Kathy Boockvar

Kathy Boockvar

Senior Advisor

Kathy Boockvar is President of Athena Strategies LLC, working with a broad base of organizations, government officials, and academic institutions to fortify election security, strengthen democracy, and amplify understanding and civil discourse about elections in the United States. Formerly Vice President of Election Operations for the Center for Internet Security (CIS), Kathy led its election security initiatives, working closely with federal, state, and local government to provide the highest standards of election security and cybersecurity practices and systems.
Ms. Boockvar previously served as Pennsylvania Secretary of State and chief election official, leading the Department of State to implement secure and resilient elections, protect the health and safety of the public through professional licensure, and support economic development. Prior to serving as Secretary, Ms. Boockvar was Senior Advisor to the Governor on Election Modernization, where she also worked closely with local, state, and federal officials to strengthen election security and technology.
During her tenure as Secretary of State, Ms. Boockvar co-chaired Pennsylvania’s Inter-Agency Election Security and Preparedness Workgroup, strengthened election security and voting rights measures across the state, and oversaw secure and accessible elections amidst a global pandemic, marked by unparalleled transparency and voter participation.

Ms. Boockvar also served as co-chair of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) Elections Committee from 2019-2020, and as co-chair of the NASS Business Services Committee from 2020-2021. She also served as NASS Representative on the Election Infrastructure Subsector Government Coordinating Council (EIS-GCC), a collaboration among federal, state, and local officials to secure elections and ensure that election officials across the country receive timely threat information, support, and resources.

Prior to joining the Department of State, Ms. Boockvar was Executive Director of Lifecycle WomanCare, one of the oldest continually-operating birth centers in the United States. She also previously served as Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania Auditor General.

In prior years, Ms. Boockvar served as a poll worker and as a voting-rights attorney. She also worked for over a decade as a private practice attorney with a focus on employment law, and began her career as a nonprofit Legal Services attorney, representing low-income, disabled, and senior clients, and victims of domestic violence.

Ms. Boockvar is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (B.A. 1990) and the American University, Washington College of Law (J.D. 1993). She received a GIAC GISF Certification in Cybersecurity Fundamentals in 2022, and a Performance Leadership Certificate from Cornell University in 2014. She is a member of the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court, Third Circuit Court of Appeals, U.S. District Courts, and Pennsylvania, New York, and Washington, D.C. courts.
In 2017, Ms. Boockvar received a SmartCEO Brava Award that recognizes high-impact female business leaders. She has been a volunteer attorney with Wills for Heroes since 2012, providing essential legal documents free of charge to first responders.

Our Team

Meet our dedicated team of professionals working to advance responsible government.

Sam Oliker-Friedland

Chief Executive Officer

Sarah Ahrens

Director of Administration

Zaineb Benbella

Administrative Manager

Aaron Blacksberg

Federal Policy Counsel

Kathy Boockvar

Senior Advisor

Marisa Bremer

Program Manager

Gideon Cohn-Postar

Senior Advisor for Election Infrastructure

Nick Doctor

Director of Implementation

Michele Felski-Smith

Special Initiatives Manager

Sarah Gonski

Director of State Policy

Gabe González

Senior Advisor for Partnerships

Sarah Hendrick

Legislative Policy Manager

Cat Jacob

Senior Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer

Ali Javery

Communications Director

Vicki Koussoglou

Chief Operating Officer

Holly Kuhn

Policy Analyst

Gnora Mahs, DrPH, MPH

Health and Democracy Coalitions Advisor

Ashish Sinha

Deputy Chief Executive Officer

Sarah Stadler

Chief of Staff

Alex Tischenko

Chief Counsel & Senior Policy Advisor

Neal Ubriani

Chief of Policy

Jess Unger

Senior Policy Advisor

Jeanne Ayers

Fellow

Rosalie Johnson

Fellow

John Lindback

Fellow

Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins

Fellow

Whitney May

Fellow

Adrianna McIntyre

Fellow

Dan Meuse

Fellow

Jamila Michener, PhD

Fellow

Donald Moynihan

Fellow

Whitney Quesenbery

Fellow

Sonya Schwartz

Fellow

Jackie Wu

Fellow

Cristóbal Alex

Advisory Board Member

Kim Anglin Anderson

Advisory Board Member

Jessica Barba Brown

Advisory Board Member

Steve Bullock

Advisory Board Member

Tiana Epps-Johnson

Advisory Board Member

Katrina Gamble, PhD

Advisory Board Member

Trey Grayson

Advisory Board Member

Dakota Hall

Advisory Board Member

Tom Lopach

Advisory Board Member

Kiki McLean

Advisory Board Member

Jennifer Morrell

Advisory Board Member

Noah Praetz

Advisory Board Member

Kathleen Sebelius

Advisory Board Member

Vanessa Williamson

Advisory Board Member