Tuesday, July 25, 2017
From the Capitol to a Hashtag: Utilizing Social Media as an Advocacy Tool
Laurent Crenshaw
Director, Public Policy
Yelp
Laurent Crenshaw is the Director of Public Policy for Yelp in Washington, D.C. At Yelp, he has championed the company’s federal efforts to protect consumer freedom of speech on the internet, and worked to implement Yelp as a tool for the federal government.
Prior to joining Yelp in 2013, Crenshaw worked in the U.S. House of Representatives for more than 11 years. During his tenure, he served as the Legislative Director for Rep. Darrell Issa focusing on technology policy issues, particularly in the areas of intellectual property, telecommunications and internet law. Previous to his work with Rep. Issa, Crenshaw worked in the offices of the House Majority Whip and House Republican Conference. He successfully worked on numerous legislative efforts including the passage of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act in 2011 and the campaign to defeat SOPA and PIPA in Congress. Currently, Crenshaw serves on the board of directors for Public Knowledge and as a member of the American Library Association’s Public Policy Advisory Council. Crenshaw obtained an undergraduate degree in International Relations from Stanford University in 2002 and a Juris Doctor degree from American University’s Washington College of Law in 2010.
Student Advocates are the Best Advocates
Amparo Diaz
Government Relations Associate
California State Student Association
Amparo Díaz is the Government Relations Associate for the California State Student Association (CSSA). In this capacity, Díaz analyzes federal and state legislation pertaining to higher education, specifically focusing on legislation that impacts CSU students. Additionally, she oversees all civic engagement activities for the organization, having recently helped establish a partnership between CSSA, Chancellor White and Secretary of State Alex Padilla to increase voter participation. Prior to her role with CSSA, Díaz worked at Sacramento State’s Center for College and Career Readiness. Additionally, she interned in the offices of Senator Kevin de León and Senator Jim Beall, where she was involved in constituent outreach and legislative research. Díaz graduated from Sacramento State with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Policy and Administration from Sacramento State.
Devon Graves
Vice Chair, California State Aid Commission
Student Regent, University of California Board of Regents
Devon Graves is a Ph.D. student in the Higher Education and Organizational Change program at UCLA. As a research analyst in the Higher Education Research Institute, Graves is assisting on the text messaging project, working with community colleges to improve the financial aid process through innovations in technology. He is also Vice Chair of the California Student Aid Commission, the state agency that administers $2 billion in state financial aid programs. Graves served two terms as chair of the California State Student Association. He was recently appointed to serve a two-year term to the University of California Board of Regents. Graves earned a bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly Pomona and a master’s degree from UCLA.
Maggie White
President, California State Student Association
Maggie White currently serves as the president of the California State Student Association, representing the 480,000 students of the CSU system. Previously, she was appointed by the governor to serve a two-year term as a student trustee on the CSU Board of Trustees. She graduated from Stanislaus State with her bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies in 2016 and will earn her Master of Public Administration, also from Stanislaus State, in 2018. She is passionate about enhancing access to higher education and creating more equitable outcomes for all students.
Navigating Diverse Viewpoints on College Campuses
Rameen Talesh, Ed.D.
Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Life and Leadership and Dean of Students
University of California, Irvine
Dr. Rameen Talesh is the Assistant Vice Chancellor-Student Life & Leadership and Dean of Students at the University of California Irvine. Throughout his career, Rameen has worked with various programs and services including undergraduate housing, campus activities, student conduct, cross-cultural and LGBT services. His 28 years of professional experience in student affairs administration has covered both public and private institutions of various sizes including University of California Riverside, California State University Northridge, and Occidental College.
Talesh received his Doctorate degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of Southern California where he teaches graduate courses in the Rossier School of Education as an adjunct Associate Professor. He earned a Master in Public Administration from California State University Northridge, and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine. You can follow him on Twitter @deanrameen.
Vincent Vigil, Ed.D.
