Action Groups & Committees

VOTER SERVICES TEAM

Our Voter Services Team produces the Voter Guide, encourages Voter Registration at community events, deploys volunteer poll monitors through Election & Voter Protection, and conducts Voter Education and Outreach & Candidate Forums. These activities focus solely on educating the community about civic engagement. Learn more about voting here.

Join the Voter Services Team

ADVOCACY TEAMS

Our issue-based advocacy teams represent the program for the year; each team works on a specific issue from our annual program. Our current advocacy teams are Voter Protection, Public Education, National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, Reproductive Rights, and Social Justice.

Explore Issues

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.

Get in touch with the League!

Meet our Action Team Leaders

Laura Williamson

Voter Services Co-chair

Heidi Davis

Voter Services Co-chair

Robin Davidov

Community Centered Development Co-Chair

Kris Robinson

Community Centered Development Co-Chair

Elizabeth Vanneste

Community Centered Development Co-Chair

Sue Castleman

Education Co-Chair

Joni Jonas

Education Co-Chair

Courtney Prokopas

Immigration Justice Chair

Sarah Peacock

National Popular Vote, Chair

Lindsay Polega

Reproductive Rights Co-Chair

Stephanie Sembler

Reproductive Rights Co-chair

Shannon Tierney

Reproductive Rights Co-Chair

Tanji Shelton Balke

Unite & Rise: Defending Democracy Chair

Amy Weintraub

Membership Chair

Nicole Jones

Parent Advocacy League Chair

Cindy Campbell

Bylaws Chair

Kristen Ehrlich

Communications Chair

Vacant

Fundraising Chair

Voter Services Co-chair

Laura Williamson

Laura Williamson joined the LWVSPA in 2023 after moving to St Pete Beach in 2019. Her interest in fair elections and voting rights prompted her to become a poll worker in 2022. With the League’s Voter Services Committee she has organized events and tabled to register and inform voters. League involvement also prompted Laura to canvas for Amendment 4.

Laura is a native of Pennsylvania, a graduate of Bucknell University and the Wharton School, and she spent her career in Philadelphia while traveling in her spare time in search of natural beauty. As a licensed CPA, Laura worked in public accounting and then for a Philadelphia-based wealth manager, where she started out managing the books and grew her role over the course of 25 years to managing the company as its Chief Operating Officer. She has broad governance experience in a corporate setting and with organizations focused on underserved populations. Currently she serves on the board of a St Pete Beach municipal pension fund and on the board of two Philadelphia nonprofits. She is a pilates enthusiast and shares a joy for travel and cooking with her husband.

Voter Services Co-chair

Heidi Davis

Heidi Davis joined the LWVSPA in 2017. After retiring from 35+ years in “corporate America”, she decided the time was right to give something back to society. Hearing about the great work done by the LWVSPA, she joined the Voter Services team. In addition to currently co-chairing Voter Services, Heidi leads the Pinellas County Vote411 voter guide and is team lead for Vote411 for the state league.

Heidi is a Brooklyn-born, Staten Island-raised New Yorker. Attending University of Hartford, she lived in Connecticut for 12 years, before relocating to Florida in 1992. She and her husband enjoy Broadway shows, staying physical fit and traveling. She is obsessed with dachshunds and capybaras.

Community Centered Development Co-Chair

Robin Davidov

Community Centered Development Co-Chair

Kris Robinson

Kris Robinson has over 20 years’ experience in policy, campaigns and advocacy across a broad range of issues, with dedicated expertise in open government, data, technology, anticorruption, public financial management, public procurement, illicit financial flows, organized crime, human trafficking, and corporate transparency.

She’s worked on projects and campaigns in more than 30 countries at all levels of government and multilateral institutions such as the UN, G20, G7, World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Her current role at the Open Contracting Partnership includes work on major infrastructure programs, flood resilience, disaster risk reduction, post conflict reconstruction and climate adaptation and mitigation infrastructure – experience she brings to the Community Centered Development Committee. She believes development projects should be open, accountable and participatory, using civic tech, open data and meaningful public participation approaches to put residents’ priorities at the heart of the plans and decisions that affect their daily lives.

Before repatriating to the US, she spent 18 years overseas working for governments, nonprofits and the private sector in strategic communications, policy advocacy and diplomatic negotiations, including around high profile corruption investigations and in conflict environments. She’s worked with democracy and human rights activists from around the world and serves on the board of the Global Civil Society Coalition for the UN Convention Against Corruption, a coalition of more than 400 anticorruption and human rights organizations from more than 150 countries. She’s regularly invited by governments and international organizations as a public speaker and independent expert in her field.

Outside of her policy work, she performs as a cabaret dancer and can be found sewing her own costumes, upcycling thrift store gems, painting and enjoying everything the great outdoors has to offer.

Community Centered Development Co-Chair

Elizabeth Vanneste

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.

Immigration Justice Chair

Courtney Prokopas

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.

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.

Reproductive Rights Co-chair

Stephanie Sembler

Stephanie graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Animal Science in 2010. She spent a decade working in veterinary medicine, gaining hands-on experience in animal care, client management, and practice operations. Concurrently, she diligently built a successful real estate portfolio, demonstrating her entrepreneurial spirit and investment acumen.

As a St. Pete native, Stephanie brings a deep-rooted commitment to community service and advocacy to the League of Women voter’s board. In addition to reproductive rights work, she continues to volunteer with animal advocacy groups and loves taking her dog Pumba out in the community to enjoy all St. Pete has to offer.

Reproductive Rights Co-Chair

Shannon Tierney

Unite & Rise: Defending Democracy Chair

Tanji Shelton Balke

Membership 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.

Parent Advocacy League Chair

Nicole Jones

Bylaws Chair

Cindy Campbell

Communications Chair

Kristen Ehrlich

Kristen cut her teeth in consulting in Boston at Ernst and Young in their mergers and acquisitions transaction tax practice working with private equity and corporate clients. She leveraged that experience into private law practice at a boutique business law firm followed by working in-house for a corporate client. She also gives back to her community by providing legal pro bono services to various non-profits.

Currently she is the President of Connect Pinellas, Inc., a Florida not-for-profit, that focuses on advancing access to viable transportation options that are reliable and safe, as well as increasing pedestrian and bicycle safety, in Pinellas County. Additionally, she is a committee member of Connect Pinellas’ Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee.

Kristen serves as the Communications lead for the St. Petersburg Area League of Women Voters and has a passion for making voting more accessible for all citizens. She also volunteers on the League’s Voter Services Team. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, pottery, and biking.

Fundraising Chair