Andrea Batista Schlesinger
Executive Director (on leave)
abs@drummajorinstitute.org
 
Andrea Batista Schlesinger is currently on a leave of absence as the Executive Director of the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy. During her tenure as Executive Director, Andrea Batista Schlesinger applied her background in public policy, politics and communications to lead the effort to turn the Drum Major Institute, originally founded by an advisor to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the civil rights movement, into a progressive policy institute with national impact. Under Andrea's leadership, DMI has released several important policy papers to national audiences; produced the only progressive analysis of the immigration debate addressing the concerns of the squeezed middle-class; created its Marketplace of Ideas series, which highlights successful progressive policies from across the country; launched two policy blogs that reach several thousand readers each day; and, launched a national program to connect college students from under-represented communities to careers in policy. Andrea has doubled DMI's staff, capacity and budget, making it a leading source for progressive ideas.

Andrea recently completed a book called The of Death of Why?: The Decline of Questioning and the Future of Democracy, slated for release in spring 2009. She highlights individuals and institutions working to cultivate new forms of inquiry that can reinvigorate our democracy through enhanced curiosity and healthy skepticism. Inquiry is what drives democracy, she argues, because it enables citizens to ask what kind of society they want to live in and to demand thoughtfulness from the leaders they choose.

Andrea studied public policy at the University of Chicago. Before DMI, Andrea directed a national campaign to engage college students in the discussion on the future of Social Security for the Pew Charitable Trusts and served as the education advisor to Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer. She has been profiled in publications including the New York Times, New Yorker magazine, Latina Magazine and in 'Hear us Now,' an award-winning documentary about her tenure as the student member of the New York City Board of Education. In media outlets from NPR to The Huffington Post, Andrea is turned to for her forward-thinking analysis on America's greatest challenges. She has appeared on television shows including CNN’s 'Lou Dobbs Tonight' and has been published in publications including The Nation, New York Newsday, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Mississippi Sun Herald, New York Daily News, Alternet.com, Tom Paine.com, New York Sun, Colorlines Magazine, The Chief-Leader, and City Limits magazine. She was named a '40 under 40 Rising Star' by Crain's New York Business in 2007, a “Next Generation of Political Leaders in New York' by City Hall Newspaper, and received a LatinaPAC Dolores Huerta Award for 'making great strides in promoting progress in our community.' She serves on the Editorial Board of The Nation, and the boards of the Sadie Nash Leadership Project, WireTap and the Applied Research Center. Andrea has presented at numerous conferences, including Take Back America, Institute for Women's Policy Research, YearlyKos, and Facing Race. She was recently appointed by New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn to the New York City Traffic Mitigation Congestion Commission. She grew up in Brooklyn.

Andrea recently completed a book called The of Death of Why?: The Decline of Questioning and the Future of Democracy, slated for release in spring 2009. She highlights individuals and institutions working to cultivate new forms of inquiry that can reinvigorate our democracy through enhanced curiosity and healthy skepticism. Inquiry is what drives democracy, she argues, because it enables citizens to ask what kind of society they want to live in and to demand thoughtfulness from the leaders they choose.

Andrea studied public policy at the University of Chicago. Before DMI, Andrea directed a national campaign to engage college students in the discussion on the future of Social Security for the Pew Charitable Trusts and served as the education advisor to Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer. She has been profiled in publications including the New York Times, New Yorker magazine, Latina Magazine and in 'Hear us Now,' an award-winning documentary about her tenure as the student member of the New York City Board of Education. In media outlets from NPR to The Huffington Post, Andrea is turned to for her forward-thinking analysis on America's greatest challenges. She has appeared on television shows including CNN’s 'Lou Dobbs Tonight' and has been published in publications including The Nation, New York Newsday, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Mississippi Sun Herald, New York Daily News, Alternet.com, Tom Paine.com, New York Sun, Colorlines Magazine, The Chief-Leader, and City Limits magazine. She was named a '40 under 40 Rising Star' by Crain's New York Business in 2007, a “Next Generation of Political Leaders in New York' by City Hall Newspaper, and received a LatinaPAC Dolores Huerta Award for 'making great strides in promoting progress in our community.' She serves on the Editorial Board of The Nation, and the boards of the Sadie Nash Leadership Project, WireTap and the Applied Research Center. Andrea has presented at numerous conferences, including Take Back America, Institute for Women's Policy Research, YearlyKos, and Facing Race. She was recently appointed by New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn to the New York City Traffic Mitigation Congestion Commission. She grew up in Brooklyn.

