RelatedProgressive States Task Forces
Representatives from the following organizations have already agreed to serve on task forces relevant to specific issues and to act as a resource to legislators and local organizations. Progressive States will work with these and additional future task force members to provide support to state campaigns seeking to enact these policies into law.AFL-CIO
ACORN
AFSCME
Americans for Health Care
Apollo Alliance
Center for American Progress
Center for Policy Alternatives
COWS
Economic Policy Institute
Families USA
Free Press
JR Commons Center
Labor Project on Working Families
Mobility Agenda - Center for Community Change
Moms Rising
Multi-States Working Families Consortium
National Conference of Environmental Legislators
National Employment Law Project
National Partnership for Women & Families
Northeast Action
People for the American Way
Public Campaign
SEIU
Sierra Club
Skyline Public Works
Smart Growth America
State Environmental Leadership Program
UC-Berkeley Center for Labor Research
Universal Health Care Action Netwokr (UHCAN)
Vote by Mail Project
PSN Staff
Joel Barkin, Executive Director
jbarkin@progressivestates.orgJoel is the Executive Director of the Progressive States Network, where he works with state and national organizations on key progressive policy issues by providing guidance on strategy and message to key legislative campaigns. Under his leadership, the Progressive States Network has become one of the key meeting spaces for progressive legislators, activists, and citizens interested in state policy. Barkin also served as Communications Director and Special Advisor to Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and in the Communications Department for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). He’s worked on a number of campaigns and progressive initiatives at the state and national level.
Georges Bergès, Development Director
gberges@progressivestates.orgGeorges is a seasoned development director who has both a marketing/communications and development background. Prior to joining Progressive States Network he was the Associate Director of Planning and Development for the New York Association for New Americans (NYANA), the largest local refugee resettlement organization in the country, and was a development & communications consultant for the United Nations Institute for Research and Training (UNITAR). He is also currently a Research Fellow at the Global Peace Initiative of Women (GPIW). Georges received a Master of Arts in Diplomacy & International Relations from the John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy & International Relations and a Master of Public Administration from Seton Hall University.
Nathan Newman, Policy Director
nnewman@progressivestates.orgNathan, a lawyer and Ph.D., has an extensive history of supporting local policy campaigns, from coalition organizing work to drafting legislation. Previous to coming to Progressive States, he was Associate Counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice, Program Director of NetAction's Consumer Choice Campaign, co-director of the UC-Berkeley Center for Community Economic Research, and a labor and employment lawyer. He received his J.D. from Yale Law School and his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California at Berkeley and has written extensively about public policy and the legal system in a range of academic and popular journals.
J. Mijin Cha, Policy Specialist
mcha@progressivestates.orgMijin focuses on assisting legislators and organizations in promoting Smart Growth and Clean Jobs. She recently completed her PhD in law from the Univ. of London, School of Oriental and African Studies studying access to justice and environmental justice movements in India and the U.S. Prior to joining Progressive States, she worked in Nepal on a project increasing access to environmental justice in rural areas of South Asia. She has worked with grassroots groups in several countries and is a member of the California Bar.
Julie Schwartz, Policy Specialist
jschwartz@progressivestates.orgJulie assists state legislators and organizations in promoting progressive broadband, media reform, and economic development policies. She is a recent graduate from Georgetown University Law Center and is a member of the Pennsylvania bar. Prior to joining the Progressive States Network, Julie worked as a legal fellow for Free Press. Julie's experience includes drafting comments in response to FCC proposed rules, participating in litigation regarding broadcast and broadband issues, and analyzing constitutional issues pertaining to state legislation.
Christian Smith-Socaris, Policy Specialist
csmith-socaris@progressivestates.orgBefore coming to Progressive States Christian spent many years supporting the New York Civil Liberties Union's legislative efforts. Serving as an advocate, lobbyist and policy analyst, he focused on a broad range of issues including voting rights, criminal justice reform, civil rights protections as well as privacy rights. Christian was a key participant in the campaign to establish pro-voter implementation of the Help America Vote Act in New York State. Beyond his professional work, Christian is a visual artist.
