Board of Directors

Bruce Colburn, S.E.I.U.
Amy Dean, Building Partnerships USA
Kathleen Fernicola, Building Partnerships USA
Anthony Thigpenn, S.C.O.P.E.
Andrea van den Heever, C.C.N.E.
Lisa Clauson, CLU

Amy Dean
Founder

Amy is a veteran social entrepreneur currently serving as Co-Founder of her 2nd non-profit organization, Building Partnerships USA - a national organization dedicated to increasing civic and political participation to strengthen democracy and advance social and economic justice at the regional level. With support from the Century Foundation, Ms. Dean is currently completing the research and writing of a book she is co-authoring entitled, Toward a More Perfect Union: Rebuilding America's Social Contract Region by Region." Ms. Dean's roots are in the labor movement where she worked for over 20 years. Recognized in 1998 by the New York Times as one of the most innovative figures in Silicon Valley, Dean served as the elected leader of the South Bay AFL-CIO from 1993 - 2003. Ms. Dean is the recipient of many fellowships and awards; including from the Wexner Heritage Foundation, the Japan Society and the French American Foundation. She has received the John W. Gardner Exemplary Leaders Award from the American Leadership Forum and the Gloria Steinem Women of Vision Award from the Ms Foundation. Amy serves on the boards of the Forward Newspaper; Jewish Labor Committee, Jewish Funds for Justice and serves on the Development Committee of the Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School in Chicago. She lives in Chicago with her husband, software entrepreneur and life-long soul mate Randall G. Menna , son Teddy and baby daughter Alix.

Staff

David Reynolds is based at the Labor Studies Center, Wayne State University in Detroit.  He has over twenty years experience as a labor activst and educator engaged in adult education and providing planning and other professional support for labor and community groups. In the late 1990s he authored, with Jen Kern of ACORN, a living wage organizers handbook that was used in campaigns across the country. He was also a leader in living wage efforts in Michigan. He helped found an ongoing joint program between the AFL-CIO and the United Association for Labor Education that documents the emerging strategies for building regional power (network materials are available at powerbuilding.wayne.edu).  His latest work, authored with Amy Dean, Toward a More Perfect Union: Rebuilding America's Social Contract Region by Regionis the first book-length exploration of the regional power building strategy. David Reynolds holds a Ph.D. in Government from Cornell University.

David Dobbie, Field Organizer

David Dobbie is also based at the Labor Studies Center.  He has extensive experience community organizing in Detroit and other cities on issues including housing, education, youth development, and criminal justice reform.  David has held union leadership positions at the local, state, and national levels of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and served three years as a union organizer.  In 2008 he earned a Ph.D. in Social Work and Sociology from the University of Michigan.  His dissertation research compared labor-community collaboration in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Pittsburgh.