Speaker Bios

From GrassrootsPedia

March 2007 Online Organizing & Tech Training Speaker/Facilitators Bios

Contents 1 Michael Bassik 2 Ivan Boothe 3 Nita Chaudhary 4 Peter Churchill 5 Heather Cronk 6 Colin Delany 7 Zack Exley 8 Susan Finkelpearl 9 Judith Freeman 10 Margot Friedman 11 Steve Geer 12 Scott Goodstein 13 Adam Green 14 Greg Greene 15 David Grossman 16 Chris Hughes 17 Clay Johnson 18 Rosalyn Lemieux 19 Peter Leyden 20 Dan Manatt 21 Tom Matzzie 22 Amanda Michel 23 Lauren Miller 24 Frank O'Brien 25 Nico Pitney 26 Ari Rabin-Havt 27 Jeff Regen 28 Kevin Reid 29 Simon Rosenberg 30 Alan Rosenblatt 31 David Salie 32 Ali Savino 33 Michael Silberman 34 Madeline Stanionis 35 Matt Stoller 36 Tim Tagaris 37 Usha Venkatachallam 38 Michael Ward

Michael Bassik

At MSHC Partners, no small measure of pride is taken in the fact that each member of our team boasts some unique and/or odd skill. However, when Michael Bassik came to us in 2004 he brought with him the unique distinction as being the first - and probably only - member of our staff to have ever appeared on stage at Carnegie Hall (making his New York City debut playing viola with his high school orchestra). In fact, Michael came to MSHC Partners possessing a wealth of unique skills - singing, dancing, sleeping late - that we have yet to figure out what to do with.

In the meantime, Michael is MSHC Partners' Vice President of Internet Advertising and oversees the creation and development of our online marketing campaigns. A true political junkie who got his first fix accompanying his parents to the polls, Michael comes to us from AOL where had directed political media strategy since the 2000 election cycle.

A native of Great Neck, NY, Michael graduated from the University of Pennsylvania (where he was the student body president in his senior year) and has worked for some of the most powerful figures in media and politics, including President Clinton and former New York Times editor-in-chief Howell Raines.

Ivan Boothe

Ivan Boothe is the director of communications for the Genocide Intervention Network, which empowers individuals and communities with the tools to prevent and stop genocide. He holds a degree in peace and conflict studies and authored a thesis on third-party nonviolent intervention. Ivan was a co-founder of why-war.org, which launched a nationwide campaign of electronic civil disobedience against the voting machine manufacturer Diebold in 2003. His writings can be found at quixotic1.com.

Nita Chaudhary

Chaudhary runs campaigns on civil liberties, Censure, and other issues for Moveon.org. In the past she worked for the DNC and the People for the American Way. At PFAW she held several positions, including Media Research Analyst, Web Content Manager, and Online Organizer. Nita is a graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, CT, with a degree in Political Science and Women's Studies.

Peter Churchill

Peter Churchill is the Associate Director of CRM and Outreach Technology at the Center for American Progress. Prior to joining the Center, Peter spent three months at the Webb for Senate Campaign in Virginia after graduating with a Master's Degree in Political Management from GW's Graduate School of Political Management in June 2006. While studying, Peter also worked at the Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet, where he successfully managed the 2006 Politics Online Conference. Peter originally hails from the UK, where he spent nearly ten years working in Europe and the USA designing and building contact management solutions for the corporate sector.

Heather Cronk

Heather is working with the New Organizing Institute to assemble the March 2007 training for nonprofit organizations. Prior to her work with NOI, Heather worked with Idealist.org's campus program, first as an organizer and then as director. In the role of director, Heather coordinated Idealist’s work with college students primarily in the United States, involving a unique combination of traveling nationally to train at campuses and conferences, running day-to-day operations for the program, working with a powerful team to organize a 1,500-person national conference on student engagement and activism, building a strong network of incredible university programs and nonprofit organizations, and creating a website tying all these things together seamlessly...which was no sweat. The majority of her professional experience has been in higher education, helping students find pathways into college activism and socially responsible careers. A native of Kentucky, Heather has lived in 10 states and is an expert in packing and unpacking. She is a graduate of Berry College and Wake Forest University Divinity School.