Adam Thompson, Policy Specialist
athompson@progressivestates.orgAdam has several years' experience working for major health care reform at the state level and on political campaigns. Before joining Progressive States, he worked on Maine Governor John Baldacci's Office of Health Policy and Finance on the enactment and implementation of Dirigo Health Reform.
Adam previously served as the Executive Director of the Maine Democratic Party.
John Bacino, Operations Manager
jbacino@progressivestates.orgJohn Bacino is a graduate of Grinnell College and a native of Montana. Before joining Progressive States he was a field co-director, fundraising manager, and advance staffer for John Tester’s 2006 Senate campaign. Previously he served as a policy aide for the Governor Schweitzer in Montana, where he supported the staff and Governor with research related to energy policy.
Austin Guest, Communications Associate
aguest@progressivestates.orgAustin manages PSN's media content production and outreach. Prior to joining PSN, Austin was a student at Harvard University, where he was an active contributor to several branches of the University's student activist community. As the Media Coordinator for Harvard's Student Labor Action Movement, Austin worked in close coordination with SEIU Local 615 to organize outsourced campus security guards. He also was an officer with the anti-war group, Harvard Initiative for Peace and Justice, and a founding member of the Harvard chapter of the new Students for a Democratic Society.
Marisol Thomer, Outreach Coordinator
mthomer@progressivestates.orgMarisol is an experienced activist and organizer with a focus on labor rights and economic justice. Recently she has worked for a New York local of UNITE HERE organizing food service workers for fair contract fights. She has been involved in several activist organizations such as Financial Aid & Class Equality, an organization she co-founded to represent the voices of low-income and working class college students, and has served as a congressional intern for Delegate Donna M. Christensen (VI) through the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. She has studied in Mexico and Cuba.
Jobs & Internships
Immigration Policy Advocate
Position
The
Progressive States Network (www.progressivestates.org)
seeks a highly motivated individual to work in a team approach as a
policy advocate working on immigration policy in the states.
The Progressive States Network is a state-based organization,
the mission of which is to pass progressive legislation in all 50 of
America's state legislatures, while challenging rightwing forces in
each of those states.
Job Description
Attacks
on immigrants is emerging as the rightwing "wedge" issue
of 2008 and dealing with the issue is likely to remain a key
challenge, but also an opportunity for state legislators in coming
years. Progressive States is looking for an individual to both
support individual immigration policy campaigns in states and help
build a national legislative network that can institutionalize a
humane and strategic immigration policy as a key part of multi-issue
legislative coalitions across the country.
PSN's immigration policy advocate will work to reframe the debate on immigration in the state around five key reforms:
Wage Enforcement as Immigration Policy: Much of the anger at immigrants derives from fears that sweatshops and sub-minimum wage labor will undermine wage standards, so PSN will focus on policies that punish employers who violate wage laws in order to politically unite all workers, immigrant and native alike, and actually strengthen the progressive political base.
Encouraging Immigrant Integration and Naturalization: In order to emphasize the broad desire of new immigrants to participate fully in our society, PSN will promote policies, including naturalization and English-language help, that help all immigrants better integrate into American society.
Immigrants and Public Benefits: PSN will highlight studies that show that undocumented immigrants actually pay substantial taxes and use limited public benefits, while also promoting resolutions to demand that the federal government share revenues with states to expand services for communities with heavy immigrant populations.
Voting Reform versus "Voter ID" Attacks: While helping to defeat voter ID laws, PSN will work on policies like same day registration and voting by mail, to make voting easier for people who do overcome these new barriers to proving their legal right to vote.
Immigrant Outreach as Public Safety and Anti-Terror Policy: In order to emphasize that it is hard to protect victims of crime when millions of people living in our communities are fearful of talking to the police, PSN will promote policies that protect undocumented immigrant victims and witnesses of crime when they contact the police, while encouraging community policing efforts involving undocumented immigrant communities.
