Obama General Election Campaign Organization, Montana
revised April 14, 2009  disclaimer

Obama for America 
State Director Mike Dorsey
(announced June 25, 2008)  Dorsey served as state director for the Missouri primary and earlier as the campaign's Midwest political director in Chicago.  Directed the Rhode Island Democratic Coordinated Campaign in 2006.  Worked on Patty Wetterling's U.S. Senate campaign in Minnesota (she withdrew in Jan. 2006).  Deputy research director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee during the 2004 cycle.  Graduate of the University of Kansas.  Minnesota native.


Political Director Tara Jensen
Communications director for state school Superintendent Linda McCulloch, Office of Public Instruction.  Director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood of Montana.  Field representative for U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, 2001-02.  Has also worked in the Montana House and on several congressional races.  Montana native.


Communications Director Caleb Weaver
Communications director on Obama's Rhode Island primary campaign and earlier on the Missouri primary campaign.  Graduated from Harvard Law School in Spring 2008 (he headed Harvard Law Students for Obama).  Experience includes staff of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, 2004 Holden for Governor campaign in Missouri, staff of Gov. Bob Holden, and the 2002 Carnahan for Senate campaign.  Undergraduate degree from Yale, 2001.  St. Louis native.


New Media  Director Zach Schwartz
Experience includes online communications associate for the Save Darfur Coalition.



Campaign for Change

Field Director Carrie Glenn
Glenn was field director on Obama's Montana primary campaign after serving as Waco regional field director on the campaign in Texas, state director on the campaign in Oklahoma, and Keene regional field director on Obama's NH primary campaign.  Deputy director of the 2006 Montana Democratic Party's coordinated campaign and earlier deputy field director for John Tester's U.S Senate campaign.  Worked for Alliance for Justice.  Volunteer coordinator on John Kerry's 2004 Georgia primary campaign.  Native of Oregon.

Deputy Field Director Lauren Watts
Early vote director on the Montana primary campaign; regional field director for Western Pennsylvania on the Pennsylvania primary campaign; started out as a field organizer on Obama's NH primary campaign (Lebanon).

Field Organizers: Kristin Bailey, Dan Casey.

Regional Organization
(6 regions, 19 total offices including headquarters in Helena)



Constituency Director Gyasi Ross
Blackfeet tribal member; worked with the First Americans for Obama Policy Group and as Native vote coordinator for the National Congress of American Indians.  Associate general counsel for Port Madison Enterprises in Washington State.  Graduate of Columbia Law School and The Evergreen State College.

Deputy Constituency Director  - Nicole Willis (Billings)


Press Assistant
Lily Corvo

Communications Assistant (volunteer) - Saira Sufi


Surrogate Scheduler
Melanie Roberts


Operations Director Erin Castle
Communications intern then a field organizer in Des Moines on the Iowa caucus campaign; continued on to Texas (Lubbock) and North Carolina.  Graduate of the University of Missouri, Columbia with a degree in English.  Originally from Lubbock, TX.


GOTV Director Megan Wilbur


Voter File Manager
Shannon Cwikla
Analyst at OMD, a unit of Omnicom Media Group.  Assistant interactive media planner at Saatchi & Saatchi LA.  Graduate of the University of Chicago, 2006.

Deputy Voter File Manager (volunteer) - Eric Jamieson


Voter Protection Coordinator
Curtis LeGeyt
Associate at Howrey, LLP.  Worked as a law clerk for the National Football League's Management Council and as a clerk for the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.  J.D. from Cornell Law School, 2005.  B.A. in quantative economics from Providence College, 2000.

Deputy Voter Protection Coordinators (volunteer) - Melanie Washtell, Swati Mehta, Susie Hensler


Montana Democratic Party  |  303 North Ewing  |  Helena, MT  59601   406-442-9520   >
Chair
Dennis McDonald
Rancher in Melville (Sweet Grass County).  Former president of the Montana Cattlemen's Association and a co-founder of R-CALF, a national group opposing the import of Canadian beef.  Previously lived in California, where he worked as a Teamster.  McDonald helped on Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign and on Jerry Brown's campaigns.

Executive Director
Art Noonan
State Representative from Butte, represents House District 73; first elected in Nov. 2004 and is not seeking re-election in 2008.  As an aide to Congressman Pat Williams and to Senator John Melcher, Noonan worked on the Senate Energy Committee and the House Interior Committee.  A fifth generation Montanan, born and raised in Butte. 

Communications Director
Kevin O'Brien
Worked on Jon Tester's 2006 campaign for U.S. Senate, then as deputy press secretary for Tester.

Coordinated Campaign Director
David Hunter


Obama primary


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