About Vote SmartVote SmartVS_51772d1d-01f5-11e6-b0df-d4c4b83adc12Jessica ArrigoniNational Board Chair -- Responsible for Vote Smart's National Board. Jessica has a master's in political science from Truman State University and formerly served as the Director of Vote Smart's National Political Awareness Test (now the Political Courage Test).Fun Fact: "I lived in Vote Smart's only cabin without running water for two years."Richard KimballPresident -- Responsible for fundraising and the integrity of Board-approved policies and standards. A graduate of the University of Arizona, Richard served on the staffs of Congressman Morris K. Udall, Senator Walter F. Mondale, and Senator Daniel P. Moynihan. He is also a former Arizona State Senator and Corporation Commissioner.Fun Fact: Has a world class collection of Daffy DucksAdelaide KimballSenior Advisor, Founding Board Member -- Responsible for Major Giver Development and Media. Adelaide is a graduate of the University of Texas and holds master's degrees in American history and library science from the University of Arizona. She is a former archivist for the Arizona Historical Society and has previously directed Vote Smart's National Political Awareness Test (now the Political Courage Test).Fun Fact: Former Betty Crocker Homemaker of the Year award winnerWalker McKusickInterim National Director -- Responsible for day-to-day oversight of all Vote Smart programs, staff, operations, facilities and administration. Walker is originally from Charlottesville, VA. He graduated from the University of Virginia in 2013 with degrees in History and Economics. After graduation, he taught History and Politics in England for one year. He joined Vote Smart staff in 2015.Fun Fact: "I've scored cricket for the Royal Household at Windsor, for a spot of tea."Ashley KranerAdministrative Assistant, Office Manager, National Internship CoordinatorResponsible for assisting the National Director, managing the Philipsburg, MT office, and coordinating the National Internship Program, including outreach, recruitment, travel coordination and intern placement. Ashley earned her Bachelor of Public Relations from Otterbein University and joined the Vote Smart staff in 2015.Melisa ObertiDevelopment & Communications Associate -- Responsible for handling outgoing communications and donations. Melisa is originally from Houston, Texas. She received her B.A. in Religious Studies from The University of Texas at Austin in 2014 and joined the Vote Smart staff in 2015.Fun Fact: I was a vegetarian for 6 years thanks to the movie Finding Nemo.John EisensteinDevelopment & Communications Associate -- Responsible for handling donations and online communications. Originally from Nashville, TN, received B.A. in Russian Studies from Dartmouth College in 2015 before joining Vote Smart that same year.Fun Fact: "I dyed my hair every color of the rainbow, one at a time, sequentially, to get a promotional deal with Skittles. They have yet to respond."Erik DewingMaintenance Assistant -- Responsible for maintaining the Great Divide Ranch property. Erik was born and raised in Missoula, MT. He is a self-proclaimed "jack of all trades and a master of some." He joined Vote Smart staff in 2015.Fun Fact: "I will never purchase an item or product if I posses the skills to make it myself."Mike ShultzInformation Technology Director -- Responsible for web development, user support, and system administration. Mike has been with Project Vote Smart since 2007.Fun Fact: "I once pet a sting ray."Shane CourtneySystems AdministratorBen RobinsonSoftware Engineer -- Performs maintenance and new site feature building for the development team.Fun Fact: I like progressive rockAdrian SonnenscheinIT Associate -- Responsible for web development and maintenance. Adrian lives in and works remotely from Tucson, AZ. He has an M.S. in geographic information systems from the University of Arizona. Adrian joined Vote Smart staff in 2014.Fun Fact: "I've been a guitarist for 15 years."Jace SternadelLegislative Research Director -- Responsible for leading the Key Votes Department and the Legislative Research Internship Program. The department tracks, analyzes, and summarizes major legislation in Congress and all 50 states. Jace graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.S. in Political Communications in 2013 and has previously staffed several political campaigns. He joined Vote Smart in 2015.Fun Fact: I was a radio DJ for 3 years at KVRX 91.7 Austin, Texas (I had to say that a lot)Sofia MoralesLegislative Research Associate -- Responsible for tracking, analyzing, and summarizing major legislation in multiple states as well as outreach and recruitment. Sofia is originally from Monterrey, Mexico and completed her Bachelor in Anthropology and Latin American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. She