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.