Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee -- 2011-12

POLITICAL

Political Director  Crystal King

(announced Feb. 8, 2011)  Chief of staff to Sen. Kay Hagan (NC), after managing Hagan's successful 2008 campaign.  Chief of staff to Rep. Louise Slaughter (NY), 2007.  Midwest political desk at the DCCC in 2006.  Political director on the 2004 Democratic Coordinated Campaign in Ohio; earlier worked a political desk for the Kerry campaign.  Worked for SEIU in Washington, DC.  A west central coordinator (Montgomery County) on the 1996 Ohio coordinated campaign.  Dayton native.

Deputy Political Director  Anne Caprara

(May 2011)  Chief of staff to Congresswoman Betsy Markey, Jan. 2009-Jan. 2011, after managing her campaign.  Transition director and chief of staff to Congresswoman Betty Sutton, Nov. 2006-May 2007.  Research tracker, then deputy research director at EMILY's List, 2003-06.  Business development assistant at Cassidy & Associates, 2001-03.  M.A. in political management from The George Washington University, 2003.  B.A. from American University, 2001.

RESEARCH

Policy Director  Anna Chu

(reported by Roll Call on July 20, 2011)  Fellow/policy advisor at the House Democratic Caucus, 2010-11.  B.A. in political science from UC Berkeley; law degree from the University of Southern California.  Native of San Francisco, California.

Research Director  Amy Gooden

(from May 2010 after serving as deputy research director starting in Feb. 2009)  Previously at the DCCC from January 2007 as a research analyst and then senior research analyst for the IE.  Deputy research director on the Harold Ford for U.S. Senate campaign. B.A. in economics and political science from Vanderbilt University.

EXECUTIVE

Executive Director  J.B. Poersch

Poersch also served as DSCC executive director in the 2006 and 2008 cycles. Ohio state director for the Kerry-Edwards campaign. Ran Sen. Jack Reed’s (RI) Washington, DC office for fourteen years starting after his election to the U.S. House in 1990 and continuing with him to the Senate. Directed Ohio Democrats' Coordinated Campaign in 2000. Campaign manager on Scotty Baesler’s 1998 U.S. Senate campaign in Kentucky (narrowly lost to Jim Bunning). Regional political director at the DCCC in the 1990 cycle. Worked for the National Association of Letter Carriers. In 1987 he joined the presidential campaign of then-Sen. Al Gore; he co-managed the campaign in Wyoming during the primaries. Started his career in the Washington office of Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (NY). Graduate of Providence College in Rhode Island.

Chief Operating Officer  Karen Hancox

Also served as COO in the 2006 cycle. CEO of the Kerry campaign (announced April 22, 2004). Deputy campaign manager on the Gephardt campaign starting April 2003.  Chief of staff for Gore 2000.  In early 1998 Hancox worked on Lewinsky damage control at the DNC.  From March 1995-Jan. 1997 she served as deputy political director at the White House under Doug Sosnik; she started in the Clinton administration in January 1993 in the Office of Legislative Affairs. Hancox handled congresssional relations on Clinton/Gore 1992.

POLITICAL

Political Director  Martha McKenna

(started late Sept. 2007) Came to the DSCC after managing Sheila Dixon's campaign for Mayor of Baltimore. Worked at EMILY's List for four years serving as campaign services director in the 2006 cycle and as tracker/liaison in the 2004 cycle. Paid communications on the Maryland Democratic Coordinated Campaign/Kathleen Townsend in Fall 2002.  Campaign manager on Rep. Lynn Rivers' primary campaign against Rep. John Dingell in 2002 in Michigan (re-districted into one district). M.S. in public policy from the Eagleton Institute at Rutgers University; B.A. in political science from Bucknell University. Baltimore native.

COMMUNICATIONS

Communications Director  Eric Schultz

(Feb. 2009) National press secretary on John Edwards' 2008 campaign. Communications director to Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and earlier press secretary to Schumer. In Fall 2004 Schultz served New Hampshire communications director for the Kerry/Edwards campaign; during the primaries he was deputy communications director on Kerry's NH primary campaign and later press secretary on Kerry's New York primary campaign. Graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, 2002; president of the senior class. Research assistant on Hillary Clinton's 2000 U.S. Senate campaign. Interned for Sen. Schumer in 1999. From Syracuse, NY.