joined Vote Smart staff in 2015 after completing an internship with the organization.Fun Fact: "I boarded down an active volcano in Nicaragua...and ate it pretty hard."Kathryn ThielLegislative Research Associate -- Responsible for tracking and summarizing major legislation in multiple states, in addition to coordinating intern schedules for the Austin office. Kathryn graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 2015 with a B.A. in History and English within the Liberal Arts Honors Program. She previously worked as a Legislative Research Intern and joined the Vote Smart staff in 2015.Fun Fact: I learned archery in a castle in Budapest.Casey FlorenLegislative Research Assistant -- Casey is a Legislative Research Assistant for the Key Votes Department of Project Vote Smart, which provides nonpartisan information on state and national politicians by providing easy access to Congressional and state voting records and maintaining a collection of key votes grouped by issue. Casey previously served as a Legislative Research Intern for Project Vote Smart in the spring and summer of 2014. Casey graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in Government and a minor in mathematics.Fun Fact: My great, great, great, great grandfather was the first governor of Minnesota!Sam DoxzonPolitical Courage Test (PCT) Director -- Responsible for overseeing all major PCT projects including the creation, finalization, and administration of the PCT as well as VoteEasy. After growing up on a small farm in rural Maryland, Sam attended the University of Maryland, College Park where he received a degree in Government & Politics. He joined Project Vote Smart in 2014.Fun Fact: "I began my college career as an Astrophysics major at Connecticut College."Hannah KrausPCT Associate -- Responsible for collecting biographical information on politicians and candidates and updating election information for the Political Courage Test department. Hannah is from Chicago, IL. She graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in History and Middle East & North African Studies. She joined Vote Smart staff in 2015.Fun Fact: "I am destined to return to Egypt, since I drank Nile water."Jesus OrtizPCT Associate -- Responsible for assisting with various projects in the Research Department. Jesus grew up in Baldwin Park, CA. He graduated from the University of California - Davis with a degree in Political Science in 2012 and recently finished one year of service with Americorps NCCC-FEMA Corps. He joined Vote Smart staff in 2015.Fun Fact: "I lived in an abandoned Sam's Club for about a month."Keith PakelaPCT Associate -- Responsible for researching candidate's issues and view points. Keith was born in New Jersey and earned his B.A. in history and political science at Rutgers University.Fun Fact: I don't like chili, eggs, or meatloaf. So do not make those when I come over. Thank you.Bill CarriganInterim Research Director -- Responsible for leading the Research department which researches and maintains the organization's biographical, campaign finance, public statements, and interest group ratings information on all U.S. elected officials and candidates. Born in southern New Jersey, Bill graduated from Monmouth University in 2014 with a BA in political science and minors in philosophy and religious studies. He joined Vote Smart in 2015.Fun Fact: "I was once severely injured by a man dressed as a giant peanut."Savannah NguliResearch Associate, Lodge Manager -- Responsible for tracking and updating ballot measures, voter registration, local election offices and city and county officials in addition to ensuring smooth operations at the Great Divide Ranch. Savannah is originally from Long Beach, California and attended Norwich University in Northfield, VT where she received a degree in International Studies. She joined Vote Smart staff in 2014.Fun Fact: "My favorite hockey team is the Montreal Canadiens."Jamie WillettResearch Associate -- Responsible for collecting biographical information of all candidates and elected officials. Jamie is originally from Wayne County, PA. She graduated from Lock Haven University with degrees in Political Science and International Studies with concentrations in International Relations and Human Geography. She joined Vote Smart staff in 2014.Fun Fact: "I like charts."Rachael AndersonResearch Associate -- Responsible for updating ratings and endorsements from special interest groups. Rachael is originally from Minnesota and graduated from Dickinson College in 2014 with degrees in Political Science and Spanish. She joined Vote Smart staff in 2015 after completing an internship with the organization.Fun Fact: "I have picnicked on top of a glacier."Britton FraserResearch Associate -- Responsible for categorizing and