Andrew Albertson
Executive Director of the Project on Middle East Democracy
Andrew is the Executive Director of the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED), an independent policy institute dedicated to examining how genuine democracies can develop in the Middle East and how the U.S. can best support that process. Before that, he served as a Congressional Fellow in the office of Congressman Steve Israel and directed the membership program at the Truman National Security Project. Prior to moving to Washington, Albertson spent two years as a community organizer in Guatemala, working on municipal governance and decentralization issues. Originally from Cincinnati, Albertson received a B.A. from Taylor University in Indiana. He did his graduate studies at the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, where he was the Huffington Junior Fellow at Georgetown’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy.
Alexander Lofton
Democratic National Committee’s Organizing for America
Alex Lofton describes himself — first and foremost — as an organizer. Professionally, Lofton is currently OFA’s Southeast Regional Director and is charged with leading OFA’s effort to take back “The Deep South” for Democrats and progressive causes more generally. Originally hailing from just outside Seattle, Washington, Lofton jump-started his political campaign career in March of 2007 at the Chicago headquarters for Obama’s primary campaign. There, Lofton served as an Illinois Field Intern while finishing his senior year at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. After graduating in Political Science and Global Health that Spring, Lofton worked his way up the ranks to become the Field Director of Georgia during the general election. He moved to Ohio in September of 2008 to serve as a Deputy GOTV Director after a campaign shift in resources, contributing to the decisive win for then-Senator Obama in the Buckeye State on November 4th.
Kate Brandt
Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy
Kate is a Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy specializing in energy policy. Kate was previously a policy analyst, to Carol Browner, Energy and Climate Change Czar in the White House. Before going to the White House, Kate worked on the Presidential Transition team for Susan Rice U.S. Ambassador to the UN and the national security agency review team. Prior to that, Kate was the Deputy Women’s Vote director for the Campaign for Change in Florida. She received her masters from the University of Cambridge after completing the MPhil program in international relations where she wrote her dissertation on Chinese relations with Cuba and Venezuela and implications for U.S. foreign policy. Kate is also a graduate of Brown University with a concentration in international relations.
Awais Khaleel
Policy Director for the Roosevelt Institute Campus Network
A 2008 graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Awais Khaleel is Policy Director for the Roosevelt Institute Campus Network, where he coordinates all national policy efforts for the organization and works directly with young people from across the country. He formerly served as the Vice-President of the College Democrats of America from 2006 until 2008 and was a super delegate for President Obama. Over the course of the 2008 electoral season, Awais was the Deputy Field Director and Director of Training for Advancing Wisconsin, an independent, non-profit organization representing the interests of SEIU, NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin, and many other progressive interests. He has also served as an operative for a number of campaigns and organizations, including the Kerry/Edwards campaign in 2004, the Governor Jim Doyle’s re-election campaign in 2006, and Progressive Majority of Wisconsin.
Chris Hook
Budget and Policy Analyst with the U.S. Department of Justice
Chris Hook is a budget and policy analyst with the U.S. Department of Justice where he currently oversees the budgets for the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, the National Security Division, and Interpol-Washington. A former Presidential Management Fellow, he has overseen other litigating divisions including Environment and Natural Resources, Civil Rights, and the Criminal Division. He is currently president of DOJ Pride, the LGBT employee organization, and serves on the Attorney General’s Diversity Committee and the Council of Employee Organizations for the Department. ??Originally from Louisville, Ky., Chris holds degrees in Political Science and Psychology and his MA degree in Political Science from Case Western Reserve University, and a Certificate in Legislative Studies from Georgetown University. Currently residing in Washington, DC, Chris also serves as president of the local CWRU Alumni Chapter and is an avid marathon runner.
Erin Mazursky
Social Entrepreneur
Erin Mazursky is a social entrepreneur and freelance non-profit and political consultant and works with youth leaders and social movements around the world, helping them build effective strategies, capacity and sustainability. A social entrepreneur, she is currently building a start-up that builds capacity and support for youth leaders working towards and leading social change initiatives around the world. Most recently, she spent time in Albania and Turkey. Prior to consulting, Erin served on the Presidential Inaugural Committee for President Obama’s inauguration after having won her district in Florida as a staff member on President Obama’s general election campaign. Erin got her start as the co-founder and executive director of STAND, the student-led leader in anti-genocide advocacy. A graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Culture and Politics with a focus on International Development, Erin is an active member and the youngest Fellow at the Truman National Security Project and was an Aspen Institute Ideas Festival Fellow in 2007. Erin is a frequent blogger for GOOD Magazine, the Huffington Post and also maintains her own blog, “As Plain as the Alphabet” (www.ErinMazursky.com) on issues regarding youth and social change, democracy and human rights.
