Our Staff
Program Staff
Niel Ritchie
Executive Director
Before joining the League of Rural Voters, Niel spent 14 years with the Minneapolis-based Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy serving in a variety of roles, including eight years as a national organizer responsible for outreach and networking among U.S. farm and non-farm groups. He has managed statewide and Congressional campaigns in the Midwest, and is the author of numerous articles and op/eds on food, farm, and rural economic policy. Niel currently serves on the boards of Rural Community Assistance Partnership, Jobs NOW Coalition and Main Street Project, and serves on the political committee of Clean Water Action Alliance of Minnesota.
Cynthia Moothart
Policy Director
Cynthia Moothart, who researches and writes on issues for the League, has a lifelong connection and commitment to rural communities. She grew up on a horse farm in central Iowa, where her family grew and preserved virtually all the food they ate. After graduating from Iowa State University, she moved to Washington, D.C. to oversee the Iowa press operation of U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin. For a decade following graduate study at the University of Iowa and Indiana University, she served as an editor at newspapers across the Midwest, including such cities as St. Paul, Detroit and Chicago.
Adam J. Smith
Director, Vote by Mail Project
Adam founded the Vote by Mail Project in 2006. Prior to that, he worked for the Oregon Nurses Association, negotiating collective bargaining agreements on behalf of more than 1,200 nurses. He has also managed and consulted with progressive campaigns, focusing on the use of emerging technologies to enhance civic participation and advocacy. From 1996 to 2000, he was associate director of the DRCNet Foundation in Washington, DC, working with policymakers and the media to broaden the debate on the impacts of U.S. drug policy.
Adam was a founding board member of both the Oregon Bus Project and the League of Young Voters Education Fund. His writing has appeared in The Guardian, In These Times, Mother Jones Online, Reason Magazine and other publications. He received his J.D. from Boston University School of Law.
