MEET THE TEAM

Steve Rosenthal, President

For over 20 years, Steve Rosenthal has been at the center of Democratic politics and policy, having served as the CEO of America Coming Together, political director of the AFL-CIO, and communications director for one of America’s largest labor unions, among his many positions. Steve has been described by the New York Times as one of the Democratic Party’s “smartest and most influential strategists” and by the Washington Post as, “one of the party’s best-known voter turnout specialists.”

In 2005, Steve co-founded The Organizing Group Inc. (TOG). Since that time, Steve has, along with Mary Beth Cahill and Michael Whouley, founded the Atlas Project, a client of TOG that provides clients with customized, in-depth strategic roadmaps to victory in 15 battleground states. These roadmaps represent the collaboration of the best strategic thinkers at the state and national level. In addition, the Atlas Project has been tasked with building the institutional memory of the Democratic Party. The Atlas Project has collected, catalogued, and analyzed campaign plans, budgets, polls and other key documents gathered from political operatives and institutions around the country. Steve also launched They Work for Us, a separate client organization whose mission is to hold members of Congress accountable to the populist vision at the heart of the Democratic Party. This 501© (4) works to ensure that Congress will use its power to serve the interests of workers and consumers by monitoring members’ voting behavior on issues such as trade, living standards, worker rights, health care, bankruptcy, energy and class action issues.

Prior to founding the Organizing Group, Steve was one of the founders and Chief Executive Officer of America Coming Together (ACT), an organization aimed at empowering and mobilizing progressive voters. Under his direction, ACT spent over $142 million and built the largest voter mobilization campaign in Democratic history. ACT launched year-long state, county and precinct-level organizing campaigns in 12 battleground states in support of progressive candidates. ACT’s integration of leading-edge technology, research, and targeting methodologies set a new standard for future campaigns and helped achieve the largest Democratic turnout in history. In January 2005, independent political analyst Charlie Cook described ACT’s work in the National Journal:

“Democrats, chiefly through America Coming Together, mounted what was not only the most sophisticated get-out-the-vote operation in the party’s history, but it was probably the best field work by a factor of at least 10.”

Steve also served for seven years as political director of the AFL-CIO, where he oversaw budgets ranging from $32 to $50 million per election cycle. He designed and directed Labor ‘96, Labor ‘98, Labor 2000 and Labor 2002 which were the Labor Movement’s unified grassroots mobilizations that helped put working families back at the center of the national debate. Business Week described him in 1996 as “Newt Gingrich’s worst nightmare,” and when he left the AFL-CIO the New York Times reported that, “Many union leaders give Mr. Rosenthal credit for transforming organized labor’s feeble, forgettable campaign operation into one that many political analysts say is the most effective in the nation.” In an article entitled “The Democrats’ Mr. Results” Time Magazine said, “Few in Democratic politics have shown the kind of results that Rosenthal did as head of the AFL-CIO’s political operation from ‘96 to ‘02.”
During the first three years of the Clinton Administration, Steve served as Associate Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor where he acted as former-Secretary Robert Reich’s chief advisor on policy and legislation related to union matters. Before that he was Deputy Political Director for the Democratic National Committee under Chairman Ron Brown and Political Director Paul Tully.

Steve worked for the Communications Workers of America for twelve years—six in New Jersey and six at the national headquarters in Washington, D.C. He served as the union’s Communications Director, as well as Assistant to former CWA President Morton Bahr.

Prior to his tenure at CWA Steve managed and consulted with congressional, state and local campaigns in his home state of New York and also worked for the New York State Legislature. Steve has worked in every Democratic presidential effort since 1972.

Jenna Papadopoulos Fullmer, Associate

Jenna joined The Organizing Group in May 2007. She both manages the day-to-day operations for TOG and works with clients to ensure that all of their needs are executed carefully and efficiently from start to finish. In addition to writing voter contact plans, Jenna coordinates all aspects of campaigns including direct mail, phones, polling, paid media, online and field. Jenna has managed several organizing campaigns throughout the country since joining the team.

Previously, Jenna worked for two Washington-based Democratic fundraising firms. At Christensen & Associates, she coordinated events and managed donor databases for the congressional campaigns of Reps. Zach Space (OH-18) and Jerry McNerney (CA-11). At the Arum Group, LLC, Jenna organized events, wrote direct mail pieces, and assisted numerous members of Congress with large donor fundraising. In particular, she worked closely with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Leadership PAC. She has also worked for several Democratic state legislative campaigns in Virginia.

Jenna is a native of South Jersey and a dedicated Philadelphia Phillies Fan. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from American University with a degree in Political Science.