NEW YORK, September 12, 2014 – Just in time for the upcoming elections, five experts with extensive experience in political campaigning—Eben Bronfman, Robby Mook, Ben LaBolt, Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, and Hank Sheinkopf—will teach the latest campaign strategies, technology, and tactics to students enrolled in the Certificate in Political Campaign Management, part of the NYU School of Professional Studies noncredit Applied Politics program.
Veterans of the campaign trail, they will provide insight into all aspects of political campaigning—from strategic planning, targeting, fundraising, and field organizing to polling, message development, budgeting, and grassroots organizing. Additionally, they will be joined by a cadre of guest lecturers including: Stephanie Cutter, anchor, CNN Crossfire, and former deputy campaign manager, 2012 Obama-Biden campaign; Ted Goff, founder, Goff LLC, and former digital director, 2012 Obama-Biden campaign; Paul Dunn, national field director, Democratic Senate Campaign Committee; Bill Hyers, former campaign manager, de Blasio for mayor; and Buffy Wicks, executive director, Priorities USA Action.
Designed to provide a hands-on, practical approach to the field, the Certificate in Political Campaign Management is geared towards those who are interested in starting or advancing a career in politics as a manager, a political aide or advisor, a lobbyist, or a public relations officer. The Certificate is delivered in an online format, making it convenient for students to take applied politics courses and to complete the certificate from anywhere in the world, while exploring a range of political strategies that influence citizens and the community at large. Courses include: “Fundamentals of Political Campaign Management,” “Political Communications Strategy,” “Political Campaign Fundraising,” “Social Media in Politics,” and more.
Eben Bronfman has worked professionally for over 30 years on political campaigns in New York State as a consultant in over 35 elections. He was a campaign manager to John Catsimitatidis’ 2013 mayoral campaign; special assistant to the district attorney in New York County, Robert Morgenthau; chief of staff to the minority leader of the Suffolk County Legislature; and chief of staff to the assistant majority leader of the NYS Assembly. He also has taught undergraduate and graduate classes for over 20 years in a variety of institutions in New York City. He earned a bachelor’s degree in government and public administration, and a master’s degree in criminal justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice of The City University of New York. He will teach two noncredit courses, “Fundamentals of Political Campaign Management” and “Effective Lobbying: How to Make Your Case,” in the fall.
Ben LaBolt is a communications strategist and founding partner of The Incite Agency, where he has advised Fortune 500 companies and advocacy groups on running campaigns. For the past decade, he managed press relations for candidates and elected officials from the city to the national level. He served as national press secretary for the 2012 Obama-Biden campaign and communications director for Rahm Emanuel’s successful campaign for Chicago mayor. At the White House and for the 2008 Obama-Biden campaign, LaBolt was responsible for managing investigative inquiries focused on the president as well as communications surrounding legal matters. POLITICO credited him with a specialty in “pushback – the tactical counterattacking of ill-spun or chronically negative news stories” and called LaBolt “one of the best sources inside the White House for intelligence on what the media are thinking and what story lines reporters are likely to pursue.” LaBolt appears frequently on cable as a Democratic strategist. He will teach the noncredit course,“Crisis Management,” in the fall.
Robby Mook, a field director for the Democratic Coordinated Campaign in 2002, worked on Howard Dean’s presidential campaign in New Hampshire. In 2004, he transitioned to John Kerry’s campaign, where he was made deputy national field director at the DNC. Two years later, he ran the Democratic Coordinated Campaigns for Martin O’Malley and Ben Cardin in Maryland, and went on to run Nevada, Ohio, and Indiana for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2007-2008. Mook then served on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), where he was political director and managed the Committee’s $65 million independent expenditure. He was named executive director of the DCCC for the 2012 cycle, when the Committee won eight new Democratic seats. Mook most recently managed Terry McAuliffe’s successful campaign for governor of Virginia, and is currently an advisor to the Democratic Governor’s Association. He will teach the noncredit course, “Running and Winning: How to Run for Local or Statewide Office,” in the fall.
Jennifer O’Malley Dillon is a veteran organizer, campaign manager, and pioneer in the use of data analytics to target voters and consumers. She most recently served as deputy campaign manager for President Obama’s re-election campaign, overseeing the largest field organization in the history of presidential campaigns; voter protection and education programs; and political outreach, while leading the development and the use of data analytics to target, register, persuade, and mobilize voters. In 2009, she was named by President Obama to serve as the executive director of the Democratic National Committee, a position she held until 2011. Called a “field organizing whiz” by Fortune Magazine, and named one of TIME’s “40 under 40,” she has held senior-level positions on five presidential campaigns and has worked on numerous races at all levels of government. She will teach “Colloquium: Current Issues in Political Campaigns” in the fall.
Hank Sheinkopf is president of Sheinkopf Ltd, a full-service, strategic communications company serving corporate, political, and public affairs clients. He has worked on an estimated 700 political campaigns on four continents, in 14 foreign nations, and 44 American states in the last 35 years. His clients have included President Bill Clinton, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Leonel Fernandez, former president of the Dominican Republic. Sheinkopf maintains a broad base of both political and public sector clients in industries including healthcare, real estate, unions, finance, education, construction, and gaming. He is a former CNN contributor and has taught at NYU, Harvard University, Fordham University, and Brooklyn College. Widely sought after by media outlets both internationally and nationally for comment, Sheinkopf has been profiled in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, the New York Daily News, and the New York Observer. Sheinkopf, who received rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Yitzchak Yehuda Yaroslavsky of Nachlat Har Chabad, also earned B.A., M.A., and M.Phil degrees, and is a Ph.D. candidate in political science at The City University of New York Graduate Center. He will teach “Communications Strategy” in the fall.
For more information about the Certificate in Political Campaign Management, visit sps.nyu.edu/ce/campaign or contact us at 212-998-7188 or e-mail [email protected].
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