Demand that politicians don't call you at dinner time.  Sign up now and register your phone number for the National Political Do Not Contact Registry.  Start by entering your email below.

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Mr. Dakin is a former senior management executive with leading Fortune 500 organizations such as FedEx, and Fannie Mae, as well as Laureate Education and the Motley Fool.  He was Sr. Vice President of Product Management at IXI Corporation, a marketing information services company in McLean, VA.

Mr. Dakin observed that American politics has become increasingly negative over the past 30 years.   With artificial definitions around "red" and "blue", what is considered political discourse today is simply turning off millions of voters.   

Wanting to do something to make better all American lives he believes that the formation of a National Political Do Not Contact Registry will provide a starting point for American voters from all political stripes and all states, red and blue, to take back control of the political discussion from the politicians.

In August, 2007 Mr. Dakin was humbled to be invited to be part of the Second Annual Public Innovators Summit at the Harwood Institute.  The summit is where the leading public innovators convene to engage on the core challenges facing politics and public life.

Mr. Dakin received his MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, AZ with a concentration in High Technology Marketing and his BA in Government from Colby College in Waterville, ME.   He received his 'A' levels from the Harrow School in London, UK and his high school degree from Salisbury School in Salisbury, CT.

He lives in Alexandria, VA with his wife and his son.

You can contact Mr. Dakin directly via email by clicking here.

Donald J. Dakin is a lawyer residing in Washington DC. 

Mr. Dakin practiced law in New York City with Chadbourne Parke and with Mobil Oil Corporation. While with Mobil he lived and worked in Europe, Africa, and Middle East and Asia.

Mr. Dakin now provides pro bono legal advice to non-profits in the DC region.   Mr. Dakin attended NYU law school and St. Michael's College.

Appointed vice president of Institutional Development at the Global Health Council in November 2006, Kae Dakin is responsible for establishing and implementing a comprehensive fundraising program needed to carry out the Council’s work.

She is an experienced nonprofit executive leader, having lead three nonprofit organizations, and has senior management experience at others. As the CEO of Washington Grantmakers from 1999-2006, the organization became the voice of philanthropy in the region. Prior to that, Ms. Dakin was the executive director of the Physician Assistant Foundation at the American Academy of Physician Assistants. From 1992-1996, Ms. Dakin was the executive director of Leadership America, a national nonprofit leadership organization for women of achievement.

Mrs. Dakin graduated from the University of Vermont and holds Masters degrees from Yeshiva University and University of Maryland University College.

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Norman J. Ornstein is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. He also serves as an election analyst for CBS News and writes a weekly column called "Congress Inside Out" for Roll Call newspaper. He has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, and other major publications, and regularly appears on television programs like The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Nightline, and Charlie Rose.

He serves as senior counselor to the Continuity of Government Commission, working to ensure that our institutions of government can be maintained in the event of a terrorist attack on Washington; his efforts in this area are recounted in a profile of him in the June 2003 Atlantic Monthly. His campaign finance working group of scholars and practitioners helped shape the major law, known as McCain/Feingold, that reformed the campaign financing system. Legal Times referred to him as "a principal drafter of the law" and his role in its design and enactment was profiled in the February 2004 issue of Washington Lawyer. He is also co-directing a multi-year effort, called the Transition to Governing Project, to create a better climate for governing in the era of the permanent campaign.

He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and the Campaign Legal Center and of the Board of Trustees of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society. He was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2004. His many books include The Permanent Campaign and Its Future; Intensive Care: How Congress Shapes Health Policy, both with Thomas E. Mann; and Debt and Taxes: How America Got Into Its Budget Mess and What to Do About It, with John H. Makin. The Broken Branch: How Congress Is Failing America and What Can Be Done about It, co-authored by Thomas E. Mann, is published by Oxford University Press.

Mr. Abney is the Sr. Partner at Ethics Counts.

For over 30 years, Wilson has helped domestic and foreign government and non-government organizations (NGOs) determine the right things to do and how to do them. He has served as Staff Director and Chief Counsel for the United States Senate Ethics Committee, Attorney Advisor for the Ethics Division in the Office of the General Counsel at the U.S. Commerce Department, and as a Member of the National Editorial Board for Public Integrity. He has provided commentary on issues of public service ethics on C-SPAN and for a number of national publications, including the New York Times, the Washington Post and Roll Call.