Director, Student Life and Leadership
California State University, Fullerton
Dr. Vincent E. Vigil is the Director for Student Life & Leadership at California State University, Fullerton. In this role, he manages six programmatic areas including: Campus Activities, Clubs/Organizations, Community Service Programs, Fraternity & Sorority Life, Leadership Programs and Sports Clubs. In addition, Vigil coordinates the “Quad Squad” that monitors free speech activities on campus and also educates colleagues about how to appropriately monitor such activities. Prior to CSUF, Vigil served as the Director for Campus Organizations at UC Irvine and the inaugural Director for the LGBT Resource Center at USC.
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Measuring Government Relations and Advocacy
Amy Showalter
Principal, The Showalter Group
What do International Paper, Southwest Airlines, Monsanto, Buffalo Wild Wings, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association have in common? They have all turned to Amy Showalter for her expertise and motivation to elevate their government relations influence. Showalter is a grassroots and PAC influence expert who founded The Showalter Group to help associations and corporations increase their grassroots and PAC effectiveness. In fact, more than 85% of her long-term consulting clients have experienced an increase in budget, staff and senior management recognition after collaborating with her firm.
Showalter has galvanized thousands of grassroots evangelists and staff for her clients who want to politically advance their cause. For nine years she directed the efforts of the highly acclaimed Nationwide Insurance Civic Action Program. During her tenure, more than 2,000 public affairs professionals across the country ranked Nationwide’s program as one of the top two corporate grassroots programs in the country.
She has served as a faculty member at the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for Organization Management, and as a guest lecturer at George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management. Showalter has served in several national government relations leadership positions, including serving as chairman of ASAE’s Government Relations Section Council, board member of the Washington Area State Relations Group and leader in the Association of Government Relations Professionals.
Showalter received a B.A. in Political Science from Wright State University and an M.S.A from Central Michigan University.
Champions of Higher Education
The Honorable Richard C. Ackerman
California State Senator (ret.)
Board Member, Cal State Fullerton Philanthropic Foundation
Vice-Chair, CSFPF Advocacy Committee
Member, UCI Foundation
Dick Ackerman has 35 years of experience in corporate, real estate and business law. He assists companies, individuals, groups and public agencies in their interactions with governments at the local, county, state and federal levels. In addition, Ackerman assists clients in dealing with government and special districts on how to get through the political process. He draws on his 25 years of experience in elected office, as a California State Senator, State Assemblyman, City Councilman and Mayor. He served as vice-chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee and spent four years as Senate Republican Leader. He was a member of the “Big 5,” which was charged with consulting with the California Governor on key infrastructure and budget issues.
Ackerman received his bachelor’s degree from University of California, Berkeley and a Juris Doctor degree from University of California Hasting College of Law. His professional affiliations include the University of California Foundation; Fullerton Chamber of Commerce (past president); Orange County Waste; Orange County League of Cities; and University of California, Berkeley (part-time faculty member).
The Honorable Joseph Dunn
California State Senator (ret.)
Assistant Dean for External Relations
University of California, Irvine
Senator Dunn is currently the Assistant Dean for External Relations as well as a Lecturer at the UCI School of Law. He serves as the primary point person for the launch of the UCI Cybersecurity Policy and Research Institute, the Civil Justice Research Institute and the UCI Institute on Policing in Society.
Senator Dunn was a member of the California State Senate from 1998-2006. While serving in the Legislature, he chaired key committees such as the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Housing and Transportation Committee. He received international acclaim as chair of the Senate Investigation Committee into the 2001 California Energy Crisis. California Lawyer Magazine labeled Senator Dunn as “the Man Who Cracked Enron.”
In 2006-2014, Sen. Dunn served as CEO of both the State Bar of California, the judicial branch regulatory body overseeing all aspects of the profession of law, and the California Medical Association, the most influential state medical organization in the nation, representing more than 30,000 California doctors.
Prior to entering the Senate, Senator Dunn practiced law, handling products liability litigation involving defective medical devices and pharmaceuticals, as well as environmental cases. He worked in the Newport Beach Office of Robins Kaplan after law school and joined Robinson Calcagnie & Robinson where he continued to focus on products liability and complex litigation until his election to the Senate.
