Presenter bios

From GrassrootsPedia

August 2006 Internet Campaign Training Speaker/Facilitators Bios

Contents 1 Jerome Armstrong 2 Ben Brandzel 3 Brendan Bush 4 Zack Exley 5 Judith Freeman 6 Adam Green 7 Greg Greene 8 Josh Hendler 9 Marc Laitin 10 Rosalyn Lemieux 11 Tom Matzzie 12 Amanda Michel 13 Aaron Myers 14 Frank O'Brien 15 Eli Pariser 16 Ari Rabin-Havt 17 Benjamin Rahn 18 Joe Rospars 19 Mary Shull 20 Madeline Stanionis 21 Tim Tagaris 22 Kevin Thurman 23 Ann E. Yoders

Jerome Armstrong

Jerome Armstrong, a pioneer of the political blogosphere, founded one of the first political blogs, MyDD.com in 2001. An architect of the netroots strategy that used blogs and Meetups for Howard Dean's campaign, Jerome works as an internet strategist for advocacy organizations and political campaigns with his company, Netroots.com. Jerome co-authored Crashing the Gate: Grassroots, Netroots, and the Rise of People Powered Politics with Markos Moulitsas of Daily Kos.

Ben Brandzel

Ben is the Campaign Director of MoveOn.org Political Action. In August of 2004, he founded the MoveOn Student Action to register and turn out youth for the November elections. The initiative was a huge success, involving 230,000 students on 2,300 campuses in all 50 states.

Brendan Bush

Brendan Bush worked on the Internet Team of John Kerry’s presidential campaign after a brief stint as a field organizer in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Tennessee. He spent a year as the Online Coordinator for WakeUpWalMart.com, helping to launch what has become one of America's fastest growing online movements. He now works for Mayfield Strategy, consulting on various Democratic campaigns.

Zack Exley

Zack Exley is a Senior Strategist with OMP, a DC-based communications and fundraising firm, and President of the New Organizing Institute, as well as a Co-Founder and Board Member. He coordinated online efforts for the British Labor Party's 2005 re-election campaign, and was Director of Online Organizing and Communications at Kerry-Edwards 2004. Before that he served as Organizing Director at MoveOn.org, and played a part in early Dean Internet strategy. He broke ground for politics on the Internet in 1999 with GWBush.com, a parody site that drew a precedent-setting attack from the Bush campaign – and with some of the first experiments in national online organizing. Zack worked as a union organizer for several years around the Midwest and South in the mid-90's, and also worked as a computer programmer in the financial sector.

Judith Freeman

Judith Freeman, a New Organizing Institute Co-Founder and Board Member, is the Senior Research Analyst in the AFL-CIO’s Political department. Previously, she was the Director of Information Technology for Working America at the AFL-CIO. During the 2004 presidential election, she worked for the Kerry campaign at national headquarters as an online organizer, playing a key role in mobilizing hundreds of thousands of volunteers nationwide. She has consulted to several political and non-profit campaigns on Internet strategy and membership data management, including Casey for Senate, Angelides for Governor and the Wilderness Society. Before combining her two passions of organizing and technology, she worked for 5 years as a Network Engineer and Systems Programmer for the Network Security Center at the University of Chicago where she also organized for human rights campaigns.

Adam Green

Adam Green is a self-described “pro bono philosopher.” A native of New Jersey, he attended law school at the University of Virginia and did his undergraduate work at The George Washington University – where he studied political communications and economics. He currently serves as Civic Communications Director for MoveOn.org Civic Action. Previously, he was Communications Director for the New Jersey Democratic State Committee and was the DNC’s Press Secretary in Oregon during the 2004 presidential campaign.

Greg Greene

Greg is a Senior Strategist for Blue State Digital. For more than a decade, Greg has been involved in politics, beginning with a stint as a White House intern in 1993. He worked on Cathy Woolard's campaign for Atlanta city council president in 2001 and as research director and press secretary for her 2004 Congressional campaign. Other recent political experience includes three years as a governmental affairs representative for technology concerns and progressive causes, as well as engagements with environmental organizations such as the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund and the Georgia Water Coalition. Earlier in his career, Greg worked on the news staff of the Atlanta Business Chronicle, and spent two years in the litigation practice of a law firm in Chicago.

Josh Hendler

Josh Hendler currently serves as Director of Engineering at the Democratic National Committee, working as the project manager for the National Voter Database project. Prior to joining the DNC, Josh most recently directed Internet technology on the British Labor Party's re-election campaign. He was Manager of Software Development for Kerry-Edwards 2004, overseeing the development of organizing and online fundraising applications. Josh also served as a developer and program manager of open source efforts at the Clark 2004 campaign in Little Rock during the primaries. Before entering politics, Josh was a technology manager at Major League Baseball Advanced Media.