Wilson is active in the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics and is a member of the bar for the State of Texas, District of Columbia and United States Supreme Court.

Jeffrey Alexander is the Director of Research and Chief Knowledge Officer for  New Economy Strategies.  He is responsible for supervising the firm's research activities, developing frameworks and toolsets used in NES data analysis, and ensuring the quality of research output.  Dr. Alexander's expertise spans a range of technology-focused topics, including international technology policy, Federal R&D policy, industrial innovation, and market strategy in telecommunications and information technology. He was formerly a founding employee of Washington|CORE LLC, a consulting and research firm providing strategic analysis, where he was Vice President and Director of Research.  Over the course of his career, he has consulted to a number of Global 100 firms and provided advice and analysis to CEOs, government ministries and departments, and major trade organizations.

Dr. Alexander holds a Ph.D. in Technology Management from The George Washington University School of Business, where he studied under Professor Elias Carayannis.  He co-authored the book  Global and Local Knowledge:  Glocal Transatlantic Public-Private Partnerships for Research and Technology Development (Palgrave MacMillan, 2006) with Professor Carayannis.  His research articles have appeared in a number of peer-reviewed journals, including  Research Policy, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, International Journal of Technology Management, and the  Engineering Management Journal.  He has written articles for business-oriented periodicals, such as Nikkei Information Strategy (Japanese),  Broadband Solutions, and Technology Access.  He also served as a member of the Cancer Biomarkers Collaborative, co-sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and the Food & Drug Administration.  Dr. Alexander received a B.A. in International Relations from Stanford University, where he also completed the honors program in Science, Technology and Society

George Bounacos is a consumer affairs professional with two decades of experience leading customer care efforts at brand names including AAA and Carfax.  

He co-founded ConsumerHelpWeb.com, an advocacy firm that assists consumers in reaching alternative dispute resolutions with small and large companies.  Since launching the organization, Mr. Bounacos and his team have successfully resolved hundreds of disputes and been quoted in the Dallas Morning News and on NBC television stations throughout the country.  Mr. Bounacos is a 20 year member of the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals in Business and was an officer of the Washington D.C. chapter for more than a decade.  His book "Service Secrets: How To Be A Formidable Consumer" is due to be published in 2008.

Elisabeth M. Brown, brings over 20 years experience in providing marketing services to Fortune 100 & 500 companies, which includes a solid foundation in client side marketing applications, strategic planning, partnership development, database marketing, and software development.

Most recently, she was the Executive Vice President, Financial Industry Group at IXI ™ Corporation where she headed up the Financial Industry Group. She managed all operations relating to client management for fortune 100 and 500 clients, strategic planning, partnerships, and the overall delivery of quality database marketing products and services to the clients. 

Prior to IXI, Brown held several executive positions at Claritas Inc, a leading provider of precision marketing and segmentation targeting solutions including Senior Vice President, Product Development & Delivery, where she was responsible for data & software development and custom project deliverables. Additionally, she led client service teams assigned to the top financial services companies in the US.  Ms. Brown began her career at the Prudential Insurance Company where she introduced segmentation, targeting marketing and territory management applications which were used to improve agent/agency deployment and increase the effectiveness of agent lead programs. Ms. Brown holds a  B.A. in Economics & Political Science from the University of Delaware.

Sean Collins is a co-founder of Partner Advisors LLC, a financial services partnership program development and management company with partners across corporate/cobrand, affinity, and financial institution marketplaces. His background includes management positions at American Express, Fidelity Investments, Bank One, and First USA Partners.  He has degrees from the University of California at Berkeley and the Wharton School.

Brett Dakin, a New York attorney, is the Charles Evans Gerber Transactional Studies Research Fellow at Columbia Law School. 

Brett is also the author of Another Quiet American: Stories of Life in Laos (Asia Books), which Rough Guides calls "a must for anyone looking to understand Laos today." 

