2023 Presenters


AgendaKeynote Address | Media Credentials | Media Kit | Fundraiser with Lee Camp | Workshops | Presenters | George Martin | Videos


Peter Kalmus: Keynote Speaker

Peter Kalmus is a climate scientist and author of Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution

The Guardian recently published an essay of his titled "Joe Biden must declare a climate emergency. And he must do so now"

 

 

 

 

 


Lee Camp: Comedy Fundraiser

Lee is the head writer and host of the national TV show Redacted Tonight with Lee Camp on RT America. He’s a former contributor to The Onion, former staff humor writer for the Huffington Post, and his web series “Moment of Clarity” has been viewed by millions.

He’s toured the country and the world with his fierce brand of standup comedy, and George Carlin’s daughter, Kelly, said Lee is one of the few comics keeping her father’s torch lit. Bill Hicks’ brother, Steve, said Lee is one of only a handful with Bill’s “message and passion.”

 

 

 

 


AJ Reed
they/them

AJ has been a Green since 2007 who has served in different capacities at the local, state, national, and international levels. They also have been an organizer and political strategies for over 20 years by working with many organizations and movements over the years.

As a scholar, they a human geographer that critically examines society, culture, and politics in urban and rural environments.

 

 

 


Aly Schmidt

Aly Schmidt is an activist and organizer in South Texas. She is proud to stand with climate activists, environmentalists, and indigenous people against environmentally disastrous LNG pipelines and terminals planned for Brownsville, Texas.

An aspiring cat lady, Aly does TNR (Trap, Neuter, Release) for local community cats. 

 

 

 

 


Ann Link

My Green Party engagement came at a "Cures, Not Wars" event in NYC in 1995 when someone gave me a handout and suggested I could be part of building a party in line with my political values. Before that I was involved in anti-war and pro-choice street actions in NYC and Cincinnati. Since then I have worked at the local, state and national level supporting Green Party candidates and party structures.

Among other positions, I served as secretary of the GPUS Senatorial Campaign Committee in 2010, as a women's caucus delegate to the GPUS National Committee in 2018, and as GPUS Media Coordinator in 2018. From 2020 to 2022 I was chair of the GPUS National Women’s Caucus and I remain active on the GPUS Media Committee.

 

 


Austin Bashore

Austin Bashore is the co-chair of the international committee of the Green Party of the United States and an international observer of the Green Party Korea. He has been closely working with Green Parties and organizations in East Asia to help to bring an end to the Korean War once and for all.

 

 

 

 

 


Bekah Hinojosa

Rio Grande Valley native Bekah Hinojosa is a longtime environmental activist and community organizer. After an unjust political arrest for opposing Elon Musk's SpaceX, her community rallied to support her under the slogan "Free RGV Bekah."

She was recently featured in a segment on Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman. In her spare time she enjoys making ceramics and playing with her cat.

 

 


Bill Kreml
he/him

Bill Kreml Overeducated, with a JD from Northwestern University and a political science Ph.D. from Indiana University studying under Nobel Prize winning Elinor Ostrom, I began my graduate work by contrasting the personalities of the two most important ideological figures in our nation's foundinng, Jefferson and Hamilton. My Ph.D. dissertation was made part of the Hans Eysenck psychology series, published by Pergamon Press, London. I continued to work on the development of an original political theory by contrasting the cognitive preferences of the two greatest German Idealists, Kant and Hegel. I have published nine single author, non-edited books and countless chapters and articles. I have also participated in the real world of politics, winning at least some support in twenty-one states and finishing second in the 2016 Green presidential primaries.

Learn more about Bill and view his list of publications.


Chris Blankenhorn

Chris Blankenhorn is currently the Illinois Green Party Secretary, a former Green Party US Co-Chair, and served as the Hawkins/Walked 2020 campaign's Social Media and Tech Director. He has worked as a community organizer and Field Director of a community organization, organized on campus as a student, and with the Green Party one the local, state, and national level.


Craig Seeman
he/him

Craig Seeman, who has been a six-time Green candidate, became the first Green and vegetarian to run for office in NYC in 1994. Craig became vegetarian 38 years ago and has been vegan for the last 10 years. 

Craig helped form the Green Party Animal Rights Committee with National Committee approval in 2016 along with then fellow co-chair Mary Lawrence. Inspiration came from the formation of the Green Party of England and Wales Animal Protection Committee by Animal Liberation Front founder Ronnie Lee. 

