Chad Griffin, Board President

Chad Griffin, founding partner of political and communications strategy firm Griffin|Schake, has spent his career taking on the toughest fights against the most entrenched, well-financed interests like Big Tobacco, Big Oil and the right wing to shape the policy debate around some of the nation’s most important issues, including equal rights, clean energy, universal health care, stem cell research, and early childhood education. Griffin led the largest ballot initiative ever recorded, Proposition 87: California’s Clean Alternative Energy Initiative; Proposition 10, which generates $600 million a year to early childhood education; and Proposition 71, which secured billions of dollars for stem cell research despite the Bush Administration ban.

Griffin’s fundraising and strategic counsel in the final weeks of the campaign to oppose Proposition 8 earned him selection as one of “The Advocate’s” 2008 People of the Year. A veteran of the Clinton White House communications team, Griffin was the youngest staffer ever to serve in the West Wing. He is an executive producer of the recently released Kirby Dick film “Outrage.”

Dustin Lance Black, Board Member

Lance Black is an award winning screenwriter, director, and producer. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for “MILK” and was a writer and producer of the television series “Big Love.” He just completed his feature directorial debut, “What’s Wrong with Virginia.” Black is a noted equal rights advocate, and was a leading opponent of Proposition 8 during the 2008 election. He was named by The Advocate magazine as one of its top “Forty Under 40.”

Bruce Cohen, Board Member

Bruce Cohen and his producing partner Dan Jinks produced the Academy Award-winning film “MILK” and won the Academy Award for Best Picture for producing “American Beauty.” Their work also includes “Down With Love,” “Big Fish,” “The Forgotten,” “The Nines” and the Emmy-winning television series “Pushing Daisies.” Cohen served on the National Finance Committee of Hillary for President, the National LGBT Steering Committee of Obama for America and was Chair of the LA Finance Committee for NO ON 8. Cohen is a member of ANGLE, a Los Angeles-based LGBT political organization, and is the recipient of numerous awards for his work for equal rights. A Yale graduate, Cohen has also served on the Board of Governors of the Producers Guild of America since 2002 and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Producer’s Council since 2007. In May 2008, Cohen and his husband, Gabe Catone, were the first LGBT couple to be married by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Michele Singer Reiner, Board Member

An accomplished photographer, producer, and children’s advocate, Reiner co-founded Parents’ Action for Children (formerly the I Am Your Child Foundation). She produced the prime-time ABC special “I Am Your Child” and worked with Newsweek magazine to produce a special parenting issue dedicated to early-childhood issues. Other credits include a series of nationally distributed videos that have helped educate thousands of parents, caregivers and professionals on topics relating to early childhood development. These films were produced in English and Spanish and are given to every birth mother in the state of California. She has also produced numerous public service announcements featuring Meg Ryan, Bruce Willis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Jennifer Aniston, among others, and directed a series of advertisements for Gold Star Families for Peace, an organization comprising families of service-members killed in action.

Rob Reiner, Board Member

Actor and Director Rob Reiner has been a leader in elevating the issue of pre Kindergarten education and other services for children ages 0 to 5. He chaired the campaign to pass Prop. 10, the California Children and Families Initiative, and chaired from 1999-2006 First 5 California, the state agency responsible for allocating $600 million a year for health, education and other services for young children and parents. He recently played a key role in defeating Prop. 1D, which would have gutted critical programs for California children. Reiner has also championed open space preservation, alternative energy and has played active roles in a number of campaigns. Reiner is one of the nation’s most accomplished actors and directors, including his Emmy Award-winning role in “All in the Family” and directing “This is Spinal Tap,” “Stand by Me,” “The Princess Bride,” “When Harry Met Sally,” “Misery,” “A Few Good Men,” “The American President,” “Rumor Has It,” and “The Bucket List.”

Kristina Schake, Board Member

Kristina Schake, founding partner of political and communications strategy firm Griffin|Schake, has directed communications and media campaigns for some of the nation’s most prominent changemaking individuals, organizations, campaigns and events. She is currently the chief communications strategist for California First Lady Maria Shriver and The Women’s Conference, the nation’s premier forum for women, along with being a top advisor to the U.S. Green Building Council and The California Endowment, California’s largest healthcare foundation. Her experience includes serving as Global Communications Director for the Live Earth concert series in 2007, along with acting as the first Communications Director of the California Children and Families Commission and as Executive Director of the I Am Your Child foundation.

