Leadership & Activism

Growing up the eldest in a family of ten children was the start of my leadership training. I was the one in charge, the one who took the blame if things didn't go right and the one stuck with all the chores unless I figured out how to get someone else to do them. Think about Tom Sawyer getting his friends to help him whitewash the fence - that was my childhood!

I was never one to join a group just to sit back and let everyone else run the show. I've held leadership positions on the board of directors of most of the organizations I've belonged to: professional, political and non-profit.

Professional Leadership

Tampa Bay Advertising Federation - 1994 - 2003

• 1996 - 99: Board of Directors, Newsletter Editor, Webmaster
• 1998 - 99: President - Term included the following notable accomplishments:
  - Conceived and oversaw the first AdTech Symposium in cooperation with USF, with over 300 professional and student attendees and a full day of advertising technology speakers
  - Hosted the Advertising Federation's 4th District Meeting with 100 attendees

Long Island Advertising Club - 1985 - 93: Member

• 1989 - 92: Board of Directors, VP Membership, Secretary, Newsletter Editor

National Association for Professional Saleswomen, NTC Chapter

• 1986 - 88: Board of Directors

National Association of Women Business Owners, Long Island Chapter

• 1987-88: Board of Directors

Political Leadership

Progressive Democrats of America

• Jan. 2007 - present - President Progressive Democrats of San Diego (North County Chapter)
• Jan. 27 - 29 2007 - Mandate for Peace & Lobbying in Washington, DC. - Helped to organize a delegation of over 20 people from the San Diego area to travel to Washington and participate in a rally & march of 500,000 around the Capitol and to lobby the 5 Congressional Representatives for San Diego County the following Monday. Included PDA planning sessions and lobbying training.
• Jan. 2005 - Jun. 2005 - Founder & President of Progressive Democratic Alliance of San Diego (a PDA Chapter)
• July 2004 - Part of first PDA Convention - Roxbury, MA

California Democratic Party

• Apr. 2007, 2006 & 2005 - Delegate California Democratic Convention
• Jan 2007 - present - Democratic Club of Carlsbad & Oceanside (DEMCCO) - Communications Chair
• June 2005 - Nov. 2006 - Democratic Candidate - Congress, CA Dist. 49.

Kucinich for President - 2004 Campaign

• August 2003 - Feb. 2004 - Co-founder & Webmaster of Pinellas County, FL Kucinich campaign
• Dec. 2003 - Delegate - Florida Democratic Convention, Orlando, FL
• June-July 2004 - Volunteer & Produced Inside / Outside newspaper during Democratic Convention - Boston, MA

Kerry/Edwards - 2004 Campaign

• Sept. - Nov. 2004 - Volunteer Kerry Headquarters - Tampa, FL

Activist Leadership

Peace & Justice Issues

• North County Coalition for Peace & Justice (NCCPJ)
  Jan. 2005 - present - Board of Directors
  Leadership role in organizing local peace vigils, actions and events, including Arlington West, events supporting war resister Pablo Parades, Earth Fair with Iraq War Memorial banner, demonstrations opposing Schwarzenegger's propositions, Supporting nurses' on strike, Code Pink march from Camp Pendleton to San Diego, Peace Train (Coaster from Oceanside to anti-war marches and rallies in San Diego, Duke Cunningham's "House Warming Party" that put the media spotlight on his bribery scams, and several special events with featured speakers.
  
• People As Media Conference August 2005
  Helped to organize and emceed a conference at Palomar College about ways to be the nedia with un-embedded Irai reporter Dahr Jamil as featured speaker.
  
• Bring Their Buddies Home Vigils
  Founded, promoted and produced an Act of Art to illustrate the cost of war in human lives. Nov. 25, 2005, Jan. 15, 2006 and Feb. 19, 2007. see www.BringTheirBuddiesHome.com

Environmental Issues

I've taken an active role in community opposition to several projects that would be detrimental to the San Diego / Riverside County region:

• SDG&E's Sunrise Powerlink
  When I learned about the SDG&E's plans to run high power transmission lines through the Anza Borrego Desert and the back country of San Diego County, I brought together the people of the communities that would be impacted by this project with people who knew how to resist it - including Carl Wood who was formerly with the CPUC, Bill Powers with the Border Power Plant Working Group and Jim Bell who has written an excellent book offering alternatives to fossil fuel for the Southern California region.
• Liberty Quarry - Temecula
• LEAPS (Lake Elsinore Advanced Pumping Storage) Hydro-electric plant
• San Onofre replacement generators
• Robinson Concrete Plant in Oceanside

LINKS

North County Coalition for Peace & Justice

Progressive Democrats of San Diego

Democratic Club of Carlsbad & Oceanside - DEMCCO

Opposition to Sunrise Powerlink

Kelly Fuller’s Blog

Carmel Valley Concerned Citizens

Community Alliance for Sensible Energy

Center for Biological Diversity

Communities United for Sensible Power

People's Powerlink

Rancho Penasquitos Concerned Citizens

San Diego Sierra Club's "Sunrise Powerlink" web page

Utility Consumers Action Network "Sunrise Powerlink" web page

Opposition to LEAPS

California ISO White Paper