Bio

As a lifelong progressive Democrat, I’d like to take what I do professionally and bring that to the Multnomah County Democratic Party in the official role as Communications Officer. I’ve had long-standing relationships with a number of media outlets, and we need to make sure our new County Party Chair is directly involved in actively providing commentary to the media. After this last election cycle, it’s also critical to determine where the Party goes next and how we develop cohesive messaging to work across the entire county, so I look forward to helping facilitate that discussion across all of our district leadership teams. Professional/volunteer background: – Worked in public relations and communications for the past 24 years, beginning as a member of the West Coast White House Advance Team in 1993, first as senior staff support to the White House Communications team, then working with the traveling White House Press Corps – Since 1998, I’ve worked for public relations agencies representing a wide array of clients (from start-ups to Fortune 50 entities), for companies (Texas Instruments and Eddie Bauer) in communications and brand marketing divisions, and as a communications consultant for a number of non-profits – Currently serve as VP for a communications firm with technology clients, creating and executing strategic communications and brand awareness plans that span across traditional media relations, social media programs, blogs and bylines – Active in the Portland animal rescue community (specializing in socializing feral cats, so I guess you could call me a cat herder), and member of the Portland Neighborhood Emergency Team program in the Creston-Kenilworth area – Many years of volunteer service, including Planned Parenthood and women’s health clinics as a patient escort, Portland’s Trauma Intervention Program as a grief counselor, and numerous Jewish Federations as a fundraiser and volunteer

Political Experience

– PCP: Been active in politics long before I was old enough to vote, and a PCP in Multnomah County from 1993-2000 and 2012-present (served as a PCP in Texas from 2000-2006 and 2008-2011) – Campaigns: Volunteered in numerous campaigns, including: Congressional, State Legislative and Metro; Statewide races for Gubernatorial and Senate candidates; and Federal campaigns starting with Mondale/Ferraro in 1984 and including voter outreach efforts in red states (Texas and Louisiana) – Slate cards: Since returning to Portland in 2012, I’ve dropped at least 2,000 slate cards in each general election, not only in my own house district (HD 42) but in other swing districts (HD 50 and 51) to ensure Democrats get elected. Having helped coordinate our County’s slate card programs in 2014 & 2016, I’ve seen firsthand how they are proven to generate higher turnout in those areas in which cards are dropped

Vision for the Multnomah County Democratic Party

It’s time we brought our County Party communications program into the 21st century. I envision: – Designing an updated website that’s more user friendly and highly informative – Building out a strong social media platform that conveys our messaging, activities, and encouragement for more involvement and participation across all Democrat-friendly allies – Dedicated areas of the website for each House District (HD), with pictures and profiles of each District Leadership team, districts maps, area resources, and contact information for elected officials – Developing a Communications Team with representatives from each HD managing communications on their own HD web pages – Working with each of the standing committees to develop their own sections of the website – Utilizing the Communications Team to create and publish a regular newsletter, featuring activities not only of the Party as a whole, but those events in various house districts encompassing the entire County