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Training Presenters

Matt Blizek – Field Organizing

A veteran of training in the political and corporate worlds, Matt Blizek began organizing in student and local politics in Iowa City, IA and was elected vice president of the University of Iowa Student Body.  Since then he has done field and fundraising work for numerous campaigns including the DNC, MoveOn.org, Russ Feingold, Jon Tester and Annette Taddeo.  Matt joined Democracy for America in 2007.

Bryan Hageny – Planning & Volunteer Management

Bryan grew up in the fiercely contested swing state of Wisconsin, and is proud of its progressive tradition.  While attending the University of Wisconsin he worked for Howard Dean, John Kerry, and Tammy Baldwin.  Following graduation he served in a number of political and activist roles.  To this end Bryan worked as an Assistant Director of a large canvassing office in Boston, then as an Organizer of Power Shift 2007 (the first ever student global warming conference at the University of Maryland), and most recently as a Community Organizer in Pennsylvania. Bryan was recently hired as DFA's Deputy Training Director.

Bridget Dooley – Field & Citizen Lobbying

Bridget is a union organizer and political consultant specializing in field work.  She has served as Field Director and Campaign Manager on a variety of Congressional and local races throughout the Midwest, taking on ruthless Republicans, timid Democrats, and the Chicago political machine. Bridget currently works for AFSCME Council 31 in Illinois on a strategic campaign to organize the employees of one of the largest healthcare systems in the Chicago area.

Carrie Giddins- Communications

Carrie Giddins served as the communications director for the Iowa Democratic Party for the 2008 Iowa Caucuses, helping run the most successful and most widely attended caucuses in history. A native of New York City, Giddins has worked in politics for over a decade. Before her year in Iowa, Giddins was the deputy communications director for EMILY’s List, a political action committee helping to elect democratic women. In 2004, she was the deputy communications director for John Kerry’s presidential campaign in Iowa. In 2002, Giddins worked at political direct mail in San Francisco, also doing general consulting for local and statewide California candidates. Giddins was the program manager for the League of Conservation Voters, running the GOTV effort in 42 states in the 2000 election. Just this year, Giddins launched Giddy Up! Communications a political communications consulting firm. In February 2008, she was named the political operative to watch by Politico. Giddins now works on the Hill as a communications director for a Democratic Congressman from the Northeast

Selene Hofer-Shall- Finance

A former crisis counselor, Selene joined the Dean for America Operations Team in 2003, helping to compile the largest FEC reports in Presidential Campaign History. She was one of the 12 original staffers of Democracy for America, working as Operations Director and assistant to the Finance Director.  Since leaving DFA, Selene has worked on numerous successful campaigns from city council to United States Congress.  As the Finance Director for Peter Welch (VT-AL) in his successful 2006 race for Congress, she broke all previous fundraising records for the district.  Following the 2006 election, she worked in San Antonio, TX as the Finance Director for Ciro Rodriguez in the TX-23 run-off election, raising over $600,000 in less than three weeks to successfully oust a 7-term Republican incumbent. Selene returned to work for Congressman Welch as the Political and Finance Director on his first re-election campaign, as part of a team that successfully warded off all Republican opposition and secured not only the Democratic but also the Republican nomination.  Selene is a political consultant in Burlington, VT specializing in political outreach, fundraising and event planning.

Trish Nelson & Ellen Ballas - Organizing Letter to the Editor Campaigns

Trish Nelson grew up in a union family and is a lifelong Democrat.  During the 2004 Dean for America campaign Trish became even more active as a progressive Democrat.  She was co-coordinator  for Iowa Rapid Response Network from 2004-2008.  A media reform activist, Trish has participated in actions involving radio and local TV.  Trish believes the power of a Letter to the Editor is vastly underestimated.  She is currently Editor of Blog for Iowa

Ellen is a lifelong Democrat. In 2003 she led a campaign in concert with 2 Iowa City groups to gather signatories, raise funds and publish in 2 local newspapers the "Not in Our Name" letter to Americans.  From 2004-2008 she was co-coordinator (with Trish Nelson) of DFA Rapid Response for Iowa.  During the 2006 campaign season, Ellen coordinated the letters-to-the-editor project for Democratic candidate for Congress, Dave Loebsack (IA-02). Ellen would like to expand and develop the often overlooked letters-to-the-editor strategy as a more effective campaign tool.

Micah Honeycutt - Using the Iowa Voter File

Micah is the Information Technology Director for the Iowa Democratic Party.