About Us

Our team of experts and organizers are working to create Rural Progress in communities across the United States.

We are popular education, participatory research, policy studies, and cultural change organization. We work to empower everyday rural Americans with the nonpartisan movement building tools they need to create resilient, welcoming, and equitable communities.

Our team of organizers and experts

Kate Albright-Hanna

Board Member

Heather Chapman

Digital Communications

Annie Contractor

Policy Director

Brent Edwards

Ohio Director

Matt Hildreth

Executive Director

Rae O'Leary

Board Member

Shawn Sebastian

Organizing Director

Liz Shaw

Board Member

Joe Sudbay

Strategic Communications

Local Leader Spotlights

Shanai Matteson: Building Community Power Through Culture

In Aitkin County Minnesota, in a tiny blip of a town called Palisade, population 167, is a local artist named Shanai Matteson keeping a pot of soup simmering. It's community night, and though she never officially called it a potluck, her neighbors always bring dishes to share. This monthly gathering has become something people look forward to, a small but vital spark of connection in a community that's weathered its share of storms.

Local Leaders