Ian (he/him) is a vice president at Wonder where he leads and supports teams working to understand and resolve the psychological knots tying audiences up and holding them back from support or action on a range of issues. He is a communications, public affairs, and advocacy specialist with more than fifteen years of experience working across a broad range of issues in jurisdictions throughout the United States and around the world.
He will always be especially proud of his role in Maine’s groundbreaking freedom-to-marry efforts, culminating in the 2012 ballot victory which was the nation’s first-ever win on a proactive freedom-to-marry ballot measure. Ian has served as a director of public affairs for a publicly traded tech company and as a communications and public policy consultant. At Wonder and beyond, Ian has worked with clients including the Colorado Health Foundation, Equality California, Friends of Katahdin Woods & Waters, Friends of the Mariana Trench, the Maine League of Conservation Voters Action Fund, and Safe Voices.
Ian grew up in a small town in coastal Maine, which instilled in him an enormous love of the outdoors and a deep respect for our environment, particularly our oceans. Ian is a graduate of Emerson College and holds a J.D. from the UCLA School of Law — his legal background is an asset to his understanding of the intersection of communications, advocacy, and the law.
He lives with his husband in Los Angeles, and spends time on the other coast, in Maine, where he is restoring a coastal cottage with his brother.
What motivates you to do this work?
“I often return to the Mr. Rogers quote, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'” My favorite thing about our work at Wonder is that we’re always on the side of the helpers — and I am ceaselessly amazed at their leadership, their expertise, and often their bravery. I do get discouraged, but it never lasts for long because I have this amazing front row seat with our partners who are helpers in so many different ways.”
What’s your superpower?
“Making things real. I always strive to communicate in a genuine, human way and put a face and a feeling on every issue. I’ve worked on some pretty arcane stuff – think chemical policy and fish-ladders – but if you can bring the humanity to an issue and bring them to life for folks, it helps them to understand why it matters.”
