Staff
Daniel Newman is President and Co-Founder of MapLight, a nonpartisan nonprofit illuminating the connection between money and politics in unprecedented ways. MapLight’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 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 is also a 2011-12 Network Fellow at the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University. Dan received an M.A. degree in Psychology from the University of California at Berkeley, where he attended on a National Science Foundation Fellowship, and a B.A. degree in Biomedical Ethics from Brown University. He lives in Berkeley, California.
Jeffrey ErnstFriedman, Research Director, leads the MapLight research team and oversees the accuracy and timeliness of MapLight data. With extensive experience covering politics and policy in Washington, D.C., Jeffrey brings a deep editorial background to the MapLight 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 B.A. degree in Journalism from California State University at Chico.
Pamela Heisey, Communications Director, designs and executes MapLight’s strategic communications programs. She has 21 years of communications experience in marketing communications, public relations, sustainability programs, community outreach, and events. She has integrated numerous innovative, high-impact communications programs into forward-thinking private and non-profit institutions. Pamela has a B.S. degree in Global Environmental Politics from the University of California at Berkeley and completed a High Impact Leadership Program at the Walter A. Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley.
DeAnna Dalton, Advancement Director, leads MapLight’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 B.A. degree in Cultural and Social Anthropology from Stanford University, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa.
Mike Krejci, Technology Director, oversees the technical team to keep our website and databases current, user friendly, and able to respond to a large and varied audience. Mike is the former IT Director of the National Institute on Money in State Politics and also of Project Vote Smart. He has built and maintained comprehensive databases of information on the voting records, position statements, backgrounds, and campaign finances of tens of thousands of candidates for public office, along with managing Web sites and developing a set of APIs and other tools. He brings 20 years of experience in nonprofit political databases and Web needs, along with a wide variety of computer programming and application experiences.
Emilie Middlesworth, Data Analyst, assists with ensuring the accuracy and timeliness of MapLight data. She has six years’ experience working with databases and data quality issues. Emilie has a B.S. in Applied and Computational Mathematics from the California Institute of Technology.
Kent Richards, Web Developer, assists with the development of MapLight's web operations. He has five years’ experience developing dynamic web applications and 13 years’ experience working with nonprofits. Kent has a B.A. in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin.
Jay Costa, Program Associate, works cross-departmentally, assisting with communications, web production, writing, editing, and social media. He received an A.B. in Biological Anthropology from Harvard College. He also serves on San Francisco's Sunshine Ordinance Task Force, chairing the group's Education, Outreach, and Training Committee.
Darby Beck, Program Assistant, works with the executive director in all aspects of operations, including assisting the communications, development, and research teams. She has several years' experience in political research, writing, and administration. Darby received an M.A. degree in Political Science from the University of Washington and two B.A.s from Trinity University in Political Science and History.
Tierra Allen, Development Assistant, aids in fundraising, communications, and administration. She has previous experience at an urban charter school, working as a drama director, multi-subject tutor, curriculum developer, and department head, and in her alma mater's development office. During college, Tierra coordinated a volunteer partnership with a girls' empowerment organization and wrote and edited for a journal on culture and politics. She graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College with a B.A. in Theater & Dance and concentrations in English and Black Studies. She is also a freelance theater artist.
