Bridgette joined grassroots solutions in 2011 as a project lead to manage the day-to-day operations of an exciting project with the Minnesota Department of Health. In this capacity, Bridgette trains communities across the country on innovative, grassroots strategies to create systems, policy and environmental changes to decrease the incidence of obesity and tobacco use in their communities.

Prior to joining grassroots solutions, Bridgette was the national director of the Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network (NVEN) – working to engage nonprofits in elections and democracy to increase voter turnout and civic engagement among traditionally underrepresented communities. Her previous work includes advocating for LGBT families and their children as Public Policy and Program Manager of Rainbow Families, and working with local artists to promote art as a medium for social change as a curator at Intermedia Arts. Bridgette is particularly interested in approaching social change work from a cross-issue perspective and continues to be passionately involved in the fight for LGBT equality, racial and economic justice and working with local arts and artists.

Bridgette’s family says that she pretty much came out of the womb organizing. As a child, she could be found door-knocking the neighborhood with a clipboard, recruiting kids to perform in one of her highly-acclaimed backyard “circuses.” Thirteen years of Catholic school meant that Bridgette was involved in service work from a very young age – serving food at soup kitchens, volunteering at homeless shelters, etc. In high school, it was one of her teachers who began challenging the students on the roots of the societal injustices they were witnessing. This was when Bridgette put her organizing skills to work for justice organizing and activism. In her spare time, Bridgette can be found organizing for LGBT justice, making art with other local artists, gardening, dancing to Beyoncé or playing outside in the north woods.