Prior to joining Columbia Law School, Brett was an associate at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, where his practice focuses on international corporate and financial transactions, with particular emphasis on intellectual property matters.  Brett received a J.D. degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 2003, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Human Rights Journal, and an undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from Princeton University in 1998. 

Brett is also a member of the Advisory Councils of the Princeton University East Asian Studies Department and the Public International Law & Policy Group.

Nick Jacobs currently serves as Director of Public Relations for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.  Prior to that, he spent the last ten years working in politics, running campaigns, developing strategic communications plans for campaigns and progressive organizations, serving as a spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee, and producing radio and TV ads. 

Jacobs is a recent graduate of the Producing for Film and Video Masters program at American University’s School of Communications.  Since graduation, Jacobs has been working on projects under his Asta Productions film company.

Jacobs lives in Washington, DC with his wife, Christine, and his newly-born twin boys, Aidan and Brendan.

As VP of Marketing at Siteworx, Patricia brings more than 15 years experience helping companies improve the quality, consistency and clarity of their marketing and communications. 

Ms. Mejia offers a diverse background in public, private and not-for-profit organizations, having served most recently as VP of Marketing & Communications at IXI ™ Corporation.  Prior to IXI, Patricia held leadership positions at Freddie Mac, the Mortgage Bankers Association and the Southeastern Universities Research Association. 

Ms. Mejia holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from George Mason University and a B.A. in Govt. & Politics from the University of Maryland College Park.

Mr. Morgan has 15 years experience providing program management operations, oversight, analytic, and technical expertise to Government (defense and civilian), non-profit, and private clients.  His primary areas of expertise are in national and homeland security policy, information technology, organizational management, contract compliance, and quality assurance.  He holds an undergraduate degree in economics from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, and a Masters in Public Policy from Georgetown University in Washington, DC.  He resides in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his daughter.

Douglas Naegele is an investment advisor with Marcus and Millichap.  Previous positions include President at Waterfront Capital Partners and Manager at Fannie Mae.  He holds an MBA in finance from The George Washington University and an undergraduate degree from Harvard University.  While a home in Washington DC with his wife Edith, he often dreams of playing shortstop for the Boston Red Sox.

Scott is currently president of Scott Oser Associates, Inc.  Scott has over 12 years of marketing experience in the association and publishing industries.  He has worked for market leaders like National Geographic Society, AARP and Science. Throughout his career Scott has excelled in developing, implementing and analyzing multi-channel direct marketing programs.  He is highly skilled in creating effective customer acquisition and loyalty programs with the ability to align resources and operations to consistently achieve and exceed goals.
 
Scott Oser Associates, Inc. is dedicated to assisting non-profit and for-profit organizations with the development of effective marketing programs designed to increase membership, sponsorship, exhibit and advertising sales, showcase products and services and maximize return on investment from publications and websites.

Tanya Renne is a co-founder and CEO of Orchid Suites. She has been in the web development business for over ten years as owner of her own web development firm working primarily with non-profits and associations. Ms. Renne brings a range of expertise and talents to her work. She is highly skilled in multiple computer programs and languages, and offers strengths in needs-assessment, design, data and project management. Important projects have included developing and managing large-scale public service websites geared toward international audiences; maximizing the in-house capabilities of labor organizations; developing core technologies for direct-service non-profit organizations; and custom development of browser-based web maintenance tools.

Rob is currently a senior marketing manager at AT&T Mobility, where he provides wireless solutions for companies in the consumer goods and retail space.

Previously, he was Senior Vice President, Product Marketing at IXI Corporation, where he assisted major financial institutions in their database and direct marketing efforts.  Previously, he has held various Marketing and Strategic Planning positions with MCI, Diageo and early stage Internet startup companies focused on permission-based Marketing for consumers.  Mr. Russell has also been a Management Consultant with A.T. Kearney and Mars & Co. where he advised Fortune 500 clients on Marketing, Transportation and Strategic Planning issues.  Consulting engagements have spanned a broad range of industries with clients such as PepsiCo, ExxonMobil, Conagra, and AOL. 

