Lou is the founder and CEO of Discourse Analytics an audience insights and segmentation company that enables campaigns, brands, publishers, media companies and organizations to better engage, create interest from and activate their members, consumers and/or audience. Recognizing the increasing challenges posed by the acceleration of mobile and social Lou saw the opportunity to build a company that uses psychographic profiling across multiple channels to drive better activation and engagement.

Lou came to technology a bit later in life having been a practicing lawyer from 1990-2011 and having run his own law firm from 1997-2010. Despite having great fun as a law partner working with dynamic clients in diverse verticals Lou followed the "bolt of lightning" that hit in September 2008 to build a mobile phone based polling company. This entrepreneurial epiphany led to the creation of Discourse Analytics and its political division Votifi (SXSW Accelerator 2012 Finalist – Best Social). Having built and operated a multi-lawyer law firm for 13.5 years serving multiple clients in multiple industries, Lou realized that "who" people were was less critical to getting a deal done than understanding the "key drivers" behind those people's decisions. This gave Lou the experience to disrupt the approach to human engagement through leveraged listening.

Lou is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the Syracuse College of Law where he was a member of the Law Review. Lou is also a graduate of the Mindshare Class of 2012, a tumblr. fellow at the Personal Democracy Forum (2012), the Bull Run Beer Mile Champion (2009) and an Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon Finisher (2005).

Sarah Audelo is the Senior Manager of Domestic Policy at Advocates for Youth. She works sexual and reproductive health policy for young people including: comprehensive sex education, LGBTQ rights, HIV prevention, contraceptive access and abortion rights. Previously she was the Manager of the Youth Activist Network where she worked with youth across the country to fight for accurate sexual health information and services so that they can prevent unintended pregnancy and/or STIs, including HIV. Before joining Advocates, Sarah was a high school special education teacher in La Joya, Texas as part of the Teach for America program. In Texas, she was also a board member for the Valley AIDS Council, a HIV/AIDS service organization. While Sarah attended Georgetown University, she was a member of Advocates' International Youth Leadership Council, working on international reproductive health and HIV and AIDS issues. She was also a member of MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@s de Aztlan) and an Este Aztlan representative for the National MEChA Coordinating Committee. Sarah is originally from Bakersfield, California.

Biko Baker is the Executive Director of the League of Young Voters Education, Rob "Biko" Baker is a nationally recognized leader. He has organized town hall meetings and used social networking to motivate young people to get involved in the civic process. Baker has served as the deputy publicity coordinator and young voter organizer for the Brown and Black Presidential Forum. He has appeared on C-SPAN, Fox News and MSNBC, has interviewed luminaries Cornell West, Russell Simmons, and Howard Dean, and he has also written a number of articles for America's biggest online outlets, including the Huffington Post. Baker is a Ph.D. candidate at UCLA, and serves on the New Organizing Institute's board as well as CIRCLE's research advisory board. Recently, Biko joined the Working American Education Fund Fund Board, and is excited about helping the influential organization lay the ground work for a 21st Century Labor movement.

America Ferrera was born on April 18, 1984 in Los Angeles, California. Of Honduran descent, Ferrera and her five siblings were raised by her mother in the San Fernando Valley. She began acting in local productions at age seven and signed with a small talent agency at 16. Between auditions, Ferrera attended the University of Southern California, where she graduated with a degree in Theater and International Relations.

In 2001, Ferrera made her film debut in Real Women Have Curves, earning the Jury Award for Best Actress at the Sundance Film Festival. After several guest appearances on television and performances in such films as The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and Lords of Dogtown, Ferrera landed the starring role in the hit ABC dramedy Ugly Betty in 2006.

Ferrera's performance as Betty earned her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy Series and a Screen Actors Guild award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series. To add to her accolades, Ferrera is saluted by Congress for raising the profile of Latinos in popular culture and providing a role model for young Latinas. Time magazine also named her one of its Most Influential People in The World.

Carmen Berkley currently serves as the Executive Director of the Generational Alliance, a collaboration of 20 youth organizations that builds community and collective power for the emerging majority of young people of color, women, LGBTQ folks, and low-income communities. Prior to her current role, Carmen served as the New Media Specialist at the largest union in the AFL-CIO, AFSCME, where she built websites, wrote emails and ran social media campaigns. Carmen's love of on-the-ground grassroots organizing allowed her to gain years of experience serving as the National Field Director of Choice USA, Deputy Director of Field and Turnout for the One Nation Working Together Campaign and Regional Field Director for the NAACP. Carmen's first and favorite job allowed her to serve millions of students as President of the United States Student Association (USSA), where she fought for access to higher education and led students through the 2008 election and many legislative victories. Her love of training and leadership development allows her to serve as a Trainer for Campus Camp Wellstone and Managing Consultant for Can't Stop Won't Stop, LLC. This Pittsburgh native is proud graduate of the University of Pittsburgh.

Andy Bernstein helped found HeadCount in 2004, and has spearheaded the organization's dramatic growth and success. He continues to play a central role in charting HeadCount's overall direction. Prior to creating HeadCount, Andy was best known in the music community as an author of "The Pharmer's Almanac," a guide to the band Phish that sold over 70,000 copies. He also was a full-time journalist for over a decade, primarily as media editor of Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal. Andy is a 1993 graduate of Brown University and splits his time between New York and Chicago.

Chyann Sapp currently serves as NYC's charter-mandated Youth Voter Coordinator at the Campaign Finance Board, the first and only position of its kind in the country. In her capacity Sapp develops and oversees programs and events that target youth & young adult voters, and also manages the highly-recognized NYC Youth Poet Laureate program (YPL), a voting-themed spoken word competition.

A graduate of Hunter College, Sapp received her B.A. in Africana studies with a French language concentration. Sapp is also a proud graduate of the Harlem Children's Zone and the Founder and Chair of the Harlem Children's Zone Alumni Council. Additionally Sapp is one of the writers and the publicist for the hit Off-Broadway play "Renaissance in the Belly of a Killer Whale."

