Teresa Purcell
Teresa Purcell is the founder of the Rural Strong Network LLC, which provides branding, consulting, networking, tools, and training to local leaders to strengthen our communities, advance democratic values, and make government work. She is a seasoned leader renowned for her expertise in amplifying the voices of rural and BIPOC communities nationwide.
With a profound understanding of nonprofit and political dynamics and extensive experience in advocacy, messaging, organizing and campaign strategies, Teresa is dedicated to maximizing resources for long-term impact.
As a consultant, lobbyist, and executive director, Teresa has been part of over 220 campaigns, and worked in 38 states. In 2016, she was a candidate for the State Legislature in her rural district and lost the election by 559 votes in the Trump landslide. In 2022, she served as Senior Advisor for Rural Engagement at the DNC and advisor to the 2022 Marie Gluesenkamp Perez Congressional Campaign. In 1992, Teresa was campaign manager for the first campaign of the first female U.S. Senator in the history of Washington State, U.S. Senator Patty Murray.
Teresa’s achievements include serving as the primary architect of innovative voter engagement models and crafting electoral programs for conservation and reproductive health/rights/justice organizations. She’s raised over $30 million and mentored hundreds of women in leadership roles. She also hosted a talk radio show called Building Bridges on conservative talk radio.
Based in her hometown of Longview, Washington in rural SW Washington, she champions inclusive democracy and amplifying underrepresented voices.
Susan Kroger
Susan Kroger has 20+ years of nonprofit leadership experience and has worked with nonprofits and political organizations across the country.
Susan co-founded LEAD (Leaders Engaged and Determined) South Dakota to train and mobilize hundreds of women toward political action following the 2016 election. She has a decade of experience in large scale movement building and leadership education, and she has delivered hundreds of trainings on activism, media, and state legislative operations. Her roots are a family farm in northwest Iowa, and she currently lives in South Dakota.