Get To Know Us
Vanessa Batters-Thompson joined DC Appleseed as its executive director in May 2022. Vanessa brings to her role nearly twenty years of litigation, policy, and advocacy experience, as well as a passion for serving the District community.
Prior to joining DC Appleseed, Vanessa worked at the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center as their Associate Director of Legal Services for Individuals and Families. In this role, Vanessa spearheaded the launch and directed the Family Law Assistance Network, a joint endeavor of several legal service providers to offer parents and caregivers family law services through a single, accessible, intake point. As co-manager of the Pro Bono Center’s Advocacy & Justice Clinic, Vanessa oversaw the intake and matching of up to 300 clients per year with pro bono attorneys from private law firms and the public sector. Vanessa additionally supervised and provided substantive guidance to the Pro Bono Center’s individual representation training program, which won the D.C. Bar’s 2022 Frederick B. Abramson Award.
Prior to joining the Pro Bono Center, Vanessa worked for an anti-poverty organization, Bread for the City, providing direct representation to clients and engaging in systematic advocacy regarding child support issues. From 2009 through 2011, Vanessa served as a Friedman Fellow for the George Washington University Law School, teaching and supervising students handling domestic violence and family law cases through the Jacob Burns Community Legal Clinics. While in law school, Vanessa clerked for the Mental Health Division of the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, as well as the Humane Society of the United States.
Vanessa obtained her J.D. from the George Washington University Law School and her B.A. from American University with a certificate in Women, Policy, and Political Leadership. She currently lives with her husband, daughter, and dog. During her downtime, Vanessa likes camping, reading, and growing flowers.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Vanessa
Batters-Thompson
Muhammad Ali once said “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth,” and that principle could not be truer for this Southern belle transplant to the Nation’s Capital. Erin Calloway holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from the University of South Carolina and a Master of Health Administration from Louisiana State University- Shreveport. She will obtain her Juris Doctor in Health and Philanthropic Law from American University in 2025. For over eight years, Erin has been a distinguished leader in the nonprofit sector where she has excelled in forging strategic partnerships, ensuring philanthropic compliance, and managing charitable campaigns.
As a proponent of community outreach and stakeholder engagement, Erin has spearheaded numerous public health initiatives with local hospitals and agencies while managing a diverse portfolio of major and corporate donors. Erin encourages collaboration as a keen connector of people and mission-oriented trailblazer. She is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the American Health Law Association, the American Public Health Association, and the Pediatric Clinical Ethics Committee at Children’s National Hospital. Beyond her professional endeavors, Erin enjoys mentoring young professionals, hosting dinner parties, and traveling. Erin jointly serves as the CEO of Calloway & Company, a nonprofit consulting firm.
Director of Development & Communications
Erin M. Calloway
Kristin is Policy Counsel for DC Appleseed, where she leads the Health Equity Project, focusing on behavioral health, sexual & reproductive health, and environmental justice & health-related climate change issues. She is passionate about health equity and the broader social determinants of health impacting residents in the District. Her work often reminds her of this quote from FDR: “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”
Before joining DC Appleseed, Kristin was Legislative Counsel for DC Councilmember Brooke Pinto. She has also worked with the Addiction and Public Policy Initiative at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law and the House Oversight Committee’s Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis. Before becoming an attorney, Kristin lived in New York City, where she was a professional musical theater performer, performing in NYC and around the country.
Kristin received her JD from Georgetown Law and BS from the University of Nebraska, where she majored in Psychology and minored in Education. Kristin also graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City, where she studied Musical Theater. In her free time, Kristin enjoys traveling, performing in shows in DC, seeing live theater, trivia, escape rooms with her awesome family, and exploring DC neighborhoods, including her Capitol Hill neighborhood.
POLICY COUNSEL AND DIRECTOR OF EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
Kristin D. Ewing
Tommy Wells
SENIOR FELLOW
Tommy Wells brings a 35-year track record of driving progressive policies in Washington and the ability to build coalitions among diverse interest groups.
As the Director of the District Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) and Chair of DC Water from 2015 to 2023, Wells became a nationally recognized proponent of carbon emissions reduction, climate change resilience, river and stream restoration, and the activation of parks and public spaces.
