USSF Outreach Working Group Call - September 21, 2009 Application for Field Positions 46 applications received
Roll Call: Ahmina Maxey, EMEAC Ricardo Martinez, Padres Unidos Cindy Wiesner, GGJ Maria Escobar, SLAP/JwJ Tammy Bang Luu, LCSC Fran Tobin, JwJ
Contents
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Brigid top choices:
Seeing as I'm new to the committee, I'd like to preface my recommendations first by sharing how I evaluated the resumes.
My first set of recommendations were guided by these factors: 1) People who live in Detroit and/or MI, 2) Direct Organizing Experience. For this set of resumes, I was struck by: #4 (B.Loewe), #13 (Doyin Ola), #20 (Rosina Roibal), #21 (Michelle Brown), #31 (I have met Sarah and am very impressed with her) (Sarah Coffey), #33 (Nancy Kohsin-Kintigh), #34 (Seema Singh), #35 (Annivory Calvertt), #36 (Alex Papali), #37 (Jan Strout).
For the next set of recommendations, I thought their managerial experience in the nonprofit sector was interesting, but they didn't necessarily have direct organizing experience: #15 (Vanessa Manley), #17 (Caroliyn Morris), #24 (Monica Simpson).
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Maria's top choices: B. Loewe Doyin Ola Vanessa Manley Michelle Brown Carolina Reyes Rodrigo Rodriguez
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Ahmina's top choices: B. Loewe Doyin Ola Jennifer Cox Ebonee Stevenson Michelle Brown
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Ricardo"s top choice: Michelle Brown Carolina Reyes B. Loewe Vanessa Manley
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Fran's top choices: B. Loewe (though he may not want FT job) Pegah Rahmanian Michelle Brown Ebonee Stevenson Doyin Ola
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Cindy's top choices: B. Loewe Pegah Rahmanian (interesting?) Michelle Brown Celeste Faison Ebonee Stevenson Hevily Espinoza Sebastian Quinac Doyin Ola
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Tammy's top choices: B. Loewe Doyin Ola Michelle Brown Celeste Faison Hevily Espinoza Ebonee Stevenson (would be open to her)
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Overall Top Choices: B. Loewe - 7 Michelle Brown - 7 Doyin Ola - 6 Ebonee Stevenson - 4
Pegah Rahmanian - 2 Celeste Faison - 2 Hevily Espinoza- 2 Carolina Reyes - 2 Vanessa Manley - 2
Another round of votes to put forward top 2: B. Loewe - 4 Doyin Ola - 3.5 Celeste - .5
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Discussion around Candidates:
Attributes desired of an organizer: • Mobile and can travel • National experience, has existing relationships, who are they in relationships to? • Clear organizing experience • Have experience organizing on a larger scale • Someone who can work on their own - self motivated, mangage time • Reflect Detroit and Mid-west, preference for people of color, language skills, organizing experience (reflected in the whole USSF staff) • Experience working in communities of color
Other considers: • Ensuring that we have Arab and Muslim participation.
Questions: • Are we looking for a Detroit specific person and/or a regional and national organizer? Is the national field organizers going to focus on the national outreach. How are we envisioning the national field organizers. • What are their connections nationally, who they know, etc? • May need to be clarified at the NPC and Anchors meetings whether or not Detroit needs specific outreach support. And if that is the role that Will and Maureen are playing? Is it possible for them to play that role given their existing work? • What is their understanding of national movement building? Needs the broad view. Can they translate their local organizing experience to a national arena? • For folks who have had multiple jobs in the last 5 years, why? And how have they left each organization, in terms of relationships? What was their job perfermance like?
Send out to larger Outreach WG: • Top picks • Attributes we desire of field organizer • General questions
B. Loewe (#4) • Communicated to Fran that he may not be able to work full time o We will follow-up • Spanish speaker • Built organization • National experience • Fran, Maria and Cindy have experience working with B.Loewe • Within a quick amount of time was able to build on relationships to bring together 45 ppl on Monday night for Chicago building towards USSF. Like model and approach of bringing people into the process. Reflective person and self aware; good practice on member-led organization; good relationships nationally. Good mid-west focus, mobile. • Fran - know his work through Latino Union, built a stronger organization. Good sense of USSF, knows how to pull groups together, works with the NDLON.
Michelle Brown (#21) • Co-chair of Detroit Summer • In her different rolls, how much has it been direct organizing versus advocacy and lobbying? • Strengths is her relationships locally, but not too much direct organizing experience • Maybe stronger as the local logistics staff
Doyin Ola (#13) • Liked her skills, seems to have a lot of organizing experience • Breadth of work that she's done in organizing and teaching/coordinating • Many years of being connected to interesting campaigns • Past work seems to be really connected to administrative tasks • This can also be seen as a strength • Strong inroads in the queer community; Question as to how she will be able to organize in other communities
Ebonee Stevenson (#41) • Fran has met her a few times around Chicago, knows her casually was involved with the Atlanta Social Forum o Is unaware of her level of mobility • Cindy also knows Ebonee, believes she would excel at regional organizing but is unaware at how she can organize nationally • Questions around some issues that came out of Rights of the City meeting • Strong skillset as far as organizing locally • Has been to some national trainings, so has exposure to US Human Rights Network and Right to the City