Instructors

0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false Nancy Bocksor is an assistant professional lecturer at GW. She has taught fundraising at campaign schools in all 50 states and many foreign countries, and consistently receives top marks for her innovative techniques and her humorous anecdotes. Bocksor was selected by the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies as a "mentor" to women candidates from the Middle East, where she spent a week in Turkey training more than a dozen candidates from Jordan, Morocco and Algeria. One of her candidates was the top woman vote getter in Jordan and is now a member of the Parliament. She conducted a three-day leadership conference for women from Belarus in late 2007, and taught 100 attendees from 30 countries at an International School of Fundraising held in England.

Anthony Dale is the Managing Partner and Founder of Dale Consulting Group (TDCG).  He oversees all of the firm’s services and has in-depth experience working with elected officials at the local, state and federal level. Additionally, he is a contributor for Empowerment Magazine where he covers local, state and federal politics. Mr. Dale received his bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from George Mason University, and is a graduate of the University of Virginia Sorensen Institute for Political Leaders.

Mr. Dale's political experience is deep, having supported more than 20 campaigns at the local, state and federal level, including races in Richmond, Alexandria, Loudon County and Hampton. His policy experience includes serving as a Policy/Fiscal Analyst for the City of Richmond, City Council, where his responsibilities included management of legislative projects and the formulation of strategies on matters related to economic development, public education, human services, public safety, and capital improvements.  He also served as a policy advisor to the Mayor of Hampton and the City of Alexandria.  Prior to his tenure in the City of Richmond as policy advisor, he served as a Strategic Planner at the US Missile Defense Agency for the Base Realignment and Closure Program.  In 2010, he was selected as one of Washington, DC’s “Top 30 under 30” by the Radio One Corporation’s WKYSDC radio station.   

Rob Diamond is an investment banker focused on the commercial real estate industry. Before his career in finance, Robert served for seven years as an officer in the United States Navy. A Surface Warfare Officer by training, he was stationed onboard the guided missile destroyer USS BULKELEY (DDG-84) and completed deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Diamond served as the aide to the Navy's Chief of Legislative Affairs in the Pentagon, and as a Navy liaison officer to the U.S. House of Representatives. He is a Security Fellow with the Truman National Security Project and a graduate of the United States Naval Academy. He speaks and publishes regularly on issues related to national security, the military and veterans affairs. 

Rep. Alex Cornell du Houx currently serves the people of Brunswick (District 66) in Maine's House of Representatives. He serves on the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee, is chair of the Veterans Caucus, and is vice-chair of the National Council of State Legislatures' Energy and Agriculture Committee and sits on their Criminal Justice Committee.

Alex attended Bowdoin College as a George Mitchell Scholar. He joined the Marine Reserves in 2002 and was deployed to Iraq with the Marines' Alpha Company in 2006 – where he spent a year patrolling the streets in and around Fallujah. After his return, Alex continued his work serving Maine's communities through community and public service.  He also works with the Truman National Security Project on national security and energy issues.

Major Eric Egland is the founder and president of Troops Need You, a charity that supports deployed and returned soldiers and Marines, and a major in the military reserve. Egland was a candidate for US Congress in 2008. Major Egland is also the author of The Troops Need You, America, a contributor to “Blog of War: Front Line Dispatches from Iraq and Afghanistan,” and has been published in the New York Times, Washington Times, Weekly Standard and National Review. He has also been featured on CBS Evening News, FOX, CNN, MSNBC, along with NewsMax and World magazine.

Chris LaCivita is a political consultant specializing in general campaign strategy, media planning, and voter contact mail and grassroots campaigns. Before entering politics, LaCivita served in the United States Marine Corps achieving the rank of Sergeant, seeing extensive action in the first Gulf War and was wounded in combat. LaCivita has advised candidates at all levels of the political spectrum. LaCivita served as chief strategist for Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, and co-producer of their award winning TV ads.  He also also served as a general political consultant to the United States Chamber of Commerce and is a co-founder of American Issues Project, a 501(c)4 organization. LaCivita served as the National Political Director and Director of Issue Advocacy for the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), and was campaign manager for Sen. George Allen in 2000. LaCivita has also lectured on Politics at the Kennedy School of Government, before the Jepson School of Government at the University of Virginia and taught a course at Regent University on campaign management for two years.

