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DFA Campaign Academy Agenda

Atlanta, GA           March 6^th & 7^th, 2010

Saturday

Sunday     

Meet the Trainers

Matt Blizek - Training Director

Matt was born and raised in rural Iowa and first got involved in politics at the University of Iowa.  In 2001 he managed my first campaign in an attempt to elect a UI student to the Iowa City Council.  Not long after he was elected Vice-President of the student body where he fought against radical tuition hikes, corrupt apartment management companies and police harassment on campus.

After graduation Matt spent the 2004 election cycle fundraising for the DNC and doing GOTV for MoveOn.org.  In 2006 he was selected to join Russ Feingold’s Patriot Corps program and was deployed to Montana where he did Field Organizing for Senator Jon Tester.

For the last two years Matt have managed a national training program for Democratic activists and candidates at Democracy for America.  Since joining DFA he has organized over 62 campaign trainings in 34 states, training over 4,000 people to become better activists, campaign staff or candidates.

Kendra-Sue Derby- Field

Over her career, Kendra-Sue Derby has fought for progressive causes and candidates. She focuses her work on administrative and field activities. Most recently she was Senior Consultant to the Jon Tester for Senate and Montana Democratic Party. She also worked at Alliance for Justice from 2001 through 2006 as the Director of Field Operations. She trained thousands of activists and campaign employees when she worked for The Ron Brown - Paul Tully Institute for Political Action and as an independent contractor. Kendra has worked on campaigns of all sizes, ranging from City Council to Presidential, including the 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004 Democratic presidential campaigns. In 2004 she ran the Democratic Party of Oregon’s coordinated campaign. Kendra currently resides in Denver.

Arshad Hasan- Field, Precinct Organizing

Executive Director, Democracy for America; Arshad joined Democracy for America in early 2005 to develop and direct the DFA Training Academy. Before joining DFA, Arshad worked with MoveOn PAC during the 2004 Elections. Previous to his electoral experience, Arshad based his professional political career in environmental issue advocacy and organizing. His non-electoral experience includes work on legislative issue campaigns, corporate accountability campaigns, and grassroots fundraising. Arshad traces his Dean roots to February of 2003 when he founded one of the nation's first organized Dean groups, Philly For Dean. Whenever possible, Arshad likes to take off from DFA and work on campaigns with staffers he’s trained. In the 2006 general election, Arshad worked as the GOTV Director for Jerry McNerney for Congress. Arshad was born and raised in Grand Forks, North Dakota and went to college at the University of Pennsylvania.

John Rowley- Communications

John first worked as a TV and radio reporter in Iowa. He has produced TV and radion commercials for over 200 campaigns and was the youngest principal in a Democratic media firm (26) in the Democratic party when he and Bill Fletcher formed Fletcher and Rowley Consulting, Inc. Rowley is now president of Fletcher Rowley Chao Riddle (FRCR, Inc.) FRCR, Inc. has worked in over 35 states and won races from governor to city council. The firm has won more legislative races for Democrats that any other Democratic media firm. the firm has an 85% win record for women candidates and an 87% win record for African-American candidates. Rowley's commercials have won Pollie awards, Silver Microphone Awards and Vision Awards. His work has been featured on CNN and in Campaigns and Elections Magazine, the New York Times and the Washington Post. His firm has never worked for a Republican candidate. In 2006, his firm helped Democrats take three Republican seats (Foley, Ney, Pombo).

Don Weigel- Communications, Finance

Don Weigel began organizing in college, running a non-partisan voter registration drive and founding the College Democrats.  After college, he helped coordinate the first-ever full-ticket campaign for city council, efforts which elected only the second Democrat in over twenty-five years.  In 2006 Don served as deputy executive director and then in 2007 and 2008 as the executive director for the Democratic house caucus in Colorado helping expand their majority by four seats and organizing their incumbency protection program. Don has served as a press secretary, communications director, and campaign manager to a handful of congressional candidates in New York and Alabama.

Anna Beck

Anna Beck was born and raised in Atlanta.  She graduated with honors in English from  the George Washington University in Washington D.C. while work ing part time  in fundraising and communications for Congresswoman Denise Majette.  Since graduating in 2005 she has served as a Finance Director for a variety of races in Georgia including a Secretary of State’s race, several United States Congressional races and a United States Senate race. In May of 2009, she was named Executive Director for Georgia’s WIN List-a political action committee that seeks to train and elect progressive women in Georgia.

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