Since Progressive States is dedicated to breaking down single issue politics in favor of a shared multi-issue agenda, any candidate for these positions should be prepared to promote these issues in the context of helping to promote other issues of concerns to our allies in the labor, civil rights, environmental and other grassroots communities.
PSN State Campaign Support: A core part of the PSN staffer's responsibility would be to support campaigns on these issues in each state, working with local organizational and legislative allies we have developed from other campaigns to find sponsors and help move the bills in more states. This help will range from drafting legislation and amendments during the sessions, writing op-eds, developing fact sheets and other resource sheets, promoting grassroots public education in support of these voting reform initiatives, and helping legislators educate their fellow lawmakers on the need for the bills.
Strategic Coordination with Other Issue Campaigns: Where PSN brings special expertise is using our involvement in a range of other national and local issue campaigns to add strategic advice on moving these voting reforms, including highlighting how to integrate immigration issues into the health care debate and working with election reform advocates who are focusing on turnout among newly naturalized immigrants.
Build National Immigration Policy Legislative Network: A key role for the PSN immigration policy advocates will be to build a national network of state legislators that can work consistently to promote more humane policies involving new immigrants. By encouraging more legislator-to-legislator communication across state lines, we help legislators to see a policy proposal not as some radical new innovation but as a tested policy which has strengthened the political position of their peer legislators in other states. Strengthening legislator-to-legislator coordination also encourages legislators to think more seriously about the national impact of their actions and their role as leaders in the progressive movement, instead of just narrowly concentrating on their role as legislators in their own state.
Qualifications
Any
candidate must be self-motivated and an innovative thinker and
organizer with a dedication to public interest issues. Excellent
verbal and writing skills are an essential requirement. Background in
election reform advocacy is strongly desired. Relevant experience
includes (but is not limited to) working in political, policy, legal,
journalistic, or government settings. Advanced degrees, including a
JD or masters in related fields, may count toward a candidate's
professional experience. But most of all, we are looking for smart,
creative thinkers and doers who can help build and strengthen the
progressive movement in this country.
Progressive States is an
equal opportunity employer. We encourage and value a diverse
workforce, and we seek diversity among applicants for this position.
Women and people of color are strongly encouraged to apply.
Salary
& Benefits
Salary and benefits for this position is
commensurate with the amount of relevant professional experience that
a candidate has. Opportunities for advancement, travel, and
additional training are available.
Background
The
Progressive States Network works with legislators and community
organizations across the country to advance legislation at the state
level that protects individual freedoms, promotes sustainable
economic growth, and strengthens America's working families. Backed
by labor unions, community leaders, environmental groups, grassroots
organizations such as MoveOn.org, and other individual supporters,
Progressive States blends analysis and action and is working to
establish a cohesive network and support system for progressive
legislators in all 50 states, while building a concerted movement
dedicated to grassroots social and political change across the
nation. See www.progressivestates.org
for more information.
How to
Apply
Email a compelling cover letter, resume and writing
sample identifying which policy position you are applying for and
which shows your ability to write about policy issues in a manner
accessible to the public to:
Nathan Newman, Policy
Director
Progressive States Network
jobs@progressivestates.org
New York City Area Drupal Expert
Progressive States Network, a nonprofit working to promote progressive legislation at statehouses nationwide, seeks a New York City area Drupal expert. PSN has a partially completed website and needs advanced Drupal review and expertise in migrating data from the current (Textpattern) website.
The site uses CCK/Views, Panels, an extensive taxonomy, and custom modules. We seek a review of the Drupal configuration and additional development to meet our needs. The site will be hosted on a LAMP platform. The project will consist of separate tasks over the next four months (February-May).
Required: Drupal module development and site configuration, PHP, MySQL, HTML/XHTML, CSS, SVN/CVS.