Afton Branche
Research Assistant
abranche@drummajorinstitute.org
 
Afton Branche joined the Drum Major Institute as a research assistant in February 2009. She assists the research director and focuses on federal, state and local immigration policy. In particular, her research examines the shared economic interests of immigrants and the American middle class. Prior to joining DMI, Afton worked with Cause & Affect, a Los Angeles-based media consulting firm, specializing in social action campaigns. Afton graduated from Georgetown University with a BS in foreign service in 2008. She majored in culture and politics with a focus on international development, and received a certificate in African studies. While in Washington, D.C., Afton worked with Vital Voices Global Partnership, focusing on global women's leadership initiatives and grant management.

Op-eds
Distractions, Distortions and Birthright Citizenship by Afton Branche, Huffington Post, August 20, 2010
Immigration Debate Heats Up On Long Island by Afton Branche, Huffington Post, August 13, 2010
Scaremongers and the Sanctuary City by Afton Branche, Huffington Post, August 2, 2010
Why It Matters When Immigrants Keep Quiet by Afton Branche, Huffington Post, July 21, 2010
Obama Finally Steps to the Podium on Immigration Reform by Afton Branche, Huffington Post, July 1, 2010
CEOs Join Cities in the Fight for Immigration Reform by Afton Branche, Huffington Post, June 25, 2010

Position Papers and DMI.com Articles
DMI Testimony on Comprehensive Immigration Reform by Afton Branche, DMI, April 26, 2010
Immigration Reform in 2010: A Limited Time Offer by Afton Branche, Huffington Post, March 5, 2010

Amy Traub
Director of Research
atraub@drummajorinstitute.org
 
Amy Traub joined the Drum Major Institute as research director in 2005. Since then, she has directed all of DMI’s policy research, analysis, and issue framing in a broad range of areas—immigration policy, economic policy, urban policy, and federal policy—while working to advance the middle-class policy framework for which DMI has become known. In the span of just a few years, Amy has authored several influential DMI reports, including “Principles for an Immigration Policy to Strengthen and Expand the American Middle Class,” and a proposal to reform New York City’s personal income tax, which was widely covered by the political press. Along with her original research, Amy regularly highlights model policies from around the country that have put progressive values into practice at the local, state, and national level. She has presented expert testimony to congressional staff and to the New York City Council. An accomplished writer, Amy has contributed numerous essays and opinion articles to a variety of publications, including The Nation, Newsday, The Albany Times-Union, and The Star-Ledger. Her book chapter, “A Strengthened Middle Class,” appeared in Thinking Big: Progressive Ideas for a New Era (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2009). She is a regular contributor to the DMI Blog and has appeared on several radio programs to discuss policy debates in the news. In 2008, Amy was honored for her work at DMI with a Cornerstone Award from the Jewish Funds for Justice. Before joining DMI, Amy headed the research department of a major New York City labor union, where her efforts contributed to the resolution of strikes and successful union organizing campaigns by hundreds of working New Yorkers. Labor and workplace issues remain among her major research interests. Amy holds a BA in political science from the University of Chicago and an MA in political science from Columbia University, where she completed coursework toward a Ph.D.

Op-eds
Room for Debate: How Healthy Is New York City's Economy? by Amy Traub, NY Times, August 31, 2010
Demonizing the public sector harms the middle class by Amy Traub, The Hill, August 26, 2010
The Alaska Contradiction (Why the Right Doesn't Want You to Notice the Streetlights) by Amy Traub, Huffington Post, August 19, 2010
Why New York Needed the Federal Fiscal Relief - And Should Get More by Amy Traub, Huffington Post, August 12, 2010
Can Cities Make Wall Street Pay? by Amy Traub, Huffington Post, July 29, 2010
Countering Anti-Public Worker Sentiment by Amy Traub, DMI, July 24, 2010

Letter to the Editor
Letter to the Editor: Illegals and Lost Wages by Amy Traub, The New York Sun, January 16, 2006

Position Papers and DMI.com Articles
DMI Testimony on Clean Trucks by Amy Traub, DMI, June 17, 2010
DMI's Prepared Remarks: New York City Council Committee by Amy Traub, DMI, November 17, 2009
DMI Tax Reform Fact Sheet by Amy Traub, DMI Web, February 17, 2009
DMI's Prepared Remarks: Congressional Staff Briefing on Immigration by Amy Traub, DMI, April 11, 2007
Testimony Before The New York City Council Committees on Immigration and Civil Rights by Amy Traub, DMI Web, March 29, 2006