Press Secretary  Deirdre Murphy

(Dec. 2009) Communications director to Sen. Michael Bennet (CO) starting in March 2009. Upstate press secretary for Sen. Charles Schumer (NY), latter part of 2008 and early 2009. Worked on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign including Oklahoma communications director (Feb. 5 primary), Houston press secretary (March 5 primary), and regional press desk for the Pennsylvania primary. Communications director to Rep. Gwen Moore (WI), 2007 to early 2008. DSCC deputy press secretary in the 2006 cycle. Graduate of the University of Virginia.

Deputy Press Secretary  Colin Milligan

Experience includes field organizer in Ottumwa on Obama’s Iowa caucus campaign.

RESEARCH

Policy Director  Nairi Hourdajian

(July 2009) Previously federal affairs manager at The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Director of communications at Finegold for Congress, 2007. Assistant to the chief of staff to Sen. Joe Biden, 2004-05. M.P.P. from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, 2007. B.A. in English and government from Georgetown University, 2003.

Research Director  Amy Gooden

(from May 2010 after serving as deputy research director starting in Feb. 2009) Previously at the DCCC from January 2007 as a research analyst and then senior research analyst for the IE. Deputy research director on the Harold Ford for U.S. Senate campaign. B.A. in economics and political science from Vanderbilt University.

Online

Director of Online Communications and New Media  Jason Rosenbaum

(March 2009) Previously deputy director of online communications at the DCCC, starting April 2007. B.A. in law and society and psychology from Michigan State University, 2000; M.A. in public policy and history from The George Washington University, 2004.

Direct Marketing

Director of Direct Marketing  Sue Woodward

Direct Marketing Coordinator/Deputy Director of Direct Marketing  Mike Cherry

(joined the DSCC in March 2008) Graduate of University of Maryland Baltimore County, 2007.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Director of IT  Jude Meche

(March 2005) Meche also served as technology site lead at Invesco Field for the Democratic National Convention. Senior IT advisor for John Kerry for President and the Kerry-Edwards campaign, starting May 2004. Four months as director of IT for America Coming Together. Director of IT on the Dick Gephardt for President campaign Feb. 2003-Feb. 2004. Director of management information systems at the DCCC, Sept. 2001-Feb. 2003. Consultant, 1992-2001. Degree in mechanical engineering from Tulane University, 1997.

Database Administrator  Jeff Cohen

(2009) Previously a software engineer and database analyst at NGP Software, Inc., 2005-09.  B.S.E. in computer science from the University of Pennsylvania, 2004.

Database Administrator  Tim Oppedisano

(June 2007) Field director on Dan Maffei for Congress, 2006.  Organizing intern for the Working Families Party, 2005.

FINANCE

Finance Director  Elizabeth Lowery

(Jan. 2009) Previously senior advisor to the chairman at the DLC, since June 2007. National finance director Harold Ford, Jr. for U.S. Senate, 2004. Fundraising consultant at Kimball Stroud & Associates, Inc, 1999-2003. University of Alabama.

Deputy Finance Director  Eric Feigenbaum

(Jan. 2009) Previously a deputy regional finance director at the DSCC starting in Feb. 2007 and has worked in DSCC finance since Aug. 2005. B.A. in political science from University of Pennsylvania, 2005.

LEGAL

Counsel  Marc E. Elias, Jonathan S. Berkon

Elias is partner at Perkins Coie, where he is chair of the political law practice.  Lead counsel for Al Franken in the 2008 Minnesota Senate recount and contest.  General counsel for Chris Dodd for President in the 2008 primary campaign.  General counsel to the Kerry-Edwards presidential campaign in 2004.  J.D. and M.A. in political science from Duke University, 1993; B.A. in government from Hamilton College, 1990.

title  John Hagner

Targeting director at the DCCC in the 2010 cycle through late 2011.  Targeting and field director for the Ohio Democratic Party in the 2008 cycle.  Field director on Sherrod Brown's 2006 campaign for U.S. Senate.  Campaign manager for Steve Young in Calif. 48th CD Oct. 4, 2005 special election/Dec. 6, 2005 runoff. Targeting director on Paul Hackett's unsuccessful campaign for Congress against Jean Schmidt in Ohio 2nd CD Aug. 2, 2005 special election.  Assistant to DNC Coordinated Campaign director Karen Hicks in Fall 2004.