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Jacqueline Greer
Education and Policy Analyst
Jacqueline Greer has extensive background and experience in education and policy analysis. She most recently worked on mobilizing educators in Washington, DC for The Providence Effect, working to develop their national educational marketing strategy and DC-area outreach, and also works as a technical specialist at a global non-profit specializing in youth development. Prior to this work, she worked in the Chancellor’s Office of the DC Public Schools, recruited and trained teachers through The New Teacher Project, and unveiled new teaching standards while working as an Education Pioneer Fellow in the Boston Public Schools. In addition, her policy background includes evaluating strategies to reduce disproportionate contact of minority youth in the juvenile justice system, and conducting interviews and focus groups of high-risk youth for school-level evaluations. In addition to her work, Ms. Greer serves as the chair of the Harvard Black Alumni Society of DC and a past board member of a local, youth-serving nonprofit. Ms. Greer possesses a keen understanding of the needs of youth through her experience as a mentor, evaluator, and administrator in the DC area for over 6 years. Ms. Greer earned her B.A in public policy studies from the University of Chicago and her Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School.
Jeffrey D. Richardson
President of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club
Jeffrey D. Richardson is the President of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club and former Vice Chair of the District of Columbia Democratic Party. During his term on the Democratic National Committee, as Vice Chair of the DC Democratic Party, he was an active member of the DNC LGBT Caucus and DNC Youth Council. In 2004 he was a founding member and director of membership and outreach of DC for Democracy’s Political Action Committee (DCFD), a local chapter of Democracy for America. Mr. Richardson is a graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and The Howard University School of Social Work. He currently is a program officer with the DC Children’s & Youth Investment Trust Corporation (The Trust) working with non-profit organizations in the District of Columbia to develop and leverage existing public private partnerships to support the development and implementation of out-of-school time youth programs in the District of Columbia. Before joining the Trust, Jeffrey was a researcher and program coordinator at Howard University’s DC-Baltimore Center on Child Health Disparities, where his work focused on the development and evaluation of youth development strategies targeting the prevention of adolescent risk behavior with a specific focus on adolescent sexuality and service learning. In addition to his work at Howard University, he has interned as a school social worker within the Special Education division, developed and facilitated parenting workshops, taught in residential treatment settings with students with emotional disabilities, and coordinated civic education and lobbying seminars and conferences on Capitol Hill.
Jennifer S. McCloskey
Legislative Staff, Senator Bob Casey
Jennifer is a member of the legislative staff in the office of Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania working on economic issues including financial services, labor and trade. Prior to her position with the Senator, Jennifer worked as a consultant on economic development projects in New York City and as a non-profit professional in Los Angeles. During her time in New York City, she consulted with the City of New York Office of Financial Empowerment, PolicyLink and ACCION New York on projects addressing the delivery of safe and affordable financial products to low and middle income individuals, particularly small business people. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Jennifer completed her Masters work in public policy at the New School University. While at the New School, Jennifer served as a research assistant to Dean Lisa J. Servon and former Dean, and current Chairman and President of the Export-Import Bank, Fred P. Hochberg on projects related to microfinance. Jennifer grew up in Philadelphia and Washington D.C., where she currently resides.
Jeremy Crandall
Legislative Aide and Campaign Manager for Maryland Delegate Heather R. Mizeur
Jeremy Crandall is the Legislative Aide and Campaign Manager for Maryland Delegate Heather R. Mizeur. Serving in Mizeur’s office since 2007, he spearheaded policy direction that helped secure passage of major legislation affecting health care, higher education, and civil rights. In 2010, he will run Delegate Mizeur’s re-election campaign. Originally from suburban Philadelphia, Jeremy graduated cum laude from the University of Maryland in 2008, where he was a Rawlings Undergraduate Leadership Fellow and a Presidential Scholarship recipient. In 2006, Jeremy interned for Senator Hillary Clinton, focusing on economic development and homeland security issues and assisting with outreach related to the Supreme Court nominations of Samuel Alito and Harriet Miers. In fall 2008, Jeremy served as the national Field Director for Race Fans for Change, an issue advocacy organization targeting progressive voters in Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia, and Nevada during the presidential election.
