Fall Election Efforts Ramping UpAmong other efforts, groups in The Public Interest Network have been working hard on two crucial election efforts for 2012: a ballot initiative in Colorado, and the Student PIRGs’ New Voters Project.

In Colorado, a coalition effort by Colorado Common Cause, Colorado Fair Share, CoPIRG, and other groups submitted over 176,000 signatures to Colorado election officials on Aug. 6 to qualify an initiative to get big money out of politics. Now certi-fied for the ballot, Amendment 65 will give voters the opportunity to explicitly instruct their mem-bers of Congress to support an amendment to the U.S. Constitu-tion that would authorize limits on campaign contributions and spending in order to promote a level playing field. The ultimate goal: correct the effects of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.

“It’s time that we restore a government of, by, and for the people; not of, by, and for the corporations,” noted alumna and Colorado Common Cause Ex-ecutive Director Elena Nuñez.

The excessive influence of mon-ey on our elections has long been a problem, but the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United

decision unleashed a torrent of campaign spending by equating corporations with people, and money with free speech. Over time, this flood of money will mean that politicians must pander to the interests of large corpora-tions and the richest 1 percent to stand a chance of being elected, and the voices of ordinary Ameri-cans will be drowned out.

In just one month, signature gatherers in Colorado spoke with hundreds of thousands of people across the state, with people ev-erywhere expressing anger about big corporations, special inter-ests, and the privileged few buy-ing elections and buying access and influence. “It’s time to put democracy back into the hands of the people,” said CoPIRG State Director Danny Katz.

Clearly, while the road will be long, the national movement to take back our democracy and get big money out of politics has just cleared a major hurdle.

Meanwhile, the Student PIRGs’ New Voters Project is a non-partisan effort to help register and mobilize young people to vote. Since 1984, the PIRGs have helped register more than 1.7 million young people on

In This Issue . . . Welcome Back! . . . pg 2The Public Interest Network welcomes Drew Hudson and Mary Rafferty back on staff.

Alumni News … pgs 3-6Read about featured alumna Kathleen Sullivan and more.

Happy 20th Anniversary! … pg 7Celebrating 20 years of Green Corps.

Job Opportunities . . . pg 7Check out these job listings for yourself or a friend.

Save the Date . . . pg 8Check to see if there’s an alumni event coming up near you.

State PIRG Alumni Newsletter

GET BIG MONEY OUT OF POLITICS—The coalition in Colorado celebrated turning in more than 176,000 signatures on Aug. 6 in support of a measure to combat Citizens United.

-Continued on page 3

Fall 2012

Page 2

Welcome Back, Drew Hudson and Mary Rafferty!

The Public Interest Network is pleased to welcome alumni Drew Hudson and Mary Raf-ferty back on staff.

Drew Hudson is the new execu-tive director of Environmental Action. Hailing from the dock-side neighborhood of South-east Baltimore, Drew realized early on that corporate industry interests were responsible for trashing the Chesapeake Bay. Thankfully, a favorite teacher pointed Drew to a job with the Maryland PIRG canvass office in Baltimore. Drew worked as a field manager the summer after his first year of college at NYU before directing a canvass office the next summer and then direct-ing the D.C. office year-round.

Drew went on to graduate from Green Corps in 2001 and then serve as a fellow with NJPIRG before moving to Vermont and working with VPIRG starting in 2003. Drew then did election work with MoveOn.org and sub-sequently worked on local races in Vermont. He started his own company, PowerThru, which provides strategy and techno-logical services to campaigns.

When Drew saw the posting for the Environmental Action posi-tion, he saw it as his dream job: running an entire environmental organization with a decades-long history, where he could help set the agenda for the future of the organization.

In his new role, Drew loves “being back” and notes that The Public Interest Network is more than a work culture—it’s a family and a community where you’re backed up by great people. Drew got to see how some of those bonds of friendship last over the years at Alumni Aspen 2011, where he saw his first regional director on the canvass, Wes Jones (Wes’s wife Lea Johnston, was Drew’s first canvass director), and Em-ily Greenfield, who was Drew’s canvass director the first sum-mer he worked as an assistant director.

Drew lives in Columbia, S.C., with his wife, Mary Fratini,

Back on Staff

and their cat, Tobias Zachary Ziegler. He can be reached at drew@environmental-action.org.

