Meet the Staff
Doug Kelly, Executive Director
For the past three years, Doug Kelly has served as Executive Director of the Ohio Democratic Party. Previously, he spent 10 years at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in Washington, DC, where he worked as Research Director during the Clinton White House years. In 2001, he became the DNC’s Technology Director and led the effort to overhaul the Party’s systems to raise money, move messaging, and mobilize voters. A native of Adrian, Michigan, Doug earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard University.Lauren Groh-Wargo, Deputy Director
Prior to becoming the Ohio Democratic Party’s Deputy Director in 2009, Lauren worked for America Votes as its Southwest Ohio Regional Director, where she helped turn Hamilton County blue. She spent several years with the Service Employees International Union’s (SEIU) New York-based political and communications team supporting campaigns across the country. Born and raised outside of Cleveland, Lauren asked to transfer to her home state in 2006 and spent that election cycle in Southeast Ohio. Since then, her political and labor union work have taken her to every region in Ohio. Lauren earned a bachelor’s degree in economic theory from American University and lives with her partner in Columbus.Carri Twigg, Political Director
Carri has led the Ohio Democratic Party’s Political Department since late 2008. She served as the Deputy Political Director for the party beginning in 2007. Prior to her time at ODP, Carri worked for Governor Strickland’s Administration and on the Strickland for Governor campaign. Born and raised in Central Ohio, Carri received a degree in Political Science and History from The Ohio State University.
Seth Bringman, Communications Director
Seth Bringman joined the Ohio Democratic Party as Communications Director in May of 2009. A native of Sandusky County, Bringman is a graduate of Woodmore High School and Miami University. He earned his Master’s degree in political management from The George Washington University. Seth is a veteran of numerous campaigns, including Sen. Sherrod Brown's and Hillary Clinton's winning campaigns in Ohio. He was also Deputy Communications Director for Kentucky Senate candidate Bruce Lunsford. Immediately prior to joining ODP, he worked on the successful recount campaigns of Al Franken (DFL-MN) and Congressman Scott Murphy (D-NY-20).Jennifer Sconyers, Research Director
Jennifer Sconyers is a longtime campaign operative, bringing several years of research and communications experience to the research department at the Ohio Democratic Party. Over the past several years, Jennifer has worked for the Democratic National Committee, Maryland Democratic Party, ACLU, and other political organizations. Jennifer also had the unique experience of doing research outside of politics, working at the local Fox affiliate in Washington, DC.
Joe Rettof, Finance Director
Joe worked in numerous competitive races across the Midwest, and in the spring of 2009, he set a fundraising record for the most money ever raised in a Wisconsin Supreme Court race. His past campaigns include Deputy Campaign Manager with Abrahamson for Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice, Finance Director with Hoosiers for Jill Long Thompson, Finance Director with Linda Clifford for Wisconsin Supreme Court, and Finance Manager with Fair Wisconsin. Joe graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in Political Science and History, and he has participated in extensive political training programs through nationally recognized organizations.
Daniel Marks Gray, Field Director
An Ohio boy through and through, Daniel Marks Gray was born in Cleveland, where he spent his formative years and attended Case Western Reserve University. Dan has worked on numerous successful campaigns, including those of Governor Steve Beshear, Senator Jim Webb, and Governor Tim Kaine. During the 2008 election cycle, Dan was the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s Midwest Field Organizer and worked alongside ODP to elect Reps. Driehaus (OH-1), Kilroy (OH-15), and Boccieri (OH-16). He became ODP’s Field Director in early 2009.
Geoff Wetrosky, Targeting Director
A native of South Dakota, Geoff moved to Ohio in 2009 after serving in senior roles on presidential, gubernatorial, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and municipal campaigns in a number of states. Last election cycle, Wetrosky worked for Senator Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in New Hampshire, Georgia, Texas, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota. Prior to that, he served as field director for the Massachusetts Democratic Party’s 2006 coordinated campaign, regional field director for Senator John Kerry’s presidential campaign in Florida, field director for now-Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin’s (D-SD) special election in 2004, field organizer during Senator Mary Landrieu’s (D-LA) 2002 runoff election, and Senator Tim Johnson’s (D-SD) 2002 campaign.
Dora Rose, General Counsel and Director of Voter Protection
Dora Rose, a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, has been a civil rights litigator and active in electoral politics for over twenty years. She held leadership positions in a variety of civic organizations, including the League of Women Voters, National Lawyers Guild, and Voting Rights Institute. During the 2004 and 2006 election cycles, Dora organized Democratic voter protection efforts in Cuyahoga County. Her team effectively countered large-scale voter suppression efforts in heavily-Democratic precincts. She also worked with the Center for Election Integrity at Cleveland State University, where she co-authored the Election Assistance Commission’s Guide to Recruiting and Retaining College Pollworkers. As ODP’s Director of Voter Protection during the 2008 cycle, she built Ohio Promote the Vote -- a statewide voter protection infrastructure. Through the program, she recruited more than five thousand local and out-of-state lawyers to oversee the balloting process and monitor polling locations statewide.