His Green politics is influenced by the Green Party of Minnesota’s founder Greta Gaard, an Eco Feminist Animal Rights activist and author. 

Locally he videos and distributes animal rights actions and speeches in NYC and has lobbied both the NYC Council and NY State Legislators in support of animal-specific legislation. In NYC his political efforts resulted in the creation of the Mayor’s Office of Animal Welfare.

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/seemancraig
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@seecraig/videos
Instagram @craiggreenkat


Darryl! Moch

Darryl! L.C. Moch currently serves as Chair of the DC Statehood Green Party in Washington, DC and co-chair of the GPUS National Back Caucus. He is a former National Co-chair of the USGP and has served on the Finance, Platform, DRC, Media, Diversity, CCC and other committee.

A few election cycles ago, Darryl! served in an interim capacity managing the party accounts and funds and transacting financial affairs. He ran in November 2022 Chair of the DC City Council, and for the DC City Council in the 2010 primary.

He has served as an adviser to campaigns and candidates in various parts of the country, locally, regionally, and nationally. He is currently on the board of Green Horizons. He is also the director of the Charm City Labor Chorus.


Dee Taylor

Dee grew up in Maryland and moved to Utah in 1997. She joined the Green Party of Utah in 2000, serving over the years as state party Co-Chair, Secretary, and Delegate to the GPUS. Dee was a Green Party 2006 candidate for Salt Lake County Council and later was elected for two consecutive terms as Secretary of the Fairpark Community Council, a recognized community organization of the Salt Lake City Government. Dee has served in the GPUS as a member of the GPAX, Ecoaction, and Green Pages Committees and is currently a Co-Chair of the Annual National Meeting Committee. She is also currently a Co-Chair of the National Women’s Caucus.

Dee has spent her professional career in public education for over 40 years as a music and special education teacher, special education director, and provider of professional learning and technical assistance to teachers statewide. She is currently employed at the Utah State Board of Education as a Postsecondary Transition Specialist. Dee has earned an M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction and an M.Ed. in Special education/Transition Specialist.

Dee lives in Salt Lake City with her husband, Tom King. They have four children, six grandchildren, and a cat named Moki. Growing food is a priority for Dee and Tom and they spend their non-working non-Green Party time focusing on food resilience education in their community. They love to hike and camp and travel by car around the country.


Haig Hovaness

Haig Hovaness is a peace activist with a professional background in information technology. He is the Co-Chair of the Peace Action Committee of the Green Party of the United States.

He has written and presented on a variety of defense-related technology issues. He holds an MBA from New York University.

 

 

 

 


Holly Hart

Holly Hart has extensive experience at the local and state level politics and initiatives. She sought and gained bi-partisan legislative support for an expanded ballot status option bill in 2001-2003, and served as a consultant in a related Green/Libertarian lawsuit successfully settled out of court, allowing voters the option to register as members of third parties. She was also a consultant in a successful lawsuit expanding the right to collect candidate petition signatures in public and certain private spaces.

Holly has served on the Iowa City Housing and Community Development Commission and on the Secretary of State’s HAVA Task Force. She coordinated ballot access petitioning in her state for the Green presidential candidates since the early 2000’s.

She oversaw or assisted with ballot filing paperwork nationally for several presidential campaigns. Holly was also the IAGP candidate for Lt Gov in 2002. (Slate was endorsed by the statewide Latino weekly "El Communicador.”)

Holly has served as a volunteer with several local campaigns, including campaign treasurer. She was also a panelist on women in electoral politics program (the only representative of a third party), presented by the University of Iowa Women's Resource and Action Center. Holly is a member of Iowans for Voting Integrity; Iowans for Palestine; local Single-Payer Action; PEACE Iowa, Food and Water Watch and Better Ballots Iowa.


Howard Switzer

Howard Switzer is an ecological architect who taught sustainable pre-industrial building methods for 20 years and was a co-founder of the Nashville Peace and Justice Center. He ran for governor of Tennessee in 2006 and 2010 and for Congress in 2012 to gain standing in court to sue the state for its unconstitutional ballot access laws. In 2018 he helped found a new organization and is the former president of the Alliance For Just Money

He is co-chair of the Banking and Monetary Reform Committee of the Green Party of the United States. He is an active advocate for monetary reform and member and an advisor to the American Monetary Institute.