Mary Rafferty has joined En-vironment America as the new assistant field director, based in Washington, D.C. Growing up on the water in Rhode Island helped spark Mary’s passion for the environment. After earning a degree in business adminis-tration at the University of San Francisco, Mary was thrilled to learn she could make a living fighting for the environment and joined the Green Corps class of 2008.

After Green Corps, Mary launched four campaign offices for Progressive Future (now Fair Share Alliance) during the 2008 election, before running the Norfolk, Va. Progressive Future effort to register and mobilize voters. After her time with The Public Interest Network, Mary

worked for the Democratic Par-ty during the 2009 election, and then served as state field director for Repower America in Virgin-ia. Most recently, Mary was the grassroots organizing manager for the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club, where she took part in the fight to keep the ban on uranium mining in the state.

In her new role with Environ-ment America, Mary loves working closely with Field Di-rector Christy Leavitt and fig-uring out how to break down big national issues to a state-based strategy. She appreciates the or-ganizational approach to think-ing through campaigns strategi-cally and enjoys recruiting and training new people, plus ben-efitting from advanced training herself.

Mary lives in D.C. with alum-nus J.R. Tolbert. Her e-mail is maryr@environmentamerica.org.

The battle never ends.

We have all worked hard together to build a movement that we can be proud of. You can help sustain this legacy of social change—and make sure there are organizers to keep up the fi ght for generations to come—by participating in our planned giving program. Ask us how.

For more information, call 1-800-841-7299 or email PlannedGiving@USPIRG.org

Mary Rafferty

Drew Hudson

One of her favorite campaigns from those days was the effort in Oregon to gather signatures for a campaign finance reform ballot initiative. She recalls how it helped to bring the whole staff together, and the Rose Festival Parade where the campaign had over 200 volunteers participate. Everyone from Mo Kirk to Pam Peck, Jeanna Frazzini, Dave Rucker, Kathleen Krushas, Dianne Topp, and Joel Ario pitched in on the campaign, though Tim Raphael won the contest to gather the most signa-tures in a day.

After leaving Public Interest Network staff, Kathleen ran nu-merous campaigns before earn-ing a Ph.D. in Gerontology (the study of aging) at Portland State University. These days, Kathleen runs the largest social service program for LGBT seniors in the country and lives with Rebecca in West Hollywood, Calif. You can reach Kathleen at ksullivan@lagaycenter.org.

Alumna Profile

Kathleen Sullivan is the director of seniors services at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center—the largest LGBT organization in the world.

Kathleen loves reaching out to and connecting with LGBT seniors, who often do not feel comfortable in traditional senior centers or assisted living facilities and face the prospect of being forced back into the closet at that point in life. Fortunately, Kathleen’s department provides robust services to thousands of LGBT seniors, and even plans to open an affordable senior housing facility within the next five years.

Back in her childhood in Con-necticut, Kathleen planned on becoming either a librarian or a professional tennis player. While she still loves a good book and a

Kathleen Sullivan: Fighting for LGBT Seniors

good game of tennis, her passion for politics won out.

After finishing a degree in Politi-cal Theory and Policy at Goucher College, Kathleen saw an ad for canvassing jobs in the paper in Cleveland and was thrilled to learn she could get paid to do political work. She was of course hired straight away and worked with Director Erin Sullivan and Regional Director Lori Catal-lozzi.

Before long, Kathleen became a field manager, then quickly rose to serve as canvass director. She then moved to Seattle to direct the canvass office there, and enjoyed working with great people like Lisa Abbott, Sonja Nash Mur-ray, Beth Award, Mara Parker, and Jenn Lindenauer. It was

also during this time that Kath-leen met fellow staffer Rebecca Levison—they’ve now been a couple for 14 years.

Kathleen went on to direct the Neighborhood Green Corps Water Watch program; serve as OSPIRG field director; run the D.C. summer canvass; and serve as Fund regional director for Northern California, Utah, and Hawaii.

Kathleen Sullivan with Richard Simmons at a recent “Slimmons” class she attended in Beverly Hills.

Fall Election Efforts Ramping Up (continued from page 1)the principle that democracy is strongest when as many citizens as possible participate.

