MoveOn Announces Katie Bethell as New Executive Director

By MoveOn. Tuesday, July 15 2025

Advocate for Working Families Takes Helm of Leading Progressive Organization

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WASHINGTON – Today, MoveOn announces that Katie Bethell, a nationally recognized advocate for working families, is joining the organization as its next executive director.

Bethell joins MoveOn Civic Action and MoveOn Political Action after decades of experience as a leader in the progressive movement, notably through her time at WorkMoney, Paid Leave for the United States (PL+US), Change.org, and MomsRising. MoveOn welcomes the people-first champion taking the helm at a time when President Trump and the Republican Party are making food and medicine more expensive, cutting public school funds, and undermining economic stability for families to benefit billionaires.

“As someone who has spent my career using innovative digital campaigning to fight for working families and build power in our movement, I could not be more excited to join MoveOn at this time in our fight. The road to winning and taking back power in 2026 and beyond is all about growing and inspiring our base by mobilizing and organizing the working class. I’m excited to bring my two decades of experience fighting alongside working families to build on the foundation of grassroots organizing that is a hallmark of MoveOn. Our platform gives voice to nearly 10 million people who care deeply about this country and the health, security, and happiness of everyone who calls it home. I’m honored to join the legacy of this organization, and I am excited to lead this team forward,” said Bethell. 

Bethell will take over day-to-day operations of the organization later this month from her predecessor, Rahna Epting, who completes a consequential and historic six-year stint in which she prioritized modernizing the organization and its approach to advocacy and fundraising and elevated its role as leading convener across the progressive movement. 

Said Epting: “Katie comes from a deep history in organizing and mobilizing people power for change, and I am thrilled to see someone with her experience, tenacity, and know-how take the reins for MoveOn in its next chapter. Her background as a leading advocate for working families is essential for this moment to ensure that MoveOn continues to grow to build back power. The future is bright for MoveOn under Katie’s leadership.” 

Bethell was chosen for this role after a robust six-month search led by MoveOn Boards of Directors. The Boards viewed Bethell’s track record as a strategist, builder, and innovator as key to their decision. 

“Katie is a movement builder through and through—someone who’s been in the trenches fighting for paid family and medical leave; who has built organizations, teams, and strategy to lower costs and raise incomes for working people; and who knows how to lead with both vision and grit. Katie has a deep background in digital and scaled campaigns as well as a hunger to innovate the next generation of mass movement building techniques,” said Anna Galland, MoveOn Civic Action Board member.

Said MoveOn Political Action Board Chair, Arisha Hatch: “In this time of acute threats to fundamental democratic values and so many American communities, we need to be organizing even more powerfully in digital spaces, in neighborhoods, and through and beyond elections. We’re so excited that Katie is stepping in to lead, supporting our members in showing up powerfully in a moment that urgently needs collective action.”

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MoveOn is a people-powered force for progress. MoveOn mobilizes the left to elect Democrats and enact progressive change. We are the home base for millions of members who refuse to accept the status quo and are moved to take action. For more than a generation, MoveOn has been a bulwark against the radical right, channeling our voices to end wars, protect democracy, and advance justice for all.