Colin Delany

After an early-’90s stint in the Texas Capitol (a place where politics is generally considered a contact sport), in 1995 I helped to start the original e.politics, which was an email-based legislative and regulatory alert service that unfortunately never quite worked as advertised. In 1999, I helped to start politicalinformation.com, a targeted search engine for politics and policy (now preserved by an online museum!), and served as its editor, public face and chief business development/P.R. guy.

After both companies went the way of all well-intentioned but inadequately capitalized ideas, I worked for several years as a graphic designer and communications consultant, helping a wide variety of advocacy groups build an online presence. Since September of 2003, I’ve worked full-time at the National Environmental Trust as their online communications manager. In that role, I’ve tried everything I could to help spread the word about our issues and mobilize supporters. Along the way, I’ve given most of the methods described on e.politics a shot.

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.

Susan Finkelpearl

Susan blends communications strategy with emerging web technologies to transform her clients websites from static e-brochures into vibrant communities, where individuals gather and rally around issues they care about. Prior to joining Free Range in 2004, Susan racked up knowledge of today's most critical environmental and social issues at the Worldwatch Institute. Her passion for community involvement comes from her years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Slovakia, where she established a youth center, taught English, and assisted community foundations with strategic planning and fundraising. Susan is currently pursuing a Masters in communications with a concentration on digital technologies at The Johns Hopkins University. In her free time, Susan dabbles in organic gardening, and getting all the fresh air she can via hiking, biking, climbing, and camping.

Judith Freeman

Judith Freeman is the Senior Research Analyst in the AFL-CIO’s Political department, and President of the New Organizing Institute, as well as a Co-Founder and Board Member. 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.

Margot Friedman

Margot Friedman, J.D. brings nearly 20 years of experience in strategic communications, media relations, speechwriting, lobbying, and campaign management to Dupont Circle Communications. She specializes in using strategic communications to advance public policy agendas, build field efforts, and support fundraising goals for nonprofit organizations and progressive elected officials.

Steve Geer

Stephen Geer is the Manager of Online Advocacy at the Center for American Progress. Before joining the Center, Steve ran online operations for the Children's Defense Fund and served as webmaster for American University's College of Arts and Sciences. Steve studied electrical engineering at Cornell University and computer science and literature at Virginia Tech. He is originally from Roanoke, Virginia.

Scott Goodstein

Scott Goodstein spent the last twelve years managing political campaigns and building progressive coalitions. After working for several members of Congress, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, Goodstein founded Catalyst Campaigns (www.catalystcampaigns.com). A master at mixing online and offline organizing tools with culture, music, politics and messaging, Goodstein knows how to build sustainable niche based organizations from the ground up including: Punkvoter.com, Rock Against Bush, MilitaryFreeZone.org, Save CBGB, and Operation Ceasefire. Goodstein received both a BA and an MPA from The American University School of Public Affairs.

Goodstein lives in Washington DC where he proudly proclaims, "George Bush is Still Not My President."

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.

David Grossman

David Grossman is a producer for PoliticsTV.com and PoliticsTV's consulting division, ptvMedia. PoliticsTV.com provides original video coverage of political events often overlooked or poorly covered by the mainstream media as well as providing a portal website for political video content. ptvMedia provides video services to a number of progressive organizations, including MoveOn.org, Campaign for America's Future and NDN. Prior to joining PoliticsTV, David worked on the communications staff for Media Matters for America. David earned his B.A. from American University's School of Public Affairs.

Chris Hughes

Chris Hughes is a co-founder of the popular social network Facebook. Begun by three Harvard undergrads in early 2004, Facebook helps people better understand the world around them by developing technologies that facilitate the spread of information through social networks. Hughes is most interested in the intersections between technology and cultural and political structures. He has worked both on the marketing and product development teams at Facebook since the site's beginning.

Clay Johnson

Clay Johnson is a founding partner at Blue State Digital and is responsible for business development at Blue State Digital. He has many years of experience building online communities and has played an integral role at the forefront of Internet technology, including starting and directing three of his own companies. As a college student, Clay founded KnowPost.com, the first Internet-based knowledge exchange, which connected people who had questions to people who had answers. Clay's work at KnowPost included building a community of over 100,000 people who participated in this information exchange. Clay's interest in knowledge management also led him to work at Ask Jeeves as their lead syndication engineer. Before starting Blue State Digital, Clay was the lead national software engineer behind the online grassroots organizing technology for Gov. Howard Dean's presidential campaign. He built numerous software programs, including one that enabled over 300,000 people to write letters and make 50,000 phone calls to undecided voters. Clay is an advisor for the New Progressive Coalition and is a founder of Georgia for Democracy.

