Regions
The overall objective of a Regional Lead is to provide support to state coordinators to build up the needed infrastructure to have a thriving Braver Angels work in their state.
List of Regional Leads
The Field is divided into nine regions. Please visit our Regional Leads Listing to look up a Regional Lead.
New England: CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT
Mid Atlantic: NJ, NY, PA, DC, MD, DE
South Atlantic: FL, NC, SC, VA, WV, GA
East South Central: AL, KY, MS, TN
West South Central: AR, LA, TX, OK, NM
Upper Mid-West: IA, KS, MN, MO, ND, NE, SD
Mountain: AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, UT, WY
Pacific: AK, CA, HI, OR, WA
East North Central: OH, WI, IL, IN, MI
Regional Lead Monthly Meetings
All Regional Leads meet monthly on the first Monday, from 8-9 pm EST. Because these meetings are confidential, please email the Office of Field Operations to request meeting materials and recordings of past meetings. See this link for their upcoming schedule.
Regional Lead Responsibilities
State Coordinator Directory Update Form - This form is used by Regional Leads and Field Team Directors to submit updates to the State Coordinator Records.
Register a New Alliance - Use this form to register a new alliance.
Make Changes in an Alliance - Use this form to submit updates to an existing Braver Angels alliance, such as changing an alliance co-chair or changing the name of an alliance or dissolving an alliance.
Request a Braver Angels email for a new field leader - Use this form to request a new Braver Angels gmail for a new field leader.
Finances
Look up the balance in your Region Fundraising Account (you must be logged in to your Braver Angels email to access this page). To learn more about your fundraising balance, visit the Field Funding Program wiki. If you would like to request OFO funds for a specific project, use the Field Investment Proposal Form.
Technology
In memory - of Kim Martinson, regional lead
Here is a special tribute to Braver Angel Kim Martinson from Minnesota Braver Angels. Kim passed away on October 4, 2022. Kim had been a regional lead, as well as a MN State Coordinator. She served as a Moderator and other roles for dozens of BA workshops over the years. Kim was one of Minnesota Braver Angels’ greatest leaders, and a fierce friend and family matriarch. She died peacefully at home due to brain cancer. For those who remember Kim, you might recall her phrase about Braver Angels: "This is a big darn deal!"
Kim was a lifelong learner, teacher and leader. She taught and then led public schools as an administrator for nearly 30 years. She did not stop when she retired. Not long after Braver Angels was founded in 2016, Kim met co-founder Prof. Bill Doherty and started leading workshops in local libraries. She spoke fondly of those days before COVID and Zoom, when she would come to each event, not sure who would attend, with a box filled with handouts, name tags and other materials.
Kim introduced many of us to this movement, often seeing the contribution we would make long before we glimpsed it ourselves. For the last several years, she helped direct Minnesota Braver Angels as the blue-leaning state coordinator, along with Ruth Lunde, our red-leaning coordinator. Even though they disagreed on politics, Kim and Ruth provided a model of red-blue partnership. Kim also served as a regional lead for the Upper Midwest.
We celebrated Kim's life at her memorial on Oct. 8. As family and friends spoke of what Kim meant to them, tears flowed freely as we thought of what it meant to lose her presence. Her daughter's rock. Her grandson's special friend. Her brother, Lance, captured a lifetime of memories, describing Kim as "fierce."
We also laughed and smiled at recollections of her spirit and sense of humor. As if she knew how hard it would be to say goodbye, Kim planned a sing-along during the service to the song “Do-Re-Mi" from the musical The Sound of Music. It was heart-warming to hear over a hundred voices join in this Martinson family tradition. On screens around the room, Maria, the governess played by Julie Andrews, led the Von Trapp children and us in song.
According to her daughter Kaja, Kim used to say goodbye to her children with some simple advice before they left for an activity. She'd say, "Don't be a dumbass." As her peers, we take that advice seriously. We want to do right by her-- and by other leaders who have worked so tirelessly to bridge our political divides.
We leave you, for now, with the words with which Kim concluded her last email to local Braver Angels leaders, "...Take care of yourselves and yes, take care of you---we need more people to contribute and give each other some breaks---because Braver Angels is all about changing the world!!"
Kim’s obituary and guest book can be found at: Kim Martinson Obituary.