Donald Ross, Principal & CEO, is a founding partner of M+R and its affiliate, Malkin & Ross, a top 10 lobbying firm in Albany, NY. Donald has been helping shape public policy since 1970, when he joined Ralph Nader as a consumer attorney, then as director of Nader's Citizen Action Group. He went on to organize many of the nation's Public Interest Research Groups and served nine years as director of the New York PIRG, which under his direction grew to be the largest state-based citizen action group in the country. From 1985 through 1999, Donald directed the Rockefeller Family Fund, and he continues to provide philanthropic advice to individual donors and private foundations. He has authored various studies on public policy issues, including two books on citizen advocacy. Donald currently serves on the board of the League of Conservation Voters and is chair of the board of Greenpeace US.
Arthur Malkin, Principal, is founding partner of M+R and its affiliate, Malkin & Ross, and directs the lobbying activities of both firms, specializing in legislative strategies and communications. Artie served as legislative director of the New York Public Interest Research Group from 1978 to 1984, where he was responsible for developing and implementing NYPIRG’s legislative agenda. He was also the founder and first director of the Advocacy Training Center, where he taught lobbying and media skills to nonprofit organizations. During his 25+ years in Albany, Artie has been at the forefront of dozens of successful legislative campaigns, including efforts for a state Superfund law, a mental health parity law, reform of the Rockefeller Drug Laws, and funding for New York’s first stem cell research program.
Ann Marie Habershaw, Chief Operating Officer, comes to M+R after serving as COO of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), where she was responsible for day-to-day management of the committee, including a $125 million dollar budget, organization-wide program design, election law compliance, and staffing. With her contribution, the Committee helped secure the Democratic Congressional majority in 2006 and elect the first female Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). Prior to joining the DCCC, Ann Marie spent six years at EMILY’s List, the last three as director of finance and administration. Ann Marie also spent several years working in the retail and manufacturing sectors as a finance professional before getting involved in politics through volunteer work and fundraising positions on campaigns in Virginia, Connecticut and Arizona. Ann Marie has a Bachelor’s of Science in Accounting from Bryant College and a Master’s in Business from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Bill Wasserman, President, applies his public policy and campaign expertise to the work of M+R clients. Most notably, Bill directs M+R’s efforts with the Save Darfur Coalition (SDC), serving as lead campaign strategist in SDC’s effort to build an international campaign to help end the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. Bill’s leadership at M+R has extended across multiple other clients, including the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Experience Wave (an initiative of the Atlantic Philanthropies), AARP, ACLU, and many others. Before joining M+R, Bill served in the Clinton administration as director of the Office of Consumer Affairs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he focused on consumer issues and childhood nutrition. Prior to serving in the Clinton administration, Bill built and led numerous national advocacy and policy campaigns on consumer, environmental and civil liberties issues.
Sarah DiJulio, Executive Vice President, launched and directs M+R's eCampaigns division. Sarah has provided strategic consulting and training on online advocacy and fundraising to major nonprofits, served as a spokeswoman about Internet campaigns for major media outlets, and led innovative and successful nonprofit online marketing campaigns. Prior to joining M+R, Sarah created the online campaign division for TechRocks, where she developed an innovative Internet strategy for the Heritage Forests Campaign which recruited 300,000 activists online. Currently, Sarah provides strategic consulting to a number of M+R clients including The Wilderness Society, Oxfam America, Human Rights Campaign, and American Rights at Work.
Tom Novick, Executive Vice President, is a strategist, trainer and consultant with 30 years of experience on issue and electoral campaigns. Tom helps nonprofits, foundations and individual philanthropists evaluate issues and campaigns, providing in-depth political assessment, strategy and training to clients including the League of Conservation Voters, America Votes, the Beldon Fund, and many others. Tom is a former Oregon legislator who prior to M+R served as executive director of the Oregon PIRG and as program director for the Western States Center, a regional progressive organization focused on state issues in the West. He also now currently serves as Executive Director of Conservation Strategies, a northwest regional organization working to increase the electoral clout of the conservation movement.