Desired: Knowledge of Drupal theming, experience with conversion from Textpattern or Wordpress sites, and hosting selection. New York City area location.
If interested, please send a cover letter, resume, examples of Drupal modules and sites, and consulting rate to webjob@progressivestates.org.
Policy Internship
Progressive States Network (PSN) is seeking candidates for part- and full-time internships for the upcoming legislative season at our New York City office. The intern will work closely with our staff of attorneys and policy specialists in creating policies and implementing strategies to support progressive legislation in statehouses across the country.
A new organization formed to combat right-wing power in the states, PSN works with legislators and community organizations across the country to advance legislation at the state level that protects individual freedoms, promotes sustainable economic growth, and strengthens America's working families.
Candidates must have a commitment to public service. Experience in policy advocacy or community organizing is a plus.
Please forward cover letter, résumé, writing sample, and references to staff@progressivestates.org with “Policy Intern Application” in the subject line.
PSN's Board of Directors
Rep. Garnet Coleman, Texas House of Representatives, Co-Chair – As a Representative of Texas’s 147th District since 1991, Rep. Coleman has garnered a reputation as a formidable champion for working families and communities of color, spearheading major victories for his constituents in the areas of education, health care, and economic development. He has twice been named to the prestigious Texas Monthly Ten Best Legislators list, and in 2004 he was recognized as Outstanding Black Caucus Chair by the Congressional Black Caucus.
David Sirota, Founding Co-Chair – David is a nationally syndicated columnist and author of the New York Times-bestselling author of The Uprising: An Unauthorized Tour of the Populist Revolt that is Scaring Washington and Wall Street. He is a Senior Editor at In These Times and a former Fellow at the Center for American Progress. Before helping to found PSN, David spent time Capitol Hill working under Representative Bernie Sanders from Vermont (I - VT) and David Obey (D - WI) on the House Appropriations Committee.
Sen. Joe Bolkcom, Iowa Senate – Sen. Bolkcom is currently serving in his third term in the Iowa Senate. He was first elected to the Senate in 1998 and re-elected in 2002 and 2006. He previously served for six years on the Johnson County Board of Supervisors. Joe was elected a Senate Assistant Majority Leader for the 2007 and 2008 legislative sessions. Before becoming a County Supervisor, Joe worked for three years at the county public health department helping address the county’s leading health issues including youth access to tobacco products and environmental health concerns.
Wes Boyd, President of MoveOn.org – Wes and his wife Joan Blades were the cofounders in 1987 of Berkeley Systems, a San Francisco Bay area software company. After selling the company in 1997, Boyd and Blades went on to found MoveOn.org, which has quickly become a major national political force by using cutting edge online methods to coordinate fundraising and advocacy for progressive causes and candidates.
David Brock, President and CEO, Media Matters for America – David is the author of four political books, including The Republican Noise Machine: Right-Wing Media and How It Corrupts Democracy. His preceding book, Blinded by the Right: The Conscience of an Ex-Conservative, was a 2002 New York Times best-selling political memoir in which he chronicled his years as a conservative media insider. Brock serves on the advisory board of Democracy Radio Inc. and is the recipient of the New Democrat Network's first award for political entrepreneurship.
Anna Burger, Executive Vice President, SEIU – Hailed by Fortune Magazine as “the most powerful woman in the labor movement” and named as one of Washingtonian's 100 Most Powerful Women in 2006, Anna is both a top ranking officer at SEIU, the nation's largest and fastest growing union, and the first chair of America's newest labor federation, Change to Win. Before moving to SEIU’s international office in Washington D.C., Anna served as the first full-time woman President of SEIU Local 668 in Pennsylvania.
Rep. Morgan Carroll, Colorado House of Representatives – Rep. Carroll serves as the Majority Caucus Chair in the Colorado House. After being elected in 2004, she quickly established herself as a leader at the Capitol, garnering appointments as Vice Chairman of the Judiciary Committee and member of the the Business Affairs and Labor Committee and the Legislative Council Committee. Rep. Carroll is currently a member of the National Conference of State Legislatures Future Health Care Leaders, the Commission on Health Mandates, and the Work Force Development Council.
