Obama 2012 General Election Campaign Organization, Colorado
Obama for America/Organizing for America 
77 W. 9th Ave.  |  Denver  |  CO  80204
COLORADO  |  Obama Main Page

(page updated April 3, 2013)
...for additions, corrections and other changes contact

facebook  |  twitter  |  state page  +

Senior Advisor  Craig Hughes

(reported by the Denver Post on Feb. 20)  Managing director at RBI Strategies; started working at RBI in 1987 as an intern and has been involved in numerous campaigns.  Campaign manager on Sen. Michael Bennet's 2010 campaign.  Senior advisor for Barack Obama’s Colorado campaign.  Eastern political director in the Clinton White House from 1998-2000.  One of the earliest staff members hired for the Clinton for President campaign in 1991, and subsequently worked for both Clinton/Gore campaigns as well as the Democratic National Committee.  twitter

State Director  Carrie Doyle

(reported by the Denver Post on Feb. 20; start March 5, 2012)  Most recently chief program officer at Western Conservation Foundation.  Campaign director at Western Energy Project, 2009-11.  Executive director at Colorado Conservation Voters, 2006-09.  Advocate for the Colorado Environmental Coalition, 2003-06.  Southwest program manger for the League of Conservation Voters, 2001-03.  Organizer, canvasser and administrator for PIRGs, 1990-2000.  B.A. in American studies from Stanford University, 1990.  twitter

Deputy State Director  Jen Cheyne

(March 2012)  Colorado state director (May 2010-March 2012) and field director (March 2009-May 2010) at Organizing for America.  Worked on Obama's 2007-08 campaign starting as a field staffer in the Indianola office in the Iowa Caucuses.  B.A. in history from The College of Idaho, 2003.  twitter

Communications

Communications Director  Michael Amodeo

(March 20012)  Press secretary to Sen. Michael Bennet from Jan. 2009-March 2012; press secretary on Bennet for Colorado, Fall 2010.  Deputy press secretary to Sen. Ken Salazar, 2007-08.  B.A. in economics and political science from University of Colorado at Boulder, 2006.  twitter

Press Secretary  Kim Parker

(June 2012)  Previously communications director at Brave New Foundation.  Publicist at Sunshine, Sachs & Associates, 2010-11.  Senior account manager at HL Group, 2007-10.  Associate director at the California African American Museum, 2007.  Associate director at the Alitash Kebede Gallery, 2005-07.  Publicity assistant at Workman Publishing, 2003-04.  Administration supervisor/assistant to COO at the New York Sun, 2002-03.  M.Sc. in comparative politics from London School of Economics and Political Science, 2005.  B.A. in public policy from Duke University, 2002.

Deputy Press Secretary  Laura Brandon

Came to the campaign from Sen. Michael Bennet's press office.

Digital

Digital Director  Jeremie Vella

(Dec. 2011)  Web production manager for the National Center for Learning Disabilities in NYC, April-Dec. 2011.  Online strategist at Ideas on Purpose, 2010-11.  Online communications coordinator for the Foundation for California Community Colleges, 2008-10.  B.A. in English from Oberlin College, 2007.  twitter

Deputy Digital Director  Emily Bengtson

(June 2012)  Previously communications manager at the Hispanic National Bar Association from June 2011.  Internships, 2010-11.  B.A. in Romance languages from Dartmouth College, 2010.  twitter

Videographer/Producer  J. Scott Willey

Worked as a videographer on Obama's 2008 campaign and in the White House.  Masters in communication, culture and technology from Georgetown University; undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester, 2008. 

Digital Border States Director  Laura Miller

(for the closing part of the campaign; program manager in the digital department in Chicago from Feb. 2012)  Intern in the Office of Digital Strategy at the White House, Aug. 2011-Jan. 2012.  Account management intern at Launch Creative Marketing in Chicago.  B.S. in advertising from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2011.

Field

Field Director  Gabe Lifton-Zoline

(Feb. 2012)  Pilots/strategy at Infratab Inc., 2010-11.  Colorado state director for Organizing for America, 2009-10.  Worked on Obama's 2008 campaign including regional field director for the Western Slope on Obama's Campaign for Change in Fall 2008.  B.A. from University of Chicago, 2005.  Grew up in Telluride.