 


Howie Hawkins

Howie Hawkins, NY Green Party, 2020 Green Party presidential nominee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Joe Martin

While growing up in Ohio, Joe Martin was involved in several social causes including reform within the City of Cincinnati's police department, humane treatment of animals at local farms and the anti-war movement. Martin first got into green politics while attending Wright State University: joining others to form a Campus Greens chapter along with assisting the Nader campaign and other local green candidates during the 2000 election cycle.

Joe now resides in South Carolina with his wife and three children, where he ran for a state house seat in 2012 as a Green Party candidate. Joe is a former member of the United Food and Commercial Workers labor union along with experience in social services management and auto manufacturing with BMW.


Justin Paglino

Justin Paglino: Justin Paglino is a member of EcoAction from Connecticut and twice ran for Congress. He holds a medical degree from Brown University and a doctorate in virology from Yale University. He left Yale in 2018 to become a full-time musician, music teacher and political activist.

His Congressional campaigns focused on providing health care for all, clean energy, a fair economy and a foreign policy that promotes world peace. He favors ranked-choice voting.

 

 

 


Kristin Combs

Kristin grew up in Texas, moved to Philadelphia in 2009, and recently relocate to Kent, Ohio. A decade ago, she met Cheri Honkala and started working with the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign. Through that she learned about and joined the Green Party. In 2015 she ran for Philadelphia city-council at large, winning endorsements from almost every socialist organization in the city and several key labor organizations. She ran a dollar per vote campaign and secured one third of what would be her win number, showing that our green message really does resonate with the people of Philadelphia. The following year, she ran for Pennsylvania State Treasure. Her vote total hit the threshold needed to give the Green Party of Pennsylvania minor party status.

Kristin's also served in Green leadership at the local, state, and national level. During her term as chair of GPPA, they tripled the annual budget, did a full review of the bylaws, and reworked the party structure to ensure it reflected our grassroots values. During her time on the National steering committee, she partnered with a six person team that met in person to coordinate the virtual 2020 Presidential Nominating Convention and took the lead to ensure credentialing continued in spite of many challenges.

In her day-to-day life, Kristin works with school districts across the country. She helps districts build safeguards into high schools that ensure equitable programming for students, particularly students who have been historically undeserved and underestimated.


Linda Templin

Linda Templin, CO Green Party, Executive Director at Ranked Choice Voting for Colorado

 


Margaret Elisabeth

I was born in Knoxville, TN and was put up for adoption when I was 2. I was adopted by a couple who worked for Esso (Exxon) and we moved to Libya when I was 6. I was raised there until I moved back to the United States during the summer I turned 16. I am grateful for that experience in more ways than I can possibly count.

I grew up without access to television, print media or radio, with only the school library available as any form of diversion and I ended up reading every book in the library - twice. After reading an encyclopedia entry about telescopes, I took apart a microscope and built my own so I could look at the moon and stars for myself. Because of that experience growing up I highly value science and the scientific method for acquiring useful knowledge about our world and the universe we find ourselves drifting through.

I've been involved in Green activism for the last 25 years with a specific focus upon "Leave-No-Trace" music and art festivals, non-monetary barter-based economies, and community wellness services. My friends and I created an event called 'Playa del Fuego' in 1998 and it's been going ever since. I have voted Green ever since Ralph Nader ran in 2000 and I formally joined the National Party in 2016 to help run the 'Washington State for Jill Stein' and 'Jill Stein Dank Meme Stash' pages on Facebook.

I've been honored and grateful to receive the support and trust of my peers in the National Green Party, first in the National Lavender Green Caucus (LGBTQIA+), initially representing the Caucus as a National Delegate and currently as a Co-Chair and Media Spokesperson. Subsequent to this election, I stood for the Co-Chair of the Steering Committee for the Green Party of the United States - winning that election. I've recently been reelected to that position and look forward to the challenges facing the Party. Additionally, I'm the current Chair of the Green Party of Washington and a member of the Green Party of Seattle.

I believe that the Green Party of the United States is the best chance we have of making real, substantial change in the United States and I'm proud to be a part of it.

I want to be the first transgender candidate elected to Seattle City Council to help secure an Evergreen future for us all.


2023-presenters_0001_Mark_Dunlea.jpgMark Dunlea

Mark Dunlea: Mark Dunlea is a co-founder of the Green Party of NYS and co-chair of the EcoAction committee of GPUS. He is the author of Putting Out the Planetary Fire: An Introduction to Climate Change and Advocacy. He helped coordinate the successful campagins to divest the NYC and NYS public pension funds from fossil fuels.

