- Brad Fitch, President & CEO
- Crystina Darden, Office Administrator & Membership Assistant
- Anna Lee Hirschi, Manager of Citizen Engagement
- Sarah Thomson, Director of Operations
- Consultants and Trainers
Bradford Fitch
President & CEO
Bradford Fitch has spent 36 years in Washington as a journalist, congressional aide, consultant, college instructor, Internet entrepreneur, and writer/researcher.
Fitch began his career as a radio and television reporter in the 1980s. He began working on Capitol Hill in 1988 where he served for 13 years. He worked in a variety of positions for four Members of Congress, including: press secretary, campaign manager, legislative director, and chief of staff.
Fitch left Congress in 2001 to work for the Congressional Management Foundation. As Deputy Director of CMF, he served as a management consultant for Members of Congress, offering confidential guidance, conducting staff training programs, and writing publications on enhancing the performance of individual congressional offices and the institution. He served as editor of Setting Course: A Congressional Management Guide for the 108th Congress and 109th Congress editions. In 2005 Fitch managed CMF’s Communicating with Congress project, and co-authored the report, How Capitol Hill is Coping with the Surge in Citizen Advocacy. He left CMF in 2006 to form a new company, Knowlegis, in affiliation with Capitol Advantage. Knowlegis is now a part of CQ-Roll Call Group, where Fitch served as a Vice President until 2010 when he returned to CMF.
Fitch is also the author of Citizen's Handbook to Influencing Elected Officials (TheCapitol.Net, 2010); Media Relations Handbook for Agencies, Associations, Nonprofits and Congress (TheCapitol.Net, 2004); “Best Practices in Online Advocacy for Associations, Nonprofits, and Corporations,” a chapter in Routledge Handbook of Political Management (Routledge, 2008); and articles on communications and advocacy. He is frequently quoted in media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, CBS News and CNN. He has taught journalism and public communications at American University in Washington, D.C, where he served an adjunct Associate Professor of Communications. He received his B.A. degree in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University and his M.A. degree in Journalism and Public Affairs from American University.
Crystina Darden
Office Administrator & Membership Assistant
Crystina Darden assists with the administrative and fundraising duties of CMF and provides support for the projects and services of the organization. She joined CMF in September 2021 and has previously worked on Capitol Hill with another nonprofit, a consulting firm and as a petsitter. Crystina has previously studied Anthropology and is currently working towards a degree in Communications. When not working, Crystina enjoys catching up on podcasts, working through her queues of understated indie dramas and tending to her houseplants.
Anna Lee Hirschi
Manager of Citizen Engagement
Anna Lee Hirschi manages the outreach for CMF’s citizen engagement work, primarily through the Partnership for a More Perfect Union. She also supports CMF’s democracy reform and strategic communication efforts.
Anna Lee started her career in Alaska, organizing the inaugural Sitka Arts & Science Festival and working with a range of nonprofits including the Alaska Historical Society, Art Change, and the Sitka Maritime Heritage Society. She has since worked on political campaigns including a presidential campaign in Pennsylvania, and congressional races in South Carolina and Texas. She has also worked in municipal government and policy. Most recently she was deputy political director for MJ Hegar’s US Senate campaign in Texas.
Anna Lee attended Smith College and enjoys running, visiting museums, and participating in a Hannah Arendt reading group.
Sarah Thomson
DIRECTOR of Operations
Sarah Thomson manages all CMF events, also acting as overall project manager for our signature program, the Democracy Awards. In addition to running the day to day finances of the organization, managing our annual audit and assisting with budget creation, she also coordinates with our consultants to arrange strategic planning retreats for congressional offices.
As a British expat since 1998, Sarah has worked for a variety of international organizations in nonprofit, corporate, and public sectors in 5 countries. She joined CMF in 2014, bringing with her a variety of experiences including work at an event management firm in South Africa and extensive financial management at the British Embassy in Senegal.
Sarah earned her BA in linguistics from University of Newcastle upon Tyne (UK) and tries to keep up her French language skills.