Serving two terms on the DC City Council from 2007 to 2014, Wells was known for promoting livable walkable neighborhoods through innovative urban transit, environmental restoration, and the enhancement of community amenities including schools, parks, and libraries. He was a leading advocate for sustainable development, fueling unprecedented economic revitalization in Ward 6. He also stood firmly for adhering to a strict code of ethics at a time when many of the city’s leaders were mired in controversy.
Previously, as a social worker, school board member, and nonprofit director, Wells spent 15 years devising, advancing, and executing measures to improve public education and social services. As the Director of the Consortium for Child Welfare, he helped forge a coordinated response to the effects of the AIDS crisis on families. He also partnered with leaders in Congress to create the DC Superior Court’s Family Court, which led to a 300% increase the number of foster children adopted into permanent homes every year.
Wells currently serves on the board of directors for Anacostia Riverkeeper and Greater Greater Washington. He has a law degree from the Catholic University Columbus School of Law and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Minnesota. He lives on Capitol Hill with his wife, Barbara Wells.
Julia Hartman is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Georgia. She is majoring in International Affairs and Spanish while preparing to apply to law school. Julia is involved with several nonprofit organizations in the Athens Community and writes for the Georgia Political Review. Julia is interning with Dc Appleseed while participating in UGA’s Washington Semester Program. After graduation, she hopes to teach English abroad through the Fulbright Program before attending law school.
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Julia Hartman
Karina Chatha is a fourth year at the University of Georgia, pursuing Bachelor’s degrees in Criminal Justice and Political Science. She is passionate about prison reform and criminal justice reform, and hopes to attend law school after graduation. In her free time, Karina enjoys reading, painting, and walking her dog.
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Karina Chatha
Sarah Grace Kirkendall
GRADUATE POLICY INTERN
Sarah Grace is pursuing her Masters in Social Work from the University of Alabama with a focus on Children, Adolescents, and Their Families. Sarah Grace leans strongly into the social work values of social justice, dignity and worth of persons, and service. She joins the DC Appleseed team as an intern to expand her knowledge on policy and its impact on marginalized persons, as well as improving her advocacy skills to create effective change.
Sarah Grace has a background in behavioral health, including applied behavior analysis. While working as a Registered Behavior Therapist, she witnessed the impact of America’s health system on her clients’ access to care. She previously interned with a nonprofit residential foster treatment facility. This experience increased her passion for children’s rights. Sarah Grace earned her BS degree from Auburn University in 2019, studying exercise science and minoring in psychology. During her leisure time you can find Sarah Grace exploring museums, reading fiction novels, taking photographs around the city, and spending hours chatting with friends.
Emi Vaughan
POLICY & COMMUNICATIONS
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Emi is joining DC Appleseed as a Policy and Communications Intern for the spring of 2025. She is a junior Criminal Justice student at Endicott College where she serves as secretary for the Law and Justice Club and as the events coordinator for her school's chapter of The Hidden Opponent.
Emi has completed two internships while attending Endicott College. Most recently she served as a community outreach intern for her town's restorative justice center. Here she created a resource booklet for formerly incarcerated individuals that lists sites offering support in areas of housing, employment, finances, treatment, and social well-being; and took part in restorative programs such as Reparative Panels and Circles of Support and Accountability.
Emi is passionate about creating a more equitable justice system and fighting for the rights of marginalized communities. In the future she hopes to work with both victims and perpetrators of crime, with a particular interest in restorative justice processes. Emi lives with her family in rural Vermont and is excited to spend the semester in Washington, DC as part of the DC Appleseed team!
Claire Wroblewski
POLICY & COMMUNICATIONS
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Claire is a senior Communications major at Baylor University and the undergraduate Policy & Communications Intern with DC Appleseed for the spring. She is passionate about advocating for children and serving local communities, which is reflected in her child & family studies concentration at school and her volunteer work with local family abuse centers. Through this internship, Claire hopes to strengthen her communication skills within the policy sector to advocate for the quality of life for all D.C. citizens.
Outside of school and work, Claire enjoys yoga, trying new coffee shops, playing board games, and baking for her friends. After graduating in May, Claire plans to pursue her master's degree in social work to eventually work as a pediatric medical social worker.