Dan Morris
Director of Communications
dmorris@drummajorinstitute.org
 
Dan Morris joined the Drum Major Institute in September 2008 as communications director. A media strategist with a deep research and editorial background, he specializes in issue campaigns that shape news and opinion across many areas of public policy and equip advocates and elected officials with the messages and arguments they need to advance progressive change. While at DMI, he has developed and executed high-impact campaigns on a number of local and national issues, including paid sick leave, congestion pricing, the 2010 census, immigration reform, and economic recovery in cities. He has successfully pitched top news outlets in New York and Washington like The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and POLITICO. He has also placed op-eds in newspapers around the country and journalistic pieces in major magazines like The Nation, The American Prospect, and The Atlantic. In 2009, he co-edited his first book, From Disaster to Diversity: What’s Next for New York City’s Economy?, which has been featured in The New York Daily News, City Hall News, WNYC, and other outlets. Before joining DMI, he was the head of public relations at eChalk, an organization that improves communication and learning in schools across the country through web-based technology. Earlier in his career, he worked as a publicist and press officer at The New School, where he generated substantial news coverage for cutting-edge research and a variety of artistic, cultural, and public policy initiatives. As a freelance writer, he has contributed essays to several publications, including The San Francisco Chronicle and Bookforum. He received his MA in philosophy from The New School for Social Research, and his BA in political science from Rutgers University.

Harry Moroz
Research Associate
hmoroz@drummajorinstitute.org
 
Harry Moroz joined the Drum Major Institute as a researcher in December 2007. Currently, he serves as research associate for federal policy and urban policy while identifying policies to highlight in DMI’s Marketplace of Ideas series. He provides all research and analysis for TheMiddleClass.org, DMI’s Congressional accountability tool designed to keep middle-class Americans informed about how Congress is serving their interests. Harry investigates how legislation on everything from taxes and housing to the environment and education impacts the middle-class standard of living. His work on cities also keeps him focused on Washington, specifically on how a revitalized urban agenda can play a role in national economic recovery and how federal urban policy can empower mayors at the local level. During the 2008 presidential campaign, he interviewed numerous mayors around the country for MayorTV, a video reporting project he directed. Harry is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post and DMI Blog. He has appeared on The Brian Lehrer Show and has been quoted by WNYC radio and Gotham Gazette. Harry graduated from the University of Chicago with a BA in Law, Letters, and Society.

Op-eds
Cities Without Stimulus by Harry Moroz, Huffington Post, August 5, 2010
The Urbanity of Financial Reform by Harry Moroz, Huffington Post, August 3, 2010
Defending the Rump Stimulus by Harry Moroz, Huffington Post, July 21, 2010
Feud for Thought by Harry Moroz, Huffington Post, July 14, 2010
At Their Own Pace: Fannie and Freddie Don't Like Progress by Harry Moroz, Huffington Post, July 9, 2010
Was the Stimulus (A Lot) Bigger Than We Thought? by Harry Moroz, Huffington Post, June 30, 2010

Position Papers and DMI.com Articles
Federal Funding: A Double-Edged Sword for GOP Governors by Harry Moroz, The Atlantic, March 1, 2010

John Petro
Policy Analyst, Urban Affairs
jpetro@drummajorinstitute.org
 
John Petro joined the Drum Major Institute in March 2008 as an urban policy analyst. He runs the Progressive Urban Model Policies (PUMP) Project, a first-of-its-kind initiative to organize and share best practices in policy design and implementation. The goal of PUMP is to enable model progressive polices in particular cities to be replicated in other cities with similar needs. John’s work encompasses the full range of urban policy—housing, transportation, land use, economic development, environmental sustainability, and beyond—with an emphasis on promoting the best interests of current and aspiring middle class people. His writing on urban issues has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle and he has been a guest blogger for Next American City. He previously worked for the Research and Evaluation division of the Child Welfare League of America in Washington, D.C., where his research focused on child welfare and juvenile justice systems. He earned his BA in political science from the University of Central Florida and his MA in international relations from Seton Hall University.

Op-eds
Gear up public transit funds by John Petro, TimesUnion, August 26, 2010
No Reason to Wait on Paid Sick Leave by John Petro, Huffington Post, August 25, 2010
Low Wages and the Metropolitan Middle Class by John Petro, Huffington Post, August 20, 2010
Will Florida Imperil the Future of High-Speed Rail? by John Petro, Huffington Post, August 11, 2010
Correcting the Counts, NY State to Count Prisoners in Home Disrticts by John Petro, Huffington Post, August 5, 2010
No More Promises by John Petro, Huffington Post, July 27, 2010

Letter to the Editor
Paying mandatory sick leave helps make businesses stronger by John Petro, Staten Island Advance, September 22, 2009

Position Papers and DMI.com Articles
DMI Testimony on Guaranteeing Workers Paid Sick Leave by John Petro, DMI, May 11, 2010
DMI Testimony on Prevailing Wage by John Petro, DMI, May 11, 2010
DMI Testimony on Economic Development Subsidies by John Petro, DMI, April 27, 2010
Prepared Remarks on the Empire Zone Program by John Petro, DMI, November 24, 2009
DMI Testimony on Economic Development Subsidies by John Petro, DMI, September 21, 2009

