AFC Announces Promotions
Following a year of historic school choice progress, the American Federation for Children is pleased to announce the promotions of several key team members as we continue to refine and scale up our work across teams in this crucial moment of opportunity.
Statement from Tommy Schultz, CEO, American Federation for Children:
“We will enter 2026 with the most opportunity our movement has ever had, and AFC is building our capacity to meet this historic moment. These individuals represent our commitment to advancing the movement, and thanks to their hard work and talent, we know we will continue to be successful at expanding school choice opportunities for millions of kids. We are thrilled to have them on the team.”
Rebekah Bydlak is being promoted to Chief Communications Officer, where she will oversee AFC’s combined communications operations, working across teams and externally to ensure our perspective is heard and our infrastructure maximized to advance education freedom in every state. Previously Vice President of Communications, Rebekah will continue to bring communications experience and strategic leadership to the goal of sharing our perspective across mediums.
Michele Blood is being promoted to State Communications Manager, where she will work closely across state and regional teams to help develop communications strategy and maximize press opportunities. Previously State Communications Specialist, Michele has also written and conducted research for past clients that include Fox News, the American Conservative Union, Townhall, and The Federalist. Michele holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi.
Bruce Hermie is being promoted to Vice President of Implementation, where he will oversee AFC’s growing implementation operations and strategy, as his team works nationwide with school leaders, scholarship providers, and families to ensure parents know about and can fully benefit from their education options. In addition to his long tenure at AFC overseeing this area of work, Bruce brings prior experience as a private school educator and administrator.
Daniela Lozano is being promoted to Director of Development Operations, where she will ensure AFC continues to meet the highest standards in its work to engage with current supporters and build out our supporter base. Daniela has overseen significant aspects of AFC’s development operations after joining AFC from the R Street Institute, where she was the Associate Director of the Business Development team, and she brings extensive development experience to our team.
Lindsey Rust is being promoted to Managing Director of State Strategy, where she will manage activity and maintain strategic focus in the states. Previously Director of State Operations, Lindsey brings over 15 years of experience both at AFC and previously in state-level advocacy in her home state of Indiana.
Bill Phillips is being promoted to National Director of Government Affairs, where he will oversee AFC’s state lobbying and advocacy work across target states. Previously our Senior Director of School Choice Advocacy, Bill has overseen successful efforts across numerous AFC target states in recent years. Before joining AFC, he worked in the charter sector for over twenty years after a career in advanced manufacturing and service on a district school board.
Gillum Ferguson is being promoted to National Director of Political Affairs, where he will oversee AFC’s electoral work across target states. Previously as Director of Political Strategy, Gillum oversaw numerous successful political engagements for AFC’s political affiliates and brings experience from positions at the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Senate, and the Tennessee governor’s office, as well as managing and working on multiple successful political campaigns and previously serving as communications director for AFC – Tennessee.
Hunter Goh is being promoted to Director of Political Strategy, where he will continue to advance the political environment necessary to enact broad-based school choice programs across America. Hunter brings years of experience from the public affairs and political world and has assisted in numerous successful political engagements for AFC’s political affiliates.
Patrick Graff, PhD., is being promoted to Senior Fellow, where he will continue to lead AFC’s work on school choice policy analysis and research on effective education reforms. His focus remains on translating rigorous research into policy through engagement with policymakers and other key audiences nationwide. Currently AFC’s Director of Legislative Policy, Dr. Graff has also worked in the education field as a teacher, administrator, policy advisor, and researcher since his first year in the education field as a 3rd-grade teacher in 1. He received his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame, where he specialized in education policy, teacher effects, and quantitative research methods.
Marc LeBlond is being promoted to Director of External Relations, where he will utilize his strong external relationships and universal good will to advancing our mission among coalition allies and other external partners. Most recently working with our friends at EdChoice, Marc previously spent time in the financial services industry before moving to Pennsylvania to work in school choice policy for the Commonwealth Foundation.
