Obama General Election Campaign Organization, Missouri
revised April 14, 2009  disclaimer

Obama for America 
State Director
 		Buffy Wicks
(announced June 12, 2008)  Wicks started as the campaign's Western region field director in Chicago, served as field director in California, was deputy field director in Texas, and then directed the campaign's national volunteer program ("Obama Organizing Fellows").  Political director for Wake Up Wal-Mart.  Organizer in the 'Anti-War in Iraq' campaign in San Francisco, CA.  Co-founded Hoi-Polloi, "a people’s organization created by a small group of conscientious thinkers striving for world peace."  Campaign manager on Jay Fetcher's 2004 state Senate campaign in Colorado.  Des Moines organizer on Howard Dean's Iowa caucus campaign.  Graduate of the University of Washington, 1998.

Deputy State Director
 		Tod Martin
Deputy chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill.  Campaign director for McCaskill’s 2006 U.S. Senate campaign.  Finance director and then campaign manager for St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay’s 2005 re-election campaign.  Worked on the 2002 Democratic Coordinated Campaign.  Graduate school at Washington University in St. Louis.  Born in Carbondale, Illinois.

Western State Director Sophie McCarthy
Chief of staff to Obama senior strategist David Axelrod at AKPD Message & Media, 2004-07.  Senior account executive at Dan Klores Communications in New York City.  Legislative aide to then Congresswoman Karen McCarthy.  Kansas City, MO native.
Communications Director Debbie Mesloh
Served as communications director on Obama's California primary campaign, on leave from her position as communications director for San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris.  Public relations manager at Telocity, provider of residential broadband services, starting in late 2000.  California press assistant and Northern California field representative for Senator Feinstein.  Worked for Solem & Associates, a San Francisco public relations agency.  Media relations manager for the Atlanta City Council.  Public information officer for Mayor Bob Knight in Wichita, Kansas.

Press Secretary
 Justin Hamilton
Deputy chief of staff to Congressman George Miller (D-CA) since July 2004.  Legislative director to Congressman Chris Bell (D-TX), 2002-04.  B.A. in international studies from the University of St. Thomas (Houston), 2001.

New Media Director
 John Schueler
Started out as an organizer on Obama's South Carolina primary campaign.

Maya Goines-Deputy director, African American at the DNC's American Majority Partnership.  Served about four months as executive director of Maryland Democratic Party.  Senior campaign field coordinator at SEIU.  Graduate of Iowa State University.  Originally from Florissant, MO.

Myesha Ward-Deputy director for delegate selection on Obama for America.  Deputy political director for Sen. John Kerry's PAC Keeping America's Promise.  In 2004 Ward worked as deputy GOTV director - Milwaukee on the Kerry-Edwards campaign, as deputy political director for Southern and Northeastern States on Kerry-Edwards, in the boiler room during the Democratic National Convention in Boston, and as a delegate tracker for Southern states at Kerry headquarters in Washington, DC.  Law degree from Howard University.

John Oxtoby-Started out as an organizer on Obama's NH primary campaign (Laconia).


Campaign for Change
General Election Director
 Marlon Marshall
Previously Hillary Clinton's field director on the May 6 Indiana primary campaign, field director on the March 4 Ohio primary campaign, and field director on the Jan. 19 Nevada caucuses campaign.  In 2006 Marshall served as field director on the Maryland Coordinated Campaign and earlier as Prince George's County regional field director.  Regional field director for the Kansas Democratic Party in the 3rd CD for the last six months of 2005.  In summer and fall 2004 Marshall served as Kansas City, MO field organizer/regional base vote director on the Missouri Coordinated Campaign; he finished the campaign doing GOTV in Ohio.  Graduate of the University of Kansas with a degree in communication studies.  Native of St. Louis (grew up in Richmond Heights).


Field Director
 Peachy Myers
Upstate regional field director for Obama's South Carolina primary campaign; also worked on the campaign in Doylestown, PA..  In Fall 2004 Myers served as a field organizer for the Kerry-Edwards campaign in the Missouri 8th CD, which includes her hometown of Rolla, MO.
Deputy Field Director
 Spark Bookhart
Worked on the campaign in Mississippi and Indiana.  Worked at Kansas City Economic Development Corporation's Loan Corporation.  Kansas City police officer, 1996-2005.  Graduate of Tuskegee University in Atlanta.  Grew up in Los Angeles.
Deputy Field Director
 Dan Herman
From Joplin.
Regional Organization


Regional Press Secretary (Kansas City and Northwest Missouri) Melissa Nitti
Nitti came to the campaign in July after several months as a senior associate at The Strategy Group's Los Angeles office.  Account manager at Kristina Schake Consultants in Los Angeles.  Junior publicist at Much & House Public Relations.  Degree in political science from Occidental College in Los Angeles.

Regional Press Secretary
 Jean Weinberg
Came to the campaign in August from her position as communications director for New York City Council Member Bill de Blasio.

Press Assistant: Joseph De Wolk

Earned Media Assistants: Elizabeth Sharpe-Taylor, Drew Brookie, Courtney Wade, Nicholas Warshaw.

