private life, Maureen is a 20+ year rare cancer survivor, a published writer, caregiver to a parent with dementia and the proud Latino mother of 3 miracle children all born through a selfless gestational carrier. Ms. Bugdon resides in Mays Landing, New Jersey.
Katharine E. Clark is the Santa Fe County Clerk who has served since 2021. Under Clerk Clark, the Santa Fe County Clerk’s office won its first ever EAC award and Clark has created several voter modernization projects including the first SMS ballot tracking program in New Mexico and a high school civics outreach and voting practice program called #Democracy101. Prior to elected office, Clerk Clark was a small business owner who has experience in campaign management, lab management and marketing management in the tech world. She holds a dual BA from University of California, Berkeley in Cognitive Neuroscience and Moral Psychology and a double emphasis MBA in Strategic Management and Public Policy from the University of New Mexico.
Eric Fey is a lifelong St. Louisan and has been serving as the Director of Elections in St. Louis County since 2015. Eric received a BA in Political Science from Webster University and a MPPA (Public Policy Administration) from the University of Missouri St. Louis. Eric’s professional life has been devoted to public service having worked in various roles in the field of election administration since 2004. Eric currently serves on the Executive Board of the Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities and the International Association of Government Officials. In 2021 Eric began co-hosting an election administration focused podcast called “High Turnout Wide Margins”. In his free time Eric enjoys spending time with his wife and two children. Eric also enjoys participating in international election observation missions and has volunteered for missions in twelve countries including Ukraine, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan.
Dean C. Logan oversees the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, the largest and most complex county election jurisdiction in the country, with more than 500 political districts and 5.6 million registered voters. He has more than 25 years of experience in elections administration, records management, and public service; and has served as president for the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials (CACEO). He serves on the California Secretary of State’s Language Accessibility Advisory Committee, the Board of Directors for the National Election Center, as an advisor to the MIT Election Data Science Lab, and an active participant in the Future of California Elections collaborative. Past work includes serving on the California Statewide Voter Registration System Advisory Committee and on the Pew Center for the States Voter Registration Modernization and Election Performance Index Working Groups. He is also an instructor for the MPA program at California State University, Northridge. He holds a degree in organizational leadership from Azusa Pacific University and an executive MPA from the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington.
Paul D. López is the third elected Clerk and Recorder in the City of Denver and the first Mexican American elected to this position. The Office of the Clerk & Recorder performs several important functions for the City and County of Denver including serving as the City Clerk, the Public Trustee, managing recordings, and administering elections. Prior to his election, Clerk Lopez served three terms on the Denver City Council. He was born and raised in Denver, and prior to public office, he organized communities throughout Denver and the country in service of civic engagement. Paul D. López is a proud graduate of Denver West school and the University of Colorado at Denver, and a proud father to his daughter Nayeli.
Noah Praetz is a founding partner of The Elections Group. Formerly he ran elections in Cook County Illinois where he was responsible for management of one of the largest jurisdictions in the country. He consults on election security and administration with local, state and federal agencies. Noah is also an adjunct law professor at DePaul University College of Law and is on the advisory board of the University of Chicago Cyber Policy Institute. He started in elections as a minimum wage temporary worker hired to do data entry prior to the 2000 presidential election. Bush v. Gore had him hooked. Since then he has dedicated his professional life to institutionalizing the trustworthy administration of democracy. In his free time Noah loves to run for hours on the trails and roads of America.
Kate Sweeney Bell is the elected Clerk of Marion County in Indianapolis, Indiana, a voting district with nearly one million people and over 600,000 registered voters.
Born and raised in the vibrant state of Indiana, her passion for public service was ignited while she earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Indiana University.
Prior to serving as County Clerk, Sweeney Bell served two terms as County Recorder, during which she oversaw crucial aspects of Marion County's administrative functions. She led efforts to modernize the Recorder’s office and completed a digitization project that helped preserve several million historic documents in danger of being destroyed or forgotten. As Recorder, she served on an advisory committee with the Public Records Industry Association, and on the National Association of County Recorders, Elected Officials and Clerks board of directors.
In recognition of her contributions to the most vulnerable in her community, Sweeney Bell was honored with the William A. Crawford Public Service Award. This award recognized her unwavering commitment to helping those in Marion County who are experiencing homelessness by securing funding for additional resources and permanent housing solutions.
Kate Sweeney Bell is a devoted wife and loving mother of two. She is a recipient of the Sagamore of the Wabash, the highest honor awarded by the governor of Indiana.
