Meet Our Judges

Aunna Dennis joined Rock the Vote as Director of Civic Strategic Partnerships and Campaigns in January 2020. In her current role, she aims to combine her passions for social impact, culture, boots on the ground organizing, and elections. Aunna has worked in various roles in election administration, organizing communities, non-profits and governmental bodies. 

Producer of the documentaries ART & COPY (Emmy 2011, Sundance 2009), FREEDOM TO CHOOSE (Cannes Film 2009), FIRE ON THE HILL (current release 2020). Executive Producer at enso, a creative impact agency collaborating with brands, communities and individuals to create value for the world.

Since launching Blavity Inc. in 2014, Morgan has led the company to successfully acquire Travel Noire, a travel platform for Black millennials and Shadow And Act, a Black entertainment news site. Launched several profitable consumer summits, including Summit 21 for Black women creators and entrepreneurs and Bay Area’s AfroTech, the largest tech conference for Black innovators and founders. 

Tara Dawson McGuinness is a senior fellow at New America and a senior adviser to the New America Local and Public Interest Technology programs. She also teaches public policy at Georgetown University. McGuinness joined New America after leaving the Obama administration where she oversaw the federal teams working alongside city, non-profit, and philanthropic leaders in Detroit, Baltimore, and Flint, and many other communities. 

Mindy has worked as a social impact advocate, content producer, marketing manager, and community organizer. She started off her career by establishing a non-profit organization called Imagination Foundation that focuses on project-based learning and STEAM education. Mindy has worked on the partnerships team at GOOD | Upworthy where she gets to collaborate with Fortune 100 brands, foundations, and governments to be forces for good by bringing attention to issues that matter and bridging the intention-to-action gap.

Mike Rothman is the Co-Founder and CEO of Fatherly, the leading digital lifestyle brand for today's parents. Through a combination of expert advice, live experiences and consumer products, Fatherly empowers moms and dads to raise great kids and lead more fulfilling adult lives. Previously Rothman was one of the founding employees at Thrillist, responsible for all sales and revenue operations. Rothman was named one of Ad Age's 40 Under 40 in 2018.

Kyla Fullenwider leads work around the digital implications of the 2020 Census, specifically, what local governments, journalists, leading digital platforms, and the public can do to prepare and participate in this crucial function of our democracy. She comes to Georgetown from the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School where she was the in resident Entrepreneurship Fellow. She previously served as the first Chief Innovation Officer of the U.S. Census Bureau, the principal agency of the U.S. Statistical System and part of the Department of Commerce.

Sandra Kang is a strategic marketing executive with two decades of experience across multiple media platforms – Television, Music, Film, Digital, Fashion, Sports, and Corporate Social Responsibility - Kang’s versatility and expansive network are central to her ability to develop and execute innovative and customized solutions for her expansive portfolio of clients. As former Vice President of Brand Marketing at MedMen and Managing Director of CAA-GBG’s Brand Studio she actively negotiated opportunities to grow the brand business through new brand strategy, audience relevancy and brand activation.

Dr. Ron S. Jarmin is the U.S. Census Bureau’s deputy director and chief operating officer. Jarmin performed the nonexclusive functions and duties of the Director from July 2017 to January 2019 and previously served as the associate director for economic programs. He led the team for the 2017 Economic Census, overseeing a move to 100 percent Internet data collection and leveraging enterprise investments to minimize system, application, and dissemination costs.

Baratunde Thurston is an Emmy-nominated host who has worked for The Onion, produced for The Daily Show, advised the Obama White House, and cleaned bathrooms to pay for his Harvard education. He’s the host of the iHeartMedia podcast Spit, wrote the New York Times bestseller How To Be Black, and serves on the boards of BUILD and the Brooklyn Public Library. Baratunde makes media, delivers keynotes, and promotes action with his unique blend of criticism, humor, and optimism. He’s most invested in topics of race, technology, democracy, and climate because the hard stuff has already been solved. 

Pippa is a TV and Film executive with 20 years experience in development, packaging, sales and finance. She has held senior positions at leading global content companies including Endeavor Content, WME, ICM Partners, All3Media International and BRON Studios. Her career to date has covered a wide range of subject matter and format including: premium scripted drama, comedy and documentaries, reality TV, digital brand extensions, feature length documentary, scripted and non scripted format adaptation, scripted film, animation and stage.

Carenna Thompson is a junior at C. K. McClatchy High School in Sacramento, CA. She is a singer/songwriter and serves on the Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) board as a class representative. She was an early champion for youth involvement in Census Outreach starting in 2018 when she worked on the California Statewide Census convening tour activating community leaders around California. She is also a youth advocate for the Census, bringing awareness to her peers on how important it is.