OBAMA FOR AMERICA
Headquarters: 1029 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO 80204  303-825-3481

State Director

Ray Rivera

(reported by the Rocky Mountain News on Sept. 7, 2007)  Rivera previously served as the campaign's Northeast regional field director in Chicago.  In 2006 he was executive director of Colorado Senate Majority, a 527 organization that worked to build Democrats' majority in the state Senate.  Worked several years for AFSCME, starting as an organizer, then Nevada political director and finally Colorado political director.  Field director on state Sen. Richard Romero's 2002 congressional campaign against Rep. Heather Wilson in NM's 1st CD.  Youth coordinator on the Gore-Lieberman campaign in New Mexico in Fall of 2000.  Bachelor's degree in political science from the University of New Mexico, 2001.  From New Mexico.
 
 

Field Director

Gabe Cohen

On leave from the Kenney Group, a Denver-based consulting firm.  Cohen has worked on numerous candidate and ballot initiative campaigns in both field management and public opinion research including, most recently, the Denver Preschool Matters campaign, the Denver Justice Center campaign, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, and the statewide ballot initiative Referendum I.  Prior to joining the Kenney Group, he worked for the Mellman Group in Washington DC.  He holds a Master's degree in Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon.
 
 

Political Director/Deputy Director of Western Caucus States/Colorado WFO

Suzanne Gelderman

(end of Aug. 2007, after a month in Chicago)  Recently finished Master's in public affairs and urban and regional planning at Princeton.  Served in the Peace Corps in Ukraine. Bachelor's degrees in business information systems and international studies from the University of Washington.
 
 

Youth Vote Director

Andrew Zucker

 

Communications Director

Josh Freed

Ran the Washington, D.C. office and served as the chief policy advisor for U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D-N.J.).  Deputy chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO).  Worked as a political and public affairs consultant.  Graduate of Brandeis University; Master’s degree from the University of Maryland-College Park.
 

Field Offices
12 total offices
Denver Volunteer Headquarters - 937 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO 80204

South Denver - 6500 South Quebec St., Englewood, CO  80111       ...open Jan. 10, 2008

Boulder - 2990 Wilderness Place, Suite 100, Boulder, CO 80301       ...open Jan. 10, 2008

Colorado Springs - 3895 North Cascade Avenue, Suite 201, Colorado Springs, CO 80907        ...open Jan. 10, 2008

Fort Collins - 419 West Oak St., 1st floor, Fort Collins, CO 80521
opening January 5, 2008; Open House party on Jan. 10, 2008, 5:30 – 7:30.  Anne Wilseck

Pueblo - 327 1/2 S. Union Ave, Pueblo, CO 81003  719-649-6342

Centennial - ?

and in latter part of January
Durango - 1221 Main Ave., Durango, CO   ...open Jan. 28, 2008

Greeley - 2013 Wedgewood Ct., Greeley, CO   ...open Jan. 29, 2008

Grand Junction - on Colorado Ave., Grand Junction, CO   ...open Jan. 28, 2008

Telluride - 212 West Colorado Ave., Telluride, CO  ...open Jan. 28, 2008
 

Field Organizers include: Alexis Bentley, Sheila Canfield-Jones, Lauren Dula, Patrick Lane, Colin O'Connor, Victoria Scott-Haynes, Colin Walsh, Julia Warren.

Endorsements
Federico Peña - former mayor of Denver, former Secretary of Transportation and Secretary of Energy, and a national co-chair of Barack's campaign  (Sept. 7, 2008)

Congressman Ed Perlmutter (CO-7)  (Jan. 8, 2008)

Colorado State Senate President Peter Groff

State Sen. Chris Romer (D-Denver)

State Rep. Terrance Carroll (D-Denver)

Denver City Council President Michael Hancock

Denver City Councilman Rick Garcia

Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet

former U.S. Senator Gary Hart  (Jan. 8, 2008)

Tom Strickland - Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in 1996 and 2002; former U.S. Attorney  (a former Richardson co-chairman)

Colorado Democratic Party First Vice Chair Dan Slater

Greater Metro Denver Ministerial Alliance  (Jan. 29, 2008)

Denver Broncos wide receiver Rod Smith

endorsements in the last week include:
DNC Member J.W. Postal  (previously Richardson's CO state director)
DNC Member Debbie Marquez  (formerly backed Richardson)
State Sen. Dan Gibbs
State Sen. John Morse
State Sen. Suzanne Williams
State Sen. Bob Hagedorn
State Sen. Brandon Shaffer
State Rep. Mark Ferrandino
State Rep. Claire Levy
former Congressman David Skaggs,
former congressional candidate Jay Fawcett
 

and newspaper endorsements
Cortez Journal   (02/02/08)
Durango Herald   (02/03/08)
weeklies
Aspen Times  (02/01/08)
Colorado Springs Independent  (01/31/08)
 

Copyright © 2007, 2008  Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action