The Team
Who We Are
Katy Langenfeld
President
Katy Langenfeld founded L&A in 2022 after fundraising for KJD Strategies for 7 years and later served as the firm’s Vice President. Katy has raised millions to support the winning campaigns of federal and statewide candidates, aldermen, legislators, and non-profit foundations. After graduating from Drake University, she worked for AKPD Message & Media on President Barack Obama’s '08 campaign as an assistant producer and liaison between his campaign and his media firm. Katy has a deep background in field operations, and worked for many years in Springfield developing legislative priorities and strategic communications for House Democrats in Illinois.
Meet our Senior Consultants & Fundraisers
Stacey Smith is a senior fundraising consultant for L&A. Previously, Stacey was Vice President and a senior fundraiser at KJD Strategies. She worked as the Deputy Finance Director for US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and was a member of the Candidate Fundraising team at the DCCC, raising money for targeted Democratic incumbents and candidates across the country. A graduate of Loyola University Chicago, Stacey has also spent time as a Dunn Fellow in the Office of the Illinois Governor and as an intern in U.S. Senator Dick Durbin’s Washington, DC office.
Katelynd Duncan is a senior consultant for L&A. She founded the fundraising firm KJD Strategies in 2010, at the age of 24. KJD Strategies raised more than $50M for political action committees and non-profits. Former clients include former Mayors, Governors and Senators as well as a range of state and municipal electeds. In 2018, Katelynd was the recipient of the “Dawn Clark Netsch Straight Talk” Award by Reform for Illinois for her work on addressing sexual harassment in government in politics.
Ryan Hurley joined L&A in 2025. With a decade of experience in Illinois politics, Ryan has a proven track record of electing Democrats in competitive races and driving successful outcomes. He launched his career working to elect Democrats to the Illinois House and then spent nearly five years with the Illinois Senate Democratic Fund, where he led winning strategies for primary and general elections. Ryan brings an in-depth understanding of organized labor and excels at building broad coalitions that power successful campaigns.
Sophie Ryall rejoined L&A in 2026, after working in DC at the Frost Group on several Congressional accounts. Prior to the Frost Group, she worked at L&A as our Deputy Finance Director where she fundraised for candidates in Illinois at all levels including statewide, Cook County, and Chicago City Council. Previously, Sophie was the Finance Assistant for former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s campaign. Sophie graduated Magna Cum Laude from DePaul University with a degree in Political Science and minors in Economics and German.
Meet our Admin & Events Team
Daphne Karlin
Daphne started at L&A at the end of 2023. As our Deputy Finance & Operations Director, she works to make sure our whole operation runs smoothly, from emails and outreach, to research and data, managing special projects and events, as well as training and supervising staff & interns. She has a Masters in International Affairs from Loyola University Chicago and is an avid marathon runner.
Raymond Ready
Ray joined L&A in 2024 as our Events Coordinator and he always makes sure our events are as perfect as possible - from coordinating with a host for an intimate house party, to executing a +1000 gala, Election Night celebrations, he is the ultimate party planner! Ray graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and has an experienced background in hospitality and catering.
