Looking Ahead: Advocacy in the 119th Congress
Megan Carpenter (they/them), senior manager of government affairs and civic practice, OPERA America
Megan Carpenter (they/them) joined OPERA America in 2021. They oversee the LGBTQIA+ Opera Network and the national anti-harassment program Opera RESPECTS, among other responsibilities. Prior to their position at OPERA America, Carpenter was part of the company management team at Bard SummerScape festival and worked as a production assistant for various live events, including the International Emmys. With a strong commitment to the intersection of art, gender, climate justice, and civic engagement, they also serve as the organizational green captain for OPERA America in collaboration with the Broadway Green Alliance and are an active member of the Climate Reality Project’s New York City chapter. Additionally, Carpenter was a script adjudicator for the Obie Award-winning 2023 Breaking the Binary theater festival and volunteered on the steering committee for New York City Council District 22’s 2024 participatory budgeting process.
Jessica Mendieta, policy associate, National Council of Nonprofits
Jessica Mendieta joined the National Council of Nonprofits in September 2021 as a policy associate. In this role, Mendieta researches and develops educational content about policies that affect the nationwide network. Her experience in the nonprofit and government sectors, as well has her background in data analysis and visualization, led her to find opportunities to show trends, indicators, and policies that impact organizations and communities.
Mendieta has served at the Federal City Council, New York City Mayor’s Office of Resiliency, and New York City Department of Education. She holds a master’s degree from the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University and a bachelor’s degree from Hunter College of the City University of New York.
Heather Noonan, vice president for advocacy, League of American Orchestras
Heather Noonan is the Vice President for Advocacy for the League of American Orchestras. From the League’s Washington, D.C. office, Heather represents orchestras in the arenas of government funding, education reform, international cultural activity, and nonprofit and philanthropic policies, and leads the League’s efforts to increase orchestras’ local advocacy capacity. Heather is a co-convenor of the Cultural Advocacy Group of national arts, humanities, and cultural stakeholders that collaborate year-round to advance federal policy priorities, is on the national policy advisory committee for the National Council of Nonprofits, and represents global music interests on immigration, aviation, and protected species issues related to international performing artist mobility.