He received a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the University of Minnesota School of Law (1983) and a B.A., magna cum laude, from the College of St. Thomas (1980).
The Honorable Tom Umberg
State Assemblymember (ret.)
Member, CSFPF Advocacy Committee
Partner, Umberg/Zipser LLP
Thomas J. Umberg has extensive trial experience in both federal and state courts and has been recognized as a “Super Lawyer” for Southern California, an honor limited to only 5% of Southern California lawyers. He has been selected for the prestigious publication “The Best Lawyers in America®” in commercial litigation.
Umberg has successfully tried more than 100 cases to verdict or judgment; including complex matters involving health care, real estate, work place harassment, construction defects and employee pension plans. As a federal criminal prosecutor, he tried numerous white collar and civil rights cases, including tax evasion schemes. These include “Uranium for Tax Dollars,” “Marco Numismatics” (a nationwide fraud on seniors) and the “Westminster Cross Burning” cases.
Umberg served three terms in the California State Legislature. While in the CA State Assembly, Tom served as chair of the Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee. He wrote 58 measures that were signed into law, including statutes involving election reform, campaign finance reform, white collar crime, mortgage fraud, telemarketing fraud, hate crimes, toxic waste cleanup, housing loans and transportation issues. From 2008 to 2014, Umberg served in various capacities, including chair of the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA), which is responsible for developing the high speed rail system from Anaheim to San Francisco. In 1997, he was selected by President Clinton to serve as Deputy Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). In this capacity, he was responsible for the development and coordination of United States policy to reduce the supply of illegal drugs, including negotiation and coordination with foreign governments to enhance US counter-drug intelligence and interdiction.
Umberg is a retired U.S. Army Colonel. During his Army career, he served in Korea with the 2nd Infantry Division, with NATO forces in Italy and as a paratrooper with the US Army Special Operations Command, US Army Special Warfare Center and the XVIIIth Airborne Corp. As a JAG officer, he tried more than 50 felony cases in Korea, Italy and the United States. Umberg was recalled to active duty in 2004 as a war crimes prosecutor and in 2009 as Chief, Anti-Corruption, in Afghanistan. In 2011, he was appointed co-chair of the U.S. State Department’s Public Private Partnership for Justice Reform in Afghanistan.
In 2015, Umberg was selected by the federal judiciary to be an attorney representative to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference.
How Advocacy Intersects with University Advancement
David Gamboa
Assistant Vice President, External Relations
California State University, Dominguez Hills
David Gamboa is the Assistant Vice President for External Relations at California State University, Dominguez Hills. In this role, Gamboa is responsible for oversight of both alumni relations as well as government and community relations. Gamboa and his team work to identify, develop and enhance ways for the University to better connect with its large alumni base by engaging and helping them embrace their “Toro spirit.”
Prior to his appointment, Gamboa served as Director of Government and Community Relations from 2007 to 2015 and interim Director of Alumni Relations from 2014 to 2015.
He began his university service as a student, where he served in a number of student leadership roles. He was elected president of Associated Students, Inc. for the 2003-04 academic year and was a representative of the California State Student Association.
Gamboa holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Kate Klimow
Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff, Strategic Communications & Public Affairs
University of California, Irvine
In a dual role, Kate serves as the Chief of Staff for the Strategic Communications & Public Affairs division as well as the Associate Vice Chancellor, Public Affairs where she provides leadership and management of strategies related to policy development, community building, communications and advocacy efforts in support of UCI priorities. In addition, she works collaboratively with senior administrators at UCI and the University of California Office of the President to maintain UCI’s position as one of the most dynamic campuses in the University of California system. The Strategic Communications & Public Affairs division includes Government Relations, Community Relations, Special Events & Protocol, Media Relations, Marketing & Creative Services, Internal Communications and Digital.
