Running for office is one thing, but governing is a whole different story. This panel takes a look at today's Gov2.0 and how social media is changing the way our politicians actually try to get things done. From open data to today's "transparency", this panel will cover the broad spectrum of issues at the heart of governing in a new media world.
Featuring:
- Moderator: Sam Tift, Student, American University (@USMiddleClass) - Sam Tift has a young background in social media communication. As a political science major, Sam saw new media as an emerging component of grassroots campaigns. Sam spent much of his junior year at American University researching the impact of social media on issue campaigns, political campaigns and government transparency. Since November 2010 he has independently operated social media accounts targeting union members and progressives. He hopes to see greater democratic participation through social media in the future.
- Wayne Moses Burke, Executive Director of the Open Forum Foundation (@wmburke) - Wayne Moses Burke founded the Open Forum Foundation here in DC to establish a meaningful connection between citizens and their government. Among other things, this means that I work with federal agencies, technology developers, and Congressional staff to help them grasp the fundamental culture change that is necessary to leverage the power of social media. I've done a lot of other things before I got into this, but you'll have to track me down on Twitter or LinkedIn to learn about that!
- Rory Cooper, Director of Communications, The Heritage Foundation (@rorycooper) - Rory Cooper coordinates The Heritage Foundation’s external messaging and internal communications, manages its entire digital communications and social media portfolios, and develops partnerships with new media. Cooper also serves as executive editor for The Foundry, Heritage’s blog of public policy news and commentary. Among its features is Morning Bell, one of Washington’s most widely read and influential morning e-newsletters. Before joining Heritage in 2008, Cooper served for more than seven years in the administration of George W. Bush as a senior policy adviser at the Department of Energy. Between 2001 and 2004, Cooper was an aide in the Bush White House, first as associate director of policy and plans in the newly formed Office of Homeland Security, then as associate director of intergovernmental affairs for the Homeland Security Council. Cooper was instrumental in formation of the Department of Homeland Security and production of the first National Strategy for Homeland Security. Cooper also served at NASA as the first director of the space agency's newly created Division of Outreach and Intergovernmental Affairs, following an assignment with the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission. Before his government service, Cooper worked for the political division of the National Republican Congressional Committee and for the Republican Governors Association and two Presidential Inaugural Committees. He also participated in countless political and grassroots campaigns.
- Justin Herman, Phase One Consulting Group (@justinherman)- Justin Herman is a Government Innovation and Strategic Engagement advisor for U.S. Federal agencies, with diverse experience as a military officer, Congressional aide & health information technology wonk. He also plays horn in local DC funk band Bonjour Ganesh!
- Natalie Grantham Jennings (@capiappe) - Natalie is cultivating a community of political junkies on the wiki site WhoRunsGov.comby The Washington Post, as well as spreading the word about the site’s 2000+ in-depth profiles of lawmakers, federal government officials, Hill staff and political strategists among Beltway insiders. She joined WhoRunsGov in August after working as a Capitol Hill aide and in government affairs.
- Aaron Keyak, Director of Communications for Congressman Steve Rothman (@akeyak) - Aaron Keyak is the Director of Communications at the U.S. House of Representatives for Congressman Steve R. Rothman. Previously, he was the press secretary at the National Jewish Democratic Council. Keyak was also an associate at Rabinowitz/Dorf Communications, a media consulting and public affairs firm. He graduated with a B.A. in political science with honors from the Washington University in St. Louis.
- Daniel Morgan, Phase One Consulting Group (@dsmorgan77) - Dan Morgan is a consultant supporting clients in the Federal sector on Open Government and Innovation. His current client is the US Department of Transportation, where he focuses on driving the culture change and building the supporting processes that meet the President's Open Government Directive. Prior to this work, he supported the US Navy as a program analyst in the fields of human capital planning, IT governance, and logistics optimization. Transportation's an interesting field for studying the "right mix" of federal, state, and local government interactions in support of openness and the "new transparency."
- Rachel Van Dongen, Editor, WhoRunsGov (@whorunsgov) - Rachel is the editor of WhoRunsGov.com and a 17-year journalism veteran who served as political and web editor of the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call before joining the Washington Post in September 2009. A native of the nation’s capital, Rachel also spent five years covering the drug war and Latin American politics based in Bogota as the Colombian correspondent for The Economist and The Christian Science Monitor.