Sen. Spencer Coggs, Iowa Senate – Sen. Coggs has been a member of the Wisconsin legislature for the last 26 years, serving as a state senator since 2002, during which time he has fought to improve public education, expand affordable health care coverage to all Wisconsinites, protect tentants’ rights, and reform the prison system. Sen. Coggs currently serves on the Executive Committee of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, is National President of the National Labor Caucus of State Legislators, and is Chairman of the Board of the Martin Luther King Heritage Health. Before going into politics, Sen. Coggs worked as a health officer, an industrial printer, and a postal worker. He remains a proud member of AFSCME Local 1091.
Steve Doherty, Former Montana Senate Minority Leader – Steve currently serves as the Chairman of Montana's Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Commission and has been a practicing attorney since 1984. Steve is a partner at Smith, Doherty & Belcourt, PC, in Great Falls. He served in the Montana State Senate from 1991-2003, including four years as Minority Leader. He is also a former Fleming Fellow for the Center for Policy Alternatives. Steve is also a member of the Montana Trial Lawyers Association.
Leo Gerard, President, United Steelworkers, Vice President, AFL-CIO – After starting his career as a nickel smelter at age 18, Leo rose quickly through the ranks of the United Steelworkers Union, becoming Director of USW District 16 in 1985, National Director for Canada in 1991, International Secretary Treasurer in 1994, and finally as President of the USW International in 2001. Leo also serves as Vice President of the AFL-CIO, where he chairs the organization’s Public Policy Committee. Has been instrumental in forging the Blue/Green alliance for sustainable energy and green jobs and was a central figure in the founding of the Apollo Alliance.
Lisa Seitz Gruwell, Political Director, Skyline Public Works -- Prior to joining Skyline Public Works, a national organization that merges venture capitalism with political philanthropy, Lisa worked in Democratic politics in Montana from 1995 to 1999, most notably serving as the director of the Montana Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee during the 1998 cycle. Lisa then headed to California where she served as Press Secretary and District Director for former California Assembly Majority Leader Kevin Shelley and worked for several Silicon Valley technology firms.
Del. Tom Hucker, Maryland House of Delegates – Before being elected in 2006, Del. Hucker made his mark as the founder of the influential advocacy group, Progressive Maryland. Since joining the House of Delegates, Del. Hucker has made an early impact as a member of the Environmental Matters Committee and as the sponsor of bills to expand early childhood education and prohibit housing discrimination. He is the recipient of the Hispanic Democratic Club’s 2002 Friends of Latinos Award, the Maryland Trial Lawyer’s Association’s 2005 Defenders of Justice Award, and the Korean Americans of Maryland’s 2005 Public Service award.
Steve Kest, Executive Director of ACORN – Kest is the National Executive Director of ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. ACORN, which was founded in 1970, is one of the largest and most powerful organizations of low and moderate income individuals and families in the country, with over 175,000 members organized in 800+ neighborhood chapters in 90 cities. Kest has worked for ACORN since 1975, serving as Head Organizer in Arkansas, Connecticut, and New Jersey, and as national Campaign Director, before becoming Executive Director in 1990.
Ned Lamont, President of Lamont Digital Systems – Lamont founded his own company, Lamont Digital Systems, in 1984. A graduate of both Harvard and the Yale School of Management, he spent eight years in local government, and chaired the state investment advisory council. In 2006, as a strong anti-war proponent, he electrified the netroots and moved the debate on Iraq by successfully defeating Joe Lieberman in the Connecticut Democratic Primary for Senate. Ned also has policy expertise on a range of issues including health care and trade.