Kieran Michael Lalor enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve in July 2000. After Recruit Training at Parris Island, SC and completion of the School of Infantry he transferred to reserve status and enrolled in Law School at Pace University in White Plains, New York. <br />
In 2008 Lalor found an innovative way for a middle class family man to mount a serious Congressional run. By working a union job from midnight to eight, Lalor had his days and evenings free to campaign and help care for his children.  He defied the odds and the political establishment to earn the nomination of his party and garnered 116,000 votes in the general election, the most for any challenger in the history of the District.Lalor founded Iraq Veterans for Congress political action committee, a nation-wide coalition of Iraq Veterans running for the U.S. House of Representatives.   In the 2010 election, cycle Iraq Veterans for Congress raised more than $100,000 from over 20,000 donors in all 50 states and helped ten veteran candidates win seats in the House of Representatives.  Lalor is also the founder of Vets for New York, a PAC that supports conservative veterans running for state and local office in the Empire State.    

Nominated top ten airman of the US Air Force, Detroit native Simone Lightfoot is highly regarded within seasoned public policy and political circles throughout Michigan and across the country. In her 1996 bid for public office Simone garnered 46% of the vote against a thirty-year incumbent.  She went on to serve as a deputy chief of staff in the Michigan House of Representatives before joining the national staff of the NAACP National Voter Fund in 2000.  Her work was expanded in 2004 to lead the organization's Illinois primary efforts to secure Barack Obama’s Senate victory. In 2005 she served as the campaign manager for Cincinnati, Ohio’s first directly elected African American mayor. The long time Tuskegee Airman went on to serve as the director of public policy and elections coordinator for the Wayne County Clerk, the largest clerk operation in Michigan.  She was responsible for oversight of federal, state and local public policy and election matters that impacted Michigan’s largest county clerk operation which included the Third Circuit court. Lightfoot was recently elected to the Ann Arbor School Board. 

Rick Maze serves as Congressional editor for the Military Times News Service. With three decades of experience covering the military, Maze has extensive knowledge of Congress and defense issues, including personnel and recruiting policies and societal issues. He also is author of the 2009 Military Times’ Insider’s Guide to the New GI Bill.  His reporting on military personnel issues, especially pay and benefits, are widely read by lawmakers. His articles and analysis are frequently are quoted during congressional debates.<br />
A Vietnam-era enlisted man, he was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division in Germany as an information specialist and speech writer, followed by an assignment as a staff writer for the European Stars and Stripes. He left the service as a Specialist Five (E-5). Maze is a frequent guest on This Week in Defense News, has spoken to numerous industry associations and has made media appearances on the BBC, CNN, C-Span, NPR, Army Spouse Talk Radio, and local radio.  

Mike Moschella currently serves as Political Director for the Truman National Security Project, primarily managing political training programs.  With the Truman Project, Michael has trained hundreds of elected officials, candidates for Federal, State and local office, Congressional staffers, political consultants, and progressive activists to promote a strong, smart and principled 21st century national security framework. Recently, he launched the Truman Project Partners, a first-of-its-kind national security training program specifically for campaign and advocacy professionals. He also serves as Secretary of the Board of Directors of New Leaders Council and Treasurer of the Board of Directors of Netroots Foundation. He is a graduate of Cornell University, and a native of Boston, MA.<br />
Michael was previously a Democratic campaign consultant with specific expertise in large-district voter targeting, grassroots field mobilizations, and online political organizing. He has consulted with and managed Congressional campaigns in FL and MA, a Gubernatorial race in MA, and state-level races in CA and MA.  In 2004 and 2005, he worked with NDN (New Democrat Network) on a variety of projects including: the creation of the New Politics Institute, a think tank for new political strategy; the NDN Hispanic Project, then the largest Spanish-language political ad campaign in US history; the Restoring America's Promise campaign, which promoted progressive values in "red-states;" and NDN-PAC, a fundraising organization for 40 US Representatives and 18 Senators. 

