About | Governing for Impact

Corporate and other entrenched interests devote vast resources to pursuing their policy agendas — resources that advocates representing everyday, working Americans often lack. This imbalance holds grave implications in the regulatory sphere, where successful advocacy requires access to expertise about agency laws and the rulemaking process.

Governing for Impact seeks to fill this gap at the federal level. Through collaboration with partners, we help drill down on the nitty gritty details of executive branch policy development and implementation.

Governing for Impact continues to take on new policy projects. If your organization would like to partner on an initiative, please reach out.

staff

Executive Director

POLICY DIRECTOR

Legal Director

Director of Outreach and Strategic Initiatives

Deputy Legal Director

POLICY Counsel

Policy Counsel

Rachael Klarman
Executive Director

Rachael is the Executive Director of Governing for Impact. Prior to joining GFI, she was a legal policy analyst at Democracy Forward, where she identified and developed litigation challenging the Trump Administration’s actions regarding health care, labor and education. She has worked on a number of electoral and issue campaigns, including as Deputy Chief of Staff on Tom Perriello’s gubernatorial campaign and as the National Director of Young American Outreach at Enroll America. Rachael is a native of Charlottesville, Virginia, and holds a J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School and a B.A. in History from the University of Virginia.

Will Dobbs-Allsopp
Policy Director

Will helps develop regulatory proposals that build power for workers, consumers, and the decarbonization movement. He previously worked as a political and policy reporter covering Congress for Morning Consult, and has contributed to projects at the Brennan Center for Justice, Protect Democracy, the Center for Health Law & Policy Innovation, and the Harvard Labor & Worklife Program. Will is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Washington University in St. Louis.

Adam Grogg
Legal Director

Adam is Legal Director at Governing for Impact and oversees the organization’s legal work, including its development of challenges to harmful regulatory policies, preparation of legal primers, and regulatory comment practice. Previously, Adam served as Deputy General Counsel at the Office of Management and Budget, where he advised the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs and agencies throughout government on complex administrative law matters, and in the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel and Office of the Associate Attorney General. Adam clerked for Judge Sidney Thomas on the Ninth Circuit and Judge Ellen Huvelle on the District Court for the District of Columbia. A graduate of Williams College, Oxford University, and Yale Law School, Adam grew up in Frederick County, Virginia, and is barred in New York and Washington, D.C.

Elisabeth Mabus
Director of Outreach and Strategic Initiatives

Elisabeth is the Director of Outreach and Strategic Initiatives at Governing for Impact. Prior to joining GFI, she was deputy legal counsel to the Governor of Colorado and a Ralph L. Carr Fellow for the Colorado Attorney General. She has worked on federal, state, and local political campaigns and with the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinic. Elisabeth grew up in Jackson, Mississippi and is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Harvard College.

John Lewis
Deputy Legal Director

John is Deputy Legal Director at Governing for Impact and contributes to the organization’s legal work, including its development of challenges to harmful regulatory policies, preparation of legal primers, and regulatory comment practice. Previously, John served as an attorney with the Federal Programs Branch of the Department of Justice, where he defended major federal policies against legal challenge and advised federal agencies concerning litigation risk, and also worked at Democracy Forward, where he served as lead counsel in numerous lawsuits challenging unlawful federal action. John clerked for Judge Stanley Marcus on the Eleventh Circuit. A graduate of the University of Texas and Yale Law School, John grew up in Houston, Texas, and is barred in Texas and Washington, D.C.

Jordan Ascher
Policy counsel

Jordan Ascher is a Policy Counsel at Governing for Impact, where he produces legal analysis and writing on a range of topics in service of a progressive agenda. Previously, he was a litigator in the appellate practice group of a major law firm and a clerk for judges of the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second and D.C. Circuits. Before becoming a lawyer, he was a consultant for urban school districts and state education agencies. Jordan is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Yale College.

Anna Rodriguez
Policy counsel

Anna is a Policy Counsel at Governing for Impact, where she helps advocacy organizations develop regulatory proposals that protect workers, consumers, and other groups. Previously, she was a Legal Fellow at the National Women’s Law Center, where she worked with state advocates and policymakers to protect access to abortion care. Originally from the Dominican Republic and Jacksonville, Fla., Anna is a graduate of Berkeley Law School and New College of Florida.

Reed Shaw
Policy Counsel

Reed is a Policy Counsel at Governing for Impact, where he develops progressive policy proposals and contributes to the organization’s legal work. He has worked at Governing for Impact, the Voting Section of the U.S. Dept. of Justice, Cohen Milstein, and Oasis Legal Services. Previously, he worked in political data analytics at OpenLabs and on electoral campaigns. Originally from Charlottesville, Virginia, Reed is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley Law School and Harvard College.