Tracker: Chrissi Johnson
Communications Consultant
 Sara Howard
Howard worked as a national media relations specialist at SEIU for more than six years, from 2002-08.  Communications director to Sen. Mark Dayton, 2001-02.  Press secretary on Carnahan for Senate, 2000.  Assistant press secretary on Bill Bradley for President.  B.A. degrees in political science and women's studies from Rutgers, 1998.
Policy Director
 Michael Kadish
Communications director at TerraPass.  Consultant to environmental organizations.  Communications director in the Brooklyn Borough President's Office, 2003-05.  Policy director to New York City Council Member Alan Jay Gerson, 2002-03.  Staff writer at Brill's Content magazine, 1997-99.  M.P.P. from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, 2001; undergraduate degree from Columbia University, 1996.


Border States Director
 Kevin Caravelli
Campaign manager on DeLear for Congress in Missouri's 2nd CD to Aug. 2008.  Deputy field director on Jim Shrewsbury as Aldermanic President in early 2007.  Field organizer on Claire McCaskill for U.S. Senate, 2006.  Attended St. Louis Community College.


Constituency-African American:   Kimiko Gilmore, Kasaye

Youth Vote Organizers: Lynna Cobrall, Stephen Eisel, Corinna King-Brown, Kelley Robinson, John Scott

Volunteer Coordinators: Gloria Bilchik, Shelia Johnson, Carol Wofsey


Scheduling Director
 Megan Robertson


GOTV Director
 Sarah Peterson
Initially special projects director.  Operations director on the California primary campaign.


Voter File Manager
 Matthew Brennan
During the primary campaign Brennan was program manager and one of several developers of the Texas Precinct Captain and PA Teams online calling tools.  Ph.D. student in electrical engineering at the University of Southern California.  B.S. degrees in computer systems engineering and electrical engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, 2006.
 
Voter File: Jessica Hampton Hill, Matthew Munsey


IT Director
 David Blakely III


Operations Director
 Nora Becker
Started on the campaign as a field organizer on Obama's NH primary campaign.

Deputy Operations
 Daniel Palay

Compliance
 MaryBeth Dotson


Voter Protection Coordinator
 Rebecca Ewing
Attorney at Zuckerman Spaeder.  During the 2004 campaign Ewing coordinated volunteer attorneys for John Kerry for President and the DNC while on leave from Baker Botts. Associate at Baker Botts from 2001-04.  Judicial clerk to the Honorable Edmund V. Ludwig of the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 2000-01.  J.D. from Harvard Law School, 2000; undergraduate degree from Harvard College, 1995.


Consultant
 Sean Gagen
Has worked on campaigns across the country, includingGet-Out-The-Vote Director for America Coming Together in New Mexico in Fall 2004, Judi Dutcher for Governor (MN), Bill Richardson for Governor of New Mexico in 2002, Russ Carnahan for Congress (MO-3), Tom Keefe for Congress (WA) in 2000, and David Lillehaug's campaign for the DFL U.S. Senate nomination in 2000.  National director of organizing, managed the Ballot Access teams, and served as deputy director in the Iowa Caucuses on Bill Bradley for President.  Executive director of the Missouri Democratic Party, 1997-99.  Executive director of Participation 2000, 1992-97.  Grew up in rural Missouri.


Press Release



Missouri Democratic Party  |  208 Madison Street  PO Box 719  |  Jefferson City, MO 65102   (573) 636-5241  >
Chairman
 John Temporiti
Of counsel at Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, and practices in governmental law and relations and business services; joined the firm in 1985 and continued there as partner through 1997.  President and CEO of Mayflower Van Lines, 1998-99.  Chief of governmental affairs, St. Louis County, 2004-07.  Candidate for Congress, 1988.  Chief of staff to the Mayor of the City of St. Louis, 1981-85.  J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law, 1975; B.A. from Cardinal Glennon College, St. Louis, 1971.

Vice Chair Yolanda Wheat                Treasurer Rod Anderson       Secretary Shirla Howard   


Executive Director
 Ken Franklin
(announced April 14, 2007)  Previously St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay’s deputy legislative director; started May 2005.  Political director for Mayor Slay’s successful 2005 re-election campaign.  Ran Gov. Bob Holden’s St. Louis office.  Base vote director for Sen. Jean Carnahan's 2002 campaign.  Press aide for Freeman Bosley, Jr.’s 2001 mayoral campaign.
Political Director
 Zach Pollock
Prevously legislative director of AFSCME Council 72.


Communications Director
 Jack Cardetti
(started Aug. 2004)  Previously Gov. Bob Holden's press secretary, started in Jan. 2003.  Press assistant in Attorney General Jay Nixon's office.  Graduate of the University of Missouri with a B.A. in political science.

Delegate and Convention Director
 Kris Stock


Chief Financial Officer
 Terrie Laswell


Finance Director
 Doug Potts


Compliance
 Elizabeth Simmons

 
Missouri House Democratic Campaign Committee
Missouri Senate Democratic Campaign Committee

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Copyright © 2008, 2009  Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action