He was Howie Hawkins campaign manager in 2010 for Governor of NY when he launched the Green New Deal. He has managed numerous GP campaigns for local, state and national office, including being Jill Stein's President campaign manager in 2016. He has been elected to office as a Green.

 

 


Matt Cleveland

Matt got his start DJ-ing at Millersville University's radio station. He is a DJ with 30 years of experience providing entertainment for events of all kinds. Based in Lancaster County, he has performed at various prestigious venues across the state and beyond, including weddings, corporate events, and private parties. Matt's extensive knowledge of music genres, coupled with his ability to read a crowd, enables him to create a unique and unforgettable experience for his audiences. He is also known for his professionalism, and attention to detail, making him a sought-after DJ in the industry.

He has been volunteering for progressive charities and candidates since he started his company, Occasions Dis Jockeys. First, it was playing music, but for more than a decade his services have included many crowd-favorite games similar to TV's Family Feud and Wheel of Fortune, along with fun games like music bingo and others.

Matt became a green when Ralph Nader ran for president as a Green. He helped to unsuccessfully defend Bob Casey's attack on the PA Greens ballots access in 2006. He co-founded the Lancaster County Green chapter and was the first secretary.


Mike Feinstein

Mike Feinstein is a co-founder of the Green Party of California, a former co-chair of the Green

Party US (GPUS) and a former Green Mayor and City Councilmember in Santa Monica, California.

Since 1994 Feinstein has tracked and maintained the list of Greens running for public office across the United States. Today he does that work as Co-administrator of the GPUS Elections Data Base and as an advisor to the GPUS Coordinated Campaign Committee.

Mike Feinstein, CA Green Party, former city councilor and mayor of Santa Monica CA

 


Nancy Wallace

Nancy Wallace has been a Green for 20 years, and local co-chair of Montgomery County, MD for 8 years, when not running for office. She ran for Congress in 2016. Last year, she ran for governor of MD and gained a 40% increase in votes from the previous cycle (wallaceforgovernor.us).

In the 1990s, she led a national drive to increase federal funding for women's family planning and reproductive health care which resulted in the largest non-military increase in foreign aid four years in a row, to a total of half a billion dollars. She served on the Advisory Board of the national non-profit VerifiedVoting.org for 10 years to ensure voter-verified, paper audit trails for electronic voting machines.

She helped found Male Contraceptive Initiative (malecontraceptive.org) in 2012, to spur development and approval of safe, reversible, accessible contraception for men.


Nathan Kline

Nathan Kline is a lifelong resident of Kansas City, Missouri and is a graduate of Kansas City Art Institute, Nathan has a strong background in both the public and private sector, management and administration. With twenty-five years of hospitality management experience, he brought his skill set to the public sector in 2013 to work for the City Planning and Development Department of the City of Kansas City, Missouri where he currently is dedicated to public service.

Nathan has been a supporter and volunteer of the Green Party since the 1996 Ralph Nader campaign for president after finally coming to the realization that the two corporate parties are irredeemably corrupt. His campaign for Jackson County, Missouri Executive in 2018 garnered over 34,000 votes as a Green Party candidate. In 2020 he ran as a Green Party candidate for Missouri Senate District 7 and received over 15,000 votes. He currently serves as Outreach Officer for the Green Party of Kansas City Missouri where he works to grow the influence of the party locally.

As an avid student of history, political science, economics, philosophy and the arts, Nathan continually seeks to bridge the gap between theory and practice to achieve a sustainable, just and peaceful society. For Nathan, the Green Party, as the only significant political party in the US that is not wholly captured by corporations and billionaires, is the only vehicle that can achieve these goals. He also feels that the unique international reach of the Green Party makes it the only political movement in the world capable of uniting humanity in defense of all future generations and all other Earthlings who cannot represent themselves at this crucial juncture in human history.

"The free market has failed to adequately address the most pressing issues for Humanity. Re-imagining and implementing a path toward a very different society that can make us resilient in the face of the onrushing climate emergency must be our overarching concern. We need an economic policy focused on meeting peoples' needs instead of fulfilling billionaires' greed so that we can forge a sustainable future for our children and grandchildren." --Nathan Kline

Nathan is a champion for transforming our government into a conduit of the People's will and a vehicle to better the lives of working people, as opposed to a concierge service for the rich and well connected. He is a tireless advocate to reverse the profit-driven corporate takeover of health care, education, energy, and the rest of our economy that has failed us so dramatically, that understands that only a worldwide, mass, political movement can get us from here to there.


