Our Team

John Seager is President and CEO of Population Connection (formerly Zero Population Growth), the nation’s largest grassroots population organization.

John was appointed to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by the Clinton Administration and also served as Chief of Staff for U.S. Representative Peter H. Kostmayer (D-PA), a senior member of the House Interior and Foreign Affairs Committee. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Trinity College in Hartford, CT.

A veteran of more than 50 political campaigns, John has authored hundreds of op-eds and articles on various aspects of population growth including links to aging, poverty, and social change. He has been a guest lecturer at more than 80 colleges and universities and has spoken to numerous environmental, religious, and community groups all across the U.S. on the environmental and human costs of rapid population growth.

Brian Dixon is the Sr. Vice President for Media and Government Relations at Population Connection Action. He oversees the organization’s advocacy and political work including the #Fight4HER campaign. He also serves as a public spokesperson for the organization with the press and public. Prior to joining Population Connection, he worked on several congressional campaigns and served as a Legislative Aide on Capitol Hill for a progressive Democratic member of the House.

Maria was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala 1971. She migrated to the U.S. in April 1984 and joined Population Connection in January 1997. As the V.P. for Administration/CFO, Maria oversees Population Connection’s Human Resources, accounting, and IT services. She graduated from TESST College of Technology in 2001 where she studied Network Information Technology.

A Certified Fundraising Executive, Shauna oversees all fundraising initiatives to support Population Connection and Population Connection Action Fund. She’s been with Population Connection since 2009. She loves the outdoors and regularly travels the U.S. with her family and dogs, visiting roadside attractions as well as National Parks and historic sites. She resides in San Diego County.

Marian joined Population Connection as a Field Fellow in 2007. She has an MSc in Population and Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a BA in Psychology (with a minor in Child Development and Family Relations) from the University of Maine. Marian is originally from Maine, where she currently lives with her husband and two dogs.

As the Senior Director of Marketing, Nicole leads the direct marketing fundraising programs at Population Connection and Population Connection Action Fund. Prior to starting at Population Connection in 2014, Nicole worked in the for-profit marketing sector. She feels fortunate that she can create positive change in our world through inspired marketing campaigns. Nicole holds an MBA from San Diego State University.

Rebecca Harrington is the Senior Director of Advocacy and Outreach at Population Connection and Population Connection Action Fund, where she manages the grassroots field program, including the #Fight4HER (Health, Empowerment, and Rights) campaign. In her role, she works to develop campaigns and messages that seek to defend reproductive freedom for everyone, everywhere. She has spent over a decade working in progressive organizing around reproductive health and rights. She lives with her family in Washington, D.C.

Hannah is interested in working with students, professors, and activists to promote positive social and environmental change. Hannah works with college-level students and professors to integrate population studies back into the mainstream, with a particular focus on human rights and social justice. She develops and gives comprehensive, solution-oriented presentations focused on the connections between global population growth, access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare, and environmental sustainability. Through an examination of some of the root causes of population growth, her work seeks to highlight the interconnections between poverty, marginalization, women’s rights, and environmental pressures made worse by climate change.

Before joining Population Connection’s staff, Hannah worked as an adjunct professor of Women’s Studies and taught classes on gender, science, and feminist theory. She has nonprofit experience working as a program developer for sustainable agriculture and public health programs in Honduras and Panama, and has worked as a researcher on food security issues throughout southern California. Hannah holds a BA in environmental policy and political science and a Master’s in political ecology from San Diego State University, where her research focused on sustainability labeling and ethical consumption.

Carrie has been with the Membership Department at Population Connection since 2017. Carrie loves to travel, take road trips, and go to concerts, movies, and other events in her free time. She also enjoys reading and spending time outdoors, hiking or camping. She is originally from Connecticut and enjoys visiting her family there.

Ever since Stephanie realized how much humans were impacting the environmental wellbeing of our planet, she knew she wanted to spend her time protecting it for future generations. She made the connection over time, noticing how technological innovation, mass production, and depletion of resources skyrocketed to match rapid population growth over the past century. Population Connection’s human rights approach to this issue resonated with Stephanie as she eagerly joined the Membership Relations Team earlier this year. She looks forward to helping facilitate meaningful experiences for members as they make the connection themselves and with others in their communities.

Jennifer Lynaugh, also known as “Jenn,” is a native New Yorker who relocated to San Diego, CA with her husband back in 2012. Jenn joined Population Connection’s Development Team in March 2015 and has never felt more at home. As a Development professional for the last 19 years, she has developed relationships with numerous supporters of non-profits who are making an impact on the world. Jenn has enjoyed the privilege of working with many generous individuals like YOU to further support diabetes research; breast health education, services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and elder abuse, and access to family planning to stabilize global population and empower women. Jenn has witnessed the power and beauty of philanthropy, and its ability to transform and even save lives. When Jenn is not wearing her fundraising hat, she enjoys traveling; hiking, gardening, live music and dancing, reading, all kinds of vegetarian food, good times with family and friends, meeting new people, and some “R&R” on the beach. Jenn lives in the Greater San Diego area with her husband Tim and four children who all have paws: Border-collie mix Scarlet, two Bengal cats, Althea and Pearl, and big boy Maine Coon, Moses.

Sarah has been with Population Connection since late 2017 and was drawn to the human rights-based, cross-sectional approach to solving overpopulation and its ramifications. As the Development Manager, she leads estate administration and prospect research, as well as assisting with various fundraising initiatives. Living in sunny southern California, Sarah enjoys spending time in nature, volunteering with youth, sharing good food with friends, and exploring the world.

Just shy of three years, Sydnie has been providing support to PopConnect staff and members by assisting in fundraising efforts and member engagement. In her free time, Sydnie enjoys volunteering for various social justice causes, camping, feminist activism, and dancing. Sydnie holds a B.A. in Sociology-Law and Society from University of California, San Diego.

Deborah serves as human resources director at Population Connection, managing all aspects of the employment process. She brings over 20 years of experience in nonprofit and corporate HR management. Deborah is a graduate of the University of Maryland and holds senior professional certification with the Society for Human Resources Management. When Deborah is not keeping up-to-date on all things HR, she enjoys gardening and cooking.

Peter Caggiano provides strategic oversight of organization-wide information technology activities. Peter brings 35 years of experience in the field of information technology and has a diverse background in both non-profit and corporate settings. He is responsible for information systems support of applications, data, research support, infrastructure, communications, and information security.

Ana was born in El Salvador but has resided in the state of Maryland for the last 40 years. She has been with Population Connection for around 18 years on and off. Ana loves working at Population Connection and truly believes in its cause.