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.

Peter Leyden

Peter Leyden is the Director of the New Politics Institute, a think tank and strategy center based in San Francisco that focuses on the transformation of politics in the early 21st century. NPI is developing a diverse network of strategists from many different fields to help progressives take advantage of today’s massive changes in technology, media and demographics. NPI is an affiliate of NDN, with offices in Washington, DC. Leyden comes from Global Business Network, a futures think tank and strategic consulting firm that pioneered the use of a diverse networks of high capacity individuals. He worked for years at the center of GBN’s network of more than 100 technologists, scientists, academics, entrepreneurs, business strategists, and artists. Leyden previously worked as the managing editor at the original Wired magazine that helped drive the digital revolution and pioneered the early online new media. He has worked as a journalist at several newspapers and as a special correspondent in Asia for Newsweek magazine. Leyden is the coauthor of two books, The Long Boom, A Future History of the World: 1980-2020; and What's Next?, Exploring the New Terrain for Business. He has written for many publications, including The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Peter has two master's degrees from Columbia University, including one in political science, and graduated summa cum laude from Georgetown University. He lives in Berkeley, California, with his wife Sharon, and 14-year-old daughter, Emma. You can contact him at leyden@newpolitics.net and find more about him and NPI at www.newpolitics.net.

Dan Manatt

Dan Manatt is the Executive Producer/CEO of PoliticsTV.com/ptvMedia Consulting. Dan founded ptvMedia, the first ever political Web Video consulting firm, in 2003. Since opening its doors, ptvMedia has worked for a who's who of the progressive community, including the AFL-CIO, the Center for American Progress, the DNC, EMILY's List, The One Campaign (DATA), SEIU, and more.

Dan founded PoliticsTV.com, the Internet TV site, in 2005. Prior to that, Dan worked on the Clinton-Gore campaigns in 1992 and 1996, in the White House counsel's office, on Capitol Hill as legislative counsel, and as an election law attorney. Dan's Web Video work has won top honors from MoveOn.org, Campaigns & Elections, the American Association of Political Consultants, and the Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet.

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.

Lauren Miller

Prior to joining Blue State Digital in 2005, Lauren served as state volunteer coordinator for the California Democratic Party, where she oversaw the party's volunteer recruitment, training, and organization for large-scale events. In 2004, she interned in the communications department of the California Democratic Party's "Every Vote Counts" campaign, a grassroots effort to register and mobilize voters in Democratic base communities. Lauren holds a B.A. in political science and Middle Eastern and North African studies from the University of California, Los Angeles.

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.

Nico Pitney

Nico Pitney is Deputy Research Director of ThinkProgress.org and the Progress Report at the Center for American Progress. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of California Santa Barbara, and studied economics and international relations with the Fund for American Studies at Georgetown University. Prior to joining the Center, Nico developed web content for the youth arm of Gov. Howard Dean's presidential campaign.

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.

Jeff Regen

Jeff Regen is the Vice President of Online Marketing & Communications at Defenders of Wildlife, an industry leader in online fundraising, advocacy, and education. Defenders has a list of over 500,000 e-subscribers, generates over one million advocacy actions each year, and raises over $3 million online each year as well as supporting offline fundraising. Prior to joining Defenders in 2004, Jeff spent twelve years in the private sector. He learned private sector database marketing techniques at Capital One where he managed the marketing and business development teams in the Internet Acquisition Division. Jeff also built and served as President for a dotcom, and worked for the consulting firm, McKinsey & Company. In the early 1990s, he worked in the former Soviet Union--first on environmental issues, and later on privatization and capital markets development. Jeff received his Bachelors from Swarthmore College and MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Kevin Reid

As Assistant Vice President at Issue Dynamics, Inc., Kevin Reid heads up IDI's Internet group, which manages online campaigns from design and development to messaging, mobilization and analysis. Kevin also oversees IDI's Blogger Relations programs including client blog building, monitoring, advertising and training. Kevin has more than a decade of experience in online communication and mobilization. Before coming to IDI, he was director of Internet communications at the U.S. section of Amnesty International with responsibility for overall online communications operations and strategic direction. While there, Kevin helped the organization integrate its online and offline programs and develop online recruitment and retention strategies specific to students in college and high school as well as Spanish-language activists. He also helped the organization develop a blogging strategy. Additionally, he was tapped by Amnesty International's global headquarters in London on a number of key Internet-based communications and recruitment projects.