Marc Laitin

Marc is a Principal at Wired for Change, a campaign strategies and technology consulting firm specializing in building online communities, driving supporters to action, and achieving online and offline objectives. In addition to his work at Wired for Change, Marc is the treasurer of StartChange PAC and was a director of the Running for Change PAC, which organized the Run Against Bush campaign, Stop Sinclair and Concerts for Change, and raised over $700,000 from over 20,000 donors. Prior to founding Running for Change, Marc was working part-time as a high school economics teacher at a DC public charter school and researching and writing a high school economics textbook with Alan Krueger. Marc is a graduate of Harvard where he majored in Economics. At Wired for Change, Marc focuses on providing strategic advice to clients and managing development projects.

Rosalyn Lemieux

Rosalyn Lemieux, New Organizing Institute’s Executive Director worked for MoveOn.org Political Action in various capacities—including staff trainer, online organizer, and volunteer program manager from April 2004 to July 2006. Prior to joining MoveOn, Rosalyn operated a small independent consulting business, conducting online campaigns for progressive candidates and causes. She got her start in online organizing while serving as the Feminist Majority Foundation’s web team director from 1999-2003.

Tom Matzzie

As the Washington Director of MoveOn.org Political Action, Tom oversees MoveOn's legislative advocacy on a range of issues including Social Security, the Courts, the Environment, budget and tax issues, the war in Iraq and other issues important to MoveOn’s 3 million members. Prior to joining MoveOn Tom was Director of Online Organizing for the Kerry-Edwards campaign — managing an organizing program for the campaign’s 2.8 million person e-mail list. From 2000 to 2004 he was Online Mobilization Director at the AFL-CIO building the union movement’s Internet program — including the 3.2 million e-mail activists on the lists of the unions of the AFL-CIO. Tom is also one of the top Social Security organizers in the country. From 1998 to 2000 he organized the coalition opposing Social Security privatization at the Campaign for America's Future. He has appeared on network television, on syndicated radio and is cited by The New York Times, the Associated Press, The Washington Post and other major daily publications.

Amanda Michel

Amanda Michel is the Communications Director of Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law, where she is responsible for the Center's press, communications, and community building efforts. Before joining the Berkman Center, Amanda worked on the Dean and Kerry campaigns. She was National Director of Generation Dean, Howard Dean's official youth outreach program. On the Kerry campaign, Amanda created and directed the Media Corps program, the campaign's grassroots media effort, and later in the campaign she and Zack Exley supervised Ohio's Internet-field operation. Along with other members of the Kerry Internet team, Amanda co-founded the New Organizing Institute, which trains young techies and organizers in the essentials of campaigning online.

Aaron Myers

Aaron Myers is an internet consultant who has served on the staffs of the Kerry/Edwards and Gore presidential campaigns, in addition to working for Sen. Harkin. For Gore 2000, Aaron functioned as the campaign's senior Web producer. He has guided the creation of a variety of online advocacy and promotional projects, designed web sites and internet strategy plans for non-profit organizations, labor unions, and corporations. Aaron majored in Political Communication at the George Washington University.

Frank O'Brien

Frank O'Brien is widely recognized as one of the leading direct marketing strategists in the nation. He is the president of OMP, a full-service fundraising and communications agency that serves leading causes in the United States. Over the past two decades, Frank has built OMP into a highly respected consulting firm with an ability to move with ease in the charitable, political and advocacy worlds. Frank serves both as a mentor to OMP staff and a hands-on partner with the agency's clients.

Eli Pariser

Executive Director of MoveOn.org Political Action, Eli Pariser joined the organization after starting 9-11peace.org, an international peace campaign with over half a million supporters in 192 countries. (9-11peace.org is now a part of MoveOn.org.) Eli directed MoveOn's campaign against the Iraq war, tripling the member base in the process, and was one of the co-founders of the ad contest Bush in 30 Seconds. He's been profiled in the New York Times Magazine, Money Magazine, Details, Mother Jones, and other publications, and has appeared on every major cable news channel and television network. Eli studied political science at Simon's Rock College. He is originally from Camden, Maine, and now lives in Portland, Maine.

Ari Rabin-Havt

Ari Rabin-Havt currently works in the United States Senate in Harry Reid’s office. He has loved politics for as long as he can remember. With college friend Ben Brandzel, he founded a nationwide student organization called Click Back America, which was eventually re-branded as MoveOn Student Action. He also served as Deputy Director of Internet Communications on John Kerry's presidential campaign. Previously Ari worked at Penn Schoen and Berland Associates, a Washington DC based polling and market research firm, and in Rep. Ted Strickland's (OH-6) office.

