America Votes--Organization
Fall 2008
Headquarters: Washington, DC

"We are a coalition of over 40 of the most powerful national groups working together to increase progressive voter registration and turnout."

America Votes was founded in July 2003.  In 2008 America Votes targeted 14 states; each state had its own coalition of organizations or "table."  America Votes' state organizing directors served an important traffic cop function, ensuring that local groups or chapters were "effectively working together and reaching out to the widest possible audience of voters."   Although it had a limited role through mid-2008 and Obama for America/Campaign for Change occupied much of the field, America Votes reported making 62.4 million contacts to persuade and turnout targeted voters.   See also: Harold Meyerson.  "Changing the Ground Wars."  The American Prospect, Oct. 31, 2008.
President
 Martin Frost
(June 2007)  Attorney at Polsinelli Shalton Flanigan Suelthaus.  Candidate for DNC chair in 2005.  Served 26 years in Congress representing the Dallas-Fort Worth area (elected Nov. 1978; defeated in 2004).  Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, 1999-2003.  Chair of the DCCC in the 1996 and 1998 election cycles.  Unsuccessful candidate for Congress in 1974.  Reporter for the Wilmington (DE) News-Journal and Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report.  B.A. and B.J. from University of Missouri, Columbia, 1964; J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, 1970; U.S. Army Reserves, 1966-72.
Executive Director
 Greg Speed
Worked at the DCCC for more than four years, including as communications director.  National communications director for Communities for Quality Education (CQE).  Press secretary and legislative assistant for Congressman Martin Frost (TX) during his tenure as Democratic Caucus Chair.  Directed communications for IMPAC 2000, a national redistricting project, following the 2000 Census.  B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Political Director
 Georgie Aguirre-Sacasa
A Human Rights Campaign regional field director.  Political director on the Arizona Democratic Coordinated Campaign in 2004.  Briefing and policy coordinator on Sen. John Edwards' presidential campaign.  Worked as a program assistant at National Democratic Institute.
 
Political Coordinator: Karen McLoughlin
Field Director
 Seth Johnson

 
Data and Targeting
 David Radloff
Deputy director at ISSI since Sept. 2007 and a principal at tinyhorse Solutions since Oct. 2005.  ISSI is "a not-for-profit corporation established to provide on the ground state-based data management, targeting and coalition-building advice and services to a variety of clients, including advocacy groups, charities and progressive political organizations."  tinyhorse was "founded to create an advanced volunteer management system for Democratic, progressive, and non-profit organizations, now known as the Donkey Campaign Management System." 

Communications and Research Director
 Kate Snyder


Finance Director
 Anna Ekindjian
(since Aug. 2007)  Consultant at Scott + Yandura, 2006-07.  Development director at Progressive Majority, 2003-06.  B.A. in American studies from Scripps College, 1998.

Chief Financial Officer
 Susan Finkle


Executive Committee



State Offices
Arizona - 701 West Alameda St., Tucson, AZ 85745
Table

Colorado - 960 Cherokee St., Denver, CO 80204
State Director
 Rich Pelletier
Executive director at the Maine Democratic Party, Jan. 2005-06.  State director America Coming Together-Maine and earlier ACT NH communications director, 2003-04.  Political director at Think About It, an unsucessful November 2003 referendum to build a casino resort in Sanford, Maine.  Special assistant to the Maine Speaker of the House, 2000-02.  Graduate of University of Maine at Fort Kent.  A Mainer.

Florida - ???
State Director
 Jenny Lawson
???

Michigan - 333 West 7th St. Ste 200, Royal Oak, MI 48067
State Director
 Ray Plowden
Also Michigan director in the 2004 cycle.  Served as Michigan political director on Dick Gephardt's campaign (announced October 16, 2003).  Rep. John Conyers' Chief of Staff starting in 1995, managing Conyers' Washington, DC and Detroit congressional offices.  Active in numerous Detroit area organizations including the Detroit Entrepreneurship Institute, Metro Detroit ACLU, Detroit Youth Foundation and the Michigan Coalition of Human Rights.  Plowden is a graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta and Wayne State University Law School in Detroit.  A native of Michigan.

Minnesota - 1600 University Ave W. Ste 309A, St. Paul, MN 55104
State Director
 Jessie Danielson
Experience includes political director for NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado.

Missouri - 462 N. Taylor Ave. Ste 601, St. Louis, MO 63108
State Director
 Mindy Mazur
Previously chief of staff in the Office of Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, 2005-08; managed Carnahan's campaign in 2004.  Oklahoma regional field director on the Dick Gephardt for President campaign, 2003-Jan. 2004.  Worked in the Office of Congressman Ike Skelton as a legislative correspondent/staff assistant and as legislative assistant, 1999-2003.  M.A. from The George Washington University; B.A. in communications from University of Missouri-Columbia.

