Instructor Bios

Kam Kuwata has been a Democratic political consultant for the last twenty-five years. He specializes in strategic planning, media coordination, and press and message development. Most recently, Kuwata was the Program Director for candidate Obama at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Over the years Kuwata has run statewide campaigns in both California and Hawaii.

Richard Dresner has spent the past thirty years working as a general consultant, media producer and pollster with key political leaders both in the United States and abroad.

His past clients have included Russian President Boris Yeltsin, the Conservative Party of Great Britain, New York Senator "Pat" Moynihan, then Governor of Arkansas Bill Clinton, California Governor Pete Wilson, and U.S. Senator James Jeffords of Vermont. In 2005 and 2006 Mr. Dresner worked for Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány.

Geoffrey Garin is the president of Peter D. Hart Research Associates, one of the nation's leading survey research firms. He became president of Hart Research in 1984, after having worked in the firm since 1978 as a senior analyst and vice president. Mr. Garin has brought his skill, insight, and innovative approaches as a researcher and strategist to a wide variety of fields – including social and economic policy, consumer marketing, and politics.

Mike Muir is a firm principal in the Democratic direct mail firm of Ambrosino, Muir & Hansen. He has been a partner in the firm since its inception in 1990. AMH has created the persuasion direct mail and provided strategic advice to 24 Democratic U.S. Senators, 13 Democratic Governors and more than 20 Democratic Members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

For nearly 30 years, Bill Carrick has been in the political trenches, guiding Democratic candidates and initiative campaigns. His name may not be familiar to voters in Los Angeles, but some of his political ads are. His "roulette wheel" spot helped doom the San Fernando Valley secession movement.

Steven Moore is an international political consultant who has worked in some of the world’s most challenging environments during some of the world’s most high profile events.

Currently, Moore is serving as Chief of Staff to Congressman Peter J. Roskam. Prior to his engagement with Roskam, Moore completed his second tour in Iraq, heading the largest public opinion poll ever conducted in Iraq. In his first tour in Iraq in 2003-2004, Moore established the Baghdad office for the International Republican Institute (IRI).

In 2003 Bryan Merica founded ID Media (www.idmcommunications.com), a political internet agency.  ID Media delivers a wide range of technology solutions, including: internet strategy, rapid website deployment and fully-managed internet outreach programs (outreach programs include online advertising, web video production, social media campaigns and large-scale outbound email programs).