John Brougher
Democratic Strategist
John Brougher is a Democratic strategist in Washington. D.C. John’s been working with technology and communications for years, and has a passion for progressive causes, new media, and messaging. Previously working as a Regional Field Director for Jill Long Thompson’s campaign for governor, John has served as a speaker for conferences and panels and emceed numerous events. He has been selected three times by the China Care Foundation to emcee benefit fundraising dinners, raising money to support orphans in China.
Lindsay Randall
Executive Assistant to Congressman John Hall
Lindsay Randall graduated from Purchase College – SUNY in 2007 with a degree in Environmental Studies. As an undergraduate, Lindsay spearheaded Purchase’s efforts to reduce the environmental impact of the college’s operations, working closely with the administration, as well as student government. Lindsay completed a case study of sustainability in higher education and compiled a list of objectives for the Purchase College to become more sustainable. Her work landed her a position as the college’s first Environmental Sustainability Coordinator. In her two year tenure, she completed the first inventory of greenhouse gas emissions from the college, started an organic garden and applied for and received a $1.7 Million grant for reducing runoff from the campus plaza. In a brief absence from her duties as Sustainability Coordinator, Lindsay took two months to work for the Campaign for Change in the fall of 2008 as a field organizer in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. After her work to elect President Obama, she moved to Washington DC where she is currently the Executive Assistant to Congressman John Hall. Lindsay is also enrolled in the Graduate School of Political Management at the George Washington University where she is pursuing a Masters Degree focused on advocacy politics.
Lindsey Miller
Project Manager at Management Systems International
Lindsey Miller has worked extensively in development and trade policy, progressive organizing and advocacy, and veterinary medicine. She is a project manager at Management Systems International where she provides support to USAID, IFC, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the MacArthur and Packard Foundations. As a founding member of the Roosevelt Institution, Lindsey was responsible for opening and staffing Roosevelt’s Washington, D.C. office and organizing the first annual Roosevelt Policy Expo. She holds a B.A. in international affairs and Latin American studies from The George Washington University. She was born in O’Fallon, Missouri, and lives in Washington, D.C.
Maryam Jamshidi
Litigation Associate, White & Case
Maryam Jamshidi is currently a litigation associate at the law firm of White & Case in Washington D.C, where she is engaged primarily in the representation of Middle Eastern entities, with a focus on matters involving public international law issues. Throughout her academic and professional careers, Maryam has been committed to tackling legal and political problems pertaining to the Middle East region and/or affecting individuals of Middle Eastern decent. Prior to law school, Maryam worked as a legal intern at the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, where she was involved in civil rights issues affected the Arab-American community. During law school, Maryam spent several months working at Al-Haq, a Palestinian human rights NGO in the West Bank, focusing on issues of international humanitarian law applicable to the Israeli detention of Palestinian civilian-residents of the Occupied Territories. Currently, Maryam is in the process of developing a foreign policy website, focused on the Middle East region, which is scheduled to launch in the Spring of 2010. Maryam received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Brown University, a Master’s degree in Political Theory from the London School of Economics, and a J.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Michelle T. Kobler
Law Student
Currently a second year law student at the George Washington University, Michelle Kobler has worked in Washington DC’s political scene for the past three years. After graduating from Wellesley College in 2006, Michelle began working as a fundraiser for Senator Clinton’s presidential campaign. Following the election, Michelle moved to the DC based progressive think tank, Third Way, as their Washington Program Outreach Manager and Special Advisor to the President. In this capacity, Michelle was responsible for developing Third Way’s fundraising program and executing events with high-profile Members of Congress, White House Administration officials, and respective staff. Most recently, Michelle completed a semester abroad with Oxford University that focused on international law and human rights. Michelle plans to use her law degree to work on progressive issues internationally, and continues this pursuit through an internship with the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights.
