Action Groups & Committees

Taking Action with the League

Volunteering for a LWV group is a great way to become familiar with how the League operates and to learn about its involvement in local, state, and national issues. Participation will expand your knowledge of all levels of government and further develop your communication, leadership, and project management skills.

League Leadership Contacts

Meet our Action Team Leaders

Maryellen Gordon

Voter Registration & Voter Guide Chair

Robin Davidov

Voter Education and Outreach & Candidate Forums Chair

Sarah Peacock

National Popular Vote, Chair

Lindsay Polega

Reproductive Rights Co-Chair

Amy Weintraub

Membership Chair, Bylaws Chair

Laura Crabtree

Sustainability Chair

Sarah Terry

Reproductive Rights Co-Chair

Stacey Kroto

Social Justice Chair

Sue Castleman

Education Co-Chair

Joni Jonas

Education Co-Chair

Susan Dickson

Communications and Administrative Specialist

Voter Registration & Voter Guide Chair

Maryellen Gordon

Maryellen Gordon is a born-and-bred New Yorker, having moved from NYC, the city that will always be her heart, to St. Pete in 2016. Born in Queens, NY, she attended college at Fordham University in The Bronx, NY, and enjoyed a 25-year career in NYC as an award-winning journalist for publications including The New York Times, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, InStyle and others. She loved mentoring younger colleagues and has a collection of thank-you notes to prove it. Maryellen pivoted to work as a brand content consultant in 2010 and was happy to retire from that second career this past summer.

She found her tribe in St. Pete among the Voter Services volunteers and community of people who understand the power of using their voices by voting once she joined the League of Women Voters of St. Pete Area in 2017.

The relationships she has been able to develop and deepen with a rich circle of community partners made her feel welcome in a new place and gave her a deeper understanding of her new hometown. While serving as a co-chair of LWVSPA’s Voter Services committee, she has twice been awarded the League’s “Making Democracy Work” award. A highlight of the work that culminated in that recognition was the creative development of the 2020 “Democracy Starts at Home” social marketing campaign promoting voting by mail, for which she hired two Black female photographers to shoot St. Pete voters in their home for the campaign visuals, and commissioned Jabari Reed, AKA iBoms, to create his first large-scale mural, which he did in collaboration with renowned Pinellas County muralist Derek Donnelly. Their work can still be seen on the west wall of Enoch Davis community center.

She is a fan of her husband and their two cats Dexter Gordon and Miles Davis, the Northeast’s four seasons, catching a Yankees game, spending hours reading, swimming in the ocean, paddleboarding in clear waters, cycling for miles, marveling at the sunset, eating New York beefsteak tomatoes in August (preferably at the beach in Montauk, NY), exploring cities all over the world, finding new wines to love and being a music snob.

Voter Education and Outreach & Candidate Forums Chair

Robin Davidov

National Popular Vote, Chair

Sarah Peacock

Sarah Peacock was born and raised right here in St. Pete. She has gained most of her advocacy experience as lead parent organizer for the Pinellas chapter of Families for Strong Public Schools.

Sarah is a lifelong community advocate of social justice. She is passionate about building community in support of equitable access to robust and fully funded public education. She believes that a well-educated and informed electorate is the foundation of a stable democracy.

In an effort to ensure the equal voices of that informed electorate, Sarah also serves as the Pinellas co-chair for Floridians for National
Popular Vote.

When she isn’t at School Board meetings or in Tallahassee, she enjoys reading, golf, Pilates, and excellent food. Sarah is ready to serve as the 2nd Vice President.

Reproductive Rights Co-Chair

Lindsay Polega

Lindsay quickly fell in love with St. Pete, after her move to the city in 2017. Her 9-5 work is in complex civil litigation, and she spends much of her free time dedicating her legal services to pro bono causes. She volunteers regularly with immigration and asylum assistance organizations assisting immigrants seeking asylum status and assisting children who have been placed into U.S.-based refugee resettlement centers to be reunified with family members residing in the U.S. While in law school, Lindsay was the proud recipient of the William Blews Pro Bono Service Award for her extensive volunteer work with the Community Law Program in St. Petersburg, FL and with the Global Brigades, legal division, in rural Honduras.

Over the past two years, she has immersed herself in the field of reproductive rights activism, working tirelessly to promote awareness, education, and legislative advocacy. She has collaborated with local organizations, worked with grassroots campaigns, and lead educational events in the community related to the YesOn4 campaign. She is a lead volunteer attorney at the Jane Network, a network of attorneys dedicated to advancing reproductive freedom in Florida through pro bono legal representation. Without volunteers, the minors involved in these cases are assigned court appointed attorneys, who may or may not be the best suited to advocate for their cause, and often do not have the time or resources these sensitive cases require. More importantly, with the 6-week ban now in effect, these cases require urgent attention.

When her legal hat comes off, Lindsay enjoys spending time by the water, nearly all types of exercise (minus a run), traveling, reading, and snuggling with her 3 XXL pooches. She is often covered in fur, sand, or sweat, but she cleans up well. She is excited to serve as Co-Chair to the Reproductive Rights committee.

Membership Chair, Bylaws Chair

Amy Weintraub

Amy Weintraub is a seasoned, award-winning organizer, who has worked most of her adult life identifying, educating, and activating citizens toward social justice. She is the Reproductive Rights Program Director at Progress Florida. She is the former chair of the League of Women Voters of Florida’s Reproductive Health and Justice Team and serves as the Membership Chair of the St. Pete League. She is a leader with the statewide Floridians for Reproductive Freedom coalition.

