Obama General Election Campaign Organization, Illinois
revised June 24, 2010  disclaimer

Obama for America   and  Campaign for Change
National Headquarters: 233 N. Michigan Ave., 11th Floor, Chicago, IL
Illinois Volunteer Headquarters: 566 W. Lake Street, Lower Level, Chicago, IL

Focus was on Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana and Missouri...
  "We'll be organizing trips for Illinois supporters to each of our neighboring battleground states, every weekend from now through Election Day."  -- Sept. 4, 2008 posting on Obama for America Illinois blog.   

State Director
Ken Bennett
(Kenneth F. Williams-Bennett)  State director for Obama's Senate office from March 2005-July 1, 2008.  Previously worked for the city of Chicago.

Training Director
Melissa McNeal
Ran the volunteer headquarters in Chicago for nine months. Started on the campaign in summer 2007 as a volunteer.  Teacher in the Chicago area and in Wisconsin.  Attended University of Wisconsin.

Operations Director
Scott Speegle
Started on the campaign as a data manager.  Senior paralegal at Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, 2005-07.  Director of the international office at Northwestern University, 1998-2000.  B.A. in political science from Northwestern University, 1985.

Political Director
Malik Walker
Served as assistant to Obama's U.S. Senate state director Ken Bennett in the Chicago office.

Field Director
Mike Jordan

Deputy Field Director
Craig Muenzer
Prior to joining the campaign Muenzer worked for three months as Senate operations manager at the Iowa Democratic Party.  Studied political science at Purdue University Calumet.

Regional Field Organizers
Edgar Gonzalez  ...and GOTV Director

Annette Moore


Sheena Patton


Magen Ryan  ...and Youth Vote Director


Sean Schindl


Robert Stephan


Sean Tenner


New Media Director
Naveen Malik
B.S. in communications sciences from Northwestern University, 2005.  Raised in Canton, Illinois.

New Media
Sarah Spooner

Communications Director
Justin DeJong
(August 2008)  On leave from position as communications director at Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce; started there in Dec. 2007.  Served in various communications roles in the administration of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, late 2004-07.  Communications/government relations project manager at Peoples Energy Corp. in Chicago, 2002-04.  Intern at Jasculca-Terman & Associates.   Intern in Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley's press office.  Bachelor's degree in public relations from Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, 2001.


Ken Bennett in a GOTV video from YouTube

Democratic Party of Illinois  |  1201 South Veterans Parkway  |  Springfield, IL 62704  >
Chair
Michael J. Madigan
(since 1998)  Speaker of the Illinois House since 1983, except for 1994-96 when he was Minority Leader.  Elected to the House in Nov. 1970.  Graduate of Loyola University Law School and undergraduate degree from University of Notre Dame.  Born in Chicago.

Executive Director
Timothy Mapes
Chief of Staff to Madigan since late 1992.  Previously special assistant to Madigan, has served on Madigan's research and issues staff since 1977.  Graduate of Western Illinois University.

Obama primary


Copyright © 2008, 2009, 2010  Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action