Welcoming Two New #Fight4HER Organizers
Written by Rebecca Harrington, Senior Director of Advocacy and Outreach | Published: March 9, 2026
Kat Stratford and Kyle DeVasier arrived at careers as organizers on different paths, but they share a passion for organizing that is evident from the moment you meet them. It was easy to see within minutes of interviewing her that Kat can talk to anyone (she describes herself as “insufferable” at airports, as the person who talks with all the other passengers). Equally charismatic, Kyle is deeply plugged into his adopted home of Las Vegas and is seemingly attuned to every political event happening throughout the city. As they begin their #Fight4HER work on the ground, we are excited to introduce them to you!
Kat Stratford, Tucson, Arizona
When Kat was a waitress, the Three Percenters were planning a rally at the park across the street from her restaurant. Kat planned a counterprotest that drew eight people. The next time the neo-Nazi group came to town, she planned a protest and 250 people showed up, including circus performers, dancers, and marching and mariachi bands!
Kat got her first organizing job in 2019, working as a campaign aide for a mayoral candidate. From there, she went to work as a Regional Director for the Arizona Democratic Party, as well as a Field Director for Laura Conover’s successful campaign for Pima County Attorney.
After working the 2020 election cycle, Kat knew that being an organizer was her calling, and in 2022 launched her race for the Arizona House of Representatives. She ran her own campaign, which knocked on 15,000 doors, recruiting and managing her volunteer network as well as all campaign communications. She won the endorsement of Planned Parenthood and lost the race by only 700 votes.
Kat describes running for office as both the “worst and best thing ever.” While she acknowledges the brutal aspects, which included hateful rumors about her children and cruel internet content about her, she was energized by talking to so many voters and proud that so many people chose her to represent them. She learned about her own strengths and weaknesses and how far she was able to push herself, and while aspects of campaigning were hard, she says she would “1,000% do it again.”
Before joining Population Connection, Kat put her organizing skills to good use for three years as a homeless outreach coordinator for the city of Tucson. In this role, Kat canvassed “washes” (dry riverbeds) and talked to the unhoused people living in them about building a plan to move into stable housing.
When asked about what she most values about Tucson and what she’s most looking forward to about engaging the community in the #Fight4HER, Kat calls Tucson “a bastion of liberal delight” in a purple state with very red pockets — a big city with a small-town feel and a commitment to art, music, and community engagement.
Kat’s advice for someone just getting their activist start is to begin small, that “half of the work is showing up.”
“Whether it’s working directly with the unhoused or working with voters and educating them, it’s all about trying to get people to understand that they are a part of something that’s bigger than themselves and trying to connect and plug them in to a larger community.”
Kyle DeVasier, Las Vegas, Nevada
Kyle’s path to organizing was personal. He grew up in a working-class family in the oil refinery town of Texas City. Kyle saw firsthand the inequities that people in his community faced — while his parents were very hard workers who always provided for their family, they faced persistent financial challenges.
As Kyle grew up, he was deeply inspired by Barack Obama, whose message of hope and change motivated him to get a degree in Political Science. Donald Trump’s election in 2016 spurred Kyle into his first organizing job, working for Sri Preston Kulkarni’s 2017 primary campaign for the US House of Representatives (he won the primary but lost the general election). Since then, Kyle has worked on a dozen campaigns, both electoral and issue-based, and also did voter protection work for the Nevada Coordinated Campaign in 2024.
“I love organizing. I love going into a community and talking to everyday people. My guiding star is that real power always comes from the people. And most people want to improve their communities, but they may not know how to do it. That’s how I see my role as an organizer: My job is to be a facilitator, to develop leaders so we can take that collective action.”
Kyle recently connected with a lifelong activist from the area, who is already plugging him into events and connecting him with other activists in the city. At the beginning of his second week with Population Connection, Kyle went to an Indivisible Las Vegas monthly meeting, attended by a couple hundred people. Decked out in his #Fight4HER t-shirt and beanie, Kyle spoke to the crowd about the work he’ll be doing with the #Fight4HER campaign, introducing our issues and goals to this important slice of the Las Vegas community.
When asked why he thinks it’s important to continue organizing through these dreadful political times, Kyle said that after the Democrats’ loss of the presidency in 2024, he realized organizers need to commit to year-round organizing. While Kyle acknowledges that a lot of people went into hibernation following Trump’s second election, he notes that people are starting to come out of the woodwork, citing the success of the recent No Kings and anti-ICE rallies as examples.
“The energy is there. We just need to harness it. Organizing is where it’s at. I’d rather do this than any other thing.”