About Demand ProgressOur deep grassroots membership and expertise allow us to quickly and effectively bring the voice of the people to Washington to influence national policy debates.
By organizing grassroots campaigns driven by smart policy insight and strategy, Demand Progress works to achieve the most change and best outcomes possible for ordinary people.
We bring together large and diverse coalitions that transcend political lines and embrace shared values around civil liberties, civil rights, and government reform.We focus on:
* Internet freedom -- From free expression and privacy to the ability to connect and organize, Internet freedom is where some of the most consequential civil liberties developments of the day are unfolding.
* Open government -- An open and accountable government is essential for a well-functioning democracy, and smart use of technology is key to making our modern democracy work.
* Money-in-politics and financial reform -- Through Rootstrikers.org, we work to eliminate the corrupting influence of big money in politics and reform the financial system in order to ensure our democracy is for everyone, not a tool for wealthy interests to rig the game.Demand ProgressDP2_9629a6fa-7993-11e5-a3cd-4105fe534187Demand Progress is 501(c)4 entity, with 501(c)3 sponsorship from the Citizen Engagement Lab Education Fund. Demand Progress is a national grassroots group with more than two million affiliated activists who fight for basic rights and freedoms needed for a modern democracy.Citizen Engagement Lab Education FundDavid SegalExecutive Director --
David Segal is a former Democratic Rhode Island State Representative, and served on the Providence City Council as a member of the Green Party. During his eight years as an elected official he oversaw the passage of legislation promoting economic justice, renewable energy and open space, banking reform, affordable housing, LGBT rights, criminal justice reform, and a variety of other progressive causes. He recently ran in the Democratic primary for Rhode Island’s first Congressional seat, supported by much of the netroots and organized labor. His opinion pieces have appeared in the New York Times, Boston Globe, and other newspapers, and in a variety of online publications. He has a degree in mathematics from Columbia University.Sara CederbergCampaign Director --
Sara has extensive experience in digital communications, email and social media strategy and advocacy for electoral campaigns and nonprofits. Prior to joining Demand Progress, Sara worked on Senator Al Franken's re-election campaign as Digital Director, where she organized an online community in the millions. In 2012, she helped secure President Obama's win in the battleground state of Michigan as Digital Director. Sara has also worked in advocacy and communications at the United Way for Southeastern Michigan, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and the Prometheus Radio Project. Sara studied Religion at Bryn Mawr College, and her work has been featured on Eclectablog and the Huffington Post.Victoria RuizCampaigner --
Victoria Ruiz is a musician and activist from Providence, Rhode Island. She graduated from Columbia University in 2009 with a degree in Architecture and minor in Economics. Ruiz is the front person in political punk bands Downtown Boys and Malportado Kids. Both bands highlight personal experiences and demands around race, policing structures, capitalism, and gender. She got involved in music as a Latina activist interested in the intersectionality between race, class, and culture. She is a guest writer on DIY publication, Fvck the Media, and has written for Impose Magazine and Talkhouse Music. She has worked as a labor organizer for the Committee for Better Banks and Make the Road New York, social worker for the Rhode Island Public Defender, art instructor, and currently works as a Campaigner for Demand Progress. When she is not on tour or working for Demand Progress, she volunteers as an organizer for the Community Safety Act, an anti-racial profiling ordinance in Providence, Rhode Island.Daniel SchumanPolicy Director --
Daniel Schuman has long worked at the intersection of law, policy, and technology. He most recently served as policy director for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), and prior to that as policy counsel with the Sunlight Foundation. In a prior life he was a legislative attorney with the Congressional Research Service. Daniel chairs the Congressional Data Coalition's steering committee and founded the Advisory Committee on Transparency. In 2013, Daniel was named among the 'top 25 most influential people under 40 in gov and tech' by FedScoop. He is a nationally recognized expert on federal transparency and has testified before Congress and appeared on NPR, C-SPAN. Daniel graduated cum laude from Emory University School of Law.Mark StanleyDirector of Communications and Operations --
Prior to joining Demand Progress, Mark worked on the Public Affairs team at Edelman New York and worked the Washington office of the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) as campaign and communications strategist. At CDT, Mark’s work focused on creating campaigns and coalitions to fight for civil liberties in the digital age. Mark was a leader in a campaign to reform the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), which received large-scale, bipartisan support in Congress. He also led efforts to add privacy protections to cybersecurity legislation, and he was involved in the historic efforts to defeat the Stop Online Piracy Act and reform NSA surveillance practices. Prior to that, Mark worked at the Pulitzer Center, an international journalism organization.Kurt WaltersCampaign Manager, Rootstrikers --
Kurt is a digital strategist and political advocate dedicated to upending the corrupting system of big money-fueled politics and building a democracy based on equal citizenship. Prior to joining Rootstrikers.org, the money-in-politics and financial reform wing of Demand Progress, Kurt served as the digital lead for Sen. Brian Schatz's 2014 campaign and as a consultant for prominent progressive candidates and nonprofits. He also developed small donor public financing policy and held anti-reform politicians accountable with Public Campaign Action Fund (now Every Voice). He graduated with a degree in Politics, Philosophy & Economics from Brown University, where he advocated for Fair Elections reform and disclosure at the state level in Rhode Island.David MoonProgram Director --
David Moon is a Washington-based policy attorney and political consultant. The former Chief Operating Officer of the election reform group, FairVote, Moon has coordinated numerous advocacy efforts to make our electoral process more fair and accessible. In recent years, he has managed and assisted successful campaigns for progressive Democrats, political action committees and ballot initiatives around the country. His issue portfolio has included work on smart growth and transit issues, criminal justice reform, LGBT rights, women’s rights, civil liberties, and more. He is a graduate of American University’s Washington College of Law and received his bachelors degree from Tufts University._9629a7d6-7993-11e5-a3cd-4105fe534187To fight for basic rights and freedoms needed for a modern democracy._9629abfa-7993-11e5-a3cd-4105fe534187Civil RightsCivil LibertiesDemocracyGovernment ReformPolicy ChangesWork to win progressive policy changes_9629ad30-7993-11e5-a3cd-4105fe534187We work to win progressive policy changes for ordinary people through organizing and grassroots lobbying. We focus on issues of civil liberties, civil rights, and government reform.Online CampaignsRun online campaigns to rally people to take action_9629adee-7993-11e5-a3cd-4105fe5341871We run online campaigns to rally people to take action on the news that affects them -- by contacting Congress and other leaders, funding pressure tactics, and spreading the word in their own communities.ContactsContact Congress and other leaders_9629aeac-7993-11e5-a3cd-4105fe5341871.1FundingFund pressure tactics_9629af74-7993-11e5-a3cd-4105fe5341871.2InformationSpread the word in communities_9629b032-7993-11e5-a3cd-4105fe5341871.3AdvocacyProvide an advocate for the public in decisions that affect our lives_9629b0f0-7993-11e5-a3cd-4105fe5341872We work in Washington to provide an advocate for the public in all the decisions that affect our lives.2015-10-23OwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net