Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee - 2010

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Chairman  Sen. Bob Menendez (NJ)

(selected to head DSCC in Nov. 2008) Appointed Senator in Jan. 2006 and elected in Nov. 2006. Elected to Congress in Nov. 1992 and served to Jan. 2006. Member of the New Jersey state senate 1991-93; member of the New Jersey state general assembly 1987-91. Mayor of Union City, NJ., 1986-92; CFO, 1978-82; member of the Union City board of education 1974-78. B.A. from St. Peter's College in Jersey City, 1976 and J.D. from Rutgers University, 1979. Grew up in Union City, NJ.

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.

COMPLIANCE

Director of Compliance  Chris Koob

(Sept. 2008) Director of finance convention operations for the DNC, April-Aug. 2008. Mid-Atlantic sales manager for New Media Strategies, 2007-08. COO for Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE), 2007. Finance chief of staff, 2005-07. Finance chief of staff, John Kerry for President, 2004-05. Political chief of staff on the Joe Lieberman for President campaign, and earlier director of operations at Lieberman’s ROCPAC. National development director for the New Democrat Network, 2001. Deputy to the senior advisor at the DNC, Fall 2000. Deputy Connecticut finance director on Lieberman for Senate, 1999-2000. Graduate of the University of Connecticut.

COMPTROLLER

Comptroller  Darlene Setter

(served as comptroller in the 2006 and 2008 cycles)

Assistant Comptroller  Megan Mielnick

(Jan. 2007)

MORE

Director of Senate Services  Emily G. Ross

(March 2008) Came to the DSCC from position as scheduler for Sen. Maria Cantwell. Field organizer for Washington State Democrats, 2006. B.A. in political science and women's and gender studies from Columbia University, 2006.

INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES

Director  Brian Smoot

Partner at 4C Partners, LLC. He came to the DSCC from position as executive director of the National Democratic Redistricting Trust. Political director at the DCCC in the 2008 cycle. Director of incumbent retention and campaign services at the DCCC. Managed Ron Klein's successful 2006 campaign for Congress in FL-22, then served as his chief of staff, Jan.-July 2007. Senior role on Rodney Alexander's successful 2002 congressional campaign in Louisiana, then served as his chief of staff. M.A. in political management from The George Washington University. B.A. in international politics from American University.