Kate has a broad-based business perspective gained from working within both the public and private sector throughout her career. Her varied experience in government relations and public affairs includes working with an Arizona governor, the Arizona Department of Commerce, Parsons Corporation, Walt Disney Imagineering, Disneyland Resort, KB Home, California Apartment Association and the Orange County Business Council.
Honored as the 74th Assembly District Woman of the Year 2016, Kate has also been recognized by OC Metro as “20 Women to Watch” and has been a nominee for the Orange County Business Journal “Women in Business Awards”. In addition to active involvement with a number of community organizations, she presently serves on the boards of the Irvine Chamber of Commerce, Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, Association of California Cities-Orange County and Second Harvest Food Bank.
Management Strategies
Kathleen Chavira
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Advocacy and State Relations
California State University
Chavira leads the California State University system’s Advocacy and State Relations office in Sacramento, managing a staff of eight, including legislative advocates and policy analysts.
A Sacramento education policy veteran, Chavira has a strong presence in the Capitol with established relationships with the Senate policy and fiscal committees, the California higher education community, the California Department of Finance, the Governor’s Policy Unit, Assembly committees and legislative staff.
Before serving in this capacity, she spent 12 years as the principal consultant to the Senate Education Committee. Prior leadership roles also include: senior associate for Governmental Relations and External Affairs for the California Postsecondary Education Commission and consultant to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Chavira earned a bachelor’s degree in human biology from Stanford University and a M.B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Kieran Flaherty
Associate Vice President and Director
State Governmental Relations
University of California, Office of the President
Kieran Flaherty serves as the Associate Vice President and Director, State Governmental Relations, in the University of California Office of the President. He also serves as Deputy to the Chief Financial Officer, State Budget Relations, in the UC Office of the President. He is responsible for strategic engagement with the Legislature, Administration, Department of Finance and other State agencies as it relates to support for the University.
Flaherty also communicates with key University stakeholders, including students, faculty and alumni to advocate for state support. Prior to serving in this role, Kieran served as Director of State Government Relations at UC Berkeley for over five years and Associate Director of both State Government Relations and Local Government Relations at UC San Francisco. During his 16-year tenure at UC, Kieran also has worked in interim positions at UC’s State Government Relations office, handling legislation and policy related to health affairs and student and academic affairs. Prior to joining UC, he worked for the San Francisco City Attorney; a member of the City and County of San Francisco Board of Supervisors; and as an Attorney/Advisor for the U.S. Small Business Administration. Kieran graduated from the University of Minnesota, received his Juris Doctor at Golden Gate University in California and is a current member of the California Bar.
Building Institutional Relationships Focused on Advocacy
Bruce MacRae
Vice President, State Government Affairs
UPS
Bruce MacRae is the Vice President of State Government Affairs for the West Region of UPS. His area encompasses the states of California, Hawaii, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington and Alaska. MacRae deals with local, state and federal issues for UPS.
MacRae began his UPS career in 1979 as a un-loader in the Anaheim package facility. In 1983 he became a full-time driver and Teamster Union Shop Steward. He entered into management in 1987 and has risen through many positions, acquiring skills in operations, industrial engineering, hazardous materials, customer relations, community/public relations, and security Investigator.
In addition to his regional responsibilities, MacRae plays an active role in and beyond his community. He is serving on the boards of several organizations, including the American Legislative Exchange Council-ALEC, California Trucking Association, chairman of the Orange County Sheriffs Drug Use is Life Abuse organization, Los Angeles Sheriff’s Youth Foundation, Nevada Motor Transportation Association, Arizona Trucking Association, CSULB 49er Athletic Board and the Life Through Art Foundation, Cooking with Kids (CWK). Bruce holds strong to his responsibilities at home, in the community and at work; understanding each of these are critical for everyone to achieve their own goals.
MacRae grew up and attended school in Long Beach and is a second-generation Long Beach native. His sons, Nick and Jake, are attending Long Beach State and are active in the men's volleyball team at Long Beach City College and Long Beach State. His daughters, Meghan and Timarie, graduated from college and are working and enjoying the business life.