Karin Dryhurst
Communications Assistant
kdryhurst@drummajorinstitute.org
 
Karin Dryhurst joined the Drum Major Institute in November 2008 as communications assistant. She assists with various aspects of web strategy, but focuses primarily on Google AdWord campaigns that connect thousands of online searchers each week to DMI’s Congressional accountability website TheMiddleClass.org, which features extensive analysis of federal policy from DMI’s middle class perspective. After just a few months, her Google Ad campaigns have boosted overall traffic and greatly increased the number of new visitors to TheMiddleClass.org. Karin also helps conduct media outreach for DMI’s research and special events, and contributes weekly to the DMI blog, weighing in on issues related to the struggling media industry. An experienced reporter and blogger, she has written for The Miami Herald, The Greensboro News & Record, and Under the Dome, the state politics blog of the Raleigh News & Observer. Her strong interest in politics and policy led her to conduct opposition research for McCorkle Policy Consulting in North Carolina. She graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a BA in journalism and mass communication and political science.

Lauren Su
Chief Operations Officer
lsu@drummajorinstitute.org
 
Lauren Su joined the staff of the Drum Major Institute as the Operations Manager in January 2007. Prior to joining DMI, she worked in public relations at CNN. A native New Yorker, Lauren graduated from Cornell University with a B.A. in Government, concentrating in Law and Society. In Washington D.C., Lauren worked as an outreach coordinator with the National Foundation for Women Legislators, an organization that strives to provide strategic resources and leadership development for women legislators on the local, state, and national levels.

PJ Kim
Executive Director
pjkim@drummajorinstitute.org
 
PJ Kim is a first generation immigrant and naturalized US Citizen. He was a former Democratic candidate for New York City Council to represent District 1, Lower Manhattan. Although he was ultimately unsuccessful, he waged a spirited campaign that earned the endorsement of the New York Times, The Daily News, the New York Press, and thousands of voters and supporters. He was named to City Hall News' 'Rising Stars 2009, 40 Under 40' and was also a fellow of the Council of Urban Professionals. He was previously Vice President for Programs and part of the start-up team at Single Stop USA (SSUSA). SSUSA is an innovative national campaign to provide 'one-stop shopping' for low income families to receive benefits screening and enrollment, free tax preparation, financial counseling, and legal services. SSUSA manages a network of anti-poverty sites in New York City and has also launched similar sites in San Francisco, Newark, and New Mexico. PJ was previously the Director of Income Policy at FoodChange, where he led the country's largest free tax preparation campaign to serve 43,000 low-income New Yorkers with $80 million in tax refunds and the Earned Income Tax Credit. Under his leadership, the FoodChange team opened hundreds of new bank accounts and enrolled thousands in subsidized health insurance. His previous professional experience includes working as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company's New York City office. He received both his MBA and Master's of Public Administration at Harvard Business School and the Kennedy School of Government. His graduate studies were supported by the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. PJ graduated from Princeton University in 2001 with a degree from the Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs. He is a former Princeton Trustee and board member of the Korean American League for Civic Action.

Sue Lee K. Troutman
Development Director
suelee@drummajorinstitute.org
 
Sue Lee Troutman joined the Drum Major Institute as development director in May 2010, and brings with her nearly ten years of broad-ranging development experience. She most recently worked as the development director at City at Peace (New York), a youth development organization. Prior to that, she served as development director at Equality Now, a women’s human rights organization, and as the major gifts and planned giving officer at the Center for Constitutional Rights, a New York-based nonprofit committed to the creative use of law as a positive force for social change. Prior to becoming a nonprofit development professional, Sue Lee was working toward a Ph.D. in political science at U.C.L.A. and a career in academia. She holds a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and two MA degrees from Columbia University and U.C.L.A.

Tsedey Betru
Director of DMI Scholars
tbetru@drummajorinstitute.org
 
Prior to joining the Drum Major Institute, Tsedey was the Director of Administration for the New York City Center for Charter School Excellence, managing operations for a range of services that support New York City charter schools. She has provided research support to PolicyLink on their Equitable Development Toolkit, the Center for Social Inclusion?s Diversity Advancement Initiative and the Living Cities Milano Collaborative for the Milano Graduate School for Management and Urban Policy. In addition to her work in nonprofit administration and research, Tsedey led national and local mobilization campaigns with young people for the Fannie Lou Hamer Project of the National Voting Rights Institute and the 7th Street McClymonds Neighborhood Improvement Initiative of the San Francisco Foundation. These campaigns aim to build the capacity of youth to become agents of change in their communities. She serves on the Coordinating Committee of The Grassroots Movement, a national grassroots advocacy organization. Originally from Ethiopia, Tsedey grew up in Memphis and currently resides in Manhattan. She has a B.S. in Urban Planning from Cornell University and a M.S. in Nonprofit Management from New School University.

Position Papers and DMI.com Articles
Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You, Ask How to Impact Policies that Impact You by Tsedey Betru, DMIBlog, January 11, 2007