workinggrp_publiceducation

President

Commonweal Institute, Inc.

Portola Valley,  CA

http://www.commonwealinstitute.org

Leonard M. Salle, President and co-founder of the Commonweal Institute, brings a business and systems perspective to the promotion of moderate-progressive ideas. As a civil engineer in high level management positions, he worked extensively with the the public and the government in creation of major projects, including new towns. His experience with engineering systems, the public, and political bodies, as well as an active and ongoing interest in political and social issues, informed his thinking about the need for an infrastructure for advancing a progressive movement. It was with this need in mind that he co-founded the Commonweal Institute in 2001.

Business Development Specialist

NetCentric Campaigns, a division of Green Media Toolshed

Glen Ridge,  NJ

I'm a social entrepreneur, currently working with Green Media Toolshed to create a business plan for offering the NetCentric Media Campaign Hub as a resource for the entire progressive community. I am also a member of the Board of the Communications Consortium Media Center, which works on collaborative media campaigns funded by progressive foundations.

Strategy and Investment Principal

Democracy Alliance

Oakland,  CA

Prior to joining the Democracy Alliance, I was the executive director of the Center for Asian American Media (formerly NAATA), which funds, produces, presents and distributes Asian American films to PBS. At the Center, I executive produced Searching for Asian America, Kelly Loves Tony, and Discovering Angel Island. I was also a founder of Visual Communications, the nation's first Asian American media production center, located in Los Angeles. I graduated from UCLA with a BA and MFA in Film. I have also worked extensively in progressive politics and served as the National Field Director of the 1988 Jesse Jackson for President campaign and western regional director of the National Rainbow Coalition. I also chaired the Rainbow's Fairness in the Media Commission.

Legislative Advocate

California Teachers Association

Sacramento,  CA

As a CTA Legislative Advocate, Patricia Rucker lobbies on behalf of CTA members in Sacramento in the areas of Credentials and Professional Development, Language Acquisition, and Career and Technical Education. Prior to becoming an advocate, Patricia was a Consultant in CTA's Department for Instruction and Professional Development. Her primary roles included training development and policy support for credentialing and professional development. Ms. Rucker’s additional responsibilities included her role as a staff consultant for CTA's ESEA Workgroup. Patricia has presented a variety of workshops as well as ESEA briefing sessions at CTA conferences and institutes, as well as for other organizations including the Council for Exceptional Children and CARS+. Ms. Rucker began her career as a classroom teacher and has also worked as a lecturer in the Teacher Education Department at CSU Sacramento.

Chair and Co-Founder

Democracy for New Hampshire

Lyme,  NH

http://www.democracyfornewhampshire.com

I am interested in how we take lessons from NH election success in 2004 to other purple, rural states. I also want to ask how we can invest in messengers & organizations (not politicians) who can increase the number of likely voters who support a socially progressive, fiscally responsible worldview. The project which aims to achieve these goals is known as the Progressive Venture Fund. I've been a university administrator and fundraiser for 17 years, working at Georgetown University, Harvard University, and Dartmouth College. I've also helped start and manage two startup companies, one of which produced the first-ever encyclopedia about the African diaspora in both print and CD- ROM. I'm a member of the Lyme School Board, the Chair of the Lyme Democratic Committee, and a Grafton County delegate to the Democratic State Committee. I was a co-captain for Howard Dean in the New Hampshire 2004 primary, and led the Upper Valley Meetup from September 2003 until May 2004. A snowboarder and occasional triathlete, I'm married to Elizabeth Glenshaw and together we have three children.

President & Publisher

Mother Jones

San Francisco,  CA

WEBSITE ACCESS ONLY; WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ATTEND THE CONVENING. Jay Harris is the publisher of Mother Jones magazine and president of Mother Jones' non-profit parent, the Foundation for National Progress. Even though the magazine has grown pretty quickly in recent years (thanks in part to the efficiency of the Bush Administration at terrifying much of the country) and now has a paid circulation of 240,000, he believes that is not nearly enough, considering how good the magazine is these days (which is entirely thanks to the editors). MotherJones.com was launched in 1993, and Mother Jones Radio, broadcast Sundays on the Air America RadioNetwork, was launched in 2005. Jay is a graduate of Duke University and Yale's School of Management. He began his magazine career with Newsweek International, holding management positions in New York and Hong Kong. He is vice chair of the board of the Independent Press Association and a member of the board of IMAG, the independent magazine group of the Magazine Publishers of America. He serves on the advisory board of Boulder-based Free Speech TV.

Pediatrician, Adolescent Medicine Specialist

San Francisco,  CA

Pediatrician, specializing in Adolescents. Work on: advocacy for adolescent reproductive rights, pediatric obesity prevention and treatment, women's rights.