Lee Brenner is co-founder, publisher, and White House reporter of HyperVocal. He reports regularly from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, writes the Deep Dish Politics blog, and is also co-host of SiriusXM's daily "Politics Powered By Twitter" show. He previously co-founded FastFWD Group, a strategic communications firm dedicated to promoting online web 2.0 social media strategies and marketing to often hard-to-reach demographics. During the '08 election cycle, Lee was the Political Director & Executive Producer of Political, Non-Profit & News Programming at MySpace. As such, he executive-produced presidential town-hall meetings, built partnerships with legacy news organizations, interfaced with the Obama & McCain campaigns on their social media strategies, and brought the official Presidential Debates into the 21st Century. Prior to this, he was a Senior Producer at CNN. He founded l.j.bamboo company prior to his time at CNN. He graduated from Tufts University and holds a Masters in International Affairs from the University of Hong Kong, where he was a Rotary International Scholar.

Raven Brooks is the executive director of Netroots Foundation and Netroots Nation. Raven was initially drawn into politics during Howard Dean's presidential campaign and quickly got involved in grassroots politics, including the first Yearly Kos. He's led the growth of Netroots Nation from a volunteer-run effort to the country's premier progressive gathering, added an international component and expanded the programming to include infrastructure and capacity-building programs. Raven is a member of the San Francisco New Leaders Council advisory board and the Good 360 Digital Advisory Board. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and two cats and is an avid cyclist, hiker and outdoor enthusiast.

Monica Cevallos is an Associate at Latinovations, the Latino practice-area of the Dewey Square Group, a premier national public affairs firm. She holds a Master's degree in Public Policy from George Mason University with a concentration in Latino Affairs. In 2007 Ms. Cevallos joined the Casa Blanca project, a national grass roots effort approved by the Hispanic Caucus of the Democratic National Committee to recruit Latino Democrat organizers and volunteers for the presidential election. As a National Steering Committee member, she became the National Coordinator for Latinos for Clinton and was responsible for organizing and training over 65 state and regional Directors to adequately host events, fundraisers and campaign volunteer opportunities. Additionally, she served as liaison for national/international media and maintained the website with daily blog entries.

Steffi is a junior partner at the Washington, DC based media firm that specializes in digital communications. She graduated from Duke University with a B.A. in political science.

Leticia Delgado is a program consultant for Voces LLC. She is based out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Voces LLC provides fund development, communication and organizational development, and international marketing and cultural development for both non-profit and private sector organizations across the U.S., Central America, and Mexico. Leticia previously worked for Voto Latino during the 2012 General Election and oversaw the coordination, administration, and field implementation of the organizations "Make it Count in 2012" voter registration campaign as well as the "Get Out the Vote Campaign". Both campaigns sought to recruit new voters within a target demographic throughout the state of New Mexico. She has been an active voice in championing key legislation surrounding immigrant rights and continues to be outspoken against anti-immigrant legislation. Before her current involvement in issued based campaigns, Leticia worked on several State and Federal electoral campaigns. Leticia's first passion is serving as a community organizer, and she credits her humble beginnings and strong family values and work ethic as helping to shape who she is and what she stands for. She is a native of rural New Mexico and a graduate of the University of New Mexico.

No stranger to the entertainment industry, Michael Diaz is an accomplished writer/producer/actor and director. Credits include the Preston Lopez Show, In Hood Politics, Looters and several films and Music Videos. His experiences in front of the camera soon led to work behind the scenes, assisting in various production roles. He became more interested in the film production process as a whole and began honing his skills in writing, producing and directing. His recent project "Juan Bago" is the was highly anticipated film in New York City. As the first Dominican movie filmed in New York City's famous Washington Heights neighborhood, Michael was able to apply his abilities both behind and in front of the camera. He was also the Assistant Director to an upcoming film called "A song and a Prayer. Some other current projects he has been involved with is "Erica" (Associate Producer), "Color" Producer and actor, "El sueno" actor, "Awilda and a bee" actor, "Jolopeo" Producer, Assistant Director,"US Sinners" Actor, "Alizes rap" Actor. While filming "Juan Bago" Michael began the formation of "Heights Entertainment," a multi-service production company specializing in marketing, public relations and film production. As a member of the National Association for Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) and an avid online marketing strategist, Michael is set to be one of the future dealmakers for Latino productions in New York City. He is also on the marketing team for the New York Latino Film Festival & Editor of the film section of Spanglish Magazine.

Maggie Duncan serves as Elections Program Manager for the League of Women Voters of the United States. She manages the League's youth engagement and voter registration programs, working with dozens of state and local Leagues and a wide range of allied organizations to ensure Americans of all backgrounds can successfully cast a vote. She also leads the League's nationwide campaign to promote a transparent and fair redistricting process. She worked on the League's communications team during the 2006 and 2008 election cycles, during which she spearheaded the organization's first-ever online engagement program and helped secure coverage of the League's efforts in hundreds of news stories. Maggie previously honed her skills as a strategic communications consultant for M+R Strategic Services as well as a boutique Washington online advocacy firm. In these capacities she worked with national nonprofits, foundations and advocacy organizations to develop winning outreach strategies and further their impact. Maggie graduated magna cum laude with a master's degree in Political Management and also earned a bachelor's in Political Science and Anthropology from the George Washington University. She lives in Arlington, VA.

Delia Garcia serves as the NEA National Education Association Minority Community Outreach Senior Liaison for the Latino American Community at the national office in Washington DC. Delia joined the NEA-MCO team from the Kansas House of Representatives, where she became the first Latina woman to be elected to the Kansas Legislature in 2004, at age 27, as the youngest female elected to the Kansas Legislature. She served six years with a passion for and track record of championing advances in labor, higher education, small business, women issues, health access, and diversity issues. She was a strategic legislator in fighting off anti-immigrant legislation while encouraging a healthy, bi-partisan dialogue on these issues. Delia also served as assistant manager of her family's Mexican restaurant in Kansas, which is Kansas' Oldest Family Owned Mexican Restaurant since 1963; while being a professor at the community college in her area. Delia was asked by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to serve on their 2010 Senate Democratic Hispanic Task Force, for her leadership as the National Vice President of the Board of Legislative Hispanic Caucus Chairs, lifetime membership of NALEO, and national leadership presenter on issues regarding women, youth, and Latinos in government. She has been nationally recognized in various national publications, including Newsweek, Latina Style, etc.