Sen. Nan Orrock, Georgia State Senate – Before being elected to the State Senate in 2006, Sen. Orrock served as the first ever female Georgia House Majority Whip. Since first being elected to the House in 1987, Sen. Orrock has been a tireless advocate for affordable health care, women’s rights, economic justice, and environmental justice. She has carried out a life-long commitment to the civil rights movement, including participation in the Atlanta and Mississippi branches of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee. Sen. Orrock currently serves as president of the national Women’s Legislative Lobby and sits on the board of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research.
Rep. Hannah Pingree, Majority Leader, Maine House of Representatives – Rep. Pingree is a rising star in the Maine legislature, where she has pioneered efforts to protect the environment and expand affordable healthcare. In 2007, she became the youngest woman ever to hold the position of Maine House Majority Leader. She has also served on the House Appropriations Committee and as Chairwoman of the House Health and Human Services Committee. Prior to her election, she worked as a producer iVillage.com, the largest political website for women, and as a fundraiser for her mother, Chellie Pingree, in her run for the U.S. Senate.
John Podesta, President and CEO, the Center for American Progress – Prior to founding the Center for American Progress, Podesta served as Chief of Staff to President Bill Clinton from 1998 to 2001. He had served previously as a Senior Policy Advisor in the Clinton Administration and as Counselor to former Democratic Senate Majority Leader Thomas Daschle. Currently, John is a Visiting Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center. He is considered one of the nation's leading experts on technology policy.
Lee Saunders, Executive Assistant to the President of AFSCME – Lee serves as executive assistant to Gerald McEntee, the President of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. Previously, he served as administrator of AFSCME District Council 37 in New York.
Ben Scott, Policy Director, Free Press - Since taking the helm of Free Press’s policy team, Ben has been driving force in the battle for net neutrality and an influential crusader against media consolidation. Before joining Free Press, Scott worked as a legislative fellow handling telecommunications policy for Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Ben is the author of several scholarly articles on American journalism history and the politics of media regulation, as well as co-editor of the books Our Unfree Press and The Future of Media.
Del. Kyrsten Sinema, Arizona House of Delegates – After being elected to the Arizona House of Delegates in 2004, Del. Sinema has made a mark as a staunch advocate for disadvantaged and oppressed populations, environmental justice, and social justice. In 2006, Del. Synema received the 2006 Legislator of the Year Award from both the Arizona Public Health Association and the Arizona chapter of the National Association of Social Workers in addition to being named the Sierra Club’s Most Valuable Player.
Naomi Walker, State Legislative Issues Coordinator for the AFL-CIO – Naomi Walker researches, coordinates, and serves as a spokesperson on state legislative issues for the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations.
About Progressive States Network
Supporting Change State-By-State
Progressive States Network aims to transform the political landscape by sparking progressive actions at the state level. Founded in 2005, the group provides coordinated research and strategic advocacy tools to state legislators and their staffs, empowering these decision-makers with everything they need to engineer forward-thinking change. Progressive States also works with non-profits and a variety of constituent groups to build a swath of support for coordinated progressive policy. The overarching goals: to get good policy passed into law and change the way issues are debated in the states.
A significant part of Progressive States efforts revolve around supporting state legislative campaigns. The organization offers legislators and their staff members with the technical and messaging support necessary to embrace progressive policy. Tapping into a network of experts in each state, the group catalogues existing or developing legislation related to six key values we support. Progressive States also accumulates research to support new laws in these areas. During the current legislative session, our most important values include:
- Rewarding work
- Helping families
- Strengthening communities
- Growing the economy
- Increasing democracy
Finally, Progressive States acts as a “war room” to equip legislators with the information they need to advocate good policy. Organization experts put together best-practice guidebooks and serve as surrogates for legislative staff members who need talking points and need them fast. Additionally, with an up-to-the-minute news service at www.progressivestates.org, the group acts as an information hub that keeps legislators up-to-date on progressive news from other states, helps them identify trends and emboldens them to educate each other on how to succeed.
In short, by supporting state legislators and other groups in their efforts to spark progressive actions and get good ideas passed into law, Progressive States proves that state policy matters, and that good policy leads to good politics for all.
