Home » Newark Training Agenda
DFA Campaign Academy Agenda
Newark, NJ - June 6-7, 2009
(agenda subject to change)
Saturday
|
Time |
Session |
Trainer |
|
8:00 – 9:00 |
Setup |
Volunteers |
|
8:30 – 9:00 |
Registration |
Volunteers |
|
9:00 – 9:15 |
Kickoff |
Jim Dean |
|
9:15 – 9:30 |
Training Overview & Homework Assignments |
Matt Blizek |
|
9:30 – 11:30 |
Your Field Plan: Vote Goals, Targeting, and Field Strategy |
Matt Blizek & Chris Montana |
|
11:30 – 11:40 |
Break |
|
|
11:40 – 12:30 |
Building Your Activist Base |
Matt Blizek |
|
12:30 – 1:25 |
Lunch |
|
|
1:30 – 5:45pm Rotating Sessions
1:30 – 2:25pm 2:30 – 3:25pm Break 3:50 – 4:45pm 4:50 – 5:45pm
|
Rotating Sessions: Trainees divide into 3 groups and go to assigned rooms. Trainers rotate and do small sessions with each group. Room assignments on back
Developing a Campaign Message Fundraising Strategy Voter Contact: Tactical overview Campaign & Event Planning |
John Rowley Anastasia Apa Chris Montana Matt Blizek
|
|
5:45 - 6:00 |
Wrap up |
Matt Blizek |
Sunday
|
Time |
Session |
Trainer |
|
9am - 10:05am |
Sunday Kickoff & Homework Review |
Matt Blizek |
|
10:05am - 11:05am 11:10am – 12:10pm |
Sunday Morning Elective Sessions: Trainees choose which sessions to attend. Room assignments on back
Fundraising Tactics Citizen Lobbying Volunteer Canvassing & Phonebanking Working with the Media Online Organizing |
Anastasia Apa Chris Montana Matt Blizek John Rowley TBD |
|
12:10pm– 1:05pm |
Lunch |
|
|
1:10pm – 2:05pm |
Get Out the Vote (GOTV) |
Chris Montana & Matt Blizek |
|
2:05pm – 2:15pm |
Break |
|
|
2:15pm - 3:10pm 3:15pm - 4:10pm 4:15pm – 5:10pm
|
Sunday Afternoon Elective Sessions: Trainees choose which sessions to attend. Room assignments on back
Working with a Voter File Volunteer Management and Leadership Development Building an Organization Running Canvasses & Phonebanks Advanced Campaign Communications Budgeting & Finance Issue Advocacy
|
NJ Democratic Party Matt Blizek Matt Blizek Chris Montana John Rowley Anastasia Apa Melissa Byrne |
|
5:15pm – 5:30pm |
Evaluations and Wrap up. |
Bryan Hageny |
|
5:30 onward |
Change Your Country |
Trained Activists |
Training Presenters
Anastasia Apa has seven years of campaign management experience, and focuses on fundraising operations. She has US Senate, Congressional, city and county-wide race experience and has worked in the Southern, Midwestern and Northeastern United States. Apa recently unseated a 32-year incumbent in Mississippi and came close to electing the first African-American in the state's history. In 2008 she worked as a Campaign Manager for Taddeo for Congress in Florida’s 18th Congressional District.
Matt Blizek - Training Director
Training Director, Democracy for America. A veteran of training in the political and corporate worlds, Matt Blizek began organizing in student and local politics and was elected vice president of the University of Iowa Student Body. Since then he has has done field and fundraising work for numerous campaigns including the DNC, MoveOn.org, Russ Feingold, and Jon Tester. Matt joined Democracy for America in 2007.
Chris Montana – Field
Chris first became involved in politics through the College Democrats of Minnesota in 2003 later serving as state president in 2004 and again in 2005. Working on races from city council to mayor and serving on the state party's Executive committee for two years, Chris gained his undying love of field organizing and joined Wellstone Action! as a field trainer to spread that love. In April of 2006 Chris left Wellstone Action! to serve on then State Representative Keith Ellison's congressional campaign as Field Director winning hotly contested primary and general elections. After serving in Congressman Ellison's DC office Chris returned to school at the University of DC and currently resides in Washington, DC.
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).