Deputy Field Directors 
Larimer, Weld, Douglas, El Paso and Pueblo  Alex Steele

A field organizer on Obama's campaign from Oct. 2007-Nov. 2008 (Montrose office in Fall 2008), then worked on Organizing for America.  B.A. from Cal State University Chico, 2006.  twitter

Boulder, Adams and Arapahoe  Scott Mackey

(March 2012)  Public policy associate at Internews Network, 2009-11.  A field organizer on Obama's 2008 campaign, started Jan. 2008.  B.A. in sociology, international affairs from George Fox University, 2007; student body president 2006-07.  twitter

Jefferson and Denver  Tami Parker

(June 2012; regional field director with Organizing for America from May 2011-June 2012)  Field organizer on Mejia for Mayor, Jan.-May 2011.  Field organizer on Sen. Bennet's campaign, Fall 2010.  Girls education and empowerment volunteer with the Peace Corps in Togo, 2006-08.  M.S.W. from University of Denver, 2010; B.S.W. from James Madison University, 2006.  twitter

West Slope  Dylan Roberts

Degree in political science and environmental studies from Boston College.  Interned in Gov. John Hickenlooper's office.  Took a semester off in Fall 2008 to work as a field organizer on Obama's Campaign for Change in the Steamboat office .  Grew up in Steamboat.

Adams County  Nikki Javurek

Oregon state director on Organizing for America from March 2010 to 2011, after serving as regional field director from the latter part of 2009.  An organizer on Obama's Campaign for Change in Wisconsin.  Graduate of University of Washington.  From Wisconsin.

62 Field Offices

Director of Training/Border State Coordinator  Daniel Suvor

Assistant general counsel at the Office of Management and Budget, the White House, Dec. 2011-Sept. 2012.  Special assistant to the general counsel at HHS, from March 2009.  Deputy field director on Obama's Campaign for Change in New Mexico in Fall 2008; earlier did GOTC on Obama's 2008 Nevada caucus campaign.  Worked for New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as Phoenix canvass director for Moving America Forward.  Paid canvass director for the 2004 New Mexico Democratic Coordinated Campaign.  J.D. from The George Washington University Law School, 2008; B.A. in political science from the University of Southern California, 2004.

Field Administrator  Rini Kaplan

Data

Data Director  Emily Norman

(April 2012)  Initially battleground states Operation Vote analytics lead in Chicago.  Elections analyst in the targeting department at the DNC, 2010-11.  Business analyst for McKinsey & Company, 2008-09.  A.B. in mathematics from Bryn Mawr College, 2007.

Analytics  Greg Dyer

(started on the campaign in Sept. 2011) Interned at the Council of Economic Advisors, Oct.-Dec. 2010.  A.B. in statistics from Harvard College, 2009.

Deputy Data Director  Felicity Pereyra

(May 2012; initially a regional field director from Dec. 2011)  Considerable Texas campaign experience.  Field director on Kendra Yarbrough Camarena for Texas House, June-Nov. 2010.  Director of youth outreach for the Harris County Democratic Party, 2009-10.  Volunteer coordinator on Bill White for Texas, first half of 2009.  Midtown field director for the Harris County Democratic Party, Fall 2008.  Administrative assistant at Nelson Duffie Interests, Inc., 2007-08.  Host at Legal Sea Foods, 2005-06.   B.A. from University of Houston, 2010; B.M. in vocal performance from New England Conservatory of Music, 2005.  twitter

Deputy Data Director  Trevor Wong

(April 2012)  Official at Tenacity Sports, 2011-12; field supervisor City of Mercer Island, 2011-12.  Campaign manager on Mike Heavy for State Representative, mid-2010.  Bellevue volunteer coordinator on Dow Constantine for King County Executive, Fall 2009.  Tour crewmember for Education Dynamics, mid-2009.  Canvass director, Grassroots Soluions Fall 2008.  B.A. in political science from University of Washington, 2008.

Deputy Data Director  Robert Courtney

political

Political Director  Sergio Gonzales

Legislative assistant to Sen. Michael Bennet.  Political and outreach director on Sen. Bennet's 2010 campaign.

Deputy Political Director  Leslie Herod

Program officer at the Colorado-based Gill Foundation.  A senior policy advisor to Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter.  Held numerous staff positions within the Colorado General Assembly and was the outreach director for Referendum I, Colorado’s domestic partnership initiative.  Graduate of the University of Colorado in Boulder.

Deputy Political Director  Jennifer Ridder

Climate reality associate at The Climate Reality Project.  Worked on Obama's 2008 campaign in Colorado.  Graduate of Middlebury College, 2010.

Policy

Policy Director  Jacob Swanton

(May 2012)  Deputy legislative director to Sen. Mark Udall; started with Udall as a legislative assistant in March 2009.  Deputy legislative assistant to Sen. Ben Nelson, 2007-09.  A regional GOTV director in Aurora, CO on Obama's 2008 campaign.  Deputy research director on Ben Nelson for Senate in the latter half of 2006.  Honors paralegal at the Federal Trade Commission, 2004-06.  National advance staff on John Kerry for President, Fall 2004.  Graduate of the College of William and Mary, 2004.

