Governance

Leadership Team

ADG’s officers run the organization day to day. They carry out the direction set by the Board of Directors and keep the work nonpartisan, transparent, and focused on basic human decency in public service.

Our Officers

Michael Cannon

President and Acting Executive Director

A former naval officer with over 20 years of leadership experience at IBM, Cisco, and Red Hat. He is passionate about making a positive difference for the country.

Brian Klemm

General Counsel / Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer

Over 20 years of experience at SAS and Red Hat as a corporate attorney, with deep expertise in global corporate compliance and ethics. His commitment to integrity aligns with the organization's mission.

Sarah Walas

Chief Financial Officer

Sarah brings more than 20 years of experience in corporate finance and investor relations. She led investor relations at Bandwidth Inc., served as Chief of Staff to the CFO at Red Hat, and spent 14 years in financial leadership at Progress Energy. She holds an MBA in Finance from NC State and oversees ADG’s finances, budgeting, tax filings, and internal financial controls.

Katharine Kollins

Head of Development (Acting)

Katharine has led the Southeastern Wind Coalition for a decade, growing its annual funding from $250,000 to $1.3 million and expanding its staff from 1.5 to eight full-time employees. She has worked with Republicans and Democrats across 11 states and was appointed to state task forces by two North Carolina governors. At ADG, she guides our efforts to build a strong and lasting base of support.

Tesh Patel

Head of IT, Web Presence, and Systems

Tesh brings more than 25 years of experience in enterprise technology leadership, systems architecture, and AI innovation, designing and scaling complex digital platforms for IBM and Red Hat. At ADG, he guides our technology strategy, online presence, and digital systems.

Open Position

Head of Communications and Marketing

This officer leads ADG’s public voice, including messaging, website content, social media, and press relations. We are looking for someone with hands-on experience in communications, public relations, and marketing, with strong plain-language writing skills, and a firm commitment to nonpartisanship. For more details, see this role description.