Feliciano Garcia is a producer at the Today Show and the producer and host of Cafecito on NBC Latino. A former Congressional Hispanic Caucus Fellow, Garcia started his professional career as a reporter at Fortune magazine before joining NBC in 2001. His program Cafecito, profiles prominent Latinos about their backgrounds, accomplishments and community work. Garcia is a long-time member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and mentors budding Latino journalists. Born in Denver, he now lives in New York and enjoys writing, film, boxing and basketball.

Melody Gonzales just completed serving on President Barack Obama's re-election campaign as the Latino Vote director in the battleground state of Virginia. Some of Melody's past campaign experiences include working for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Arizona Democratic Party as a GOTV Director supporting Congressman Raul Grijalva's 2010 re-election and working for Barack Obama's presidential campaign in 2008 — volunteering in six other states, D.C. and Puerto Rico then working full-time as a Latino Canvass Director in Greeley, Colorado. Prior to joining the President's 2012 campaign team, Melody Gonzales spent six years in Congress working for Congressman Xavier Becerra. She began as a legislative assistant handling a range of policy issues including telecommunications, judiciary, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. In 2009, Melody was promoted to serve as Director of Member Outreach in the Congressman's House Democratic Caucus Vice Chair's office, where she served as a leadership advisor on the House floor and helped manage a team providing constituency outreach, research and messaging support to Democratic Members of the House of Representatives. Her favorite issues on the Hill included helping Becerra, a regent at the Smithsonian Institution, build support for a museum that honors American Latinos and helping him advance a judiciary committee bill that he co-authored with the late Senator Edward Kennedy.

Katie Harbath is a Manager for Policy at Facebook, where she focuses on political outreach. Prior to Facebook, Katie was the Chief Digital Strategist at the National Republican Senatorial Committee. She previously led digital strategy in positions at DCI Group, the Rudy Giuliani for President campaign and the Republican National Committee. In 2009, she was named a Rising Star by Campaigns and Elections magazine. Katie holds a BA in journalism and political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

If the name L. Boogs does not sound familiar, it will… because he is genuine talent in entertainment. L. Boogs started at HOT 97 Promotions and later became the phone/board operator for DJ Enuff's then midnight run radio show. He later co-hosted the show with Heavy Hitter DJ Camilo. Supporting the dream and vision of DJ Threat (RIP); L. Boogs became the fourth member of the “Heavy Hitters” crew. L. Boogs got the opportunity to tour with Angie Martinez. It is here that Boogs fell in love with the stage and learned the power of a microphone and entertaining a crowd. Today, L. Boogs continues to do what he does best, rocking the club scene at least five times a week. In September 2006, L. Boogs added another accomplishment, as host of Sucker Free Latino, Fashionista, MiTRL on MTV's groundbreaking channel, MTVtr3s. Recently also Joining the Google family with the launch of 123UnoDosTres channel, His show Musical Passport. So, if it's an entertainment powerhouse you need from radio, network television and online media… L. Boogs is a name you need to know and remember. Saturdays On Hot 97.1fm 12pm-5pm The Best Show Ever/ The Lboogs Show

Since bursting onto the NYC comedy scene in 2004, Erik Rivera's name has become synonymous with comedy. His "boy next door" good looks and unique perspective make him one of today's fastest rising young comedians. With quick wit, commanding stage presence, charisma and an infectious smile, Rivera has become a favorite act at comedy clubs, events and colleges throughout the country.

A regular at NYC and LA comedy clubs such as The Comedy Cellar, Comic Strip Live, Gotham Comedy Club, The Laugh Factory and The Comedy & Magic Club, Erik's star is quickly rising! This year he was honored to make his Late Night debut on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, a recognition that has been a springboard to many comedy greats. Since that prestigious opportunity, Rivera has proven to be on the top of everyone's list. The National Council of La Razaand NBC reached out and tapped Erik as a presenter and official spokesperson for the 2011 ALMA Awards and NCLR. NUVO TV also hand selected Erik as their official spokesperson for Hispanic Heritage Month, presenting a daily Factiño commercial series. Rivera is steadily becoming a familiar face on cable networks nationwide as he's also appeared numerous times onMTV Tr3s, Comedy Central, TV Guide and most recently NUVO TV's Latino 101.

With his diverse audience reach and unparalleled work ethic, Erik is one of the most requested comedians working today. In 2010, he had the privilege of being chosen by NBC to represent their network's Stand-Up for Diversity College Tour. The tour took Rivera from coast to coast, bringing laughter to over fifty colleges and universities. During the 2009 Holiday season, Erik served as the spokesperson for the Duracell SmartPower Labin Times Square, interviewing celebrities and interacting with fans in person and online. In February of 2010, The National Hispanic Media Coalition invited Erik to be their special guest performer at their annual Impact Awards Gala, which honors Latinos in Entertainment. He has also appeared at The Latino Laugh Festivalalongside Carlos Mencia to a packed house at The Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, winning the Diamonds in the Rough Award in 2007. In both 2008 and 2009, Erik was honored to be the only comedian to perform two consecutive years for The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute at the Warner Theater in Washington, DC, hosting the event in 2009.

In high demand, Rivera continues to tour comedy clubs and colleges nationwide. When not touring, Erik calls both New York City and Los Angeles home.

Paulina Helm-Hernandez is the Co-Director of Southerners on New Ground. Paulina is a queer femme cha-cha girl, artist, trainer, political organizer & trouble-maker-at-large from Veracrúz, Mexico. This Chicana grew up in rural North Carolina, and is currently growing roots in Atlanta, GA. She has been the Co-Director of Southerners on New Ground (SONG) for 7 years, having joined the staff after coordinating the Southern regional youth activism program at the Highlander Research & Education Center for over 4 years. Paulina has a background in farm worker and immigrant / refugee rights organizing, cultural work, youth organizing, anti-violence work, and liberation work that centers people most affected by violence, poverty, war and racism. Paulina is also a founding member of the national First Nations / Two Spirit Collective, an queer & trans indigenous movement-building cadre, and has served on the boards of YouthAction, Student Action with Farmworkers, The Third Wave Foundation and the DataCenter. She currently sits on the Vision and Strategies Council of Kindred Southern Healing Justice Collective.

