Merritt Dattel
Senior Researcher, Joint Committee on Health Care Financing at the Massachusetts Legislature
Merritt is currently a senior researcher on the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing at the Massachusetts Legislature. Merritt has also interned for several local non-profits and legal services organizations including Greater Boston Legal Services, Community Catalyst, and Health Law Advocates. She began her career in health care law representing low-income disabled clients in trials and hearings before government agencies to obtain benefits such as Social Security disability benefits, MassHealth, and special education services. Currently, Merritt also serves as a Volunteer Attorney for Health Law Advocates’ Legal Network advocating for people who have been denied access to health care services. Prior to working for the legislature in Massachusetts, Merritt researched and analyzed public policy related to indigent defense for The Spangenberg Group, which has recently joined George Mason University’s Center for Justice, Law and Society. Merritt graduated cum laude with a concentration in health and biomedical law with distinction from Suffolk University Law School and with a bachelor of arts cum laude from Colgate University. While in law school, she served on the Executive Board of the Journal of Health & Biomedical Law, the Journal of Trial & Appellate Advocacy, and the Moot Court Board.
Peter T. Dziedzic, Jr.
Entrepreneur
Peter is a budding entrepreneur who is in the process of starting his own skin care boutique business. Prior to starting his own business, Pete spent over 7 years as a corporate attorney at two of the nation’s leading law firms where his practice was focused on corporate transactional work, primarily for private equity clients. Outside of work, Pete is the current Vice Chairman of MassEquality.org, Massachusetts’s statewide GLBT political advocacy organization, as well as Treasurer of the related MassEqualityPAC. In addition, he will be serving as the Co-Chair of the 2010 GLAD (Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders) Spirit of Justice Award Dinner. Based on a lifelong interest in politics, at the age of nineteen, Pete ran against a six-term Republican incumbent for State Representative in his hometown of Southington, CT, garnering a higher percentage of the vote than any previous Democratic candidate. Pete is a 1999 graduate of Yale University, where he received a B.A. in Political Science, and received his J.D. in 2002 from the University of Virginia School of Law. Currently, Pete lives with his husband Jay Judas in Boston, Massachusetts and in his free time enjoys traveling, cooking and popular culture.
Charles Francis
Community Development
Charles Francis has held several leadership roles in community development, research, and philanthropic organizations. Career highlights include leading research and evaluation efforts for homelessness and criminal justice programs in Oneida County, New York, establishing a Development office and infrastructure for a growing housing, youth services, and community development agency, and developing a range of neighborhood-based youth and service learning initiatives as an AmeriCorps*VISTA member.
Dave Halbert
Public Affairs
David most recently served as a senior aide to Boston City Councilor At-Large Sam Yoon, where he was responsible for constituent relations in 7 of Boston’s 22 wards, zoning policy & recommendations, & logistics. He also served as a senior member of the Councilor’s mayoral campaign. David served on the staffs of Governor Deval Patrick, Treasurer Timothy Cahill, and Project Bread – The Walk for Hunger, prior to his service at City Hall. David is a graduate of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, a previous fellow in the Emerging Leaders Program and the Initiative for Diversity in Civic Leadership, and an Eagle Scout. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, David is active in his neighborhood of East Boston where he serves as an elected member of the Ward One Democratic Committee and on the Piers Park Advisory Council.
Sonya Khan
Deputy Staff Director, Massachusetts State Representative Peter J. Koutoujian
A Massachusetts native, Sonya has worked for Massachusetts State Representative Peter J. Koutoujian, of the 10th Middlesex district, in many capacities since spring of 2007: legislative aide, research analyst, and currently as deputy Staff Director. Prior to working at the Massachusetts State House, she worked in the pharmaceutical industry, doing lab work in the Diagnostics Division for Bayer Healthcare. A relative newcomer to the world of politics, Sonya’s background is in health sciences, particularly public health. She graduated with a B.S. in Biology from Georgetown University, and later pursued a Masters in Public Health from Boston University’s School of Public Health, with a concentration in Health Law.
Jeffrey Perkins
Chief of Staff for State Senator Brian A. Joyce
Jeff currently serves as the Chief of Staff for State Senator Brian A. Joyce. Jeff is a native of Massachusetts who received his undergraduate degree from Connecticut College and moved to Virginia after graduation to work for the law firm of Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C. Jeff then fulfilled his childhood dream of “living out West” by moving to Missoula, Montana where he attended the University of Montana School of Law and was the Managing Editor of the Law Review. Upon graduation, Jeff returned home to Massachusetts to practice law with his father. During his time in private practice, the Committee for Public Counsel Services to represent indigent juveniles before the Juvenile Court of Middlesex County certified Jeff. Outside of work, Jeff enjoys playing soccer, hockey and running. He also likes to spend weekends hiking with his wife and dog.
Courtney M. Madden
Law Student
Courtney is in her last year of school at Suffolk University Law School. She has been a legal fellow for the Massachusetts State Senate for the Committee on Higher Education for the past year and a half. Prior to her legislative experience, Ms. Madden worked as a law clerk for a small private firm focusing in general law practice. While at Suffolk Law, Ms. Madden has maintained an active academic and extracurricular schedule. These activities include serving as a member of the Student Bar Association Board of Governors for her full tenure. Additionally, this year she is serving as Special Events Coordinator for the National Women Law Student Association and the Irish American Law Society. Academically, Ms. Madden is part of the American Bar Association Appellate Advocacy team for Suffolk and was selected as one of four clinical exchange students to go to Haifa University in Israel. She is pursuing an unofficial concentration in law and public policy. Prior to enrolling in law school, Ms. Madden worked as the Senior Conference Coordinator for an education
consortium in Washington, D.C.
