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. And of course, we would not be where we are today without our esteemed alumni!
What follows are bios of our staff:
Harish Rao, Partner and CEO, 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.
Born in West Africa to foreign service parents, Nicco Mele, Partner, was Governor Howard Dean's presidential campaign webmaster and is a leading 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, in addition to his time as producer of the Shadow Conventions website and live streaming webcasts during the 2000 presidential election cycle. As part of Gov. Dean's presidential campaign, Nicco managed technical, functional and design aspects of Gov. Dean's national web presence. In December of 2003, he was named one of America 's "best and brightest" by Esquire magazine. Nicco teaches in the Johns Hopkins University graduate communications program and has presented for Harvard University's Berkman Center and John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Michael Silberman, Partner and Senior Strategist, managed the Dean campaign's hugely successful Meetup operation in over 1,200 cities worldwide. Today, he speaks frequently on the effective use of technology for converting online activity into real-world action. As Dean’s National Meetup Director, he developed a team and technology strategy that mobilized 189,000 grassroots volunteers, and he served as the liaison between grassroots organizers, the activist base and campaign leadership. Michael also 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). He graduated on skis with a B.A. from Middlebury College.
Partner and Chief Technology Officer Justin Pinder has been fortunate to have the opportunity to play on Internet and with its related technologies for nearly 20 years, beginning with BITNET and BBSs (FidoNet) in the late 80s and onwards through the birth of the World Wide Web and the dawn of the Web 2.0 era. Prior to co-founding EchoDitto, he was the lead developer of online organizing Web properties for Howard Dean’s Presidential primary campaign, where he created software to help support the campaign’s massive grassroots supporter base. Justin has also worked previously as an independent consultant, developing custom Web applications for non-profits and small businesses. During the bubble, he was employed building enterprise-class web applications for the corporate sector. He graduated from the University of Vermont with a B.Sc. in information systems.
Brian Reich, Principal, was previously the Director of New Media at Cone Inc, a brand strategy and communications agency in Boston, and a Senior Strategic Consultant for Mindshare Interactive Campaigns, an interactive agency which helped many leading corporations, associations, non-profit organizations and governmental entities leverage the communication opportunities created by technology. From 2000- 2004, Brian ran his own consulting business, Mouse Communications, which helped political and non-profit organizations use new technology to improve communications, drive action, and support fundraising. Brian launched Mouse Communications after serving two years as Vice President Gore's Briefing Director in the White House, handling both official activities and activities during his 2000 presidential campaign. During the 1996 cycle, Brian was the youngest campaign manager in the nation, leading a U.S. Congress challenger race in Connecticut. Brian is a regular writer and speaker on the issues involving the impact of the internet and technology on politics, society, and the media. He is the editor of Thinking About Media, a blog examining media consumption habits around the world (among other things). His book, Media Rules!, was published by Wiley & Sons in December 2007. Brian attended the University of Michigan and is a graduate of Columbia University. He and his wife, Karen Dahl, and their son, Henry, live in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Director of Finance and Operations, Tina Romero Smith, joins us with over fifteen years of progressive administrative and management experience in operations, sales & marketing, human resources and information technology in the industries of communications, event production and community development. Tina was born and raised in Washington, DC and holds a B.A. from Randolph-Macon College.
New York Director Gisele Garelik has spent the past eight years working with various for-profit and non-profit companies and organizations on web content management and Internet strategy. Most recently, Gisele worked as a Site Producer for NBC Universal’s Digital Studio, where she helped launch weatherplus.com, the companion site for NBC’s all digital weather network. Prior to NBC, Gisele was the Assistant Director of UJCweb, a web portal serving over 100 Jewish federations throughout North America. While at United Jewish Communities (UJC), Gisele helped raise millions of dollars online to benefit Hurricane Katrina and Rita victims, as well as survivors of the 2004 tsunami in Asia. Gisele also spent over two and a half years at Amazon.com in Seattle, where she was a senior editor for the online retailer’s software store. Gisele is a graduate of Brown University, where she majored in Political Philosophy and French Literature.
Director of Technical Services Jason Yovanoff joins EchoDitto’s New York office with a background in systems integration, computer programming, and web development. Prior to joining EchoDitto, Jason was in charge of systems and exhibits at a large non-profit library and museum, where he worked with several world-renowned artists to develop interactive museum exhibits and systems. Additionally, he served as an independent technical consultant and web developer for a number of small organizations. Jason graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Delaware. Most recently, his interest include travel, refining his cooking skills, and singing sweet duets with EchoDitto's CTO.
Software Architect Chris Jones is a recent Washington transplant from Boston and like the rest of us, is an information addict. He has previously worked as a web developer for a mobile content firm and as a tester at a mobile software development house. He reads constantly about architecture and the ever-growing environmental movement. Chris rides his bike everywhere and always has his iPod at the ready. He is very much in love with DC.