Travis Moore
Legislative Assistant for Representative Henry Waxman (CA-30)
Travis Moore is a Legislative Assistant for Representative Henry Waxman (CA-30) handling the issues of education, labor, judiciary, natural resources and agriculture. Prior to working on the Hill, he worked for the United Nations Foundation on its UN advocacy and web communications teams, and directing the organizations election 2008 project On Day One. He has a Master’s in Contemporary European Politics from the University of Bath (UK)—having also completing coursework in Siena, Italy and Madrid, Spain—and a BS in Marketing from Miami University (OH). In addition, he worked on Senator Tom Daschle’s 2004 reelection campaign in South Dakota.
Will Jenkins
Communications Director and Legislative Assistant for Military and Foreign Affairs for Congressman Tim Bishop
Will Jenkins serves as Communications Director and Legislative Assistant for Military and Foreign Affairs for Congressman Tim Bishop. He has run communications for several political campaigns and worked in radio and television production. A trained mediator with an M.A. in Intercultural Communications, he has managed portfolios for international nonprofit organizations engaged in conflict resolution and leadership development in the U.S., Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. He helped found the Democratic Communicators Network, the professional association for political communicators in Washington, DC.
Lina Musayev
Senior Consultant, Deloitte
Lina Musayev, a Senior Consultant in Deloitte’s Federal Consulting practice, graduated from GW in 2005 with a major in Political Communication and a minor in Music. As an undergraduate, she served as an AmeriCorps volunteer at a DC Charter School, started a national non-profit organization – United Students for Fair Trade (USFT), interned on Capitol Hill for Congressman Christopher Shays and worked in various organizations such as Oxfam America, U.S. Treasury Department, and the National Endowment for Democracy. After graduating, she received GW’s Presidential Administrative Fellowship (PAF) and pursued a Masters in Public Administration. As a PAF, she worked at GW’s Office of Government, International and Community Affairs working with the DC Government, Foggy Bottom/West End businesses and neighbors. After receiving her Masters, she joined Deloitte’s Federal Consulting Strategy and Operations practice in September of 2007. At Deloitte, aside from her client commitments, Lina is involved with the Community Volunteer Council, serves on the Women’s Initiative (WIN) Leadership and Development Committee and the Community Building Committee, and is a member of the Federal Public Policy Committee and the GW Recruiting Committee. In her spare time, Lina participates in community service, enjoys dancing, reading, and playing the flute. She stays involved with GW Alumni programming as a member of the GW Young Alumni Network and serves on the Board of Directors of the GW Alumni Association and the Luther Rice Society. Lina’s passions include politics, international development, public diplomacy, education reform, and the reduction of poverty. She grew up in Baku, Azerbaijan and Greenwich, CT, but currently resides in Washington, DC.
Dar Vanderbeck
Program Manager for Afghanistan
Dar Vanderbeck is currently appointed as Program Manager for Afghanistan in the Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) within the Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance Bureau in USAID. Previous to this, Dar served as Confidential Assistant in the front office of USAID and Special Assistant to the Foreign Assistance Agency Review Team, which looked at USAID, PEPFAR and MCC, during the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Project. Dar’s foray into international development issues began at the age of thirteen when she was afforded the opportunity to travel to the Ukraine with George Soros’ Open Society Institute and their Empowering Education Program. At the age of sixteen, Dar was awarded a Summer Signature Experience grant which allowed her to volunteer as a teacher and an assistant in an HIV/AIDS Clinic in Tanzania and South Africa, respectively. Dar is originally from New Jersey and has studied in Paris, Nairobi and Lewiston, Maine — graduating from Bates College with a self-designed interdisciplinary degree in Anthropology, Art History and International Development Studies. She spent 2007 working as a paralegal for a small NGO in coastal Kenya called Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI) in their prisons reform project. That same year, she was a recipient of the Barlow Grant for International Study to collect visual and oral narratives of violence from the Somali community in Kenya and the Diaspora community in Maine. Dar joined Obama for America in May 2008 as an Organizing Fellow in New Jersey before being hired as a Field Organizer in Broward County, Florida for the general election. She is a Truman National Security Project Partner.
Eric Mill
Developer, Sunlight Foundation
Eric Mill is a developer working on various tools and web applications for the Sunlight Foundation, a non-profit focused on increasing government transparency using the power of technology. His passion is for better government and citizen empowerment, especially through technology education. Eric was a performer for a couple years at the ImprovBoston theater during his time in New England, and is an intermediate unicyclist. He hails from Catskill, New York, and obtained his Bachelor’s in Computer Science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.