Experience

Participatory Budgeting Project

• United States
• Civic and Social Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Director, Democracy Beyond Elections

  • 2019 - Present

  As the Director or Democracy Beyond Elections, I lead a national coalition or organizations to expand, advocate for and implement community-led decision-making across the US. I work with over 30 national, state and local organizing and advocacy organizations. As part of my work with Democracy Beyond Elections, I also work with partners to create and pilot new models of participatory democracy, create tools to make these processes easier and direct a national campaign to raise awareness of participatory democracy. For the past three years, I have facilitated the largest student-led participatory budgeting process in the country as well as the first student-led participatory policy making process. Show less

• Development Manager

  • Oct 2017 - Aug 2019

  I have raised over one million dollars for national participatory democracy nonprofit. Built and maintained relationship with institutional funding partners and managed all aspects of fundraising, including grant writing and reporting, budgeting and program integration.



Mockingbird Strategies

• Chattanooga, Tennessee Area

• Founder and Consultant

  • Jul 2010 - 2019

  Assisted and advised foundations, nonprofits, political parties, and candidates in best practices to engage diverse communities in organizing and advocacy campaigns. Worked to build a coalition of property rights activities, traditional environmental organizations, and landowners to stop the expansion of oil and natural gas pipeline projects using anti-eminent domain message. Helped develop long-term, strategic plans for cities in financial distress with the National Resource Network. Interviewed stakeholders, conducted research and helped to identify key strategic partners. Developed strong campaign plans and trained staff in implementation for local and state clients. Trained 20 national social justice agencies in different facets of political and community organizing with the Right to the City Alliance and Virginia New Majority. Show less



UnifiEd

• United States
• Civic and Social Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Founder and Executive Director

  • May 2013 - Aug 2016

  Founded and led a public education advocacy start up nonprofit. Hired and trained leadership as well as support staff and community organizers. Built a diverse nonprofit board of directors with established leaders in the community. Built and maintained relationships with elected officials and high-level policy makers. Carefully managed all data and policy research, including the creation of the Pact for Public Education and . Built and maintained core organizational infrastructure and all core operational processes and controls. Created and managed an annual budget of $500,000. Developed comprehensive funding strategies including foundation grants, corporate contributions, individual donor programs and grassroots small dollar donors. Successfully raised over $1.5 million. Created and managed all operational structures including finance, legal compliance and human resources. Created the Pact for Public Education, a community visioning process to identify priorities in public education and hold leaders accountable to those priorities. Developed policies with the community to bring public support to public education. Effectively managed all media communications (policy papers, web content, social media). Represented UnifiEd on panel discussions, TV and radio interviews and public presentations. Launched the Student Voice Team of high school student advocates that successfully fought for substantial changes to the district’s bullying policy. Show less



Andy Berke For Mayor

• Chattanooga, Tennessee Area

• Field Director

  • Nov 2012 - Mar 2013

  Developed and implemented comprehensive field and targeting plan to ensure data-driven and metrics-based campaign. Managed and trained one field organizer, seven volunteer team leads, and 200+ volunteers. Coordinated all voter contact strategies that included knocking on over 15K doors and calling 30K potential voters. Directed turn out public policy forums exceeding over 500 people. Effectively managed successful GOTV operation that resulted in a win with 73% of the vote. Used latest technology to develop a comprehensive targeting plan to ensure a data driven and metrics based campaign. Show less



Tennessee Democratic Party

• United States
• Political Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Field Director

  • Jun 2011 - Mar 2012

  Worked to manage election activities with political committees, legislative staff, unions, field organizers, and candidates. Carefully coordinated Get Out The Vote plans. Trained precinct captains and volunteers by providing training to field staff to recruit appropriate volunteers. Created comprehensive field strategies including aggressive voter registration plans. Recruited candidates for state legislative races. Worked to manage election activities with political committees, legislative staff, unions, field organizers, and candidates. Carefully coordinated Get Out The Vote plans. Trained precinct captains and volunteers by providing training to field staff to recruit appropriate volunteers. Created comprehensive field strategies including aggressive voter registration plans. Recruited candidates for state legislative races.



The Ochs Center

• Community Outreach Coordinator

  • Jan 2009 - Jun 2011

  Coordinated multiple research projects (school funding and Blueprint for Tennessee Prosperity). Organized fundraising meetings with mayors and business leaders from all over Tennessee, including Mayor Dean of Nashville and Mayor Wharton of Shelby County. Worked with Rutgers University to organize the National 2010 PPMRN Conference, as well as organized the VIP Education Summit with Governor Bredesen. Responsible for event planning, organization, and partner coordination including developing and implementing media and communications plans as project manager for George T. Hunter Lecture series. Wrote quarterly e-newsletter and coordinated partner in development of The Chattanooga Promise Zone. Served as project coordinator for a 150 attendee public policy forum on early childhood education. Coordinated development of Chattanooga’s Promise Neighborhood Application – the Chattanooga Promise Zone with over 50 partner organizations. Developed and managed all social media, including live Tweeting for City Council and County Commission meetings. Designed, wrote and distributed a quarterly e-newsletter. Show less



Obama for America Ohio/Tennessee/South Carolina/Mississippi

• Ohio, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, South Carolina

• Field Organizer

  • Aug 2007 - Nov 2008

  Organized all voter contact activity, managed six-county region in rural South Georgia and Northwest Ohio, and recruited and trained volunteer base of 70+ individuals. Served as campus coordinator for Students for Barack Obama and attended Camp Obama in Chicago (2007). Built and trained 14 fully-functional, self-sufficient volunteer teams in Georgia and Ohio. Managed Ohio county that flipped to Obama in 2008 previously from George Bush in 2004. Helped managed GOTV operation for Hamilton County for February 5th Primary. Recruited 50+ volunteers to go to South Carolina for four weeks leading up to the primary. Coordinated surrogate event with Governor Ray Mabus of Mississippi, and managed major voter registration events from May to October (2008) receiving 2500+ registered voters. Responsively answered phones and relayed all messages to appropriate personnel while providing excellent customer service. Show less