Team

Melissa Clouthier
HOST ORGANIZER
Melissa is a blogger. She has written at ProteinWisdom, RightWingNews, RedState, PajamasMedia, DC Caller. Melissa writes at her own blog MelissaBlogs.com and owns the podcasting site LibertyPundits.com where she has a personal podcast The Right Doctor and a podcast with Andrew Malcolm, politics writer at Investors Business Daily called Malcolm & Melissa. Melissa provided election coverage for the BBC in November, 2008. Melissa also microblogs (aka: tweets). She loves social media and bloggers and helping people learn to do these things to promote the conservative cause. Melissa is also a chiropractor who practices with her husband in Texas. She has three kids and two dogs. Follow her @MelissaTweets.

Ali Akbar
HOST ORGANIZER
Ali got his start by blogging, eventually becoming one of the most read political bloggers on MySpace. Remember, it was popular once upon a time. Recently, he returned to the blogosphere, although many would say he never left. Ali is the Vice President of Digital Strategy with Vice and Victory Agency, LLC, a firm specializing in political marketing on the digital medium as well as general public affairs and coalition building. He is the Publisher of Tea Party Brew, published by the content arm of his operation, Pundit Syndication. He is also a contributor to Andrew Brietbart’s BigJournalism.com and Technorati.com—one of the most trafficked sites in North America. Never missing a moment to fight the establishment, he was one of the first few National Tax Day Tea Party coordinators in February of 2009, building much of the technical infrastructure that led to the most successful protest in American history—with at least 1.2 million people attending in 81 cities organically. His work has been seen on every major network and publication and his opinion pieces have appeared on well known publications and blogs, including The Daily Caller, PBS, Fox News, GBTV, RedState, The Dallas Morning News, and NPR. He tweets @ali.

Aaron Marks
HOST ORGANIZER
Aaron is a wearer of many hats, including those of an entrepreneur, blogger, and online political strategist. Aaron serves as a partner in Vice and Victory Agency, LLC, his third business venture, which is a new media firm serving both political and non-political clients clients, and has offices around the country. His previous clients include candidates, organizations, and non-profits at all levels, including Presidential, U.S. Senatorial, Congressional, Gubernatorial, and many others. Aaron has been at the forefront of new media and technology for nearly a decade, building websites and web applications and helping organizations create an online foothold. He has also spoken at a number of political conferences, helping to train activists around the country on how to use new media effectively. Aaron is also a member of the faculty at the Leadership Institute. He tweets @AaronMMarks.

Devon Wills
DIRECTOR
Devon is a young consultant with the heart of an activist. After piddling with some projects during the 2008 cycle, getting his real start in politics was not the smoothest. He dove into his position as Account Executive at Republic Modern Media in the spring of 2010, where he had the privilege of working with some of the cycle’s more spirited candidates, like Christine O’Donnell and Doug Hoffman. He recently started his own firm, The Wills Group LLC, to satisfy the entrepreneurial spirit he had thirsted for for years. Ambitious, eager and hungry, he can’t wait to make his mark in the conservative movement. His firm also works with faith-based groups, churches, and musicians. He tweets @devonwills.

Lyndsey Fifield
OPERATIONS MANAGER
Lyndsey is an account executive at CRAFT Media / Digital on Capitol Hill. A blogger since 1999 (anyone remember Diaryland?), Fifield has a passion for online communication. Early in her writing career, she discovered the conservative blogosphere and its monumental influence on grassroots activism and moving information. She has worked with a number of political consulting firms and campaigns, specializing in research and development, blogger outreach, and social media. She tweets @lyndseyfifield.

Abigail (Abby) Alger
COORDINATOR
Abby is the Director of Digital Communications for the Leadership Institute. Previously, Abigail was New Media Manager for CampusReform.org, the Leadership Institute’s grassroots mobilization site for conservative college students. Before coming to the Institute, Abigail worked as a New Media Strategist for Terra Eclipse, a political web development firm in northern California, and as a Junior Associate for the David All Group, an online communications and branding firm in Washington, DC. She tweets @abbyalger.

Bill Murphy
COORDINATOR
Bill is an experienced digital public affairs strategist and grassroots political activist. He has served on multiple state and national campaigns successfully advocating for conservative principles and candidates. Jersey born and raised, after a brief stint away from the Garden State, Bill now resides in Jersey City. You can find him @billmurphy.

Jade Morey
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
Jade is the Southeast Director of Business Development at GoVote.com.  She tweets @JadeMorey.