Kevin has a BA in International Relations from Claremont McKenna College, an MS in Marketing from Johns Hopkins University and an MA in Journalism and Public Affairs from American University’s School of Communication.

Simon Rosenberg

Simon Rosenberg is the founder of the New Democrat Network, an organization formerly allied with the Democratic Leadership Council, and was a candidate for the Democratic National Committee Chair in 2005. Guided by the vision of building a 21st century Party, Rosenberg has advocated for a vibrant, dynamic and effective strategy to make the Democratic Party competitive in all regions of the country.

Alan Rosenblatt

Alan Rosenblatt is the Executive Director of Internet Advocacy Center, a digital political strategy consulting firm and virtual think tank. He advises clients on how to effectively use the internet and mobile technology in public affairs, public education, advocacy, and electoral campaigns. He is a frequent lecturer and writer on internet politics and is known for having one of the most comprehensive views and understanding of the constantly changing technological landscape of digital politics. He has advised advocacy groups, Congressional offices, grassroots party organizations, associations, and technology vendors on ways to best position themselves for success. He is often sought out by technology companies to review their new products and product upgrades. He has his finger on the pulse of the latest trends in social networking, blogging, online video, mobile advocacy, and other leading edge digital tools and strategies.

As the leader of the Internet Advocacy Roundtable, Dr. Rosenblatt convenes a monthly, intensive forum that brings together experts in the areas of internet and mobile advocacy, social networking, online advertising, and related topics with public affairs professionals. Since its first meeting in August 2005, over 200 people have participated in these small, intimate luncheons. Many of the attendees, most experts in their own rights, have participated in several Roundtables.

Dr. Rosenblatt is also an adjunct professor at American University, the Editor of the Moving Ideas Network, Washington Bureau Chief for Media Bureau Networks (MBN), and a contributing editor to Politics Online. He currently writes for two blogs—Dr. DigiPol and Moving Targets, and serves on the editorial boards of several scholarly journals dedicated to the study of the Internet, politics, and government, including the Journal of Information Technology and Politics, the International Journal of Electronic Government Research, and Social Science Computer Review. He taught Political Science at George Mason University for nine years, where, in 1995, he launched the nation’s first cyberpolitics course. With MBN, he was the project manager for webcasting live coverage of the 2000 Presidential Conventions, where he also edited the supporting website and hosted several talk shows, interviewing noted political figures including the Reverend Jerry Falwell, Steve Forbes, Jr., Philadelphia Mayor John Street, and former Congressman Bob Barr. In 2001, he created the Online Advocacy Services division at Stateside Associates, the first state and local focused internet advocacy strategy practice in the industry. From 2003 to 2005 he trained campaign professionals how to use the Internet to achieve their political goals and managed several online advocacy campaigns for e-advocates. Dr. Rosenblatt has a Ph.D. in Political Science from American University, an M.A. in Political Science from Boston College, and a B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy from Tufts University. He lives in Arlington, Virginia.

David Salie

Invited by Governor Howard Dean to work full-time for his campaign efforts in 2002, David Salie, formerly an Attorney-Adviser for the U.S. Department of State, became Dean for America’s Director of House Party Fundraising. Over the course of 15 months, David built relationships with grassroots leaders nationwide and developed a new outreach strategy for political campaigns. Under David’s leadership DFA’s House Party program engaged over 80,000 participants, trained over 3,500 supporters to become grassroots leaders, and raised over $2 million for Governor Dean's presidential campaign. “National House Party Days” became the signature events of the House Party program, featuring simultaneous nationwide gatherings, each joining a single conference call with the candidate himself. In December, for example, during the “New Year for America” event, over 1,400 separate house parties participated in the largest nationwide fundraiser in American political history, raising over $800,000 in one evening.

