Our Team

Core Staff

  • Prior to joining BuildUS, Justin Maxson served as a senior advisor at the Amalgamated Foundation, where he worked helping disadvantaged communities access federal resources. Before that, he served in the Biden administration as Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development at USDA, where he helped manage the only federal agency with the explicit responsibility for rural development. As Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development, he managed the launch of the Rural Partners Network, contributed to federal rural development policy to address climate change, and worked to make it easier for small towns and rural communities to access federal resources. Formerly, he served as the chief executive officer of the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation supporting economic and racial justice in the South. Before that, he spent more than a decade as the president of the Mountain Association, a community development financial institution advancing economic and sustainable development opportunities in eastern Kentucky and Central Appalachia. Maxson holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Kentucky, and a master’s in anthropology from Boston University. He lives in Winston-Salem, NC and has two young adult children.

Justin Maxson

  • Kokei has spent years working with cities to design and execute urban development strategies, with a particular focus on climate adaptation and technological innovation. Most recently, Kokei worked as a Senior Consultant at IBM. Prior to that, while at Van Alen Institute, she managed a critical workstream of a $200M bond program to deliver a series of climate adaptation projects in Greater Miami. At the New York City Economic Development Corporation, she co-managed RISE: NYC, a technology innovation program that brought cutting-edge climate solutions to small businesses impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Kokei holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, and is a graduate of New York University.

Kokei Otosi

  • Manu most recently spent several years on the strategy team at Rivian, where he worked on projects ranging from Rivian’s IPO — which raised nearly $12 billion in financing — to selecting a site for Rivian’s multi-billion dollar second production plant. Manu holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley. During college, Manu also led a student-run consulting group focused on environmental and social responsibility.

Manu Prakasam

  • Sarabeth brings a passion for creating systems that serve people to operations and administration work. Having spent over a decade in the nonprofit sector, Sarabeth knows that thoughtful administrative systems are an essential part of the work–and that without them, we will replicate the same oppressive systems we seek to dismantle in the world. She leads teams toward more unified collaboration to improve project management and program implementation, comfortably straddling strategy and implementation functions. Sarabeth has held administrative and operations leadership roles at several organizations focused on equity and human rights including Health Global Access Project, Open Society Foundations, and the International Rescue Committee. Sarabeth holds a Masters in International Development from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver in Colorado.

Sarabeth Harrelson

Senior Advisors

  • Sameera served in the Biden Administration as Deputy Director of the National Economic Council where she advised on community development finance with a focus on manufacturing, innovation, domestic competition, and global supply chains. In the Obama Administration, she served as a Senior Policy Advisor for the National Economic Council before joining the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta as Director of Engagement for its Community and Economic Development Department. Sameera is an expert on community development financial institutions and international microfinance and previously served as a senior advisor and chief of staff to the Department of Treasury’s Undersecretary for International Affairs.

Sameera Fazili

  • Bobby Clark is a communications strategist who advises political, philanthropic, and advocacy organizations on narrative and message development, communications structures, and campaigns. A graduate of the University of Oklahoma and Vanderbilt Law School, Bobby is a leader in shaping persuasive public narratives and developing successful communications campaigns to advance national, state, and local policies. An alumnus of Howard Dean’s presidential campaign, Bobby was an early pioneer of digital communications strategies to build power. Bobby went on to help found and build ProgressNow - a network of state-based communications organizations across the country focused on persuading and mobilizing voters to advance state and federal policies. As Vice President for Communications and Programs at the Gill Foundation, the nation’s largest funder of LGBTQ equality, Bobby helped develop successful campaigns for the freedom to marry and nondiscrimination protections. Bobby now works as an independent consultant leading projects to better understand public attitudes and create more persuasive narratives on a broad range of issues, including jobs and the economy, immigrant rights, health equity, housing solutions, and tax fairness. Bobby is a senior communications advisor to Heartand Fund, focused on strategies to persuade and mobilize rural Americans and also founded and serves as a senior advisor to Winning Jobs Narrative – an expansive project focused on rebuilding connection with working class voters across race and geography to build strong majorities for a people-centered economic agenda.

Bobby Clark

  • Jill is passionate about advancing solutions at the intersection of environmental and social justice. With a career spanning philanthropy, coalition building, and environmental advocacy, she brings a wealth of experience to her role at BuildUS. Most recently, she led a consultancy focused on advancing transformative environmental and social change through strategic research, program design, and collaboration. Prior to consulting, Jill spent nearly 13 years at Meyer Memorial Trust, where she directed their $8M annual environmental grantmaking program for most of her time there, shaping impactful investments in environmental justice and sustainability. Before entering philanthropy, Jill held leadership roles in urban sustainability policy and social justice organizations, championing initiatives that integrated equity and ecological resilience. Rooted in values of reciprocity, compassion, and integrity, Jill leads with a commitment to collaboration and shared vision. Outside of work, she finds joy in block printing, gardening (despite occasional reluctance), and exploring the dynamic relationship between people and the environment.

Jill Fuglister

  • Arohi Pathak is a managing director at BuildUS focusing on building worker and community power through federal investments. Arohi has a background in economic security and racial justice, focusing on creating opportunities and better outcomes for low-income families, communities of color and other marginalized populations. Arohi has a labor background, working at both the SEIU and the AFL-CIO Tech Institute. Additionally, Arohi has deep policy and advocacy expertise on intersectional family economic security issues from working at the Center for American Progress and Prosperity Now. Arohi has a master's degree from American University, and lives in Silver Spring, MD.

Arohi Pathak

  • Allison joins BuildUS from Open Society Foundations-US, where she was a Program Manager in the Democracy and Power Building team. During her time at OSUS, she led a range of efforts related to messaging and faith and democracy strategies, and lent support to a number of multi-year democracy protection efforts. In 2023, she spearheaded OSUS $50m commitment to equitable implementation of the IRA, BIL, and CHIPS Acts. Before OSUS, Allison was a Program Coordinator at the Council on Foreign Relations. Allison holds an Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, and is a graduate of Tufts University. 

Allison Harrington