Obama General Election Campaign Organization, New Mexico
revised April 14, 2009  disclaimer

Obama for America 

State Director
Adrian Saenz
Served as state director on Obama's Texas primary campaign.  Chief of staff to Congressman Ciro D. Rodriguez (D-TX).  National field director at the DCCC.  Communications director for Congressman Charlie Gonzalez (D-TX) and president of the Congressional Hispanic Staff Association.  Took leave from those roles during the fall 2004 campaign to serve as base vote director (Hispanic) on the New Mexico Democratic Coordinated Campaign, based out of Santa Fe office.  B.S. in political science from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Communications Director
Parita Shah
Spokesperson for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.  Communications director at the Center for Genetics and Society.  Worked for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  Deputy director of advance and strategic communications on the Kerry-Edwards campaign; earlier (through July 2004) deputy director of advance on John Kerry for President.  M.P.A. from Columbia University in New York.  Worked for a year and a half as part of the international advance team for the Clinton White House.  Bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Southern California.


Political Director
John Blair
Narrowly lost June 2008 Democratic primary campaign for State Senate in District 15 (Albuquerque).  Chief of staff for New Mexico State Auditor Hector Balderas.  Associate attorney at Sheehan, Sheehan & Stelzner, P.A.  Law clerk for New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Edward L. Chavez.  Campaign manager on Supreme Court Justice Ed Chavez's 2004 campaign.  Deputy campaign manager on Bingaman 2000.  Legislative correspondent, then legislative aide to U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, 1997-2000.  Graduate of UNM Law School, 2004.  Undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas, 1996.


New Media Director
Shayne Adamski
Web producer/writer in the New Media Department at FOX Broadcasting Company in Los Angeles; started in May 2007.  Senior online content manager for The Northern Trust Company; web designer for St. Vincent de Paul Parish; and user interface designer at Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw in Chicago, IL.  B.A. in sociology from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1998.



Campaign for Change
General Election Director
Matt Kasdan
Deputy field director on Obama's Nevada caucus campaign.  Field director/deputy director on the 2006 Maryland Coordinated Campaign.  Deputy field director on Corzine for Governor in New Jersey in 2005.  Graduate of Bucknell University.


Field Director
Brent Messenger
"Served as a member of Obama for America's Organizing Task Force, a small team that researched, conducted interviews, compiled data, brainstormed strategies, and ultimately created Barack Obama's General Election organizing manual."  Earlier was regional field director in the Bay Area on Obama's California primary campaign.  Lead singer for the San Francisco indie band Every Move a Picture.  Has worked for MoveOn.org and moderate Republican Brooks Firestone's campaign for state legislature in Santa Barbara.  Degree in political science.

Deputy Field Director Jeff Coleman
Worked on training/education in the California primary campaign.

Deputy Field Director, Special Projects
Daniel Suvor
Served as a GOTC director on Obama's NV caucus campaign.   In 2004 worked for Gov. Bill Richardson (NM) as Phoenix canvass director for Moving America Forward and was paid canvass director for the New Mexico Democratic Coordinated Campaign.  J.D. from The George Washington University Law School, 2008, and served as chair of the ABA Law Student Division; undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California.  Los Angeles native.

Regional Organization

Constituency Director
Natalie Thorpe
Scheduler for Congressman Ciro D. Rodriguez (D-TX).  State volunteer coordinator for the Arizona Democratic Coordinated Campaign in 2004.

Native American Vote Director
Amber Carrillo
Graduate of University of New Mexico.  From Laguna Pueblo.

Youth Vote Director
Matt Haney
Graduate of UC Berkeley with a degree in political science and interdisciplinary studies, 2005.  Bay Area native.


GOTV Director
Bruce Sinclair
Until recently state director of the Arkansas Democratic Party.  Field director on Mike Beebe for Governor in 2006.  Field director on Victory 2004, the Arkansas Democrats coordinated campaign.  Worked the Musgrove gubernatorial campaign in Mississippi in 2003, the Landrieu U.S. Senate runoff, and the 2002 South Carolina coordinated campaign.  Graduate of the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC with a degree in sociology.


Policy Director
Patricia Villarreal
Legislative director to Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz (TX) starting in Jan. 2005.  Legislative assistant to Congressman Ciro D. Rodriguez, mid-2003 to end of 2004.  Graduate of Texas A&M University, 2002.


Surrogate Scheduler
Catherine Wiesner
UNICEF representative to the Government of Uganda/LRA peace talks, 2006-08.  Child protection officer/consultant for UNICEF, 2003-06.  Emergency response team at the International Rescue Committee, 2003-05; child protection coordinator at the International Rescue Committee, 2001-03.  Masters in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government, 2001.  B.A. in comparative area studies, 1996.


Voter File Manager
Sara Kunitake
Worked in the development department at Earthjustice.


Operations Director
Jessica Anderson


Co-Voter Protection Coordinator
Ann Marie Puente
Associate at a civil litigation firm in Miami.  Campaign field agent for the Florida Justice Association, 2006.  J.D. from the University of Florida, Levin College of Law.  Undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Florida, 2001.  Florida native.

Co-Voter Protection Coordinator
Erik Woodhouse
Associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Latham & Watkins.  J.D. from Stanford University Law School, 2004; B.A. from Emory University, 2000.

over 11,000 active volunteers



Democratic Party of New Mexico  1301 San Pedro NE  |  Albuquerque NM 87110   505-830-3650   >
Chair
Brian Colón
Partner at Robles, Rael & Anaya, P.C. Bachelor's degree from New Mexico State University in 1998; law degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 2001. raised in Valencia County. 

Vice Chair Annadelle Sanchez       Treasurer Tom Buckner       Secretary Christy French
DNC Committeeperson Mary Gail Gwaltney       DNC Committeeperson Raymond Sanchez      DNC Committeeperson at large Christine Trujillo


Executive Director
Josh Geise
(started Feb. 19, 2008; Laura E. Sanchez resigned following the caucuses)  Early states director on Bill Richardson's presidential campaign in 2007-08.  Coordinated campaign director for the New Mexico Democrats in 2006.  Oklahoma state director on Sen. Joe Lieberman's 2003-04 presidential primary campaign.  In 2002 Geise managed two congressional campaigns: Jill Long Thompson's successful primary campaign in Indiana, and in the fall Richard Romero's campaign in New Mexico.  Successfully managed the Albert Pollard for Delegate campaign in Virginia.  A graduate of Indiana University, he also served as communications director to Congressman Peter Visclosky (D-IN).

Director of Party Affairs
Beth Adams


Press Secretary
Conchita Cruz


Voter File Manager
Joe Casados


DNC Field Organizer
Marisa Trujillo DeMull


IT Director
Charles Compton


Volunteer Coordinator
Buck Glanz


Compliance
Tasha Caldwell


Regional Offices
Regional Offices

Albuquerque: 
3311 Candelaria Rd NE
Albuquerque, NM
(505) 884-1536
Clovis: 
205 Innsdale
Clovis, NM 88101
(575) 935-0095
.

Las Cruces: 
139 North  Downtown Mall
Las Cruces, NM 88005
(575) 524-4444
Los Lunas:
1052 Main Street Suite B
Los Lunas, NM 87031
(505) 865-9302
.

Rio Rancho:
4100 Southern Blvd.
Suite 7, Rio Rancho, NM 87124
(505) 892-9364
Santa Fe: 
720 Saint Michaels Dr.
Santa Fe, NM
(505) 438-2746
 

Obama caucuses
2004

Copyright © 2008  Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action