Barack Obama-Organization, Nevada revised March 15, 2008 OBAMA FOR AMERICA  Headquarters: 3041 E. Flamingo Rd. Ste. A, Las Vegas, NV 89121 ...Campaign manager David Plouffe opened on April 19, 2007.

In a conference call on Oct. 10, 2007, national campaign manager David Plouffe announced that the campaign has more than 50 field staff in the state.

State Director

David Cohen

(reported by AP on Feb. 15, 2007)  Campaign manager for Jill Derby's 2006 race against Dean Heller (R) in Nevada's 2nd CD.  Earlier in the 2006 cycle, Cohen served as director of operations on Deval Patrick's gubernatorial campaign in Massachusetts.  In the 2004 cycle, he worked in New Hampshire and Tennessee on General Wes Clark's presidential campaign, and later on Tom Daschle's senatorial race in South Dakota.  Cohen is a former educator, having taught at the high school and college levels.  He is also an entrepreneur, having founded two companies and a non-profit organization – the Brown University Entrepreneurship Program – where he still serves as an ex-officio board member.

Assistant to the State Director - Daryl Sprague
 

Political Director

Alison Schwartz

(reported by AP on Feb. 15, 2007)  Executive director of the Nevada Democratic Party starting in early 2005.  Nevada Democratic Party statewide field director in the 2004 cycle.  Director of the Coalition to Protect Education & Health Care in 2003.  Deputy statewide field director for the Missouri Democratic Coordinated Campaign in Fall 2002.  Director of American Family Voices, 2002.  A regional field director on Virginia’s Democratic Coordinated Campaign in 2001.

Political Assistant - Amanda Brown
 

Constituency Director

Stephen Brokaw

 

Youth Vote Director

Justo Robles

 
 

Field Director

Mike Moffo

In 2006 Moffo served as field/GOTV consultant for the DCCC, and briefly as field director on Tom Suozzi's 2006 campaign for governor in New York.  Strategic planning role (online organizing and targeting for field and paid voter contact) on Jon Corzine's 2005 campaign for governor in New Jersey.  In the 2003-04 cycle, Moffo was a field staffer on Kerry's Iowa caucus campaign in the Sioux City office, then field director on the Feb. 3 Delaware primary campaign, for the Feb. 14 Washington, DC caucuses, and for the March 9 Louisiana primary; in the general election he was field director for the Arizona Democratic Coordinated Campaign; and finally he served as a field consultant on the Christine Gregoire for Governor re-count team.  Graduate of Boston University.

Special Assistant - Mark Beatty
 

Deputy Field Director

Matt Kasdan

Field director/deputy director on the 2006 Maryland Coordinated Campaign.  Deputy field director on Corzine for Governor in New Jersey in 2005.  Graduate of Bucknell University.
 

Voter File Manager

Ethan Roeder

 

Voter Targeting Director

Doug Taylor

Experience includes CFO at Dancing Robot Studios, analyst for the Congressional Budget Office, director of operations for Blue Shift, Inc. (an independent video game developer), IT/business consultant for Keane, Inc., database-driven web application programmer for Enabled Sites, and investment manager for Citrus Grove Apartments, LLC.  Graduate of Pomona College.
 

Regional

Southeast

Justin Hatmaker

 

Southwest

Andalynn Burgess

In 2006 worked on Tony Trupiano for Congress in Michigan's 11th CD.
 

Northeast

Oliva Lopez

 

Northwest

Jason Green

Third-year law student at Yale.  In 2006 Green served as religious outreach director in Prince George's County, MD on Martin O'Malley's gubernatorial campaign; he also worked on the Kerry campaign in 2004.  Undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis.  Son of a minister.

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Northern

Rachel Sigman

Experience includes deputy executive director of the Tahoe-Baikal Institute.  Studied ecoregional environmental management in Madagascar as a Fulbright scholar.  B.A. from Wesleyan University, 2001.

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Southern

Hallie Montoya Tansey

Served as national program director for the League of Young Voters (aka the League of Pissed Off Voters). Born and raised in Albuquerque, NM.
 
 

Border States Director

Krish Subrahmanian

Teach for America Corps in South Dakota.  Graduate of Harvard University, 2003.
 

Field Organizers...Jennifer Cannistra, John Gilbert, Edgar Gonzalez, Luke Hayes, Luis Hernandez, Alex Iftimie, Adrienne Lever, Scott Melamed, Jenny Montoya-Tansey, Julie Niemi, Brenna Norton, Katharine Nowak, Bryan Pacheco, Blake Roberts, Marquita Sanders, Christine Schellack, Graves Spindler, Max Stahl, Cheryl Taruc, Noma Thayer, Beatina Theopold, Natasha Marsh...Kathryn Bassier, Roger Low...Tristan Brown, Roger Horowitz, Nicholas Kowalski, John La Rue, Matthew McKnight, Anna Scott, Frances Sharpe, Daniel Shih, Dayu Zhao
 

At-Large District Director

Nathaniel Snyder

(started July 2007)  Experience includes organizing the Jim River Valley for Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) during his highly contested re-election campaign in 2002. 

 

At-Large Precinct Coordinator

Magrette Thompson

 

At-Large Union Outreach

Esther Morales

 

GOTC

Southeast

Luke Blocher

Student at Columbia Law School.  Field director on Cranley for Congress in Ohio's 1st CD in 2006; worked on the Cincinnati City Council, and at the Hamilton County Office of the Public Defender.  Graduate of Amherst College.
 

