Government Relations Team

Government Relations Team

The Government Relations team represents CRS and its policy positions to the U.S. Congress, White House, Department of State, and other U.S. Government entities to advance public policy that supports humanitarian and development work overseas.

The Government Relations team also leads Mission and Mobilization’s efforts to cultivate grasstop Catholic leaders around the country to advocate CRS priorities with their elected officials.

David Cronin

Senior Policy and Legislative Specialist

Dave is a senior policy and legislative specialist based in Washington, D.C. He works with Congress and the administration to advance CRS’ public policy and advocacy efforts related to foreign assistance appropriations, Latin America and the Caribbean, and vulnerable people on the move. Prior to CRS, David worked in campus ministry at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and served as a Jesuit volunteer at Homeboy Industries, the largest gang intervention, rehab and re-entry program in the world. He holds an M.A. in development economics and human security from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a B.A. in theology and history from Boston College.

Ari Shaw-Obasogie

Senior Policy and Legislative Specialist

Ari is a senior policy and legislative specialist with Catholic Relief Services. She supports a portfolio that includes food security and climate change issues. Prior to joining CRS, Ari worked for Food for the Hungry and Bread for the World. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and Government and a B.M. in Viola Performance from the University of Michigan.

Cheryl Mrazik

Advocacy Advisor

As the advocacy advisor, Cheryl develops and mobilizes CRS’ network of influential advocates who engage members of Congress and the administration on policies and legislation relevant to the mission of CRS. From 2011-2017, she served as a relationship manager in the CRS Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Regional Office, supporting Catholic individuals and institutions to live their faith in solidarity with those in need around the world. She holds B.A. degrees in English and philosophy from the University of Scranton and a M.A. in international development from the University of Pittsburgh.

Marilyn Shapley

Senior Policy and Legislation Specialist

Marilyn is a senior policy and legislative specialist with Catholic Relief Services. She is part of a small team based in Washington, D.C. that focuses on crafting policy and advocacy recommendations, and supports a portfolio that includes food security and climate change as well as regional issues in East Africa. Marilyn has 15 years of work experience, including positions at Mercy Corps, InterAction, the Alliance for Peacebuilding, and in the office of U.S. Representative Dennis Cardoza. She holds an M.A. in international relations and international economics from the Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies and a B.A. in international studies from the University of California San Diego.

Craig Swandby

Senior Policy and Legislative Specialist

Craig is a senior policy and legislative specialist with Catholic Relief Services and has worked at the intersection of humanitarian programs and Washington, D.C., for the last 9 years. Craig partners with offices around the world to identify barriers to programmatic success, develop policy and legislative solutions, and lead advocacy strategies to influence the US government and achieve greater humanitarian impacts. Craig supports CRS’ programs in the Middle East and focuses on humanitarian and conflict settings, compliance, and peacebuilding. Prior to joining CRS Craig worked for World Vision, where he supplemented D.C.-based advocacy efforts with assignments and consultations in the West Bank and Gaza, Iraq, South Sudan, and their Syria Response in Jordan. Craig holds a B.A. in anthropology from Wheaton College.

Madison Sasman

Policy & Advocacy Coordinator

Madison provides administrative, logistical, operational, and programmatic support to advance the department’s advocacy strategy. Prior to CRS, she worked at the International Institute of New England, where she connected refugees with resettlement services and community resources. Her past experiences include supporting participatory community development research in the Dominican Republic. Madison holds a B.A. in Public Policy from William and Mary, with a minor in Hispanic Studies.

Meghan Topp Goodwin

Senior Policy & Legislative Specialist

Meghan is a senior policy and legislative specialist based in Washington, D.C. Prior to CRS, Meghan served the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for seven years, including four and a half years as Associate Director of Government Relations, directing advocacy and grassroots engagement relating to domestic and international justice, peace, and human development, and two and a half years advising on federal policy to a committee of bishops. Prior to her work at USCCB, she taught Peace Studies and Moral Theology at Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School and Corporate Work Study Program, which provides a pathway out of poverty through educational opportunity and workforce training for its students, 100% of whom live under the poverty line. She holds an M.A. in Theology, Ethics, and Culture and a B.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia and is pursuing her doctorate in Applied Theological Ethics at the University of Virginia with a concentration in Catholicism, democracy, and peacebuilding.

Candice Harris

Advocacy Advisor

As an advocacy advisor, Candice develops and mobilizes Catholic Relief Services’ network of influential advocates to engage members of Congress and the administration on policies and legislation relevant to the mission of CRS. She has been involved in advocacy work for more than fifteen years. She also has experience supporting and stewarding donors as a Development Officer in the Individual Giving program for three years. Her background is in social work and social policy, which began when she was a Jesuit volunteer. She is a proud graduate of Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work & Social Research and Saint Joseph’s University.