Adam Umhoefer, Senior Project Director

Adam Umhoefer has spent many years working in politics and non-profit management. Prior to taking on the role of Senior Project Director with AFER, Umhoefer spent the better part of 2008 working on President Obama’s campaign in Montana. Earlier, at Andy Spahn & Associates, Inc., Umhoefer worked with individuals and non-profit companies, consulting on strategic philanthropy, government affairs, public relations and fundraising. He also spent several years working at the Institute for Educational Advancement, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving high-potential youth. Working first as a Program Coordinator and eventually in upper management, Umhoefer played a key role in all company affairs. As Program Manager, he directed the operations of programs and staff nationwide, including four project sites in three states. He graduated from the Arts and Sciences Honors Program at Boston College and is a native of Racine, Wisconsin.

Yusef Robb, Communications Director

Yusef Robb has led strategic communications initiatives for high-profile individuals, major philanthropies, civil rights organizations, state and federal trials and appeals, an HMO, sustainable businesses, healthcare and environmental policy movements, post-Katrina rebuilding projects, national anti-smoking initiatives, film releases and more.

Robb was Chief of Staff to the California State Controller after holding key posts in the CA Governor’s and LA Mayor’s offices and working in New York and California for a presidential, four gubernatorial, three ballot initiative, and a controller’s race. Robb has led communications initiatives across the globe, including on the ground in London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Rio de Janiero. He was previously an account executive with Sumner Rider & Associates in New York.

He holds a BA and MA from NYU, where he was executive editor of the daily Washington Square News.

Advisory Board

Robert A. Levy, Co-Chair

Robert A. Levy is chairman of the Cato Institute. He also sits on boards of the Institute for Justice, the Federalist Society, and the George Mason University School of Law. From 1997 until 2004, Levy was an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University. Levy received his Ph.D. in business from the American University and his J.D. degree from the George Mason University School of Law.

John Podesta, Co-Chair

John Podesta is the President and CEO of the Center for American Progress. Prior to founding the Center in 2003, Podesta served as White House Chief of Staff to President William J. Clinton. He served in the president’s cabinet and as a principal on the National Security Council. Most recently, Podesta served as co-chair of President Obama’s transition team. He is currently a visiting professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center.

Julian Bond

Julian Bond is Chairman of the NAACP Board of Directors. He co-founded and was the first president of the Southern Poverty Law Center and was a founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He served more than 20 years in the Georgia legislature after a 1966 U.S. Supreme Court ruling held that the Georgia House of Representatives unconstitutionally denied him the seat he had won.

Lt. Dan Choi

Lt. Dan Choi, an Iraq War combat veteran, was an Army Officer until he was honorably discharged under the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in July 2010. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with degrees in Arabic and environmental engineering. Choi is a leading advocate against the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

Margaret Hoover

Margaret Hoover is a commentator on issues ranging from American politics to pop-culture. She is a Fox News Contributor, has guest co-hosted The View on ABC, and appeared on NBC’s The Today Show, CNN’s Larry King Live, CBS’s The Early Show and PBS. Ms. Hoover served in George W. Bush’s White House, is a veteran of two Republican Presidential efforts and worked on Capitol Hill. She is an advocate for reforming the Republican Party through renewed emphasis on the conservative principles of individual freedom, fiscal responsibility and strong national security.

Dolores Huerta

Dolores Huerta, President of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, co-founded the United Farm Workers of America with Cesar Chavez, and is a recipient of US Presidential Human Rights Award. She has led national efforts to stop the exploitation of farm workers and extend government protections and equal rights. She is a former Regent of the University of California.

Cleve Jones

Cleve Jones founded the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, which today honors more than 85,000 Americans, with affiliates of the Project active in more than 50 countries around the world. He was an aide to San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk and a consultant to two California Assembly speakers.

David Mixner

David Mixner’s career spans the McGovern for president campaign to those of Gary Hart and Bill Clinton. After serving as campaign manager to Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, he led the successful fight against California’s Proposition 6, also known as the Briggs Amendment, which would have banned gays and lesbians from being teachers.

Stuart Milk

Stuart Milk, the openly gay nephew of the late San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, today continues to spread his uncle’s message of hope for an America that provides equality to all. He has been a vocal advocate for LGBT equality around the world and for civil rights in the U.S., and recently accepted from President Obama the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, on behalf of Harvey Milk.

Hilary Rosen

Hilary Rosen is a Huffington Post editor-at-large and a CNN political contributor. A former Chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of American (RIAA), she also is currently Managing Partner of the Brunswick Group in Washington. Rosen serves on the boards of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the Creative Coalition and the Center for American Progress Action Fund. She has served two U.S. Senators and has lobbied and advocated for civil rights for 25 years.

Judy Shepard

Judy and Dennis Shepard founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation in memory of their 21-year old son, Matthew, who was murdered in an anti-gay hate crime in Wyoming in October 1998. The Foundation seeks to “Replace Hate with Understanding, Compassion & Acceptance” through its varied educational, outreach and advocacy programs and by continuing to tell Matthew’s story.