Americans Elect 

Americans Elect is "a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that is not affiliated with any political party, ideology or candidate."  Its website states, "It is funded exclusively by individual contributions—and not from corporate, labor, special interest, foreign, or lobbyist sources. And we intend to repay our initial financing so that no single individual will have contributed more than $10K."  Americans Elect organized in April 2010 as a Section 527 organization; later in 2010 it reorganized as a 501(c)(4).  Leaders of Americans Elect state that it is not a political party, although it is indisputedly fulfilling some of the roles of a political party.

 (page updated October 5, 2011)

Americans Elect  |  Bylaws   


Board of Directors: Peter Ackerman, Wendy Drake, Kahlil Byrd, Joshua S. Levine

"...not less than three (3) nor more than nine (9)."  "The founding Board of Directors of Americans Elect shall consist of those persons named in the Articles of Incorporation. At each annual meeting of the Board of Directors, the Directors then in office shall elect Directors. Each Director shall hold office for a term of one year until the next annual meeting of the Board, and until his or her successor has been elected and qualified."

Officers
Chairman (or President)  Peter Ackerman

Founding chair of the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict and managing director of Rockport Capital, Inc., a private investment firm.  managing director of the Crown Capital Group.  Visiting scholar at International Institute for Strategic Studies.  Director of International Capital Markets at Drexel Burnham Lambert from 1978-1990; worked on recapitalizations and leveraged buyouts (described as the "right-hand man to Michael Milken.")  M.A. (1969), M.A.L.D. (1971) and Ph.D. (1976) from Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University; B.A. from Colgate University, 1968.  Co-author of  Strategic Nonviolent Conflict: The Dynamics of People Power in the Twentieth Century (2004) and A Force More Powerful: A Century of Nonviolent Conflict (2001).

Vice Chairman (or Vice President)

xx.

Secretary  Wendy Drake

President at the Webster Group, a small, woman-owned fundraising and event management company, has worked there since 2001.  M.B.A. from The George Washington University School of Business, 2002; B.S. from Drury University, 1994.

Treasurer

xx.

Convention, Delegate, Members

Convention

"The Americans Elect nominee will be chosen by popular vote in a secure online convention in June of 2012. Each verified Delegate will be entitled to one vote in the online convention. Results of the convention will be verified by an Independent Panel of Experts."


Delegates

"Delegates are Members who have submitted sufficient information to permit verification of their lawful status as registered voters and citizens of the United States, and who have been so verified by Americans Elect, and who have accepted the Delegate Pledge as provided by the Rules Committee."

Members

All persons who are citizens of the United States may register online as Members...

Committees

Standing Committees (4)
Rules Committee

"...responsible for development of all rules for the conduct of internet-based conventions, including drafting,revision and amendments of such rules..."

Platform of Questions Committee

"...developing proposed questions for submission to the Delegates, polling the Delegates to determine which questions to include in the final platform of questions as well as any amendments thereto, tendering the platform of questions to all persons who are identified either as potential or drafted candidates for Americans Elect nomination as well as to the nominees of the Republican and Democratic parties..."


Candidates Certification Committee

"...certifying that candidates and draftees for the offices and president and vice president meet all constitutional eligibility, as well as to develop and apply criteria of demonstrated achievements based on qualifications of past presidents and vice presidents to ensure that only persons capable of performing the duties of president and vice president are eligible for voting by the registered Delegates..."


Technology Integrity Committee

"...oversight of all aspects of internet interface and function, including development and maintenance, website content, delegate certification, internet convention operation and audit, software development and licensing, hardware and data storage purchase, lease or licensing, digital media, email and social networking and shall develop and oversee all outside contractors responsible for all aspects of internet functionality."

State-Based Chapters or Committees


Staff

Chief Executive Officer  Kahlil Byrd

Founder of Sung Media Ventures, an advisory firm that helps launch and nurture sustainable international media organizations.  In the first part of 2008, Byrd was communications director to Jeff Beatty, Republican Senate candidate in Massachusetts.  Director of appointments to Gov. Deval Patrick.  Communications director on Deval Patrick's 2006 campaign for governor, March 2005-April 2006.  Eight years in public broadcasting as a producer and reporter.  Early career in finance.  M.P.A. from the Harvard Kennedy School; B.A. in political science from Morehouse College.  Grew up in Washington, DC.


Chief Operations Officer  Elliot L. Ackerman

(initially policy director) Experience includes eight years as a Marine Corps Infantry Officer, Special Operations Officer, and Intelligence Officer; served several tours of duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan.


Chief Technology Officer  Joshua S. Levine

(Dec. 2010)  CEO at ESP Technologies, 2007-10.  Chief technology and Operations office at E*Trade Financial Corp., 1999-2005.  Managing director at Deutsche Bank, 1997-99; managing director at Morgan Stanley, 1985-97.  Consultant, IBM Corp. 1984-85.  Sales engineer/manager at I.P. Sharp Associates, 1977-84.


National Field Director  Kellen Arno

Vice president of Arno Political Consultants, 2003-present.  Research associate at Capitol Links, 2004-08.  Worked on Secretary of State Bill Jones' 2002 gubernatorial campaign in California.  Two years in the executive office of the California Secretary of State's office as a media relations specialist.  Degree in history from UC Davis.

Ballot Access Advisor  Michael Arno

President and founder (1979) of Arno Political Consultants (+); firm specializes in collecting signatures for petition drives.  President of Capitol Links, 1991-2007.  Earlier in his career he was an editor for the Dallas Morning News and the Tyler Morning Telegraph.  Studied journalism and history at UCLA.


Chief Communications Officer  Sarah Malm

Asia senior strategist (independent contractor) in Kuala Lumpur, 2008-10.  Managing director of Public Strategies, Inc., 2007-08.  Communications advisor to US AID in Indonesia, 2006-07.   M.B.A. from University of Texas at Austin, 2001.  Started career working for U.S. Sen. Paul Simon.  B.A. in political science from Middlebury College, 1987.  Grew up in New York.

Press Secretary  Ileana Wachtel

Based in Los Angeles, Wachtel has worked in politics for nearly 20 years, serving in press and research positions on local, state and national campaigns including as national press secretary on Jerry Brown's 1992 presidential campaign.


Regional Press Secretary  Dagny Leonard

(Sept. 2011)


Regional Press Secretary  Traci McMillan

(Aug. 2011) McMillan most recently was a reporter for Bloomberg BGov and has worked numerous internships in media.  Master's in journalism from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, 2011.  B.B.A. from University of Notre Dame, 2009.



Campus Director  Nick Troiano

Senior at Georgetown University pursing a degree in political science.  Fou  From Milford, PA.  [blog]


General Counsel  Dan Winslow

Currently a state representative in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the Ninth District, based in Norfolk; and senior counsel at Proskauer Rose LLP.  Chief legal counsel to Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, 2002-05.  Judge in Massachusetts for nearly eight years.  J.D. from Boston College Law School, 1983.  B.A. in political science from Tufts University, 1980.