Deputy Policy Director  Laura Morsch-Babu

M.P.P. from the University of California-Berkeley; bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University.  From Hinckley, IL.

OPERATION VOTE

Operation Vote Director  Jamiko Rose

Chief officer for family and community engagement at Chicago Public Schools, Aug. 2011-May 2012.  Volunteer, organizer, senior organizer, and associate director and from 2007, executive director of ONE, Organization of the North East.  Graduate of the University of Notre Dame.

Latino Vote Director  Laura Esquivel

Senior vice president for political and public affairs at the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund and Gay and Lesbian Leadership Institute.  Several decades of activism for the Latino LGBT community.  M.P.A. from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.  Originally from Los Angeles.

Women Vote Director  Serena Woods

(July 2012)  Director of strategic engagement for the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative from April 2011.  Campaign manager on Colorado state Treasurer Cary Kennedy's 2010 re-election campaign.  Colorado communications director at Change that Works, 2009-10.  Online communications consultant for UFCW Local 7, 2009.  Colorado communications and marketing director at Media Matters for America, 2008-09.  Graduate of University of Oregon, 2004.  Born and raised in Evergreen, CO.

Youth Vote Director  Liz Bruns

(Aug. 2012)  Scribe in the emergency department at UC San Francisco, San Francisco General Hospital from April 2011.  Doula at Ubuntu Birth Support, 2010-11.  Investigator at Stein, Mitchell & Muse, LLP, 2009-10.  A field organizer on Obama's 2008 campaign, then worked on the Inaugural Committee.  Post-baccalaureate studies in pre-medicine at UC Berkeley, 2010-12; B.A. in public policy analysis from Duke University, 2008.

GOTV

Senior Advisor for GOTV  Marygrace Galston

In the Fall 2008 campaign Galston served as director of the Campaign for Change at the DNC, announced June 5, 2008; she started out the 2008 campaign as deputy state director on Obama's Iowa caucus campaign.  Washington State Democrats' Coordinated Campaign director in 2006.  East King County director (ran the Bellevue office) for Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) in 2005.  Worked on Sen. Murray's successful 2004 re-election campaign.  Worked on Sen. John Kerry's primary campaign starting in Iowa City for the Iowa caucus campaign then proceeding to Michigan for the Feb. 7 caucuses campaign and to Ohio.  Bachelor's degree in political science from Colorado State University; president of Young Democrats in her senior year.

Deputy GOTV Director  Katie Ingebretson

Served as deputy battleground director in Chicago from May 2011 to end of May 2012, then left to form K Plus K Enterprises, LLC in June 2012.  Digital director at the U.S. Department of Defense, Dec. 2009-April 2011.  Worked on Obama's 2008 campaign serving as director of the Virginia Campaign for Change in the Fall; during the primaries was Waterloo regional field director for Obama's Iowa caucus campaign as well as state director on the Idaho caucus camapign and Austin regional field director on the Texas primary campaign.  Worked on Virginia Victory 2005, helping to elect Tim Kaine governor.  A canvassing team member on the 2004 Wisconsin Coordinated Campaign.  Bachelor's degree in philosophy and history from University of Texas at Austin, 2004.  Texas native.

GOTV Data Director  Lena Tom

(Aug. 2012; most of the campaign in Chicago starting Aug. 2011 as Northeast regional data manager then as Great Lakes/Mid-Atlantic regional data manager)  National data and targeting director at the Alliance for Climate Protection, 2009-11. Customer services representative at the DVA Federal Credit Union, mid-2009.  Indiana deputy voter file manager and field organizer on the Obama campaign in Fall 2008.  Interim manager at H.A.L.E. Federal Credit Union, first part of 2007.  B.A. from Loyola University of Chicago, 2007.

Voter Protection

Voter Protection Coordinator  Spencer Ross

(March 2012)  Associate at Faegre Baker Daniels LLP, 2010-March 2012.  Deputy Colorado voter protection director on the Obama campaign in Fall 2008.  President of Colorado Young Democrats, 2004-05.  Political diretor for the Colorado Democratic Party, 2003-05, and operations director for Colorado Victory 2004.  J.D. from University of Denver Sturm College of Law, 2009; B.A. in political science, communications from Wake Forest University, 2003.

Deputy Voter Protection Coordinator  Monica Guardiola

(Aug. 2012)  Attorney at King & Greisen, LLP, May 2010-Aug. 2012.  Attorney at Guardiola Law Office, 2006-May 2010.  Attorney for the U.S. Postal Service, 2004-06.  Associate at Baker & Hostetler, 2002-04.  Associate at Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP, 1999-2002.  J.D. from The University of New Mexico School of Law, 2000; B.A. in political science from New Mexico State University, 1994.

