About Us

William is the founder and executive director of Demopolis Coalition. He is an interdisciplinary person interested in a variety of fields, from history to math, and thinking about how these seemingly disparate fields can interact with each other and create unique perspectives. He started Demopolis because of his broad passion for promoting human flourishing across every town and village in America and the world. He is currently a student studying economics and politics at Princeton University.

Joe Pitts is an entrepreneur and public policy professional dedicated to promoting human flourishing in America and across the world. He is currently working for a higher education start-up based in Boston, MA; he works out of Washington, DC; and he is a proud native Arizonan.

Lauren Elle Kasule-Darby is a rising junior at Seton Hall University, majoring in Political Science with a Double Minor in History and International Relations. However, she is originally from Marietta, Georgia. She serves as the Director of Research for the Demopolis Coalition, and her background in politics is vast, having worked under several congressional and local campaigns. She began her work in Demopolis after forming a strong connection to local politics, finding that many people in the town where she was raised knew little to nothing about the systems that govern them. Through this, she is passionate about finding solutions to issues affecting people of all backgrounds and representing those who are often unheard. She believes that understanding local politics is the key to understanding our government, which is why she's proud to work for the Demopolis Coalition. As Director, she leads a team of seven associate directors and numerous research associates, all of whom share the same goal of educating the public and finding solutions to the challenges of small-town local politics.

Ben Kelley is a Political Science sophomore at Seton Hall University. He cares about local institutions, the durability of civic life at the communal level, and the question of how ordinary people participate in the places where they live. He takes non-partisanship seriously.

Ben is Irish-American and Catholic, originally from Massachusetts, and is currently based in New Jersey. He plays piano, has an interest in housing policy, and is planning on attending law school after graduation.

Charlotte Smallwood is the Associate Director of Civic Research and Local Politics, and is from Maine. She's currently studying Political Science at the University of Maine and is proud to be a first-generation college student. She never originally saw herself getting involved in politics, but she became interested after learning about NAGPRA laws and how they impacted her local Native community, the Penobscot Tribe. Since then, she's become passionate about understanding how government decisions affect real communities and making information more accessible so others can better recognize the importance of civic engagement. This is what drew her to working for the Demopolis Coalition, as it allows her to share the information she finds with the people of small town communities.

Mariam Hamed is a rising junior at Seton Hall University, majoring in Diplomacy and International Relations. Mariam is currently serving as the Associate Director of Ethnographic Research with a strong focus on community engagement. She is passionate about understanding community experiences, perspectives, and needs through direct observation and meaningful interactions. Mariam is deeply committed to using research to amplify voices that are often underrepresented and to help inform more inclusive and effective community initiatives. Through her work, she aims to bridge the gap between research and real world impact by contributing thoughtful insights and fostering collaborative relationships.

Wyatt Wells is from Walker, Louisiana. He is a sophomore at Seton Hall University, majoring in Pre-Law and International Relations and Diplomacy with a minor in Spanish and Criminal Justice. As a small town resident he is invested in Demopolis' goal for increasing local political activity in small areas around the United States. As an Associate Director of History he leads a team responsible for researching history and then using that research to present to the public. Working as an Associate Director has allowed him to deepen his understanding of politics and what it means to be a part of a community.