In 2012, the Student PIRGs’ New Voters Project will campaign on over 100 campuses in 24 states to run intensive on-the-ground young voter mobilization drives.

Studies of New Voters Project work show that 76.3 percent of the young people the effort helps

register end up turning out to the polls, so a big part of the plan will be to help register 100,000 young voters.

“Peer-to-peer reminders in the weeks leading up to Election Day make a critical impact, increas-ing turnout by up to 11 percent,” explains New Voters Project Director Leigh-Anne Cole.

New Voters Project volunteers and

organizers, overseen by Organiz-ing Director Marites Velasquez, will make 330,000 reminder contacts by phone; through text messages; and in person at the door, in class rooms, and at high-traffic areas on campus.

The heart of the get-out-the-vote program will include contact-ing the people the project helps register to ensure that they turn out to vote.

Mose Everett HarrisMiles Russell Detsky Noah Carter Gordon

Page 4

Alumni Updates

WEDDINGS AND BABIES:

Dahlia Benner Dotson was born to CALPIRG alumna Janine Benner and her husband, Greg Dotson, on Aug. 9, 2011 in Washington, D.C. Janine is the deputy chief of staff for Congressman Earl Blumenauer and Greg works on the Democratic staff of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Alumni Sam Boykin and Antha Williams welcomed Maja Sparrow Boykin-Williams on May 31 in New York City. Maja joins big sister, Azzie, age two.

CALPIRG alumna Margot Broaddus and her partner, Stacy Robinson, celebrated the birth of Adeline Robinson Broaddus on May 29 in Berkeley, Calif.

Fund alumnus Joe DeBin married Lydah Pyles DeBin on June 2 on a peach farm in Mays Lick, Ky.

Environment Colorado alumnus Mark Detsky and his wife, Kati

Sainz, celebrated the birth of Miles Russell Detsky on March 19 in Boulder, Colo.

Fund and Toxics Action Center alumna Maggie Drummond married Matthew Bahl on June 2 in Bath, Maine. Alumni and staff in attendance included Erin Casey, Kirsten Collings and Mark Hays, Matthew Davis and Betsy Grossman, Janet Domenitz and Jon Scarlett, Will Everitt, Tom Fendley, Stacey Hafner, Mary McClelland, Heidi Overbeck, and Harris Parnell and Meredith Small.

Recruitment team alumna Emily Friedman and her husband, Luke Janes, announced the birth of Oliver Friedman Janes on June 11 in Denver.

Fund alumnus Joseph Gordon and his wife, Alice Wilkerson, welcomed Noah Carter Gordon to the world on Jan. 14 in Shady Grove, Md.

Green Corps alumnus Nick

Guroff married Lindsey Cole on Aug. 13, 2011 outside of Bozeman, Mont. Alumnus Evan Paul was among the best men, and alumni Sonal Bains and Dan Firger, Nat Garrett and Michelle Mulkey were in attendance. Green Corps alumnus Jacob Harold married Dr. Carolyn Sufrin on April 14 in Santa Rosa, Calif. Alumni in attendance included Jacob’s sister, Rachel Harold; Sonal Bains and Dan Firger; Evan Paul; and Katie Selenski. Fund alumnus Ajayi Harris and his wife, Ellen Foley, welcomed Mose Everett Harris to the world on May 4 in Worcester, Mass.

Maryland PIRG alumna Gigi Kellett and her husband, Noah Sawyer, celebrated the birth of Julius David Sawyer on Dec. 9, 2011 in Boston, Mass.

Fund alumni Anne Kohl and Aaron Tavalire were married on May 19 in Detroit, Mich.,

with alumni Katie Davis, Steve Fish, and Aaron Pinkston in attendance.

Lucinda Elizabeth Latta was born to PIRG alumna Rachel (Liston) Latta and her husband, Chase, on May 23 in Seattle.

NJPIRG and Environment New Jersey alumna Suzanne Leta Liou and her husband, Jon, announced the birth of Wyatt Yeh-Chi Oscar Liou on April 12. Wyatt surprised everyone by arriving six weeks early; thankfully both mother and son are healthy and doing well. The family lives in Portland, Ore. where Suzanne is development manager with Renewable Energy Systems (RES) Americas.