Deputy Voter Protection Coordinator  Young Lee

Deputy Voter Protection Coordinator Spencer Jones

(Aug. 2012; also serving as deputy LGBT Operation Vote Director; field organizer from May-July 2012)  On leave from position as a litigation and antitrust associate at O'Melveny & Myers LLP.  J.D. from Stanford University, 2007; B.A. from Dartmouth College, 2002.

OPERATIONS

Operations Director  Peter Schottenfels

(April 2012)  Campaign manager at Happy Haynes' campaign for Denver Public Schools Board of Education, 2011.  Finance director on Mejia for Mayor, Dec. 2010-May 2011.  Regional field director on Bennet for Colorado, 2009-10.  Field organizer on the Virginia Coordinated Campaign, Fall 2009.  Photojournalist for the Flint Journal, first part of 2009.  Field organizer for the Obama campaign in Ann Arbor Michigan, Fall 2008.  B.A. in political science and social science from the University of Michigan.

Deputy Operations Director  Christine Nims

Director of Human Relations and Administration  Selena Dunham

On leave from her own company, Classique, LLC., which is a private client service company that offers training and consulting for individuals, corporations, business ventures, fundraising, political consulting and the etiquette of entertaining clients at work or in your home. Dunham similarly took leave to serve as chief of staff of the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee.

Surrogate Scheduler  Patricia Padilla

(Oct. 2012)  Deputy director of stadium operations for the Democratic National Convention Committee, May-Oct. 2012.  Advance lead at the U.S. Department of Labor, March 2009-May 2012.  National advance staff on Hillary Clinton for President, 2007-08.  National development officer at Yachting Australia, 2005-06.  B.S. in sport management from University of South Australia, 2004; B.S. in nutritional science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 2002.

Special Projects Coordinator  Kacey Wulff

(Aug. 2012; started as a constituency outreach volunteer in May)  Fellow in the Department of Bioethics at NIH, 2009-11.  M.P.H. from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2012; B.A. in philosophy, human biology from Stanford University, 2009.





former

Political Director  Rosemary Rodriguez

(reported March 14, 2012; worked to Sept. 2012 when she left for health reasons)  To the campaign from position state director for U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, started March 2009.  Served on the federal Election Assistance Commission, March 2007-Feb. 2009 including as chair.  Member of the Denver City Council starting in 2003, and elected as Council President in 2005.  Chaired the Colorado Reapportionment Commission in 2001.  City of Denver Clerk and Recorder, appointed by Mayor Webb in Jan. 1997.  Served in the administration of Mayor Wellington Webb including three years as scheduling director and deputy director for the Mayor's Office of Art, Culture and Film.  President of the Hispanic League in 1993.  Worked as a paralegal for about ten years.

Training Director  Causten Wollerman

(May-Sept. 2012)  New leaders program manager at the Center for Progressive Leadership, 2008-10.  Lead racial justice organizer for the Colorado Progressive Coalition, 2004-08.  Grew up in Denver, CO.

Operations Director  Jeremiah Perez

(Dec. 2011-April 2012)  Worked as a freelance journalist and editor in New York City and Washington, DC.  National advocacy specialist for the Amputee Coalition, 2006-08.  Founder and executive director of Amputees in Motion, 2005-07.  Showroom assistant at Baby Phat Jeans LLC, 2004-05.  Masters in legislative affairs from The George Washington University, 2011; B.F.A. in fashion merchandising from the School of Fashion, Academy of Art University, 2003. 

Press Secretary  Emily Dulcan

(May 2011-March 2012)  California communications director for Organizing for America from July 2009-May 2011.  Account executive at Fenton Communications, 2006-08.  M.A. in journalism from University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006.  Undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley, 2001. 




Colorado Democratic Party  |  777 Santa Fe Drive  |  Denver, CO 80204  +

Chairman  Rick Palacio

(elected March 15, 2011)  Deputy director of member services for House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.  Deputy communications director and legislative assistant to Rep. John Salazar.  A regional director of Colorado Democrats' Victory 2006; candidate for Pueblo County Clerk and Recorder in 2006..  Assistant to Colorado House Majority Leader Alice Madden (D), 2004-06.  Attended Regis University in Denver.  A sixth generation Coloradoan, born in Pueblo.

Executive Director  Alec Garnett

(March 2011)  Campaign director at Stan Garnett for Colorado Attorney General, 2010.  Legislative director for Congressman John Adler, 2008-09.  M.P.A. from the University of Colorado at Denver, 2006; B.A. in history from The College of Wooster, 2005.