Director of Advocacy and Policy at YWCA. The YWCA leads the national organization's advocacy efforts on women's economic empowerment and racial justice policies. Working with members of Congress, the White House and federal agencies, Desiree and her team advocate for the YWCA's core legislative and funding priorities, ranging from the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), reproductive health and the Affordable Care Act, pay equity and job training, immigrant rights, and childcare and early education programs. Desiree leads a coordinated grassroots advocacy network to maximize the YWCA's collective impact and streamline direct service programs with more than 2 million participants at 1,300 locations across the country. Desiree brings more than a decade of legislative and advocacy experience to the YWCA. Her areas of expertise include: coalition building, grassroots organizing, lobbying, policy analysis and voter mobilization.

Joy Lawson is the Director of Young People For (YP4), a program of People for the American Way Foundation. Over the past seven years Joy has worked to ensure that young leaders are sustained and supported over the long-term. She began her career as a student organizer and Choice USA chapter leader at the University of Kansas where she organized students and community members to pressure local and state school boards to ensure Kansas youth received medically accurate sex education. For her work on sex education Joy received the 2006 Generation-to-Generation Chapter Leadership Award and soon after joined the staff at Choice USA as a National Field Associate and later as the Midwestern States Field Coordinator. At Choice USA she worked to build a stronger progressive movement by training and developing a diverse base of young reproductive justice leaders.

In 2010, Joy joined the People For the American Way Foundation staff as the Advanced Leadership and Alumni Program Manager of Young People For (YP4). YP4 is a long-term leadership development program that helps a diverse set of young leaders turn their idealism into actions and advance social justice to create lasting change on their campuses and in their communities. Under her leadership over 60% of the alumni of Young People For reengaged with the program and the YP4 Alumni Network has become a community of young progressives committed to cultivating and supporting YP4 programs and fellows through mentorship, networking, advanced leadership trainings and much more.

Joy is a Midwest Academy graduate and a 2006 Grassroots Organizing Weekend trainer. She comes to YP4 with experience in grassroots organizing, leadership development, and capacity building. Committed to mentorship, Joy has served as a coach for the New Leaders Fellowship and Internship programs housed in the Center for Progressive Leadership.

Mario Lugay is a co-founder and current strategy and development consultant for the New American Leaders Project, which prepares first- and second-generation immigrant leaders for civic leadership positions from the community to the Capitol.

He is also the Program Officer for the Mitchell Kapor Foundation. His clients have included the Ford Foundation, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, the Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training (GIFT), the Genius Group, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, SmartMeme, the Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock and the Funders' Committee for Civic Participation, where he had previously served as the organization's first Program Director. Prior to this, Mario spent several years in the field of community organizing, serving as the National Coordinator of Racial Justice 911: People of Color Against the War, consulting with Listen, Inc. to help bring a delegation of U.S. youth organizers to the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and holding the position of Development Coordinator for CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities in the Northwest Bronx. Today, Mario is also board chair of the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) in Oakland, a board member of Resource Generation, and is a Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training (GIFT) trainer. He is a graduate of Columbia University.

James Kotecki is the Director of Thought Leadership at Three Ships Media, where grows and promotes the firm's digital marketing expertise.

In early 2007, James started a political video blog in his Georgetown University dorm room. Within months, The Economist said he was "probably the world's foremost expert on YouTube videos posted by presidential candidates."

After graduation, James joined Politico to cover the 2008 presidential campaign with an award-winning daily video show. In 2012, he wrote and hosted videos for The Daily, a first-of-its-kind newspaper for tablets and smartphones.

Between elections, he spent several years as an analyst at a DC consulting firm, advising investment managers on public policy issues. James has provided on CNN, FOX News, NPR, CBS, and the BBC and in the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. He took second place in the 2008 Funniest Celebrity in Washington Competition, losing out to Governor Mike Huckabee.

James lives in Durham, North Carolina with his wife Emily.

Maria Teresa Kumar is the founding President and CEO of Voto Latino and an Emmy-nominated contributor with MSNBC. A dynamic community leader, she was named by Hispanic Business among the 100 most influential Latinos in America and by PODER Magazine as one of the 20 most influential Latinos under 40. Fast Company called Maria Teresa one of the top 100 Creative Minds for her work at Voto Latino, using technology, celebrity voices, media and youth themselves to empower a generation of young voters. Under her leadership, Voto Latino has become a key factor in national elections by directly registering over 225,000 new voters and influencing millions more through viral, celebrity-driven campaigns.

Maria Teresa serves on the national boards of Planned Parenthood and the Latino Leaders Network, and is a Hunt Alternative Fund Prime Mover and a Council on Foreign Relations Term Member. She is a frequent guest analyst on NPR and PBS, opinion writer for national publications, and speaker at major conferences including NetRoots Nation, Personal Democracy Forum, and TEDx. She started her career as a legislative aide for then Democratic Caucus Chair Vic Fazio, and graduated from Harvard's Kennedy School and the University of California at Davis.

Samir Luther is the Director of Leadership Initiatives at the Victory Institute, the nation's leading organization that identifies, trains and supports openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender candidates, campaign staff and officials. He runs Victory's executive appointments program, including the Presidential Appointments Project, which supports LGBT professionals to attain political appointments in the executive branch of the federal government. Luther also directs the International LGBT Leadership Conference, the largest annual gathering of LGBT elected, appointed, and community leaders. In 2011, he launched the Victory Congressional Internship to develop promising LGBT college leaders from around the country through internships on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Prior to Victory, Samir managed the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality Index from 2004-2010, and created groundbreaking resources for employers to recruit and retain talented LGBT workers. He has consulted with Fortune 500 and AmLaw 200 firms, and presented at national conferences as a featured speaker on the state of the American workplace, same-sex partner and spousal benefits and transgender inclusion. He served on the Society for Human Resource Management's Workforce Diversity Panel from 2010 to 2011.

