Our Team

Cori Kramer is a centrist leader with over two decades of getting things done for all Americans. As Chief Executive Officer of Center Forward, she leads our mission to provide centrist allies the information and support they need to craft common sense policy solutions to the challenges facing the country today.

As Chief of Staff to prominent Congressional pragmatics Mike Ross of Arkansas and Brad Ellsworth of Indiana, Cori helped move some of the most consequential policy solutions of this century, addressing the nation’s taxation, health care, banking, trade, and manufacturing priorities to build a stronger and more resilient nation.

An experienced political strategist, she has always worked on the competitive front lines, where votes are won not by party affiliation but by direct voter contact and persuasive messaging backed by unifying ideas. She managed the successful re-election campaign of Congressman Mike Ross against significant partisan headwinds, and also managed the re-election campaign of Congressman Charlie Stenholm and the U.S. Senate campaign of Congressman Brad Ellsworth.

Cori is also a member of Women for Economic and Leadership Development, and a mentor and member of How Women Lead.

Cori received her Bachelor of Arts from Rhodes College in 1999. She currently resides in Virginia with her husband, Ted, and sons, Jack and Ben.

Community Involvement:

• Member, Women for Economic and Leadership Development
• Mentor and Member, How Women Lead

Riley Kilburg is a seasoned nonprofit executive and political professional with more than a decade of experience managing teams in campaigns, nonprofits, the private sector, and stakeholder organizations. As the Executive Director of Center Forward, Riley’s leadership has been instrumental in advancing the organization’s mission of bringing people together to drive bipartisan, pragmatic solutions to some of the most challenging policy debates in D.C.

In his nearly seven years with Center Forward, Riley has transformed the organization’s work, leading to continued success and growth. Riley leverages his relationships in Congress and the Biden Administration to drive the organization’s success in working with business and advocacy groups to build coalitions and leverage relationships as a way to deliver bipartisan policy solutions.

Riley’s expertise in campaigns and elections is extensive. He played a pivotal role in the 2020 election cycle serving as Communications Director and Senior Adviser for Rita Hart’s race in Iowa’s Second Congressional District — the closest race in the country. In 2015 and 2016, he served on the field, delegate, and political teams for Hillary Clinton’s primary and general election campaigns, ending the cycle as the Deputy Political Director in the battleground state of Iowa. Before the Clinton campaign, Riley worked on President Obama’s reelection campaign and was involved in a number of electoral campaigns and ballot initiatives at the local, state, and federal levels.

Riley is a member of the board of Q Street, the professional association of LGBTQ+ lobbyists and public policy advocates.

Riley holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Spanish, and International Studies, graduating cum laude from Loras College in 2015. Born and raised in Iowa, Riley now resides in Washington, D.C.

Community Involvement:

• Board Member, Q Street

Ava joined the Center Forward team in September 2023. As Program Manager, she leads the planning and execution of the organization’s annual domestic issues conferences and D.C. programming.

Ava brings five years of campaign and event planning experience to Center Forward. She began working in politics in 2019 as a Finance Associate on Dan Feehan’s closely watched U.S. House race in Minnesota’s First Congressional District. After returning to college to finish her degrees, Ava moved to D.C. to continue her work in political fundraising at Fulkerson Kennedy & Company. At FK&Co Ava managed the national portfolio for Chief Justice Cheri Beasley’s competitive North Carolina Senate bid, raising over $10 million for her campaign. Additionally, she managed D.C. and national portfolios for both Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) and Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), and served as the firm’s Operation Director.

Ava is a native of Omaha, Nebraska and alumnus of St. Olaf College, where she studied Political Science and Latin American Studies. During her free time, Ava enjoys playing clarinet in the Arlington Concert Band.

