Our Staff
Mark is responsible for overseeing the day to day operations of Twenty-First Century Democrats. From 1998 to 2006, he was a Partner at Strother Duffy Strother and MacWilliams Robinson and Partners where he served as a media consultant to numerous Democratic members of Congress, state and local candidates, environmental organizations, and labor unions. Mark has also served as Chief of Staff for Rep. Ted Strickland, as Campaign Planning Director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and as Chair of New Jersey Public Interest Research Group. Mark has a Ph.D. in political science from The American University. Click here for more
Stephen comes to Twenty-First Century Democrats with more than 15 years of experience in fundraising management and donor services. Stephen previously served as the Vice President for Development at the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Leadership Institute. Prior to this work, Stephen served as the Director of Events and Corporate Giving at Food & Friends, a non-profit service organization that prepares and delivers groceries and meals to persons living with HIV/AIDS and other life-challenging illnesses. Earlier in his career, Stephen was the staff accountant at the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force.
Dan has served as a senior political advisor to Presidential candidates, Members of Congress, labor unions, and progressive organizations for nearly 30 years. Dan has worked for the Presidential campaigns of Paul Wellstone (exploratory), Bill Bradley, and John Glenn; the Senate campaign of Sen. Sherrod Brown, America Coming Together, Children’s Defense Fund, and the Democratic National Committee among many others. Additionally, it was Dan’s privilege to serve as the International Political Director at the Service Employees International Union where he worked with the labor movement to speak out and take political action on behalf of workers across the nation.
Lindsay Lewis has worked for various campaigns and progressive causes since the beginning of his career with Tom Harkin for President in 1991. Some other highlights of his 17 years of political advocacy include his work as a member of Richard A. Gephart’s finance team from 1992 through 1998. In 1998, he was the campaign manager for Mayor Jan Jones, in her race for Governor of Nevada. Lindsay joined Chris Van Hollen’s Congressional Campaign in 2002 and then joined Governor Howard Dean’s Presidential campaign as the New York Finance Director and later established and built Democracy for America with Governor Howard Dean. He joined Governor Dean at the Democratic National Committee serving as the National Finance Director from 2005 through 2006. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a degree in Political Science and Government.
Mark has worked in various senior level capacities for Members of the U.S. Congress both in their districts and in Washington, DC for nearly 20 years. Mark served as Senior Staff for U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chair John Conyers Jr. (D-MI), as Administrative Assistant/Chief of Staff to U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, and as Chief of Staff to State Representative Mary Waters (MI). Mark has also served as Finance Director, Political Director, Campaign Manager or Senior Advisor for both incumbents and challengers at the mayoral, congressional and Presidential levels – including former Mayor Dennis Archer, U.S. Rep. John Hall and U.S. Vice-President Al Gore. Mark is certified as a Finance Director and Campaign Director by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Mark did his undergraduate and graduate work in Economics and Finance at the University of Detroit/Mercy. He enjoys traveling and competing as an amateur in the sport of triathlon.
Wendy has held leadership roles in all levels of campaigns – from shoestring budget local races to multi-million dollar federal races. Wendy comes to us after serving as a senior political staff member for Governor Bill Richardson’s Presidential campaign. Previously she has served in the following capacities: Campaign Manager for then Secretary of State Max Cleland and Congressman Sanford Bishop, Deputy Campaign Manager for Roger Kahn, Field Director for Phil Maloof, and Legislative Assistant for Congressman Jim Davis among many others. Field strategy/implementation and minor league baseball are her passions. As a yellow-dog Democrat and dedicated Party activist, Wendy has a history of standing up for her progressive ideals. In addition to her BA in Political Science from Berry College in Rome, GA, she has completed the coursework for a PhD in Electoral Politics at Emory University.
Sharon is from Brooklyn, New York and has lived in the Baltimore/Washington area since 1991. Her duties in the finance department include day-to-day supervision of accounting matters, making sure all projects stay within their budget, handling out of state payroll matters, assisting in legal compliance with state and federal regulations, and monitoring direct mail and major gift contributions. Sharon has more than a decade of experience working on financial matters for various nonprofit organizations.
Allen is a native of Washington DC. He recently graduated from Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota with a degree in Economics. During the 2006 election cycle Allen worked on Keith Ellison’s congressional campaign (MN-5) as a member of the finance team. Previously, Allen served as an intern at the Democratic National Committee and the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. Allen is a dedicated progressive and is pursuing a career in government and politics.
Mike comes to 21st Century Democrats by way of Europe and the Pacific Northwest. A graduate of Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA with a degree in History for Education, Mike taught for two years near Seattle before moving overseas to teach internationally. While in London, he earned his MA from the University of London in Education and Social Justice. Mike returned to the US hoping to make a difference to the political discussion. He volunteered for a year as the coordinator of DC for Richardson on Gov. Bill Richardson’s presidential bid. The excitement of his work there motivated him to leave the classroom and join the progressive movement full time. Mike is happily married and will never turn down an invite to a baseball game.
Daina graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a degree in International Relations. She studied Southeast Asian politics at the University of Melbourne, Australia in 2005. In the summer of 2006 she lived in Delhi, India and interned with the non-profit Mobile Crèches for Working Mother’s Children and also conducted independent research on women in urban poverty. In 2007 she was a co-leader for Five College Alternative Spring Break to New Orleans where student teams worked to repair houses damaged in Hurricane Katrina. Her previous social justice work and work with young people has encouraged her to pursue a career in politics.
Colin is a native of Edison, New Jersey. He graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in Political Science. Colin comes to us from the Hillary Clinton for President Campaign, where he served as a Scheduling Assistant in Senator Clinton’s Des Moines, Iowa office. Previously, Colin served as an intern for Senator John Kerry and Democratic Congressman Mike Michaud. (ME-02) Colin is a dedicated Democrat who is pursuing a career in politics. He also enjoys professional sports and reading.