Benjamin Rahn

Benjamin Rahn went on leave in 2004 from pursuing a theoretical physics Ph.D. at Caltech to work full-time on ActBlue. During college he interned in strategy consulting, taught elementary after-school programs, and successfully lobbied for undergraduate curriculum reform. After graduating from Harvard College in 2000 he led a 20-member staff as Assistant Director of the Research Science Institute at MIT.

Joe Rospars

Joe Rospars is a founding partner at Blue State Digital and specializes in Internet strategy, communications and fundraising. Since helping found the company, he has developed and implemented strategies that have made news, recruited hundreds of thousands of volunteers, and raised millions of dollars for clients. Before his work at Blue State Digital, he worked for Gov. Howard Dean’s presidential campaign where he wrote and edited emails that were sent to hundreds of thousands of supporters and provided content for the highly praised Web site and blog. Joe also worked on message development, online brand building, and grassroots organizing for the campaign. Prior to the campaign, he taught English in Stockholm, Sweden and wrote for NotGeniuses.com, a political blog.

Mary Shull

Mary used to be pretty typical of the overburdened, uninvolved American. She would read the news and feel peeved and powerless. So many issues that the Pittsburgh stay-at-home mother cared about--from the war in Iraq to the deficit. But with a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old, so little time to get involved. Mary found that getting involved isn't as daunting as it might seem. Eager to do something, she signed up with MoveOn.org, the grass-roots Internet advocacy group. Still, when an organizer asked her to help get out the vote in the 2004 election, her first thought was: "Are you crazy? I have two little kids I'm making dinner for." Nonetheless, she set out nervously the next day, children in tow, to knock on neighbors' doors. "People started thanking me, and I thought, this is pretty cool."

Madeline Stanionis

Madeline is an experienced online fundraising, advocacy, and marketing consultant, speaker, and author. Until mid-2006, she was the President and Creative Director of Donordigital, a full-service online agency which helps nonprofit organizations, campaigns, and socially responsible businesses use the Internet to build their constituencies and achieve their goals. Madeline has been raising money, organizing, and communicating for organizations and causes for 20 years. She is also a frequent speaker and writer in fundraising, advocacy, and technology conferences and publications across the country. Madeline is a trainer and adviser to the New Organizing Institute, and co-convenes Web of Change, an international annual gathering that connects global leaders in online communications, technology, and activism who are actively building a better world. She is the author of The Mercifully Brief, Real World Guide to Raising Thousands (If Not Tens of Thousands) of Dollars with E-mail.

Tim Tagaris

Netroots wizard and ex-Marine, Tim is a brilliant organizer, a dedicated progressive and a fantastic blogger and visionary. To give you a little history, Tim's a netroots pioneer. He managed the first netroots candidate, Jeff Seeman, to a surprisingly good showing. In Pennsylvania, he caught young Republicans outside of a Santorum event on video chanting 'Hey hey, ho ho, Social Security's got to go', a major blow to the privatization scam. Then in Ohio he built GrowOhio.org for Sherrod Brown before providing the crucial link between the Ohio blogs and the national blogosphere that led to Hackett's fantastic rise during the Ohio 2nd race against Jean Schmidt. Tim played an instrumental role as a blogger at the DNC before heading to Connecticut to direct internet communications for Ned Lamont.

Kevin Thurman

Kevin is a Senior Strategist for Blue State Digital. Kevin crafts online programs that produce results by reaching, engaging and energizing an organization's audience. Prior to joining Blue State, Kevin worked as an online consultant for non-profit clients such as the Human Rights Campaign and the American Civil Liberties Union, as well as political leaders like Sen. Russ Feingold and Sen. Gary Hart.

Ann E. Yoders

Ann E. Yoders is the CEO and Founder of Bronx Cash Register Consulting Company. Prior to the starting Bronx Consulting, Ann worked for the Carol/Trevelyan Strategy Group - the company responsible for the first campaign website (Diane Feinstein in 1994). With CTSG, Ann worked on strategy and online engagement. Ann consulted for such clients as The Turner Foundation, former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, Global AIDS Alliance, Union of Concerned Scientists, Jim Hightower, the Progressive Government Institute and many others. Ann has over 10 years of experience working with non-profits, political organizations and campaigns. She started her professional career in 1994 as a National Intern for Project Vote Smart. Soon after her internship, she was hired as the Director of Project Vote Smart's National Internship Program. Ann led 60 interns to build Vote Smart, the nationally-recognized, award-winning online clearinghouse on non-partisan, political information.