Dan is the Director of New Media at OMP, a digital strategy and fundraising agency in Washington, DC. McSwain has designed digital campaigns and implemented organizational plans for non-profits, federal government agencies, and political campaigns. He was the blogger for the President-elect at Change.gov, the website for the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition. McSwain was a new media strategist and writer in the 2008 Obama for America headquarters in Chicago. He holds an MS in Public Relations from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, and a BA in English from University of Notre Dame

Katie is Producer and CEO of PRAJNA Productions: Stories with Social Relevance, a Los Angeles-based production company that is focused on creating cutting edge television, movies, and transmedia programming that is socially relevant for the Americas and beyond. PRAJNA specializes in the development and production of top-rated dramatic series that address a wide array of social and health issues. PRAJNA creates high impact global partnerships with leading media companies, donor agencies, brands, and NGOS to create engaging programs that will stand out in competitive media markets and affect social change.

Prior to founding PRAJNA, Katie served as Vice President of Communications and Programs for Population Media Center, an international NGO specializing in entertainment-education, for more than 6 years. At Population Media Center, Katie oversaw the design, development, and management of numerous programs using media for social change around the world. Katie has worked in the US, Mexico, Jamaica, Ethiopia, Egypt, Turkey, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Vietnam, and more. Katie was also Executive Producer for a cutting edge new series that takes place in East Los Angeles called, 'East Los High' that will go to air in 2013. She also produced a 70-episode novela with MTV for all of Latin America called 'Ultimo Año,' which premiered in the US in February 2013 and will air through the end of May. Katie received her Master's degree in Media Studies from the New School for Social Research in New York, NY and a B.A. in History and Sociology from the University of Vermont (UVM).

Senior New Media Strategist, AFL-CIO. I'm a community organizer, and my turf is the internet. As a member of the Digital Strategy team for President Barack Obama's re-election campaign, I am privileged to work with some of the most passionate, inspiring folks in the world. But the best part is that I get to interact with regular Americans every day--folks like me, who are fighting for good health insurance, better education for our children, economic justice, racial equality, and rights for homosexual couples. Before all this, I repped hard for the New Organizing Institute, and I still train and volunteer with them. And I made my way to NOI through a road less traveled, spending some time as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer in Los Angeles. I'm passionate about Latinos, user experience, online engagement, digital communities, and broadband access. Oh, and helping create an influx of digital organizers of color to revolutionize this business.

State Senator Victor Ramirez grew up in Mount Rainer. As a child, Victor attended Thomas Stone Elementary School and Hyattsville Middle School, playing sports at the Hyattsville-Mount Rainier-Brentwood Boys and Girls Club until high school. He attended Northwestern High, where he played football, soccer and baseball. Victor received his B.A. at Frostburg State University and his J.D. degree at St. Thomas University School of Law. Since 2003, Victor has worked diligently on behalf of District 47, eight years as a Delegate, and now as State Senator. As Delegate, Victor worked to reduce domestic violence, crime, gang activity, and liquor licenses within our communities. He served as Deputy Majority Whip and was on both the Judiciary and Ways and Means Committees. He currently serves on the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, and is a member of the Maryland Educators Caucus and the Maryland Veterans Caucus. He was the lead sponsor of the Maryland DREAM Act which passed in the 2011 Legislative Session.

Elianne is Principal and CEO of Speak Hispanic Communications and Vice-Chair of Communications and PR for Latinos in Social Media (LATISM). She is also the Editor of the LATISM blog, and the hostess to the LATISM Twitter chats. Through her company, Elianne partners with companies to develop strategic communications plans for engaging the Latino market. In over 15 years of Creative Direction, Copywriting, Public Speaking, Public Relations and TV Commercial Production experience, Elianne has developed broadcast, multimedia and social media campaigns for clients such as Procter & Gamble, Panasonic, SlimFast, Chivas Regal, HSBC Bank and AARP. Formerly, she was the VP, Creative Director and founder of i3 Creative Group, managing production teams working concurrently in the United States, Mexico, Uruguay and Argentina. She has also led creative workshops and lectures at marketing conferences and universities in both the United States and South America.

Her writing has appeared in numerous books and publications, including the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Her commentary, profiles and interviews have appeared in numerous TV and radio segments as well as in print and web media, including HITN, Voice of America, The Huffington Post, Latina Style Magazine, Fox News Latino and many others.

Estuardo Rodriguez, Jr. serves as the Counsel on Media and Communications at The Raben Group where he brings years of experience with media and message development consultation, in addition to extensive experience with government affairs and specialized marketing to Hispanic communities. Mr. Rodriguez works with a number of non-profit organizations, including the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) as well as private sector companies that include V-me Media, Inc. (V-me) and The Home Depot. His work involves development of messaging campaigns, grassroots outreach, legislative monitoring, federal lobbying and coalition building.

Director of Advocacy, Project Vote. Estelle Rogers is Project Vote's Legislative Director. In this position, she coordinates the organization's policy work on both state and federal levels, including interacting directly with legislators and staff, writing testimony and public education materials, and building coalitions with other organizations. She is the co-author of a chapter in the 2012 publication, America Votes, 2nd ed., a publication of the American Bar Association. Prior to joining the Project Vote staff, Ms. Rogers prepared a voting rights agenda for submission to the Presidential Transition Team in 2008-2009, and authored The National Voter Registration Act at Fifteen: A Report to Congress. Ms. Rogers' work on civic engagement issues began in 2004, when she served as special counsel to America's Families United, supervising the verification of thousands of new voter registrations in 65 counties in 17 states. In 2005-2006, she was a senior staff attorney with Advancement Project, continuing her legal work on voter registration and election administration issues.

Amelia Showalter served as Director of Digital Analytics on Barack Obama's 2012 presidential campaign. She led a cutting-edge Digital Analytics team that designed and implemented hundreds of experiments to improve the performance of all types of digital outreach. From long-term experiments for determining ideal email frequency to short-term tests optimizing all visual aspects of digital outreach, these experiments led to tens of millions of dollars in added revenue for the campaign. Showalter raised standards for data quality and statistical validity in the Obama campaign's digital testing process.

Prior to her position at the Obama campaign, Showalter was a political consultant and provided strategic analysis and micro-targeting models to dozens of campaigns and organizations in the progressive political sphere. Showalter served as Director of Media Strategies with Changing Targets Media from 2009-2010, developing innovative television targeting tools for campaigns at the local, Congressional, and statewide levels. In 2011, Showalter became an expert in redistricting analysis, using advanced Monte Carlo simulation techniques to accurately predict Oregon's legislative outcomes a year and a half in advance of the elections.