Meredith Turner
Associate Director, Legislative Advocacy & Institutional Relations
State Governmental Relations
University of California, Office of the President
Meredith Turner is the Associate Director of Legislative Advocacy and Institutional Relations for the University of California Office of the President, State Government Relations (SGR). Turner has been with the UC since June 2016, working to develop strong advocates among the UC community, parents, alumni and community leaders, as well as spearheading strategic advocacy campaigns for the state budget, legislation and university initiatives. In addition, she oversees the advocacy social media channels for State Government Relations under the umbrella of the UC Advocacy Network.
Prior to her role with UC, Turner served as the chief advocate for the California State Student Association (CSSA) where she worked closely with the CSU Office of Advocacy and State Relations to create and implement the #StandwithCSU campaign, a dynamic social media advocacy campaign that resulted in the CSU receiving its first fully funded budget request in nearly 10 years. Leading up to CSSA, Turner was the Communications Manager for State Senator Lou Correa, overseeing media relations and serving as the higher education liaison for his district office in Orange County.
Turner was a CORO Fellow in Los Angeles in 2010. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of California, Santa Cruz and a Master of Arts in Public Policy from the University of Southern California.
Best Practices in State and Federal Advocacy
Daniel Becka
Vice President of Constituent Relations
Texas Exes
Becka is currently the Vice President of Constituent Relations at Texas Exes, the official alumni association for The University of Texas at Austin. He is primarily focused on educating, organizing and engaging the vast network of Longhorns in the political process with the goal of advancing the University and higher education in the State of Texas.
Prior to his work with Texas Exes, Becka was the Director of Governmental Relations for Texans for Economic Development, where he was charged with the responsibility of increasing economic growth in the state and revitalizing the eroding Texas horse and greyhound racing industry. There his work provided the opportunity to guide the development of the overall public relations strategy, manage the group’s PAC, aid in the coordination of lobbying activities and implement the grassroots action plan of the organization.
Becka has also worked in the Texas political arena for Johnson and Johnson, Attorneys and Counselors at Law, and Protecting You/Protecting Me, a program sponsored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving. He holds a B.A. in Government from The University of Texas at Austin and was active in student government and multiple community service organizations while on campus.
Beth McInnis Bell
Director of Advocacy
Clemson University Office of Governmental Affairs
Beth Bell has served as Director of Advocacy in Clemson University’s Office of Governmental Affairs since July 2005. In this role, Bell oversees and manages Clemson's legislative grassroots advocacy program, a database of 4300 volunteer Clemson alumni and student advocates who communicate with members of the South Carolina General Assembly and the U.S. Congress about issues of importance to Clemson and higher education.
Prior to joining Clemson, Bell worked at CBS Sports in New York and served on the executive staff of South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Clemson in 1994.
Justin Wellner
Director of Government Relations
California Polytechnic State University, San Louis Obispo
Justin Wellner serves as the Director of Government Relations for California Polytechnic State University, San Louis Obispo where he oversees efforts to connect the University with elected officials and agencies and advocates for both the campus and the CSU at the state and federal level. Wellner previously served in a similar role at CSU Monterey Bay and spent seven years in Washington, DC. working for a federal agency, the U.S. Senate, a national association and as an education lobbyist. He earned a Master of Public Policy and a Master of Arts in Higher Education from the University of Michigan, as well as a bachelor’s degree in rhetoric and media studies from Willamette University.
Best Practice in Community Engagement
Sarah R. Villarreal
Associate Vice President, Community Partner Outreach, Community Engagement
California State University, San Marcos
As Associate Vice President for Community Partnership Outreach at California State University San Marcos, Villarreal oversees the Office of Internships and Community Outreach. She is a demonstrated leader with more than 16 years of experience in public higher education, having served in a variety of leadership positions in both the California State University and the University of California systems, including associate dean, marketing director and student services director. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Leadership and Change from Antioch University, and received an M.B.A. from the University of Redlands and bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles.