Fund alumni Sean Mandel and Christina Wright celebrated the birth of Mason Stephen Mandel on June 29 in Denver.

June Indigo Blair Rickman was born to alumni Kelly (Wandtke) and Peter Rickman

Adeline Robinson Broaddus

Mason Stephen MandelLucinda Elizabeth Latta Wyatt Yeh-Chi Oscar Liou

on June 25 in Milwaukee, Wis., where Peter is a labor organizer and Kelly is the grants manager at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS:PIRGIM, Environment Michigan, Fund, and Environment California alumnus Jason Barbose is the new solar program coordinator at San Francisco Department of the Environment.

PIRG campus team alumna Kat Barr has joined the team at UltraViolet, an organization working to expand women’s rights and combat sexism.

Beth (DeGrasse) Cole has left her position at the U.S. Institute of Peace to accept an appointment as director of the Office of Civil-Military Cooperation at USAID.

Green Corps alumna Susan Comfort is the new executive director of Playworks D.C.

Fund alumnus Nic Hanzelik reports that he’s been working for over a year with the company Funovation, the creator of The Laser Maze Challenge.

PIRG alumnus Rich Kassel has left NRDC to begin a new position at Gladstein, Neandross & Associates, an environmental consulting firm specializing in transportation projects and policy.

Fund and WISPIRG alumnus Trevor Kaul is now product manager for national programs at The Taproot Foundation, based in Chicago.

Green Corps alumnus Zachary Keith recently started as the associate organizer with the North Carolina Sierra Club Chapter in Wilmington, N.C.

CALPIRG alumnus Coby King recently joined the public affairs team at Ek & Ek, based in L.A.

Environment Maine alumna Katie Kokkinos is the new

electric vehicles operations coordinator at BMW in Woodcliff Lake, N.J.

WashPIRG alumna Mo McBroom is the new director of government relations at The Nature Conservancy Washington Program.

PIRG and Environment California alumnus Evan Paul is now the operations director at SeaSketch.org.

U.S. PIRG alumnus Chris Peterson will take a two year public service leave of absence from his position as Professor of Law at the University of Utah to accept a position with the enforcement division at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Oliver Friedman Janes

June Indigo Blair Rickman

Maja Sparrow Boykin-Williams with big sister, Azzie.-Continued on page 6

Julius David Sawyer

Dahlia Benner Dotson and Janine Benner

activists—with VPIRG in a lead role—in “reframing” the debate and winning a legislative vote to close the plant.

PIRG alumnus John Weiss—already owner and founder of the Colorado Springs Independent—announced plans in May to purchase the Colorado Springs Business Journal.

Page 6

Alumni Updates (continued)

Alumni and staff celebrate Maggie Drummond’s wedding.

Fund alumnus Brian Sharpe reports he’s the national canvass manager for REC Solar based in Denver, where he works with fellow alumnus TJ Slocum.

On April 24, MASSPIRG and NJPIRG alumnus Gene Stilp won his primary race forPennsylvania’s 11th Congressional District.

PIRG campus team alumnus Ben Unger won the Democratic primary election for Oregon State House District 29 on May 15.

New Voters Project alumna Beth Uselton was named the 2012 Long Haul Award recipient by the Tennessee Alliance for Progress. Beth is the executive director of Tennessee Health Care Campaign, based in Nashville.

NYPIRG alumnus Richard Watts has published a book on nuclear power called Public Meltdown: The Story of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant. The story spotlights the states’ roles in regulating nuclear power and highlights the initial success of environmental

Lydah Pyles DeBin and Joe DeBin

Anne Kohl and Aaron Tavalire

Carolyn Sufrin and Jacob Harold

Green Corps alumnus Nick Guroff and his wife Lindsey Cole celebrate their marriage outside of Bozeman, Mont., last year.

-Continued from page 5

Green Corps News

Celebrating 20 Years of Green CorpsGreen Corps, the Field School for Environmental Organizing, was founded in 1992 by The Public Interest Network and is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The mission of Green Corps is to recruit and train organiz-ers; provide field support for today’s critical environmental campaigns; and graduate activ-ists who possess the skills and commitment needed to fight and win tomorrow’s environmental battles.

