Chairman

Bill Samuels

Senior Advisors

Betsy Gotbaum
Dennis Mehiel
Morris Pearl
Vin Roberti
William vanden Heuvel
Jack Marth

Executive Director

Benjamin Kallos is our Executive Director. He previously served as our Special Counsel and Director of Policy, worked for former Public Advocate Mark Green, Assembly Member Jonathan L. Bing, and the Open Government Foundation. He has also created several civic websites, including VoterSearch.org, OpenLegislation.org, and NYCPoliticalCalendar.com a crowd sourced political calendar.

Press

Jay Strell is a Senior Public Relations Advisor at Sunshine, Sachs and Associates. He has worked for more than a decade in Democratic and progressive politics. In 2004, he was the Communications Director and New York office director for Rock the Vote. During the Clinton Administration he worked as a press secretary at the State Department and at the United Nations for USUN Ambassadors Bill Richardson and Richard Holbrooke.

Founded in 1992, Sunshine, Sachs & Associates is a New York and Los Angeles based public relations consulting firm that has established a broad-based clientele which includes prominent entertainment organizations, celebrity personalities, celebrity chefs, restaurants, public figures, corporations, political personalities, labor unions and health care institutions. Sunshine, Sachs offers expertise in overall public relations campaign management, theatrical and festival film campaigns, crisis communications, issue management, public affairs, corporate image programs, event promotions, and media/communications skill training.

Creative Team

Forand has advocated for and built effective issue campaigns on behalf of working people, people with disabilities, the environment and a host of other causes in his work as an organizer for the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law and The Arc of the United States, and as National Field Director for the Citizens Trade Campaign (a business and labor coalition which opposed the creation of the World Trade Organization).

Craig Ullman has been an innovator in web content and technology for over fifteen years. He runs Networked Politics, an interactive agency for progressive political causes and candidates.

Jennifer Lange is an Art Director and a principal in Networked Politics. She has designed numerous cutting websites for progressive political leaders and causes.

Robert S. Greenberg is an New York City Art Director, Fine Artist, Illustrator and Local Historian who was born in New Haven Ct. where he attended Educational Center for the Arts. Rob graduated from Rhode Island School of Design and has won numerous awards, such as the “Paint the Works” where his design has been applied to the New Haven Public Works vehicles for over 25 years.

Elizabeth Wilson is an Art Director and longtime political activist. She has worked for numerous political reform movements and candidates, including the New Democratic Majority and Blue Tiger Democrats.

Alumni

Yorman Nunez managed the New Roosevelt Initiative field operation that built a movement in the 33rd Senate District around reform to defeat disgraced Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. He has been an organizer in the Bronx for almost a decade. His first field experience began when he joined the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition and continued most recently with managing Bill Thompson’s Bronx field operation in his bid for Mayor against Michael Bloomberg.

Doug Forand has almost twenty years experience in non-profit advocacy and political campaign leadership. Doug Forand brings a wealth of knowledge to clients and candidates in need of strategic advocacy. He has served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of the DSCC under Senate Minority Leaders David Paterson and Malcolm Smith. In 2002, he was the campaign manager for Alan Hevesi’s winning Comptroller campaign and served as Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for Comptroller Hevesi following his election.