Originally from Olympia, Washington, Showalter graduated with honors from Harvard University and later from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government with a Master's degree in Public Policy. After the 2012 election, Bloomberg BusinessWeek named Amelia one of the "most eligible hires in techdom." She chose to become a solo consultant, with the mission of bringing the Obama campaign's culture of rigorous testing and analysis to progressive organizations, campaigns, and firms.

Matt is Executive Director of the Bus Federation. He is an organizer, a writer, a small business owner, and a three-time college dropout. His writing and/or exploits have made their way into the pages of The New Republic, In These Times, and The Washington Post. In 2004, he helped found Forward Montana. He believes in 1) Democracy, 2) Fun, and 3) Winning. Not always in that order. Senator Jon Tester once called him "one smart dude." The New Leaders Council named him one of "40 Under 40" in 2010.

Slade Sohmer is co-founder and editor-in-chief of HyperVocal. He is also co-host of SiriusXM's daily "Politics Powered By Twitter" show. Before launching HyperVocal, Slade spent seven years as Lou Dobbs' consigliere and radio executive producer. He's a 2001 graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and briefly attended the School of Hard Knocks before dropping out due to an overwhelming softness.

Monica Thammarath is the Senior Program/Policy Specialist in the Office of Minority Community Outreach (MCO) at the National Education Association (NEA), where she serves as the liaison between the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community and NEA's more than 3 million members. Prior to the NEA, Ms. Thammarath was the education policy advocate for the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC). Ms. Thammarath's work is grounded in her experience organizing as a college student and providing services locally around access to affordable and high quality education. The daughter of refugees from Laos, Ms. Thammarath was born and raised in Southeast San Diego, California and a proud product of California's public K-16 education system.

Chris Torres is the Campaign Director at New Organizing Institute. He works with the Latino and Immigrant Rights organizations and leaders to build the community's power and make it a force in our politics and elections. Chris grew up in Brooklyn, New York with his mom, 4 siblings and pet Chihuahua. He first learned about Organizing at his Catholic Church where he was enlisted by his Priest Father John Powis to join him in many direct actions against Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Together with his church, he fought back against police brutality and for more resources for the community.

Before joining NOI, Christopher worked at the Center for Community Change as their Elections Manager. He supported and ran issue based campaigns in partnership with the major Immigrant Rights organizations throughout the country Most recently, he worked with volunteer leaders at Promise Arizona on their fight against SB 1070 where they registered over 13,000 voters in a month and mobilized over 50,000 voters on election day. He also helped lead the field operation as the Deputy National Field Director for the Reform Immigration For America legislative campaign. During the 2008 Presidential election, Chris served in many capacities during the primary on the Obama Campaign; Starting in Iowa as an organizer for the Caucuses and finishing as the Regional Field Director in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Chris worked on several other political campaigns including the Rhode Island Senate Campaign for Sheldon Whitehouse, the State Senate campaign for Grace Diaz and the Philadelphia Mayoral Campaign for Tom Knox . Torres is an alum of Brown University.

Sarahi Uribe is the National Campaign Coordinator at the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, an organization dedicated to advancing the civil and labor rights of immigrant workers and their families. Over the last six years Sarahi has led efforts against mass deportation that changed local enforcement practices and reframed national discourse away from criminalization of immigrants towards inclusion. She provides strategic support to dozens of communities in the front-lines and in Washington DC she successfully campaigned for the passage of numerous local, pro-immigrant polices. She frequently contributes to the The Guardian and has regular appearances on national spanish language news Univision and Telemundo. She is the proud daughter of immigrants and a graduate from Yale University.

Cesar Vargas is a national advocate with the DREAM (DRM) Action. Cesar graduated from the City University of New York School of Law. From New York, California to Washington D.C, he has actively been involved in the fight for the DREAM Act including the 2010 Lame Duck Session and state wide battles for equal access to state financial aid for undocumented students.

Dr. Mike Muñoz is the Associate Dean of Student Services at Rio Hondo College. As Associate Dean, Dr. Muñoz leads the college's Student Life and Leadership Office, including Associated Student Body and Inter Club Council, High School and Community Outreach for 16 service area high schools, Educational Partnerships, including GEAR UP and Early College Academy, and TRIO Programs, including Upward Bound and Student Support Services programs, services and activities. Dr. Muñoz has experience in working across all levels of education. His previous work experience includes Higher Education Center Coordinator with Santa Ana Unified School District, Counselor/Instructor with Santa Ana College, and GEAR UP Program Coordinator with the University of California, Irvine. He earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Social Behavior from University of California, Irvine and a master's degree in Counseling from California State University, Long Beach. He went onto earn a doctorate in Educational Leadership with a specialization in community college leadership at California State University, Long Beach. In addition, Dr. Muñoz has served on numerous boards including the City of Santa Ana Planning Commission and is a lecturer in the College of Education at California State University, Long Beach.

Alonso Salas came to the United States as an undocumented child at the age of 13 with his mother and his 12 year old and 5 year old younger brothers.

Salas became interested in activism at the age of 18, after participating in the 2006 Dallas Mega March that mobilized 500,000 people in support of Comprehensive Immigration Reform. His fight for immigrant rights and Latino civic advocacy includes:

During the beginning of the DACA process, Alonso was instrumental in a campaign that reached over 5,000 Dream Act eligible students.

His grassroots organizing efforts yielded over 3,000 new registered voters in Dallas and across the North Texas region during the 2012 Presidential election.

Salas became a DREAM Act student and graduated from he University of North Texas in 2012. Currently, he is the Field Director of two City Council races in Dallas.

Ross I. Romero was born in Pueblo, Colorado, and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah.Ross attended Utah public schools and was active in several community organizations priorto serving in the Utah Legislature.

Ross graduated from Highland High School, Salt Lake City (1989). He attended the University of Utah where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science (1993), and then graduated from the University of Michigan Law School (1996). Ross practiced law in Salt Lake City for ten years. In 2003, Ross became a shareholder at Jones, Waldo, Holbrook and McDonough, P.C. Beginning in October of 2007, through today, Ross went to work for Zions Bank as a Vice President, Corporate Sales Resource Officer.