Daniel Garza is the Health Care Program Manager for Center Forward. In this position, Daniel leads Center Forward’s healthcare track by organizing programming and providing educational resources to congressional offices. Daniel’s work product is exclusive to Center Forward healthcare stakeholders. Prior to this role, Daniel worked for the Council for Responsible Nutrition as their Government Relations and Legal Associate. As part of his Washington D.C. experience, Daniel has interned for the Embassy of Mexico, the Ohio State Office of Federal Affairs, and Invariant Government Relations. Daniel is a native of Ohio but spent time living in Atlanta, Georgia as well. He graduated from the Ohio State University with dual degrees in Political Science and International Studies and a minor in Spanish. Additionally, Daniel is a graduate of the John Glenn School of Public Affairs’ Washington Academic Internship Program. Outside of work, Daniel enjoys watching Ohio State football, golfing, and going to trivia with friends. Daniel has been in the Washington D.C. area since 2021. Issue Areas:

• Health Care
• Medicare Advantage
• Health Equity
• Harm Reduction
• Telehealth
• Health Care Innovation
• Drug Pricing and Supply Chain
• Healthcare Labor

Community Involvement:

• Mentor, Ohio State’s Washington Academic Internship Program
• Volunteer, Ser Familia – a Hispanic non-profit dedicated to domestic violence prevention and strengthening family values

Eddie Huck is the Policy Program Coordinator for Innovation, Trade, and Workforce issues at Center Forward. In this role, Eddie leads Center Forward’s policy-focused programming and events, and educational resources distributed to policymakers and influencers. He also leads Center Forward’s annual Innovation Conference.

Prior to this role, Eddie was a Finance Assistant at Fulkerson, Kennedy & Company, fundraising for Senate Democrats. He got his start in D.C. interning for Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), and also interned at Invariant Government Relations.

Eddie is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana, and now lives in Arlington, Virginia. He graduated from Miami University in Ohio in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy. Outside of work, he is a swim coach for the Arlington Aquatic Club.

Issue Areas:

• Technology and Innovation
• Intellectual Property
• Banking and Financial Services
• Tax
• Trade and Manufacturing
• Labor, Workforce, and Employment
• Family Policy
• Campaigns and Elections

Community Involvement:

• Swim Coach, Arlington Aquatic Club

Hailey Swisher joined the Center Forward team in December of 2024 as the Program and Outreach Coordinator. In this role she supports the Program Manager and the Outreach and Engagement Manager by developing, strengthening, and maintaining strong relationships with Center Forward stakeholders both on Capitol Hill and in the business and advocacy community, as well as coordinating and executing a robust agenda of dynamic and engaging programming throughout the year.

Hailey brings three years of both congressional and campaign experience to Center Forward. She started her career as an intern in former Blue Dog Co-Chair Congressman Tom O’Halleran’s (D-AZ) D.C. office. She graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Minor in Criminal Justice. After graduation, she interned with House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-CA) and subsequently served in the office of Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (D-TX).

After leaving the Hill, Hailey started working at the Democratic National Committee for the 2024 presidential cycle in the Compliance and Vetting Department. In this role, she focused on vetting all events and organizations that were associated with the Biden-Harris/Harris-Walz Campaign as well as the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Hailey is a native Arizonan who currently resides in Alexandria, Virginia. In her free time, she loves hanging out with her cat Emerald and following all Arizona politics as much as she can!

Robert “Bud” Cramer leads Center Forward’s Board of Directors as its Chairman. Bud was one of the founding members of the organization to support the pragmatic policymakers and influencers in Washington D.C. and across the country.

Bud represented the 5th congressional district of Alabama from 1991 to 2009. During his time in the House of Representatives, Bud served on the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and was the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations within the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Bud co-founded the Blue Dog Coalition to help bring fiscally-responsible Democrats together, and many of the principles from his work with the Coalition continue to guide Center Forward in its mission.

As a former congressman, Bud has deep expertise in advocacy, community relations, government relations, and issues management. Throughout his career, Bud has been an advocate for commonsense policy on aerospace and defense, criminal justice, intelligence, and transportation issues. In 1998, the Minority Leader of the House appointed him to the Open World program board of the Library of Congress. In Congress, he co-chaired the Missile Defense and House TVA caucuses and co-founded the Anti-Terrorism and Missing & Exploited Children caucuses.

Since departing Congress, Bud was managing director at FTI Consulting, vice chairman of Capitol Hill Consulting Group, and chairman of Wexler & Walker Public Policy Associates.

Bud holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a law degree from The University of Alabama, and an honorary doctorate of law from The University of Alabama in Huntsville.