Mr. Russell spent his childhood overseas as a U.S. State Department dependent and has held numerous international assignments in his career, eventually settling down in his hometown of Washington, DC.  He holds an MBA from George Washington University, as well as a B.A. in Economics and International Relations from George Mason University.

Mr. Russell is not registered with either major political party, but tends to lean towards causes and candidates that advocate free markets and individual responsibility. 

Ruth Sando, Ph.D. - Principal, Sando and Associates.

Ms. Sando is a career anthropologist with expertise in qualitative market research methods, corporate strategic planning, and innovation.  She is the founder of Sando and Associates, a consulting firm based in Washington, D.C.  She is also a Senior Associate with Barbara Perry Associates, a leader in “Team Ethnography” for over 20 years ago.

She earned a B.A. in anthropology from The George Washington University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in anthropology from The University of Hawaii.  From 2000 to 2006, she was an adjunct faculty member of George Mason University’s School of Public Policy.  She is on the boards of the DC chapter of The Qualitative Research Consultants Association, and the Washington Association of Professional Anthropologists and is a fellow of the Society for Applied Anthropology.

Catherine Shaw, Mediastudio President

Catherine is known for her highly organized and motivated approach and brings 18 years of design and project management expertise to Mediastudio. She was instrumental in research and publishing regarding The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which uniquely prepared her for her work with usability issues, especially web-based, today in her role as Mediastudio’s President. Catherine served as a National, and also DC Chapter, Volunteer Coordinator for the AIDS Memorial Quilt as well as National Board member of ASID, which included a nationwide speaking tour.

Recently, Catherine was sworn in as a member of The Fairfax County Consolidated Funding Pool Committee, a group charged with determining where $18 million of funding will be awarded to County nonprofits. She is an active participant in the Women’s Business Center as well as the Center for Nonprofit Advancement as a regular speaker, and is a columnist for Direct Marketing of Washington Newsletter, as well as the Wealth Strategies Journal. At an increasing rate, Catherine is added to speaking panels and projects because she and her team are recognized by corporate entities as designers who reach beyond the norms within society and are known by bringing a depth and richness to corporate branding systems, largely due to extensive nonprofit experience. 

Catherine is the driving force behind CreateAThon, a 24-hour marathon of design for good causes, hosted by Mediastudio each autumn. Catherine did her undergraduate studies at The University of Texas, Austin. She received her masters with honors from Trinity College in Washington DC.

With more than 15 years experience, Joe Walsh is an accomplished professional who brings to SquareLoop a strong background in corporate planning and operations for large companies as well as startups. Most recently, Mr. Walsh was Director of Investments at Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) where he played key roles in the establishment and management of a seed stage investment fund. There he served as an Observer to the Board of Directors for Paxfire, 4Wave Inc., Router Solutions and Verication.

Prior to CIT, Mr. Walsh served as Vice President of Corporate Development for Outbounder, a message technology company. There he defined corporate and product strategy, established sales channels and led the product management group for an innovative multi-channel message product. Mr. Walsh also served as Director of Corporate Development for kinkos.com, where he was responsible for market expansion into corporate accounts and international roll-out.

Mr. Walsh is also a successful entrepreneur and intrapreneur. As Co-Founder of BnBFinder.com, a traveler information Web site, Mr. Walsh established the company's strategic direction, market strategy and operational framework. Prior to attending graduate school, Mr. Walsh was a Principal at American Management Systems, where he founded the image management practice for financial services and guided large organizations in implementing Internet technologies.

Mr. Walsh received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance from James Madison University and his master's degree from the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia.

Mr. Wright is currently a Senior Vice President with IXI Corp., a company that provides marketing intelligence solutions to financial services firms and other consumer-oriented industries.  Prior to that Mr. Wright was Vice President, Data Product Management at Claritas, Inc. where he led the development and strategy for all consumer data products, including demographics, geo-demographics and profile segmentation applications.  Mr. Wright was also a Product Manager at FOLIOfn, a start-up brokerage that pioneered the stock basket trading concept.  He also developed proxy voting and investment screening software at IRRC (now Institutional Shareholder Services).  Mr. Wright holds a B.A. in Foreign Affairs from The University of Virginia and a Masters Degree in Information Systems (Computer Science) from Virginia Tech.