Building a Pipeline of Digital Talent
Session Type(s): Panel
Starts: Saturday, Jul. 18 6:00 PM (Eastern)
Ends: Saturday, Jul. 18 7:15 PM (Eastern)
2016 will bring not only a presidential contest but many other fights, from winning back control of the Senate to policy advocacy and state ballot initiatives. Progressives need a pipeline of strong digital talent who can staff all levels of these campaigns if we are to scale the lessons of past winning campaigns down our ballot. Join us for a conversation on how we can better provide campaigns with good staff while also providing a diverse group of progressives with opportunities to enter into this rewarding career.
Moderator
Robyn Swirling
After more than a decade of working in progressive organizing, Robyn Swirling founded Works in Progress to build safer and more equitable workplaces across our movement through campaigning, researching, and providing technical assistance to progressive organizations and companies. Robyn has worked within the progressive movement as an organizer, communicator, trainer, and storyteller, including roles with the National Education Association, Action Network, Advocates for Youth, and several electoral campaigns. Robyn is committed to ending the stigma associated with women’s experiences and bodies, in particular, and writes and speaks frequently regarding sexual assault, abortion, and physical manifestations of trauma.
Other sessions: Master Class: Action Network
Panelists
Lauren Miller
Lauren is the communications director for the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School, where she oversees all communications strategy and media relations.
For nearly a decade, Lauren served as senior advisor and digital director for Senator Elizabeth Warren on her 2012 and 2018 Senate campaigns and in her Capitol Hill office, building her digital program from scratch and helping her become one of the most powerful voices in the Democratic Party.
From 2013-2014, she was also a senior director at the digital marketing firm Bully Pulpit Interactive. Most notably, Lauren led BPI’s work on Marty Walsh’s underdog mayoral campaign in Boston and served as the campaign’s digital director.
Prior to joining the Warren campaign, Lauren was one of the first employees at Blue State Digital, the groundbreaking BarackObama.com technology company. As director of online communications, she built the firm’s email team and developed online advocacy, fundraising, and social media programs for more than 100 political campaigns, advocacy groups, and nonprofit organizations.
Eric Ming
Eric is Digital Director for Donna Edwards’ Senate campaign in Maryland.
Previously he served as Digital Director for the New Organizing Institute overseeing all online communications, strategy, and fundraising. As part of his duties he helped train hundreds of organizers in social media, email, and building a winning campaign online. Before coming to NOI he filled digital roles with Public Campaign Action Fund and CREDO SuperPAC. As well as communications and organizing roles with We are Wisconsin, SEIU, and Russ Feingold’s 2010 Senate campaign.
In his free time he likes to work on side projects like parabellumlabs.org and doihavetoworktoday.com.
Hilary Nachem
Hilary Nachem serves as Digital Advisor for EMILY’s List, the nation’s largest financial resource for women running for office. It’s her second “tour of duty” with EMILY’s List and her second cycle in this role. As a member of the Federal & Gubernatorial Campaigns Team, Hilary acts as a consultant for women candidates and their teams. Prior to this, she served a similar capacity at FitzGibbon Media where she worked with progressive clients.
In 2012, Hilary served as New Media Director to then-Rep. Tammy Baldwin on her history making US Senate bid. Prior to her station in Wisconsin, Hilary ran list-building and social advocacy campaigns for EMILY’s List. She began her career in the office of Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui where she mastered the art of press clips.
Hilary is a graduate of the University of Maryland and a DC-transplant. Her sworn enemy is the two-space copywriter.
Other sessions: Beyond Vanity Metrics: How We Can Use Digital to Strengthen Our Campaigns