PdF Welcomes Senior Editors Dave Witzel and Allison Fine
BY Micah L. Sifry | Monday, April 28 2008
Time for some editorial housekeeping. In our never-ending quest to cover how technology is changing politics and serve the growing community of activists, technologists, journalists, politicians, government workers, bloggers and plain old citizens who are engaged in making this change happen, we are pleased to announce two new additions to our editorial crew. Dave Witzel and Allison Fine are coming on board Personal Democracy Forum as senior editors who will help expand our coverage on PersonalDemocracy.com of how mass, networked participation in the public arena is affecting all the important arenas outside of electoral campaigns (which we cover obsessively at techPresident). In addition to blogging, Dave is going to start writing a weekly round-up on e-govt, collaborative governance and all the new ways the business of self-government is being opened up by the net. And Allison, in addition to her ongoing coverage of the non-profit and foundation sectors, is the lead editor of our forthcoming book, "Rebooting America." We're really excited to be bringing them on board as senior editors and look forward to their contributions. Here's a bit more on their backgrounds, projects and interests:
Dave Witzel is a founder of Forum One Communications and facilitator of recently launched Policy Commons. During the past fifteen years he has worked with international organizations, non-profits, and government agencies to better use the web. He has a particular focus on online community and collaboration and is excited by possibilities of social production to transform the way we govern ourselves.
Currently on sabbatical from Forum One, Dave is joining PdF to focus on the "policy not politics" aspects of government 2.0. He is also a Visiting Senior Program Associate at the Center for Global Development, a think tank in Washington, DC, where he is working on understanding the role of public goods, sharing, and "the commons" in international development.
Dave's background includes time as a teacher with the U.S. Peace Corps in Botswana, as a computer programmer at a couple of software companies, and as an international development consultant in Indonesia, Burkina Faso, and with the World Bank. He came of age in Texas and has degrees from Texas A&M University and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. When not at his computer he spends his time with his wife Claudia and their two boys Adam and Zachary.
Allison Fine is a successful social entrepreneur and writer dedicated to helping grassroots organizations and activists successfully implement social change efforts. Her 2006 book Momentum: Igniting Social Change in the Connected Age, was awarded the Terry McAdams National Book Award for outstanding contribution to the advancement of nonprofit management.
As a senior fellow on the Democracy Team at Demos: A Network for Change and Action in New York City, Allison researches and writes about the future of social change and civic engagement in this new digital age.
Allison’s articles have been published in the Boston Globe, San Jose Mercury Times and the San Francisco Chronicle. She is also a frequent contributor to Huffington Post, Personal Democracy Forum, Alternet and the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Allison served as the C.E.O. of The E-Volve Foundation in 2004-2005, and was the Founder and Executive Director of Innovation Network, Inc. from 1992-2004.
Allison currently serves on the board of directors of Just Vision, a nonprofit organization that increases awareness about Palestinian and Israeli non-violent, civilian-led efforts to build a base for peace in the Middle East. She has a Masters in Public Administration from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History from Vanderbilt University. From 1987-1989, she served as an elected trustee of the Village of Sleepy Hollow, NY and was appointed the Fire and Police Commissioner.
Welcome aboard Dave and Allison!