Strategy Architect Anne Keenan comes to EchoDitto from Planned Parenthood of New York City, where she was the Director of Advocacy and Marketing. At Planned Parenthood, Anne built PPNYC’s grassroots organizing program, planned and implemented large-scale marketing campaigns, and served as the director of PPNYC’s electoral organization, Planned Parenthood of New York City Action Fund. Anne also managed online advocacy strategy and communications, coordinated website development, and dreamed up new tools to make clients’ and supporters’ lives easier. Before moving to New York, Anne worked at Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, as the Manager of Communications and Marketing. Anne serves as Board Co-Chair of the New York Abortion Access Fund and was a Board Member of the Eastern Massachusetts Abortion Fund. Anne is an alumna of Smith College and lives in Brooklyn. Anne’s major interests include: candy, google maps, ice cream, and google maps of candy or ice cream.
Strategy Architect Meaghan Lamarre comes to EchoDitto from the non-profit sector, bringing her expertise as an online activist/organizer and dabbler in all things internet. Most recently, Meaghan served as the Internet Communications Coordinator for the National Organization for Women, managing their email communications and online advocacy programs and making the website look spiffy. In addition to her successes at NOW, Meaghan has a proud history of building and improving the websites of non-profit groups including a feminist activist network in Rhode Island that she helped found. Meaghan grew up in California, where she turned in spelling homework typed on the computer, and earned her B.A. from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. When she’s not tethered to a computer, Meaghan enjoys reading nonfiction, playing the violin, and cheering loudly for her favorite sports teams.
Software Architect Phillip Lamb joins EchoDitto in New York after spending last year honing his Drupal skills in windy Cook County, Illinois. His interests include theoretical physics, sailing, biking, boxing, the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago Bears, and developing exciting open-source web 2.0 applications to help vox the populi. His current extracurricular activities include leading NYC4Obama, the New York City Obama for President grassroots movement, and exploring all the city has to offer. He attended Loyola University Chicago, pursuing study in Political Science and Theoretical Physics/Applied Mathematics, with a language concentration in Arabic.
Software Architect Tom Lee has been programming computers since being introduced to the wonders of AppleSoft BASIC in the third grade. More recently, he's worked as a consultant doing C# CMS software development for various universities, the military and the U.S. House of Representatives. Tom is also the Technology Director for DCist.com, where he contributes content, offers technical support, and develops applications like DCist Maps and the LastCall SMS tool.
Prior to joining EchoDitto, Senior Strategy Architect Cristen Perks was an Online Manager for Issue Dynamics where she managed campaign strategy for non-profits and issue advocacy groups. She has additional experience in online campaign management, search engine marketing and optimization, and coordinating the development of unique landing pages and analyzed web site statistics to gauge the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. She continued her work as an Online Political Marketing Manager for Malchow, Shlackman, Hoppey and Cooper. It was there that she developed and implemented large-scale advertising campaigns for issue advocacy groups and political campaigns, including John Kerry for President and the Democratic National Committee. Cristen's success was immense, and her work on numerous campaigns earned her five Pollie Awards – one of the highest honors bestowed by the American Association of Political Consultants. Cristen Perks received her MBA and degrees in Management Information Systems and Graphic Design from the University of Tulsa.
Software Architect Ethan Winn has been developing multimedia and internet technologies since 1994, when he supported customers using one of the first available web browsers, SlipKnot. The SlipKnot web browser, released prior to Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer, allowed individuals without dial-up connections to browse the fledgling web using pre-internet era file transfers such as XMODEM and Kermit. Winn went on to work in music production, assisting engineers developing many of the major labels' hits in the 90's. In 1999, he began building websites and programming custom content management systems specialized for marketing music via the emerging viral marketing ecosystems of the web boom. Ethan built his first site with the Drupal open source CMS in 2001, and in 2005 decided to refocus his work on projects with socially responsible, visionary organizations build on open source platforms. Winn is a proud member of the EchoDitto team, based in the Cambridge office.
Strategy Associate Madeleine Perry has been avidly writing and reading since she was very young, and joins EchoDitto with a B.A. in English from Washington College in Chestertown, MD. After graduating from college, Madeleine moved to Austin to hone her customer service skills and knowledge of pancake toppings at the esteemed university of IHOP. Most recently, Madeleine worked as a researcher for Conflicts Forum, an organization dedicated to opening and fostering new relationships between the West and the Muslim world. Her interests include writing, reading, baseball, and playing the violin. During the months of August-October, you will usually find Madeleine in a nervous state, cheering on her Chicago Cubs in the hopes that they will one day actually win a World Series.