In 2004, Ross was elected to the Utah State House of Representatives (Salt Lake City). In 2006, he was elected to the Utah State Senate (Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County). Ross was elected Senate Minority Leader in 2010. Ross is currently chair of the Board of Hispanic Caucus Chairs (BHCC), a board member of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), and a past Executive Committee member of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL).

Ross is married to Cecilia M. Romero. They have a son, Marcus, and a daughter.

Slade Sohmer is co-founder and editor-in-chief of HyperVocal. He is also co-host of SiriusXM's daily "Politics Powered By Twitter" show. Before launching HyperVocal, Slade spent seven years as Lou Dobbs' consigliere and radio executive producer. He's a 2001 graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and briefly attended the School of Hard Knocks before dropping out due to an overwhelming softness.

Ofelia Cañez, a longtime educator with deep roots in Arizona, is the director of the Raul H. Castro Institute (RCI), a public policy "do tank" housed and supported by Phoenix College.

In her role, Cañez leads the activities of the institute, which was created to provide public policy input and programming in the areas of education, health and human services and civic engagement, and honor the legacy of former Arizona Gov. Raul Castro.

Cañez spent 25 years in teaching and program development in preK-12 and secondary educational institutions. She served as residential faculty at Phoenix College for 11 years. Most recently she served as an academic program advisor at Chandler-Gilbert Community College.

In addition to continuing RCI's initiatives for stronger educational outcomes for youth, Cañez, an Arizona native, also is keenly interested in the institute's work in health care. She previously served on the Medical Radiology Technology Board of Arizona and the Medical Board of Directors for the Mountain Park Health Center in south Phoenix.

Dolores Huerta was born in 1930 in New Mexico. Her parents divorced when she was very young, and she was raised by her mother in Stockton, California. Her mother was a businesswoman who owned a restaurant and a 70-room hotel, which often put up farm worker families for free. According to Dolores, her mother's independence and entrepreneurial spirit was one of the primary reasons she became a feminist.

Dolores Huerta became involved in a community group supporting farm workers which merged with the AFL-CIO's Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC). She served as secretary-treasurer of the AWOC. It was during this time that she met Cesar Chavez, and then formed with him the Farm Workers Association, which eventually became the United Farm Workers (UFW). Dolores is the co-founder and Secretary-Treasurer of the UFW.

Huerta served a key role in the early years of farm worker organizing. Among other contributions was her work as the coordinator for East Coast efforts in the table grape boycott. It was during this time that she also became connected with the growing feminist movement. In the 1970s Huerta headed up the farm workers' union's political arm and helped lobby for legislative protections.

Dolores then stepped down from her position at the UFW in 1999, but she continues to her work to improve the lives of workers, immigrants and women. She has received many honors for her activism, including the Ellis Island Medal of Freedom Award (1993) and the Eleanor Roosevelt Award (1998). Huerta, mother of 11 children, was inducted to the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1993.

Born Wilmer Antonio Valderrama on Jan. 30, 1980 in Miami, FL the handsome Latino moved back to his family's native Venezuela at the age of three. Valderrama's family returned to America 10 years later, when he was 13, this time settling down in Los Angeles. Not knowing a word of English, Valderrama was forced to pick up the language of his new home. He quickly learned the language and began drama class in high school to help assimilate him into American culture. He performed in numerous plays and made his professional debut in a Spanish Pacific Bell commercial.

At his drama teacher's suggestion, Valderrama got an agent and was immediately cast in a CBS miniseries Four Corners as well as the Disney Channel's Omba Makamba. That same year, the young actor landed a role on the nostalgic sitcom "That 70's Show" (Fox, 1998-2006). Portraying Fez, a foreign student trying to fit into 1970's suburban Wisconsin. While working on the instantly popular show, Valderrama graduated from Taft High School in 1999. With the success of "That '70's Show," Valderrama's résumé quickly began to fill out. He made his film debut in the baseball-themed romantic-comedy "Summer Catch" (2001) alongside Freddie Prinze, Jr., followed by his role as DJ Keoki in the club-kid pic "Party Monster" (2003) opposite former-child stars Macaulay Culkin and Seth Green.

On top of his busy and successful acting career Wilmer Valderrama co-owns three restaurants: Dolce, The Lodge, and Geisha House.

Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas is the Executive Director at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, the only national reproductive justice organization that specifically works to advance reproductive health and rights for Latinas. She has been a leader in progressive movements for over 15 years. Jessica is successfully forging connections between reproductive health, gender, immigration, LGBTQ liberation, labor and Latino civil rights, breaking down barriers between movements and building a strong Latina grassroots presence.

Jessica frequently speaks about the National Latina Institute's work at national conferences, and provides policy expertise including testimony at congressional briefings. A long-time leader in community and electoral politics she was elected to the New York State Democratic Committee for the 39th Assembly District from 2002-2006.

Jessica has held leadership roles in numerous local and national organizations that promotes social justice advocacy. For 11 years, she served on the Board of Directors of New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE), a New York City-based non-profit whose mission is to ensure that immigrants can build social, political and economic power. She is a featured expert for the National Council for Research on Women (NCRW), and an Advisory Member for several organizations and coalitions.

Jessica is an Adjunct Professor of Latino and Latin American Studies at the City University of New York's City College. Jessica holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from New York University's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, with a concentration in Public and Nonprofit Management and Public Policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from Boston University, where she graduated cum laude, and completed a certificate program from the Institute for Not-for-Profit Management at Columbia University's Graduate School of Business.

One of radio's brightest rising stars, Edgar "Shoboy" Sotelo was recognized by the NAB in 2011 with the Marconi Radio Award for Spanish Format Personality of the Year. "ShoBoy en la manana" has become one of the top-rated morning shows in the market. Sotelo's energetic, passionate, and candid personality radiates fun throughout a program that features an innovative fusion of music, comedy, entertainment and community empowerment.

Born in Ocotlan Jalisco, Mexico, Sotelo was just five years old when he moved to California with his parents and two older brothers. Sotelo received his undergraduate degree in psychology from Polytechnic University in Pomona, California. He went on to earn a master's degree in organizational leadership from Azusa Pacific University.

