Kerry Campaign Unveils Key Members of Community Outreach Senior
Leadership Team
WASHINGTON, April 22 /U.S. Newswire/ — The Kerry Campaign today
announced several important additions to its senior leadership,
including key members of its community outreach team. With the
addition of these staff, the campaign will expand its program to
engage core Democratic constituencies across the country in its
record-breaking campaign to win back the White House and build a
stronger America.
“Community outreach is a critical part of our campaign and an integral
part of our electoral strategy,” said Kerry Campaign Manager Mary Beth
Cahill. “Today, we’re adding an incredible group of strong and
talented leaders to our campaign. This is part of our ongoing
commitment to making these communities a high priority and with their
help we are well on our way to energizing the Democratic Party as
never before.”
Veteran Democratic strategist Paul Rivera will serve as Senior
Political Advisor to the Campaign, with responsibility for Community
Outreach and the regional and state political programs. Prior to his
work with the Kerry Campaign, Rivera worked on the campaigns of Carl
McCall and Hillary Rodham Clinton, three Democratic Conventions and
three presidential elections.
Mona Pasquil has joined the campaign as Director of Community
Outreach. She previously served as Political Director for Governor
Gray Davis, California Political Director for Gore/Lieberman 2000,
deputy CEO for the 2000 Democratic National Convention, Western
Political Director in the Clinton White House, Western Political Desk
and Director of Asian Pacific Affairs at the Democratic National
Committee.
Handling African-American community outreach for the campaign will be
Jena Roscoe, currently the Senior Vice President and Chief of
Government Affairs for Operation HOPE, Inc. Before her work with
Operation HOPE, Roscoe served as the Associate Director for African
American and Youth Outreach at the White House Office of Public
Liaison and before that served as Assistant to the President of the
A. Philip Randolph Institute, the African- American constituency group
of the AFL-CIO.
Luis Elizondo-Thomson will lead Hispanic outreach, having served
previously a political desk with the campaign. Before that, he served
as Deputy Political Director on the Citizen Soldier Fund and was with
Gore/Lieberman 2000.
Working with the Jewish Community and serving as new Senior Advisor on
Middle East and Jewish Affairs, Jay Footlik was most recently the
Director of Community Outreach for Joe Lieberman’s presidential
campaign. He formerly served as Special Assistant to President Clinton
in the White House Office of Public Liaison.
George Kivork has joined the Kerry Campaign to coordinate outreach to
ethnic communities, including Arab Americans, Irish Americans, Italian
Americans, Hungarian Americans, Polish Americans, and Portugese
Americans. Kivork has extensive experience working with ethnic leaders
both as a former field manager for the AFL- CIO during the 2002
Michigan Democratic primary and most recently as General Wesley
Clark’s Armenian American Liaison and Michigan field director.
Victoria Lai moves to the Kerry Campaign after serving as DNC Deputy
Director of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection. She will handle
Asian Pacific Islander American issues for the campaign, building on
her experience as the DNC’s Asian Pacific Islander American Outreach
Liaison.
Chad Lennox takes over the Campaign’s outreach to the Environmental
community, moving from his position as National Director of Volunteer
Operations. Prior to joining the Kerry Campaign, he was Assistant
Director of Palmetto Conservation Foundation and Executive Director of
the Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation in South Carolina.
Mark Seifert joins the campaign to handle LGBT Outreach after serving
in that capacity for Clark’s presidential campaign. Prior to his work
for the Clark Campaign, Seifert oversaw the E-rate program at the
Federal Communications Commission.
Longtime Massachusetts Democratic activist Tory Vallely will lead the
campaign’s outreach to women. Vallely was involved in community
outreach for Kerry during the Iowa caucus and the South Carolina
primary and has been involved with Kerry’s campaigns since he ran for
Congress in 1972.
Mara Vanderslice brings years of faith-based advocacy on international
issues to the Kerry Campaign as she will handle the campaign’s
religious outreach. Vanderslice held the same position for Howard
Dean’s presidential campaign in Iowa.
In addition, the Kerry campaign announced the following senior
leadership positions:
Serving as the Kerry Campaign’s new CEO, Karen Hancox is now on her
fifth presidential campaign. She handled Congressional Relations on
Clinton/Gore 1992, Special Assistant in Legislative Affairs and then
Deputy Political Director at the White House, Chief of Staff for Gore
2000, and most recently served as Deputy Campaign Manager for Gephardt
for President.
Sharon Farmer takes over as campaign photographer. She most recently
served as Associated Press Photo Assignment Editor, after working as
the Director of the White House Photography Office and as a White
House photographer during the Clinton Administration.
Broderick Johnson joins the campaign as Senior Advisor for
Congressional Affairs. He previously served in the Clinton White
House as Deputy Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs and
House Liaison, as Chief Counsel for the House Committee on Education
and the Workforce and as Staff Director and Chief Counsel for the
former House Committee on the District of Columbia.
Contact: Stephanie Cutter of John Kerry for President, 202-712-3000
04/22 10:49