Green Corps first came into be-ing during a 1992 training in a classroom at Bay State College in Boston’s Back Bay. That first roomful of recent college

graduates, coming from schools across the nation, listened to Da-vid Brower, Lois Gibbs, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and other envi-ronmental leaders discuss key topics in environmental organiz-ing. Those first organizers read and discussed case studies, prac-ticed skills, and learned how to develop a campaign strategy to win. And then they went out into the world and did it.

Over the past 20 years, Green Corps has produced more than 300 trained organizers, and 85 percent of these graduates have continued in careers in envi-ronmental and social change. Green Corps has partnered with

70 environmental organizations; provided critical field support to 160 campaigns; and secured dozens of significant victories in conservation, corporate ac-countability, public health, climate, and clean energy. As much today as in 1992, America needs more organizers, reaching more people, on more environ-mental campaigns.

As we celebrate Green Corps’ 20th anniversary, we say farewell to outgoing Executive Direc-tor Cindy Kang and wish her the best in her next adventure at Citizen Engagement Lab. The Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment

of Josh Buswell-Charkow as Green Corps’ next executive director. Josh had most recently served as Green Corps’ cam-paigns director. Before that, he was a campaigner for ForestEth-ics and the north coast organizer for the California Wilderness Coalition. Josh graduated from Green Corps in 2003 and lives in Berkeley, Calif., with his wife, CALPIRG State Director Emily Rusch. Joining Josh at the helm, Annie Sanders will assume the role of organizing director after four years as assistant organiz-ing director.

Here’s to the next 20 years of Green Corps!

A Selection of Career Opportunities Within The Public Interest Network

For more information, please visit www.uspirg.org/jobs, www.environmentamerica.org/jobs, and www.publicinterestnetwork.org/page/pin/jobs, or call Hiring Director Tiffany Isaacs at 303-573-5995 x313.

Recruitment Administrator, The Public Interest Network—DenverReady to kick-start your nonprofit management career? We’re seeking a talented individual with demonstrated leadership experience who is detail-oriented and able to excel in a fast-paced nonprofit setting. http://bit.ly/LV7CQQ

Coordinator, Snowriders International—Los Angeles or DenverSnowriders International is seeking a creative and entrepreneurial individual to engage skiers and snowboarders in protecting the environment around the globe. Responsibilities include developing service, advocacy, education, and research pro-grams; creating a marketing plan that maximizes social media outreach; fundraising

through individual donors and foundations; and broad organizational management. http://tinyurl.com/8ru5osr Media Director, Environment America—Washington, D.C.Environment America is seeking an experienced Media Director for its fast-paced Federal Advocacy Office. Be responsible for developing and implementing a commu-nications strategy to increase the visibility and efficacy of our federal environmental campaigns and of the organization. Candidates should have 3-5 years of relevant experience. http://bit.ly/MrrJSS Election Projects—NationwideVoter registration and mobilization efforts are under way in 40 locations across the United States. Contact Tiffany Isaacs at tiffany@publicinterestnetwork.org to find out more.

The State PIRG Alumni Network1543 Wazee Street, Suite 400Denver, CO 80202www.pirg.org/alumni

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BROCKTON, MAPERMIT NO. 430

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Alumni and staff with the Environment Texas “water hog” at the June alumni picnic in Austin.

DON’T MISS OUT! Do you receive periodic Alumni Network e-mail updates? If not, it may mean that we don’t have your e-mail address on file. The e-mails include fun alumni updates, timely news from The Public Interest Network, and lots of great job postings. Please send Alumni Network Coordinator Kirsten Schatz a note at alumni@publicinterestnetwork.org with your current e-mail address so we may keep you in the loop with periodic e-mail updates and social invitations.

Save The Date

Alumni and staff gather regularly in cities across the country to catch up with old friends and meet some new faces from the Public Interest Network family. Stay tuned to www.pirg.org/alumni/calendar.html for more details on upcoming events and for photos from past events. If you’d like to help organize an alumni get-together near you, contact Kirsten Schatz at alumni@publicinterestnetwork.org or 303-573-5995 x331.

Denver, CO Send-off party for alumni Matt Baker and Carrie Doyle before they move to California!

Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012

Layout: Alumna Rebecca Farabaugh, The Principled Pen, www.principledpen.com