Sotelo has a tremendous passion for community involvement, especially with Latino youth. He considers his show "entertainment with a purpose." Sotelo shares his positive message on air, online, and has reached more than 150,000 students and parents through motivational speeches at schools. "Shoboy's Mega Beca" program has granted approximately $10,000 in scholarships , and Sotelo's involvement in radiothons has helped raise more than $1.2 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and more than $600,000 for Children's Medical Center of Dallas.

Since 2006, Sotelo has been a leader and ambassador for the Voto Latino campaign, and he actively participates in Latino citizenship and voter registration drives. In 2007, he moderated the first Latino Youth Summit hosted by the Senate Democrats in Washington, D.C., and the United States Senate honored Sotelo with the Most Influential Leader Award in 2009. Two years later, he was named to the elite Edison Research's "30 under 30" list, and earlier this year.

Michael Skolnik is the Political Director to hip-hop pioneer, Russell Simmons and the Editor-In-Chief of GlobalGrind.com, an online destination founded by Mr. Simmons. As his role as Political Director, Michael oversees Mr. Simmons' entire social justice and political activities. The focus of their work together is based around three core themes: education, poverty and ignorance. GlobalGrind reaches over 4.5 million people a month, predominantly serving a multi-racial segment of the 18-34 population, covering entertainment and celebrity news, lifestyle content, fashion, style, music and politics.

Michael has appeared regularly on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, NPR, HLN, Al-Jazeera, Current TV, Sirius/XM and the BBC, where he has discussed a wide range of topics from the Trayvon Martin case to efforts to reduce gun violence to the youth participation in the 2012 election. A leading voice on social media, his 2012 essay titled, "White People, You Will Never Look Suspicious Like Trayvon Martin" was shared over 190,000 times on Facebook and was credited as one of the catalysts of bringing that story to national attention. His 65,000+ person twitter following has allowed for his tweets to be featured on the Rachel Maddow Show, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Mashable and various other media outlets.

Michael serves on the Board of Directors for The Trayvon Martin Foundation. He is also active on the Leadership Council of Gen44, the Democratic Party's group for young professionals, and was an official surrogate for the 2012 Obama campaign.

Prior to his work for Mr. Simmons, Michael spent over a decade as an award winning film director and producer. He is a graduate of the UCLA School Of Film, Theater and Television.

As President of Tonio Burgos & Associates of Washington, D.C., Max directs the firm's operations in the Nation's Capital. He brings a broad background of experience that includes the non-profit sector and government sector at the federal and state level.

Max is a former Senior Policy Advisor for Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez where he gained expertise on issues relating to telecommunications, health care, and homeland security as well as issues important to the Latino community and Puerto Rico.

Prior to his work in Congress, he was the Advocacy State Director for AARP in Puerto Rico where he worked on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid issues and on consumer issues that impacted the senior population.

Mr. Trujillo has also served in State government, first, as a Deputy Advisor to the Governor for Social Welfare and Civil Rights and later as Legislative Counsel for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico House of Representatives' Committee on Economic Development.

His experience in government work, advocacy and coalition building brings to our clients a professional that knows how to manage political relationships, develop policy positions and strengthen partnerships with national or local organizations.

A graduate of Marquette University with Majors in Political Science and History, Max also holds a law degree from the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico School of Law and a Master of Laws from American University Washington College of Law in International Legal Studies. He is a licensed attorney in the State of Maryland.

Nora E. Vargas is a dynamic and accomplished leader with broad experience in non-profit management, government, politics and public policy. Ms. Vargas serves as the first Vice President of Community Engagement for Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest. Most recently, she served as Executive Director of the Latino Issues Forum, a Statewide non-profit public policy and advocacy institute dedicated to advancing new and innovative public policy solutions for a better, more equitable, and prosperous society. Ms. Vargas was the founding director of the City of Los Angeles Office of Immigrant Rights, appointed by Mayor James Hahn. She also served as an aide to U. S. Representative Bob Filner of San Diego. Government service later took her to Washington, D.C., where she was a Schedule "C" Presidential Appointee to the United States Selective Service in the Clinton administration.

An accomplished political consultant, Ms. Vargas has directed successful campaigns at the federal, state and local levels, including work with Sacramento-based Kaufman Campaign Consultants. She was a member of the Clinton-Gore re-election campaign team in 1996. She also served as Vice President of Governmental and Political Affairs for Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties, her portfolio included public policy advocacy and overseeing the organization's political action fund.

Committed to community service, Ms. Vargas currently serves a Commissioner for the City of Chula Vista, Resource Conservation Commission. A board member of Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE), the Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE) and Chula Vista Kiwanis.

Nora Vargas received her B.A. in Politics from the University of San Francisco and completed graduate work in Public Administration and Latin American Studies at San Diego State University and Women's Studies at Claremont Graduate University. Fluent in Spanish and English, Ms. Vargas is a sought-after speaker and has appeared in news stories in California and around the nation. She has been recognized for her exceptional leadership with the "Women Who Make a Difference" Award from State Senator Joe Dunn, the John F. Kennedy, Jr. award for Outstanding Public Service from the California Democratic Party and a recipient of San Diego Metropolitan's 10th Annual 40 under 40 Awards and SD Business Journal Health Care Champion Award for Community Outreach, 2010. A native of the San Diego-Tijuana Border Region, she is happy to call the region her home.

Jesse Salazar joined the USHCC after a Presidential appointment as a Legislative Analyst for USDA, where he oversaw the Food Safety and Rural Development legislative portfolios for the Secretary of Agriculture. He also served as the Philadelphia Regional Co-Director for the Truman National Security Project. Before joining USDA, he was head of the Central East office of Senator Robert Casey and Special Assist on Latino and LGBT affairs.

He has also advised the Welsh Assembly and Scottish Parliament on e-Democracy and served as a member of the New Media team during the Obama-Biden Transition Project. Jesse served as Pennsylvania Latino and LGBT Vote Director for the Obama campaign in 2008. He began his work in politics, when PA Governor Ed Rendell appointed him to serve as a Commissioner of Latino Affairs for the Commonwealth.

Jesse is also a Senior Fellow with Humanity in Action and a recent contributor to the Yale Journal of International Affairs. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a double major in European History and Political Science, and he left the history PhD program at Princeton University with a masters. For fun, Jesse plays soccer and enjoys rock-climbing and sits on the National Hispanic Advisory Council for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.