Prior to moving to Florida in 2015, Amy lived in her home state of West Virginia where she led efforts within organizations such as WV FREE (West Virginia Focus: Reproductive Education and Equality), Covenant House of WV, and Planned Parenthood. Amy lives in St. Petersburg with three felines and her spouse, Marc, with whom she’s raised two children, now young adults.

Sustainability Chair

Laura Crabtree

Laura moved to St. Petersburg in 1984.

She received her degree in Marine Science from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg and began her career at the Florida Marine Research Institute, now called the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, as a fisheries biologist.

Laura has been Chair of the Sustainability Committee for the League of Women Voters in St. Petersburg for four years. They have been advocating for several initiatives involving clean energy and clean water, primarily the protection of Tampa Bay and the preservation of surrounding native habitat. They were awarded a mini grant from the Tampa Bay Estuary Program to create green infrastructure, increase native habitat, filter nutrient runoff, and educate school children and the community. The endeavor proved to be successful in the first year with visitations from community groups and elementary school classes. Concerned about declining native habitat and increasing levels of nonpoint sources of pollution as urbanization accelerates,

Concerned about declining native habitat and increasing levels of nonpoint sources of pollution as urbanization accelerates, Laura is working with community partners in finding out what the environmental impacts the Gas Plant Redevelopment Project will have on water quality in Booker Creek and Tampa Bay. The information will be used to educate League members and residents and encourage community engagement.

In addition to her leadership role with the League she also volunteers at the St. Petersburg Free Clinic. She has been married to her husband Roy for 30 years, whom she met at the marine research institute. She has identical twin girls and a stepdaughter. In her spare time, she likes to travel, garden, cook and take care of her pet bearded dragon.

Reproductive Rights Co-Chair

Sarah Terry

Sarah was born and raised in Denver before graduating from University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science. Sarah currently is a Regional Leader at Amazon. Prior to Amazon she worked in consulting and the industrial railroad in the Midwest & Mid Atlantic. At Amazon, Sarah is an active member of the Women in EHS affinity group as an Ambassador. Sarah has served as a volunteer in leadership and board capacities for the Junior League of St. Petersburg as Vice President of Development, Social Media Chair, and current Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging. Outside of work, Sarah loves to spend time with her rescue dog Bo, travel, ski, and explore all the great things Florida has to offer.

Sarah joined the League of Women Voters in late 2022 after Dobbs v. Jackson US Supreme Court Decision as she found the LWV supports reproductive freedom and privacy at the national, state, and local levels. Sarah attended Member Onboarding in January of 2023 and presented at Annual Programming the next month. She has served as a Reproductive Rights co-chair for the past 2 League Years. Sarah feels passionate about keeping medical decisions private. Sarah believes that family planning is a private, personal matter with assistance from medical providers.

Social Justice Chair

Stacey Kroto

Stacey Kroto is a graduate of the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. She works as a paralegal for personal injury attorney Josh Chilson at Johnson Pope law firm. Her work experience has led her to appreciate the complex aspects of healthcare and health insurance which has informed her beliefs on reproductive rights issues.

Stacey now co-chairs the Social Justice Action Team for the League of Women Voters of the St. Petersburg Area as well as co-chairs the Reproductive Health & Justice Committee for the League of Women Voters of Florida. She is an active advocate for reproductive rights issues, regularly volunteering with the League, Planned Parenthood, and Pinellas NOW. She lives in Pinellas Park with her two cat owners.

Education Co-Chair

Sue Castleman

Sue Castleman is retired from Pinellas County Schools where she was the Visual Arts Supervisor and managed a $1.3 million annual budget for the district. She also served as President and Treasurer of the Florida Art Education Association. Currently, Sue is on the Morean Arts Center Board of Trustees, serves on the Arts for a Complete Education Committee for St. Petersburg Arts Alliance, and is a Pinellas County Poll Worker. She has served on the League of Women Voters of St. Petersburg’s membership committee and is ready to serve as treasurer.

Education Co-Chair

Joni Jonas

Joni was a professional educator for thirty-five years with Pinellas County Schools. Her experience ranged from a classroom teacher (twelve years) to school and district level administrator (twenty-three years). During her career, she was responsible for creating and expanding career technical programs, both at the secondary and post-secondary level. In addition, she provided professional development training, wrote and managed state and federal grants, as well as grants from private sources. Included in her duties was managing teachers and staff; hiring/firing as well as conducting yearly evaluation of staff.

Joni became a member of the St. Petersburg league three years ago. She served as secretary for one year and serves as co-chair of the LWVSP Education Commitee, and as is amember of the state Education Committee

Presently, Joni is happily retired, enjoying her new grandchild, traveling when possible and sharing time with friends.

Communications and Administrative Specialist

Susan Dickson

Susan is a lifelong Pinellas County resident. Before signing on with the League, she worked as a librarian in the St. Petersburg Public Library System. She enjoys cycling, drumming, and time with her husband and two small children.

Our Teams

Advocacy Action Teams

Our advocacy action teams represent the program for the year; each team works on a specific issue from our annual program.

Explore Issues

Education Action Teams

The educational teams consist of Voter Services, Education, Sustainability, and Social Justice. These teams focus solely on educating the community about civic engagement and social justice topics.

Voting

Administrative Teams

Looking to support all of the issues you care about? Get in touch with our Administrative Teams:

Media and Publicity
Membership
Volunteer Services
Fund Development
Finance
Bylaws
Nominating