New Hampshire - 4 Park St. Ste 302, Concord, NH 03301
State Director
 Josiette White
Northeast Ohio regional field manager for America Votes, 2006-07.  Regional organizer at Voices & Choices and America Speaks (NE Ohio), 2005-06.  Project manager at Organize! Ohio; also did after school and summer programs for Cleveland Scholarship Programs, Inc. 2002-04.  VISTA/AmericaCorps, 2000-02.  MSSA in social work from Case Western Reserve University Mandel School of Applied Social Science, 2002.  B.A. in sociology from Mount Union College, 2000.

New Mexico - 1202 Pennsylvania St. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110
State Director
 Jennifer Siems Ford
Executive director of the Minnesota DFL since March 2004 and director of the 2004 Minnesota DFL coordinated camapign.  Served as an aide to State Senator John Hottinger and as administrator for the Minnesota Senate Health and Family Security Committee for five years.  Deputy director and GOTV director for the DFL Coordinated Campaign in 2000.   B.A. in political science from the University of Minnesota and a Master's degree in education from the University of St. Thomas.

Nevada - 4 Sunset Way, Ste A7, Henderson, NV 89014
State Director
 Ed Espinoza
( June 2008)  More than 10 years of experience on campaigns.  Prior to joining America Votes, Espinoza worked for three months as deputy campaign manager on Bev Perdue for Governor campaign in North Carolina.  Nevada caucus director on Bill Richardson for President campaign.   Three months as operations manager on Bruce Lunsford for Governor campaign in Kentucky.  A managing associate at Chlopak, Leonard, Schechter & Associates, 2005-06. First campaign work as an organizer on the California Coordinated Campaign in 1996.

Ohio - 2300 Montana Ave. #110, Cincinnati, OH 45211
           1588 East 40th St. #1F, Cleveland, OH 44103
           399 East Main St. Ste 220, Columbus, OH 43215
State Director
 Scott Nunnery
Also Ohio director in 2004.  Did consulting with Burnside and Associates; clients included state parties, environmental organizations, teachers' unions, and California State Senate and Assembly candidates.  Directed the 2000 New Mexico Democratic Coordinated Campaign.

Oregon - 1125 SE Madison #210, Portland, OR 97214
State Director
 Amy Hojnowski
Campaign manager at M+R Strategic Services, 2001-06.  B.A. in women's studies from State University of New York at New Paltz.

Pennsylvania - 801 N. Negley Ave. #5, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
State Director
 Mary Shull
Stay-at-home mom and political activist from Pittsburgh.  Western PA field director for America Votes in 2006.  Started out in politics as a volunteer canvasser for MoveOn in 2004.  Degree in women's studies from University of Pittsburgh.

Virginia - 2405 East Franklin St. Richmond, VA 23223
State Director
 Van Parish
Senior vice president in the Washington, DC office of Winning Directions, strategic direct mail firm (announced Dec. 2004).  Director of the California Coordinated Campaign in 2004.  Founder and Principal of the Parish Group. Worked with the Gore/Lieberman recount effort in Florida.  Northern California political director for the Coordinated Campaign in 2000.  Political director for the California Democratic Party, the youngest, as well as the first African American to do so; 1985.  Alameda County regional director for Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley's gubernatorial campaign, 1982.  Interned in the Carter White House,1979.  Parish's first electoral campaign was working for the late California Congressman Julian Dixon, 1978.  Graduate of the University of Southern California's School of Public Policy, Golden Gate University's School of Law and the Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs.

Wisconsin - 210 North Bassett St., Ste 110, Madison 53703
State Director
 Kim Warkentin
Executive director of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin in the 2004 cycle (moved to the Madison area from Portland, OR in 2003).  Worked as a political consultant in Oregon.  Executive director of the Iowa Democratic Party from March 1999 through May 2000.


National Partners
21st Century Democrats
ACORN
AFL-CIO
AFSCME
Alliance for Retired Americans
American Association of Justice
American Federation of Teachers
American Hunters and Shooters Association
Americans United for Change
Ballot Initiative Strategy Center
Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence with the Million Mom March
Campaign for America’s Future
Campaign for Community Change
Change to Win
Civic Participation Campaign
Clean Water Action
Communities for Quality Education
Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund
Democracy for America
EMILY’s List
Human Rights Campaign
INDN’s List
International Brotherhood of Teamsters
League of Conservation Voters
League of Education Voters
League of United Latin American Citizens
League of Young Voters
Moveon.org Political Action
My Rural America
NAACP Voter Fund
NARAL Pro-Choice America
National Association of Social Workers
National Democratic Network
National Education Association
National Jewish Democratic Council
People for the American Way
Planned Parenthood Action Fund
Progressive Future
Progressive Majority
ProgressNow Action
SEIU
Sierra Club
USAction
Vote Vets Action Fund
Women’s Campaign Forum
Womens Voices Women Vote
Working America
Young Democrats of America

Copyright © 2008, 2009  Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action