Philena Farley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Rick Lass

Rick has been involved with Green Politics since 1995, as a party chair, candidate, press secretary, and campaign manager. He led the successful Ballot Access drive for the Stein/Baraka campaign in 2016. He lives in Mimbres NM.

 

 

 

 

 

 


Robin Harris
she/hers/they

Robin Harris is a social justice activist, writer, poet, public speaker, tour guide, and history enthusiast. A Texas Native, Robin currently lives in Central Florida, where she fights alongside other Florida-based activists. She has spoken at press conferences and rallies, organized community events, and engaged in lobbying and civil disobedience protests in Florida and in Washington, DC.

Robin is a former Co-Chair of the Green Party of Florida. She is also a former Co-Chair of the Green Party's National Black Caucus.

 


Robin Laurain

Laurain has represented at different times both Michigan and the Lavender Caucus as a rep on the BAC. Co-Chair of the GPMI two times, Laurain has encouraged her State to help other State Parties maintain their Ballot Access.

As Co-Chair of the GPUS Outreach Committee, she has helped create new State Parties which will then seek BA.

Laurain was the top Green vote getter in her State when she ran for Michigan State University Board of Trustee in 2022 which helped Michigan retain its ballot access. She is currently seeking the 2024 Michigan Board of Trustee position from GPMI.

 


Ryan Swan

Ryan Swan is a Fellow and Gerda Henkel Doctoral Scholar at the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies in Bonn, Germany. His doctoral research focuses on the effects of emerging military technologies on deterrence dynamics with a specific focus on US-China relations.

He holds an M.Phil. in International Relations and Politics from Trinity Hall, Cambridge and a J.D. from the UCLA School of Law.

 

 


Scott Laugenour

 

 

 


Starlene Rankin

Starlene Rankin has been a Green Party activist since 1996. She has worked on many Green Party electoral campaigns as a staff member or a volunteer. She was on the staff for 5 years with the national party doing fundraising, volunteer coordination and office management and now is an Organizer for the Green Party of Washington State and the Pacifici Green Party of Oregon.

In the 90s, Starlene worked as a manager for the Ames (Iowa) Public Access TV Studio for several years and also produced and hosted her own live shows and worked as a freelance videographer.

 

 


Tamar Yager

My professional work background is in development, meeting planning and non-profit marketing/administration. I've had some great jobs over the past 30 years; I was a community organizer for the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. I worked for many years at Actors Theatre in the marketing department. I was a federal grants writer for the Louisville Metro Government and most recently I was the Community Manager for my housing cooperative until it was bought out by a developer

My work, volunteer and political experience is broad. I was chosen by our town council to serve on the Board of Zoning Appeals, which is a constitutional office.

I also serve on the board of our local United Way. I have served in roles on various candidate and issue campaigns since I joined the party in 2006. I feel I can bring a balanced view to the Steering Committee and as a liaison to other committees at GPUS.

Some have said I am a voice of reason because I listen to all sides and try to reach compromise. I try to find common ground on issues while still maintaining the letter and spirit of our rules


Tom Yager

Tom Yager joined the Green Party of Virginia in 2001. He has served as Co-chair of his state party and has recruited and helped to elect local Green candidates in Virginia.

Tom has been active in the national Green Party since 2003. He has served as Co-chair of the Ballot Access Committee and the Presidential Campaign Support Committee. In 2012, he led the petition drive to get Jill Stein on the ballot in Virginia. He was the volunteer coordinator for Jill's campaign in the northern Shenandoah Valley in 2016.

Tom's other interests include hiking and serving on the board of his county's Humane Society. He lives in Front Royal with his wife Tamar and Kacey Cat.


Tony Ndege

Tony Ndege is presently serving as a cochair of the Green Party US Steering Committee. He is a lifelong activist and organizer having organized or co-organized hundreds of events in various Peace, Labor, Racial Justice, Environmental, LGBTQ+ Equality and Migrant Justice movements.

Tony has served as a cochair of the GPUS Ballot Access Committee since 2021. He also played a central role in NC Green Party achieving historic ballot access in 2018 and again in 2022 gathering thousands of signatures and recruiting dozens of grassroots petitioners.

He also helped to establish the NC Green Party as a dues paying member driven state party. More about Tony can be found here https://www.gp.org/tony_ndege

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