EchoDitto's greatest strength as an organization lies within its people. In addition to our full-time staff, we work with a broad network of progressive activists on a regular basis, as well as with others on a contract basis.
What follows are bios of our principal staff:
We are led by CEO Nicco Mele—presidential candidate Governor Howard Dean's campaign webmaster and internet strategist. Nicco has broad experience working with NGOs and non-profits, including as webmaster at Common Cause and at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. Nicco was named one of America's "best and brightest" by Esquire magazine in December 2003.
EchoDitto Chief Operating Officer Harish Rao served most recently as the Director of Information Technology for Dean for America, where he was in charge of back-end technologies including communications technology infrastructure and data services. Prior to the campaign, he was vice president of operations of Internet & Information Solutions, Inc., a provider of outsourced I.T. services to small- and medium-sized business, where he oversaw day-to-day activities. He holds a B.A. from the College of William & Mary in Virginia.
Our team also includes VP of Online Organizing Michael Silberman, who directed the Dean campaign's hugely successful Meetup operation in over 1,200 cities. Michael managed grassroots field organizing and leadership development programs for Dean's renowned activist base, and he implemented a multi-faceted communication strategy that kept thousands of grassroots leaders engaged and directly connected to the national headquarters. Prior to joining the Dean campaign, Michael gained valuable organizing and political experience at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and in the Clinton White House at the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).
EchoDitto Chief Technology Officer, Jim Brayton, worked as a Web Developer and System Administrator for the Howard Dean presidential campaign. Jim managed design and content production for www.DeanforAmerica.com, coordinating with teams across the campaign for daily website updates, working with grassroots and constituency group leaders to promote local events, and managing email communications to 640,000 supporters. Prior to joining the campaign, Jim worked as a Network Administrator for a U.S. Customs broker and was Lead Engineer/System Administrator for the US West Communications/Qwest corporate website.
Garrett M. Graff, VP of Communications and Articulation, formerly served as Dean’s deputy national press secretary, overseeing the campaign's press releases and writing op-eds and statements, as well as daily talking points briefing for senior staff and supporters. In addition to being a freelance writer, Garrett has worked at ABCNews's Political Unit, at the Atlantic Monthly, and was executive editor of the Harvard Crimson. In 1997, he built and launched Dean's first website as governor.
Joshua Shimkin, VP of Client Services, has a breadth of experience in strategic planning and management working with nonprofits, foundations, and political campaigns. Joshua raised $11 million as a Program Associate for the Twin Towers Fund, served as a consultant for the TCC Group (formerly The Conservation Company), and performed competitive analysis surveys for clients such as the Merck & Company Foundation and the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center. Most recently, Shimkin worked as a Research Associate for Barack Obama's U.S. Senate campaign in Illinois as well for as Howard Dean's presidential campaign.
Mike Carvalho is a web developer and content producer who is particularly interested in blogs and online community building. As the webmaster for the volunteer grassroots group Philly for Dean during the 2004 presidential campaign, Mike maintained a website with a discussion forum and event calendar and produced regular electronic newsletters. He has worked in various ca-pacities in marketing and internet operations for companies ranging from creative agencies to software startups, and has maintained a personal website and blog since 1998. He has been an avid Macintosh user since 1985—except for a brief period in 2001 he prefers not to discuss.
Carey-Leah Havrilko, Client Services Manager, worked with the Dean for America technical team as the Database Projects Manager. Carey coordinated data transfers to state and field directors across the country, oversaw email and mailing list subscription services, helped to create and implement data access and security policies. In order to work for Governor Dean, Carey returned to her home state of Vermont from Los Angeles, California where she had been working in the film industry. She holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Duke University.
Blogmaster Terrance Heath’s background runs the gamut from musical theater, to writing and editing, to web development and design. He comes to EchoDitto from the John F. Kennedy Center for the performing arts, where he was the Web Content Specialist for the Kennedy Center’s education website. Prior to the Kennedy Center, he worked as Web Editor for the Last Acts Partnership. He has worked previously for the Human Rights Campaign, the National Minority AIDS Council, and the Lambda Literary Foundation. His hobbies include blogging, vegetarian cooking, and singing jazz standards and show tunes around the house.
Technologist and developer Tim Jones is the former Webmaster for Howard Dean's presidential campaign in New Hampshire, where he acted as weblogger, designer, and developer for all elements of the Dean web presence. He is a leader in the CivicSpace open-source software development community, and holds a B.A. in Computer Science from Wesleyan University.
Justin Miller, EchoDitto’s lead systems administrator, has worked as a systems administrator and web developer for several web hosting and development firms, including Voxel Dot Net, HostRocket, Simple Online Solutions, and the original Linux.com portal. The focus of his work has been with open-source technologies; advocating their use, contributing to their development, and helping emerging businesses take advantage of their benefits. Justin has also contributed to the end-user experience by creating and assisting with several programming and documentation projects in the areas of anti-spam technology, email encryption, and technical support. Ticketsmith, his popular trouble ticket software, is in use by hundreds of organizations worldwide including the BYU Computer Science Department and the Suffolk County (New York) Public Library system.
Technologist Justin Pinder, a 12-year veteran of Internet technologies, was lead developer of online organizing software for Howard Dean’s presidential bid. Working closely with field staff, Justin oversaw the development of Web applications that enabled the Dean campaign to coordinate thousands of local activist events each month. Prior to his involvement with the Dean campaign, Justin was a senior software engineer and project manager at Xtria Healthcare, where he was responsible for the development of several enterprise Web applications. He earned his BScBA from the University of Vermont while working for a network administrator for the engineering college.
Jennifer Powers co-founded Philly for Dean, one of the largest and most active grassroots organizations during the Howard Dean presidential campaign. She later worked as a field organizer for the Dean campaign in Iowa and Michigan and was a grassroots consultant for Joe Trippi's Change for America group. In January 2004, Jennifer was named one of 21 Philadelphians to Watch in 2004 by the Philadelphia Daily News. Before becoming involved in politics, Jennifer spent eight years working in mental health and education, most recently as the project coordinator for a National Science Foundation grant using distance learning at the New Jersey School for the Deaf. She holds a Master's degree from NYU and is fluent in American Sign Language.
Online organizer Lanya Shapiro holds down the fort in our Durham, North Carolina satellite office. During Campaign 2004, she was a leader in the Dean grassroots. Lanya holds an MSW and an MPH, and brings those social work and public health perspectives to her organizing work. When she's not organizing online, Lanya is very active in her community and is a consultant with ojalanya works. In her past life, she managed the award-winning ¡SALSA! project at the American Social Health Association, coordinated Rock for Choice and has worked with Latino communities in the US and Central America. She has lived in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Jamaica and Japan, and loves Latin and West African dance. Ask her about her celebrity dogs and her "little sister" Lesly!
Emily Thorson's background is in field organizing and data analysis. She comes to EchoDitto as an online organizer from 21st Century Democrats, where she coordinated nationwide field trainings in partnership with Democracy for America. Previously, she was an organizer for the Dean campaign in four states and the petition director for a Connecticut congressional campaign. Emily is also the co-founder of www.redrawamerica.com. Emily was a consulting editor for the Williams Record at Williams College in Massachusetts and also co-founded WorldPolitik, a journal of peer-reviewed papers in political science and history.