researching politician's public statements. Britton graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee Wisconsin with a major in Political Science. Originally from Connecticut, he joined the Vote Smart team in 2015.Fun Fact: I'm a surprisingly decent cook.Sam EvansResearch Associate -- Responsible for collecting biographical information, including issue positions and contact information, on all political candidates, both federal and state wide. Sam majored in history at the University of Vermont and joined the Vote Smart team in 2015.Fun Fact: I drove from Costa Rica to Los Angeles in a 1976 Land Rover.Iliana CervantesResearch Associate -- Responsible for categorizing and researching politician's public statements. Iliana graduated from San Diego state with a major in political science. She joined the Vote Smart team in 2016.Fun Fact: I was an exchange student to Italy._51772d1e-01f5-11e6-b0df-d4c4b83adc12To provide free, factual, unbiased information on candidates and elected officials to ALL Americans._51772d44-01f5-11e6-b0df-d4c4b83adc12Political OppositionNo one can join Vote Smart's board without a political opposite. People as diverse as former Presidents Carter and Ford, former Senators McGovern and Goldwater, former Governor Dukakis, former Congresswoman Ferraro and current Senator McCain have served on Vote Smart's board, supporting the efforts of Vote Smart's students and volunteers, and ensuring balance and strict impartiality in Vote Smart programs and services.IndependenceVote Smart refuses financial assistance from all organizations and special interest groups that lobby or support or oppose any candidate or issue.VolunteerismVote Smart operates much like the Peace Corps -- of the over 5000 people who have come to help by working at Vote Smart, ninety percent received no pay and those who did received only minimal salaries to cover basic living expenses.PrivacyUnlike other organizations, Vote Smart strictly protects its members and supporters. We never sell or provide names, addresses, or other contact information of any supporter or contributor to anyone, at any time, for any reason.Voter's Self-DefenseEnable access to candidates and elected officials_51772dee-01f5-11e6-b0df-d4c4b83adc12The Voter's Self-Defense System -- Every candidate and elected official from President to local government can be easily and instantly accessed through the Voter's Self-Defense System:Voting RecordsEnable comparison of what representatives said during the campaign with how actually vote in office_51772ef2-01f5-11e6-b0df-d4c4b83adc121Vote Smart digests key legislation in Congress and all 50 states into easy-to-understand summaries, making it easy to compare what your representatives said during the campaign with how they actually voted on the record.Biographical & Contact InformationProvide biographical and contact information_51772fb0-01f5-11e6-b0df-d4c4b83adc122Biographical & Contact Information -- From their previous professions, education, family life, and organizational memberships to their social media accounts and latest email addresses.Issue PositionsMeasures candidates' willingness to provide positions on the issues they will face if elected_5177305a-01f5-11e6-b0df-d4c4b83adc123Issue Positions (Political Courage Test) -- We test thousands of candidates for President, Congress, Governor and State Legislature with our Political Courage Test. The Test accurately measures candidates' willingness to provide voters with their positions on the issues they will most likely face if elected.Interest Group RatingsSee national and state special interest groups evaluate representatives._517730e6-01f5-11e6-b0df-d4c4b83adc124Interest Group Ratings -- See how over 400 national and 1300 state special interest groups evaluate your representatives. Despite their bias, special interest group ratings can help indicate where an incumbent has stood on a particular set of issues.Public StatementsMake available speeches and public comments made by the president, governors, and congressional representatives._51773186-01f5-11e6-b0df-d4c4b83adc125PresidentsGovernorsCongressional RepresentativesPublic Statements -- Vote Smart is constantly collecting speeches and public comments made by the president, governors, and congressional representatives. Just type in a word, say; 'immigration' and all public utterances containing the word 'immigration' will appear. Compare what they said while campaigning in California a few years ago to what they are saying now in New Hampshire.Campaign FinancesReport how much money representatives raise and from whom._5177323a-01f5-11e6-b0df-d4c4b83adc126Campaign Finances -- How much money did your representatives raise and from whom?2016-04-14http://votesmart.org/about#.Vw8TYDArKUkOwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net