The PAN team

Over the last thirty years, Progressive Action Network staff have contributed significantly to social change by building and managing canvass-based membership development and activation efforts by progressive organizations across the country. These efforts produced large, sustainable, independent, sources of funding, members, and calls to action for progressive issue and electoral campaigns. While PAN was founded in 1998, the staff and Board leaders have been actively building organizations since 1970’s.

Our talent is our resource. PAN's staff puts to work almost two centuries of collective experience every day—experience in nearly every possible endeavor a progressive political organization can engage in.

Paula Barvin, Regional Director. In June of 1978, Paula began canvassing to raise money to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. She was promoted to field manager, then Canvass Director. Since 1989, she has served as a Regional Director, supervising field and phone canvasses. She currently supervises the Belmar field canvass for the New Jersey Environmental Federation. Paula coordinates PAN conferences and meetings.

Michael Blanch, Regional Director. When Michael Blanch observed with the Iowa Citizen Action Network on April 1, 1994, the April fools joke was on corporate America. His joyful approach to canvassing made him an excellent choice for canvass director with the Iowa City Field. Michael's second CD assignment was with the Clean Water Action Alliance directing the Minneapolis field. He built the largest field office in the country through motivating staff and leadership development. Michael's recognitions include PAN's 2000 Canvass Director of the Year and CWAA's 2001 staff person of the year. Michael's passions include GLBT justice, music, gardening and beautifying his Victorian home where he lives with his partner David.

Melissa Caldwell, Phone Canvass Director, PAN Membership Center. Melissa is a perfect example of one who was not born into politics becomes a successful activist. Since her start in 1998 at the PAN Membership Center, formerly CAMC, Melissa has completed multiple cross-trains along with some long stretches at CWA phones. She has not only canvassed, trained, and phone managed, but has done voter ID and GOTV work as well. After three years in Seattle, where she earned the phone manager position, Melissa has brought her experience full circle and is now back in what she considers to be the best city on the planet—Minneapolis, MN where she is now canvass directing and ushering in a new generation of leadership. When not working, Melissa likes to shoot pool, shop, and spend time with Shivah, the most adorable Pit Bull in the world. Oh yeah, she is learning to cook too—and lovin’ it!!

Linden Gawboy, Director of Membership Administration, PAN Membership Center. Linden has been with the network since 1993 in many capacities: turf sorter, back-up verifier, data entry clerk, Director of Membership Administration (DMA). She has been the PAN Membership Center DMA since April 1998.The PAN MC data department currently manages data for many organizations.

Heather Hardin, Regional Director. PAN's Canvass Director of the Year in 1999, Heather has worked on economic and environmental justice issues since 1991. Medical challenges in her own family motivated her to begin working on health care issues. While she was attending the University of Iowa, she joined the phone canvass team at Iowa Citizen Action Network. She was promoted to Phone Manager and eventually accepted an assignment in San Jose, CA after graduation. Heather served as the Phone Canvass Director for the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition in San Jose, CA and for Washington Citizen Action in Seattle, WA. Heather lives in West Seattle with her partner Eric and adorable pug Saylor.

Barbara Helmick, Director. In 1973, while living in Chicago, Barbara answered an ad for "Activists"-she has been building the profession of canvassing ever since. She has set up canvass operations for grassroots groups coast-to-coast including one dedicated to the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, numerous state programs for Citizen Action and Clean Water Action. Barbara founded the CLEC Canvass Network. Then, in 1998 she united more than a dozen organizations that use canvassing to raise money and recruit members in their fight to change the world into PAN. Barbara grew up on a family farm in Iowa. She now lives in Washington, D.C., which some day will be a state!

Ed Schott, Regional Director. Ed is unique in having extensive experience in all three PAN areas: field, phone, and data. Starting in 1982, he field-canvassed, field-managed, office-managed, phone canvass-directed, and data-managed with citizen action and environmental groups. He helped organizations automate their canvass administration from buying their first computers to creating a new database system to advising strategies for building online activism. Introverted, problematic, a little boastful, a little insecure, he takes the pose of the tender-hearted rebel under an aposematic veneer.

Patty Snee, Associate Director. Patty steers the development of PAN's phone canvass operations, with emphasis on the Citizen Action Membership Center and the Iowa Citizen Action Network. Patty has worked with grassroots canvass programs since 1980, primarily in the Midwest and on the East Coast. She received a B.A. in History from the University of Virginia and is glad to have had the opportunity to work to change history ever since. She helps PAN organizations and Canvass Directors with fundraising programs and strategies for member mobilization on issues such as health care reform, education, and environmental protection, She also has a wealth of election campaign experience. Patty is based in Washington, D.C. She lives with her lifetime partner, Ellen, in the People's Republic of Takoma Park, MD.