Erhardt Graeff
Research Assistant, The GoodPlay Project
Erhardt currently studies the ethics of youth digital media use as a research assistant on The GoodPlay Project within Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Project Zero. Before Harvard, he worked on the Obama Campaign as a Deputy Regional Field Director in Western Pennsylvania in 2008, and interned in the D.C. office of Senator Arlen Specter in 2007. Erhardt has an MPhil in Modern Society and Global Transformations from Cambridge University and bachelor’s degrees in Information Technology and International Studies from RIT. Beyond academia and politics, he is the co-founder of BetterGrads, a startup aimed at preparing high school students for college life, and is a founding trustee of The Awesome Foundation for Arts and Sciences, funding ridiculously awesome ideas.
David McGowan
Assistant District Attorney for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office
David has served as an Assistant District Attorney for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office as a member of the Appellate Unit since 200. He was recognized as a “Rising Star” by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly in 2008. David previously served as a community organizer in San Diego, California, where he managed campaigns designed to engage the community around issues of the working poor for the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice. He then returned home to Boston to serve on Project Bread’s staff for the Walk for Hunger traveling around the Commonwealth delivering detailed presentations about hunger alleviation and prevention to corporations, schools, religious and community organizations. At Suffolk University Law School, David served as the Vice President of the Moot Court Board and the Journal of Trial & Appellate Advocacy. He is an alumnus of Boston College and Boston College High School.
Beth Pollack
Consultant
Beth is a progressive organizer and strategist, leading a number of youth mobilization and empowerment projects. She currently works in consulting, helping youth-based non-profits with strategic planning and growth. Previously, Beth served as Executive Director of a college based social network startup, and as a fellow at Resource Generation, a progressive youth philanthropy organization. She organized youth for the Obama campaign in Ohio, and moved to Northeast Ohio post-campaign to continue community organizing. She received a 2009 Political Leadership Fellowship with the Center For Progressive Leadership for her work. Beth has served on the advisory boards for several social justice non-profits oriented towards media, youth and social change. She graduated magna cum laude from New York University with a degree in political science and communications. At NYU, She co-founded and directed the school’s undergraduate student think tank. Her passions lie in education reform, women’s rights, and particularly in the building of a national, cohesive, progressive movement.
Michael Ratty
Director of Communications at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Michael, a native of Tyngsborough, Mass., has resided in Boston’s historic North End for the past four years. As Director of Communications at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Boston, Michael is in charge of day-to-day media relations and acts as spokesperson for the college’s three campuses. In addition, he coordinates all internal communications and photography, and contributes to the MCPHS alumni magazine, The Bulletin. Previously, Michael worked at a Boston news radio station where he researched story ideas, promoted live broadcasts and special events and, in 2004, covered all four days of the Democratic National Convention. In his free time, Michael can be found serving on the ONEin3 Boston Mayor’s Young Bostonian Advisory Council and volunteering for the Freedom Trail Foundation, Friends of Christopher Columbus Park, the American Red Cross and The Ellie Fund. He has also volunteered on numerous municipal and state-wide political campaigns. A graduate of Ithaca College in upstate New York, he holds a B.A. in Print Journalism.
Sam Shusterman
Chief of Staff at the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants
Sam is a graduate of Boston University’s College of Arts and Sciences and the University of Massachusetts, Boston Public Affairs Masters of Science program. She currently works as the Chief of Staff at the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants, which manages the refugee resettlement program for the Commonwealth and state policies related to immigrants. Sam has worked in state government since 2007 when Governor Deval Patrick came into office. Sam has worked many local, statewide and national political campaigns and she is an active member of the Massachusetts Democratic Party State Committee and the NARAL Political Committee. Sam grew up in Marlborough, CT and in addition to politics she enjoys travelling, reading, jogging and bikram yoga. Sam will be attending Boston College Law School in the fall 2010.
Claire Smithney
Education Reform, Citizen Schools
Claire is an education reform junkie who currently works at Citizen Schools, a national not-for-profit dedicated to expanding the school day for middle school children. She has spent her career up to this point promoting community service and working to expand educational opportunities for children. A graduate of Franklin and Marshall College, she spent her first two years out of college working at a unique live-in tutoring program at the MATCH Charter High School in Boston, a high performing charter school that promises students access to college. Following this, she attended the Harvard Graduate School of Education and earned her Masters in Risk and Prevention. She passionately believes that all children can and will learn when provided with the right resources and strives to be one of the innovators exploring what those resources should be and how to provide them.
Stephanie Sofer
Financial Planning, ABCD Inc.
Stephanie graduated with honors from Brandeis University with a BA degree in Environmental Studies. She served as President of Students for Environmental Action, Brandeis University’s sole environmental organization, for two years where she orchestrated numerous educational-outreach and activist initiatives on and off campus including working with the University President to ban the selling of bottled water, devising a sustainability revolving loan fund, and implemented an annual campus-wide donation drive. Stephanie has policy experience that includes a policy internship at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, working with the Civic Policy Network to develop a series of White Papers on specific policy areas in an effort to incorporate greater civic engagement and community problem- solving into federal policy design and has co-authored a chapter for Brookings Institution Press. She recently interned for Congressman Markey and is currently teaching financial planning and money management to low-income families for ABCD, Inc.