Southwest

Daniel Suvor

Third year law student at The George Washington University Law School.  Previously worked for New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson as Phoenix canvass director for Moving America Forward and was paid canvass director in 2004 for the New Mexico Democratic Coordinated Campaign. Graduate of the University of Southern California
 

Northeast

Nate Snyder

 

Northwest

Matt Simon

 
 
 

Communications Director

Shannon Gilson

Gilson served as the senior strategic communicator on legislative and organizing campaigns for American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) from 2003-07.  She previously worked as a public radio producer and reporter in Los Angeles and Washington D.C.
 

Nevada Press Assistant

Jen Stutsman

 
 

New Media Co-Director

Zach Scott Edwards

Joined the Obama campaign in early 2007 as an intern organizing North-West Las Vegas, and started as.co-director of the Nevada New Media team in Sept. 2007.
 

New Media Co-Director

Michael Pipe

 
 

Scheduler

Kristen Jarvis

Worked as a special assistant in Obama's Senate office.  Previously worked for the Senate Minority Conference and as a staff assistant for Sen. Tom Daschle.
 
 

Director of Operations

Taylor Fiscus

Experience includes work on John Cranley's 2006 congressional campaign in Cincinnati through the Human Rights Campaign.

Dina Hadziselimovic - Graduate of Oberlin College with a degree in political science.  Born in Sarajevo, Bosnia.

Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie – Five-term Assemblywoman representing the 27th Assembly District in Washoe County.  Leslie participates actively in a number of community organizations, and is a founding member of Join Together Northern Nevada.  Bachelor’s degree from Sonoma State University and Master’s degree in Spanish Language and Literature from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Rose McKinney-James – Small business owner with a consulting practice focusing on advocacy related to renewable energy, education and environmental policy (Energy Works Consulting and McKinney-James & Associates in Las Vegas).  Previously president of Brown & Partners and president of Governmental Affairs for Faiss Foley Merica.  A former Utility Commissioner, chief of staff for the City of Las Vegas and director of the Nevada Department of Business and Industry.  McKinney-James was the first African American to win a statewide primary in Nevada as a candidate for Lt. Governor of Nevada in 1998.  Graduate of Antioch School of Law in Washington, DC.  Undergraduate degree from Olivet College in Olivet, Michigan.

Billy Vassiliadis – Billy Vassiliadis has served as a close advisor to former Governor Bob Miller, U.S. Senator Harry Reid, former Speaker of the Assembly Richard Perkins, Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, and Secretary of State Ross Miller.  Vassiliadis is CEO and Principal of R&R Partners, the firm responsible for managing the second most recognizable brand in the world, Las Vegas, creating the famous "What Happens Here, Stays Here" slogan.

Elaine Wynn – Elaine Wynn currently serves as a Director of the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas.  As a long time community activist and advocate for children, Wynn has served as Co-Chairperson of the Greater Las Vegas After-School All-Stars since 1996 and is the Founding Chairperson of Communities-in-Schools.  She is currently on the State Council to Establish Academic Standards in Nevada.

Assemblyman Kelvin Atkinson – Assemblyman Kelvin Atkinson was first elected to represent Assembly District 17 in 2002, but has been working to help his community since he first started in local government over 15 years ago.  His desire to improve educational opportunities for his daughter and all Nevada's children led him to initially run for the state legislature, and in the years since, he has made educational reform one of his top priorities.  He currently serves as Chairman of the Transportation Committee and is a member of the Government Affairs Committee and the Committee for Natural Resources, Agriculture and Mining.  Atkinson is also an active participant in the Caucus of African Americans of Nevada, the National Council of State Legislators, and the African American Leadership Council Executive Committee.

Helen Foley– Helen Foley is a life-long Las Vegan and has been a key player in Nevada politics for over 30 years.  She has served in both houses of the state legislature and became the youngest state senator in Nevada history when she was first elected in 1983.  Following her time in office, Foley has worked to advance a large number of community programs and local causes, including the Clean Indoor Air Alliance and increasing women's participation in elected politics.  She is now the co-owner of a local public relations agency.

Assemblywoman Marilyn Kirkpatrick– As a lifelong resident of Assembly District 1, Assemblywoman Marilyn Kirkpatrick had been involved in community and political events throughout Clark County for years before being elected to the state Assembly in 2004.  Since being elected in 2004, Kirkpatrick has quickly risen through the legislative ranks, and currently serves as Chairwoman of the Assembly Government Affairs Committee.  Her experience and commitment running grassroots, person-to-person campaigns in North Las Vegas will be critical in motivating her constituents and other voters across Nevada to caucus for Senator Obama.  Kirkpatrick brings a wealth of political and grassroots experience in Nevada that will help propel the Obama campaign towards a January 19th victory.

Assemblyman Harvey Munford - Assemblyman Harvey Munford was first elected to represent Assembly District 6 in 2004, and now serves as a member of the Education, Government Affairs, and Elections Procedures and Ethics/Constitutional Amendments Committees.  As a retired schoolteacher, Munford understands the need for major investments in education and continues to work to ensure that children in Nevada and across the country receive the schooling they deserve.  Munford is also a leading member of the African American Leadership Council Executive Committee, and is dedicated to increasing voter turnout among African Americans in the upcoming election.
 

also
On Jan. 9, 2008 Culinary Workers Union Local 226 endorsed Sen. Obama for president.
The Culinary Workers Union is the largest and most politically active union in Nevada.

On Nov. 12, 2007 the campaign announced several Nevadans as members of its National Veterans Advisory Committee:
1st Sgt. Frank Barbee (Ret.), U.S. Army, Las Vegas, NV
Sgt. Allen Dohra, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.), Henderson, NV
Cpl. Bert Cooper, U.S. Army (Ret.), Ely, NV
Sfc. Rick Hull, U.S. Army and International Air Guard, Winnemucca, NV
 
 

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