Staff
Daniel Newman is Co-Founder and Executive Director of MAPLight.org, a nonpartisan nonprofit illuminating the connection between money and politics in unprecedented ways. MAPLight.org’s groundbreaking website reveals relationships between campaign donations and legislative votes, helping citizens hold their elected officials accountable. Dan, an entrepreneur and political organizer, is the author of three books on speech recognition software and is the founder of Say I Can, a speech recognition firm. In 2010, he was named one of Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business. Dan co-founded the Berkeley Fair Elections Coalition and has served as a consultant to various political and nonprofit groups, including the Center for Voting and Democracy, Israel Venture Network, and the Mental Health Association of San Francisco. He received an MA degree in psychology from the University of California at Berkeley, where he attended on a National Science Foundation Fellowship, and a BA degree in biomedical ethics from Brown University. He lives in Berkeley, California.
Jeffrey Friedman, Research Director, leads the MAPLight.org research team and oversees the accuracy and timeliness of MAPLight.org data. With extensive experience covering politics and policy in Washington, D.C., Jeffrey brings a deep editorial background to the MAPLight.org team. As a Web producer for CQ.com he was a writer, editor, copy editor, and researcher for more than a dozen products and newsletters. As deputy editor of CQ Homeland Security, he managed the content production of three daily newsletters before moving on to a business analyst role developing new online products for Congressional Quarterly and later CQ-Roll Call. Jeff has a BA degree in journalism from California State University, Chico.
Pamela Heisey, Communications Director, designs and executes MAPLight.org’s strategic communications programs. She has 20 years of communications experience in public relations, community outreach, marketing, events and sustainability programs. She has integrated numerous innovative, high-impact public relations campaigns into forward-thinking private and non-profit institutions. Pamela is concurrently pursing a degree in Society and Environment - U.S. Environmental Management and Policy at University of California, Berkeley.
DeAnna Dalton, Development Associate, assists with MAPLight.org’s fundraising and project management. Her previous experience includes working with nonprofits in Ecuador and Tanzania and leading a Stanford service organization. She received her BA degree in Cultural and Social Anthropology from Stanford University, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa.
Kent Richards, Web Developer, assists with the development of MAPLight.org's web operations. He has five years experience developing dynamic web applications and 13 years experience working with nonprofits. Kent has a BA in computer science from the University of Texas at Austin.
Jay Costa, Program Assistant, works alongside the development and communications teams, contributing to MAPLight.org’s fundraising efforts, project management, media outreach, and social media. He received an AB from Harvard College in Biological Anthropology, graduating magna cum laude with highest honors, with a certificate in the study of Mind, Brain, and Behavior. His past experience includes several years of research in Psychology and Anthropology as well as service on the Steering Committee of Harvard's First-Year Outdoor Program.