Michelle Lindo McCluer has been the Executive Director of National Institute of Military Justice   since September 2008. She is a 1994 summa cum laude graduate of the University of Oklahoma. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma School of Law with honors in 1997 and served on active duty as a judge advocate in the United States Air Force from 1997-2008, where she concentrated in military justice. She served as a prosecutor, base defense counsel, and senior defense counsel in courts-martial throughout the western United States and the Pacific Rim.
 
In 2003, Ms. Lindo McCluer began a three-year assignment as an appellate counsel, writing briefs and arguing cases before the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. She spent her final two years on active duty as Assistant Director of the legal office at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, home of Air Force One. Ms. Lindo McCluer has appeared as a military justice expert on a variety of news outlets. 

Jessica O'Connell brings extensive experience in organizational development, resource management, fundraising, budgeting, knowledge management, internal and external communications, and strategic planning.  She served as the National Director of Operations (COO) for Hillary Clinton for President where she helped grow the operation from two offices in two states with 20 staff to over 1,500 staff and offices in every state nationwide. In this role, Jess managed internal communications and policy, daily operations at the HQ, resource allocation, and coordinated the redeployment logistics throughout the country. She played a similar role, as National Director of Operations for the start up of Dean for America in Vermont.

Her political experience includes work as a staffer and consultant on many Federal and state campaigns throughout the U.S., including successfully managing the open seat races of Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ) and Phil Hare (IL).  Jess has developed and implemented fundraising programs and events for national organizations like EMILY’s List, where she served as the Deputy Director of Major Gifts and Events and as the Development Director for the Children’s Defense Fund. She is currently the National Field Director for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, where she mobilizes networks across the country to educate and inspire support from the American public and policy makers on the importance of America’s civilian-led tools of diplomacy and development.    

0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false Jay Parker is a lecturer at GW. In 2005, Dr. Parker retired from the United States Army with the rank of Colonel after 26 years of active duty service.  In his last assignment, he served for more than a decade as Professor of Political and International Affairs and Director of International Relations and National Security Studies, Department of Social Sciences, United States Military Academy at West Point.  As such, he was responsible for managing all aspects of one of the Academy's largest academic majors. He also chaired the Academy's Scholarship Committee, directing the selection and preparation of candidates for post-graduate programs to include the Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Fulbright, and Gates Scholarships and the East-West Center Fellowship. In addition to his academic leadership responsibilities, he provided analytical support on national security issues to Department of the Army.

Jeffrey A. Shapiro currently serves as Chief of Staff to Congressman Adrian Smith, who represents the Third District of Nebraska.  In this role, Shapiro serves as the chief policy and political adviser to Congressman Smith, overseeing office operations across three Nebraska and Washington, DC locations.  Prior to working for Congressman Smith, Shapiro served as Washington Representative for General Mills, Inc., a Fortune 250 company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  In this capacity, Shapiro represented company interests before Congress and Executive Branch agencies and helped facilitate activity for the company’s political action committee.

Shapiro previously worked on Capitol Hill for Congressman Lee Terry, who since 1999 has represented Shapiro’s hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. In addition to serving as an adjunct faculty member for The George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management, Mr. Shapiro is a noted speaker and leaders of seminars, having guest lectured for Georgetown University’s Semester in Washington program, the University of North Dakota’s College of Business and Public Administration, Johannes Kepler University’s Executive MBA program, and campaign colleges throughout the country.   

Anthony Woods graduated from the U. S. Military Academy at West Point, where he served on the Honor Committee, commanded summer training for the yearling class, and graduated on the Dean’s List.  A two tour Iraq war veteran,Woods earned the Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal for serving in battle and working with Iraquis to help rebuild their devastated nation.  Woods volunteered for his first deployment to Iraq in 2004, leading a platoon of West Virginia National Guard soldiers in Diyala province northeast of Baghdad.  The unit was responsible for a volatile region housing more than 66,000 Iraquis for eleven months. In June of 2005, Woods was again deployed to Iraq with the 3rd Armored Calvary Regiment.  Upon his arrival, he immediately took command of a 64 soldier platoon.  During this deployment Woods’ unite was involved in the Battle for Tal Afar.  Woods brought home all 81 of the soldiers who served under his command.<br />