Kathleen Thompson is the Executive Director of Progress Texas, where she leads a team that focuses on message development and media amplification for progressive issues, knowing that making a serious difference starts with shaping the narrative.

Kathleen is a professional communicator who helps candidates, political action committees, and nonprofits get noticed. She was most recently communications director for the Dallas County Democratic Party, which mobilized precinct chairs, activists, and voters to flip three county seats and nearly 90 precincts red to blue, resulting in a Dallas County government that's nearly all Democratic and more reflective of the county. She’s a former Texas Gun Sense advisory board member, Texas Democratic Party State Executive Committee member,  and leader of successful local campaigns for public safety and ethics.

Chris Mosser is the voice and content curator of our Progress Texas Daily Dispatch news podcast, updated every weekday morning, and is producer and a regular contributor to our weekly conversation and interview podcast, the Progress Texas Happy Hour. An Austin broadcasting veteran since 1993, Chris enjoys wielding his audiovisual talents towards amplifying progressive voices, ideas and policy goals. Chris also regularly produces live events for a variety of Democratic organizations and clubs including West Austin Democrats (for whom he's a board member), Blue Action Democrats, Liberal Austin Democrats, and more.

Chris is a native Texan, originally from Lubbock, is a graduate of Texas State University with a degree in History, and lives with his family in the Bryker Woods neighborhood of Central Austin.

Stevie Howat manages the business operations and administrative tasks for Progress Texas. She makes sure that all of our i’s are dotted and our t’s are crossed. A jack-of-all-trades, her professional background includes stints in political communications, web development, business management, and hospitality.

Stevie grew up in Plano, Texas, and studied political science at Texas Tech University. She lives in Dallas with her husband, daughter, and a very stubborn Dachshund.

Tatum Owens is the Advocacy and Development Coordinator for Progress Texas. In this role, she assists the Executive Director with projects and produces both rapid response communications and digital grassroots engagement through research and content creation.

Tatum is a 2023 Political Communications graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, known for her work with the Texas Freedom Network’s nonprofit program, Texas Rising, as a community organizer and leader of their UT Austin chapter. She also served on the City of Austin’s College Student Commission as its Vice Chair. There, her team allocated $50,000 of funding for college student food access, while she also volunteered with Meals on Wheels in her free time. Her passions in advocacy include, but are not limited to, direct aid like affordable and healthy food access, voting rights, and civic engagement to create progressive change in Texas.

Haley is a senior at Texas State University with a deep passion for progressive advocacy. Her commitment to creating positive change has led her to be actively involved with various nonprofit organizations and state-wide campaigns. With strong roots in her community, Haley leverages her experience in volunteer recruitment and training to advocate for both local initiatives as well as amplify voices on broader issues.

In her position as a Digital Associate, she actively participates in the creation of social media content, which includes drafting posts and curating photos and videos. Additionally, she plays a vital role in maintaining web platforms, monitoring social media analytics and contributing to digital grassroots engagement during breaking news events at Progress Texas.