Martha Laning, Founder

Martha launched SPAN after serving as a full-time chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin (WisDems) and proving how important state parties are to Democrats' success. Back in 2014, Martha had run for State Senate. She had worked in business and community development, but she was inspired to run for office in 2014 to stop former Governor Scott Walker's attacks on education and Wisconsin communities. Her failed run for state senate made it very clear that the brand of the Democratic Party needed work, and without a stronger Party, Democratic candidates would be at a considerable disadvantage. Therefore, she ran for Chair of the Party and under her leadership as chairwoman of the WisDems, she built one of the most influential voter outreach programs in the nation, established a Candidate Service Department, and launched a more robust digital program. The work paid off with Wisconsin winning every statewide race in 2018 - the first time any party has done that since 1984 in Wisconsin. Martha believes a strong Democratic state requires great candidates, strong C4 partners and State Parties with the infrastructure to win. She now is turning her attention to helping state parties around the nation build infrastructure to win.

Troy Price, Senior Political Director

Troy is a long-time political operative who has extensive experience working for and with state parties. Prior to joining SPAN, he was the Executive Director of the New Hampshire Democratic Party and previously served as Executive Director and then Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party. He has also worked for two presidential campaigns, two Democratic Governors, labor unions, and led the effort to protect marriage equality in Iowa. Throughout his career, Troy has seen the critical role that state parties play in creating change at all levels of government and is committed to ensuring state parties have the resources they need to be successful.

Madison Laning, Operations Manger

Equipped with a degree in Political Science and a background as a public school educator for six years, Madison joined our team to support operations. She supports our donors through active communication to ensure that their donation is smooth from start to finish.