David now works with clients to create innovative community-building programs for partisan and non-partisan grassroots outreach and fundraising. By teaching political campaigns, non-profit groups and for-profit companies to optimize their use of both new technology as well as more traditional methods of peer-to-peer engagement and activism, David helps groups connect with more people, at a deeper level, in shorter time-frames.

Ali Savino

Alexandra Savino is the co-founder and Program Director of the Center for Independent Media a not-for-profit organization that fosters diversity of ideas in the national debate by educating and training people on the use of new communications technologies. The Center's Fellowships and programs focuses on blogs as an exemplar of independent media.

Prior to launching the Center, Ms. Savino had worked with several progressive campaigns and organizations in a number of capacities. Starting with the Dean campaign in 2003, she has been a part of an assorted array of campaigns in various positions. She has worked in numerous states such as Iowa, South Carolina, and New Jersey. Mostly recently she was responsible for developing an Internet strategy for the Democracy Alliance, and blogosphere analysis for Media Matters for America. Previous to Ms. Savino's work in the political and advocacy world, she held software programming positions with companies such as Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, Strategic Forecasting and Netegrity. Alexandra Savino is a graduate of Cornell University, with a Bachelors of Engineering degree in Computer Science and a Master's degree with a focus on computer security.

Michael Silberman

Michael Silberman was was the National Meetup Director for Howard Dean’s presidential campaign and is now the Director and Senior Strategist at consultancy EchoDitto. EchoDitto is a strategic online communications firm dedicated to building vibrant communities online and empowering people through the creative use of emerging technologies. EchoDitto serves a wide variety of high profile nonprofit and business clients, including the U.N. World Food Programme, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and many more. In addition to helping other organizations use new tools, EchoDitto themselves blogs, uses RSS feeds and share their social bookmarking archives on the front page of their company web site, www.echoditto.com.

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.

Matt Stoller

Matt Stoller is a blogger and thought leader in the internet wing of the progressive movment. He writes at the well-respected liberal blog MyDD.com on progressive strategy, and is the President of the political action committee BlogPAC, which seeks to fund bloggers and progressive activists. He focuses his work on progressive coalition building, the mechanics of the right-wing, and communications policy. He consults for the Sunlight Foundation on open government, for Free Press's 'Savetheinternet' coalition on net neutrality, and for Working Assets, a progressive phone company. In 2005, he worked as the blogger for Jon Corzine for Governor and Simon Rosenberg for DNC Chair. He also co-created the web campaign Thereisnocrisis.com to fight against the privatization of Social Security. In 2004, he worked on a radio and blog project called 'The Blogging of the President', credentialled bloggers for the Democratic National Convention, and co-created the web campaign enjoythedraft.com. He is the co-author of a report titled 'The Emergence of the Progressive Blogosphere' from the New Politics Institute. In 2003, he worked on the Draft Clark movement. Stoller began blogging in 2002.

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.

Usha Venkatachallam

Ms. Usha Venkatachallam, Solutions Architect at Beaconfire Consulting, has been providing technical expertise to nonprofit and non-governmental organizations for nearly a decade. She helps nonprofit organizations creatively apply Internet technologies to advance their mission through designing, configuring, and implementing online solutions for content management, fundraising, advocacy, email marketing, and data integration. She has worked with innovative organizations such as American Civil Liberties Unions (ACLU), Amnesty International, Oxfam America, Heifer International, Planned Parenthood Federation, and Easter Seals.

Michael Ward

Michael is a Senior Vice President at M+R Strategic Service. In addition to overseeing the New York City team, he works directly with many of M+R’s large clients such as the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Human Rights First, Consumer Union (publishers of Consumer Reports) and Habitat for Humanity.

Prior to joining M+R, Michael worked for a project of the Rockefeller Family Fund providing strategic advice on online advocacy campaigns for major national organizations. In addition, he oversaw the development of a cutting-edge technology-planning tool available to nonprofit organizations via the web. Michael has been working using the Internet to advance policy issues since 1992, when he worked on a successful online campaign to win public access to government databases at the Center for Study of Responsive Law. Michael graduated from Columbia University's Graduate School of International and Public Affairs.