Featured Alumni
- Debbie Wasserman Schultz (UF/PC 1990) US Representative and Former Chair of the Democratic National Committee
Debbie Wasserman Schultz has dedicated her public life to serving South Floridians and standing up for justice, equality, and opportunity wherever and whenever it is threatened. As Florida’s first Jewish Congresswoman, she has earned the respect of her colleagues for ...Read more >> - Featured Alumni: Tom Rooney
Tom Rooney was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When Tom was 14 his father, Patrick J. Rooney Sr., moved to Palm Beach Gardens, Florida where the family owned a dog track and gambling business. He graduated from the Benjamin School in ...Read more >> - David Rancourt (UF/PC 1990) Founding Partner- Southern Strategy Group, Tallahassee, FL
David came from a family devoted to community service but averse to politics, so his choice of a career may seem surprising. He got an early start, registering students to “vote” in 6th grade, played the role of George H.W. ...Read more >> - Lee Concha (UF/PC 2000) Senior Vice President for University Enhancement Rosalind Franklin University
Right out of the gate after receiving her M.A., Lee took a position in the Office of the Governor of Illinois. She left briefly to work on the Victory 2000 presidential campaign, then returned to Illinois to join the Office ...Read more >> - Samantha Sexton (UF/PC 2013) Director of Governmental Relations at UF
Samantha grew up in a civically engaged family that is still regularly involved in their community. Like many individuals interested in politics, she volunteered on local and state races during high school and college, both partisan and nonpartisan. It was ...Read more >> - Nikki Fried (UF/PC 2003) Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services
As with many program alumni, Nikki’s love for politics and public service came at a very young age, asking her parents to see the White House for her 10th birthday. A passion for service is clearly evident in her unconventional, ...Read more >> - Elizabeth Sena (UF/PC 2004) Partner, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner
Elizabeth likes to say that she grew up on politics and CNN. There is nothing better to solidify an early interest in politics than running a good friend ’s high-school student body presidential campaign, which she did. That’s when Elizabeth ...Read more >> - Scott Laster (UF/PC 2006) Managing Partner, Kairos Government Affairs
Scott got his start in politics by working as the campaign manager for former state Representative Doug Holder of Sarasota 2006 and 2008. Those experiences led to an interview with the North Carolina Republican State House Caucus for a position ...Read more >>
Alumni Testimonials
- Debbie Wasserman Schultz (UF/PC 1990)
“The Political Campaigning Program gave me a strong foundation upon which to build a career in public service. My degree certainly caught the eye of elected officials when I first looked for a job. And the experiences I had as a student, particularly the opportunity to wage a mock campaign, ... - David Beattie (UF/PC 1997)
“The Campaigning Program at UF helped to expand the knowledge I had gained earlier as both a campaign manager and a candidate. It greatly enhanced my understanding of voting behavior, partisanship, and the impact of communications, while providing me with a useful theoretical framework for making political decisions.” Read more "David Beattie ... - David Rancourt (UF/PC 1990)
“The UF Political Campaigning Program is simply a great education and a great experience. The combined academic and real-world approach to this graduate program is the right way to go. It helps to elevate the profession, and instill strong values of hard work, ethics, and an historic understanding of Florida ... - Tom Rooney (UF/PC 1996)
“The Political Campaigning Program enabled me to understand politics in a way that most candidates would not. Running for Congress is extremely difficult, but the program at UF taught me what to expect and lent insight into the strategy that we are using in our campaign.” Read more "Tom Rooney (UF/PC ... - Michael Luethy (UF/PC 2003) General Consultant- Oak Grove Campaigns. Raleigh, NC
“I frequently return to the truths I learned at UF. The Campaigning Program equipped me with a fuller understanding both of the larger, environmental factors that shape elections and of the strategies and tactics that define successful campaigns. There’s no substitute for experience in campaigns, but success within that experience ... - Ian Rayder (UF/PC 2003) Senior Manager – Government Affairs at Cisco Systems, Washington D.C.
“The Political Campaigning program at the University of Florida provided me with the practical skills and academic foundation necessary to jump-start my career in the field of applied politics. The strength of the program was it’s focus on the strategic and tactical approaches that ultimately enabled me to better leverage ... - Lyndsay (Jones) Monstur (UF/PC 2003) Associate Director for Major Gifts- Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA
“As an international student, the campaigning program at UF provided me with a unique opportunity to gain practical U.S. campaign experience and to make valuable connections. It taught me the value of professional relationships, provided me with mentors, and the academic coursework gave me confidence in my decisions. Although I ... - Jenny (Materio) Mesirow (UF/PC 2006) Vice President, Government Affairs at Farm Credit Council, Washington D.C.
“The UF Political Campaigning Program provided me the perfect balance of political theory and tactical skills I needed to launch a career in politics. The curriculum ensured that I was exposed to all aspects of political campaigns while allowing me the flexibility to dive deeper into the topics that were ... - Joe Pileggi (UF/PC 2005) Political Director, Republican National Congressional Committee
“The Campaigning Program really fostered a desire to work in electoral politics and has thus far led to an exciting career. Having a degree in Political Campaigning definitely got a lot of people’s attention when I was first getting started in the field, and the relationships I made in the program led ... - Scott Simpson (UF/PC 2003) Managing Partner- Resonance Campaigns, Washington, DC
“The Campaigning Program at UF was one of the best decisions I ever made when choosing to pursue a career in politics. It helped to give me a strong foundation and better understanding of the things that happen in politics every day. The network of alumni is wide but tight-knit, ...
Alumni Testimonials
- Debbie Wasserman Schultz (UF/PC 1990)“The Political Campaigning Program gave me a strong foundation upon which to build a career in public service. My degree certainly caught the eye of elected officials when I first looked for a job. And the experiences I had as a student, particularly the opportunity to wage a mock campaign, ...
- David Beattie (UF/PC 1997)“The Campaigning Program at UF helped to expand the knowledge I had gained earlier as both a campaign manager and a candidate. It greatly enhanced my understanding of voting behavior, partisanship, and the impact of communications, while providing me with a useful theoretical framework for making political decisions.” Read more "David Beattie ...
- David Rancourt (UF/PC 1990)“The UF Political Campaigning Program is simply a great education and a great experience. The combined academic and real-world approach to this graduate program is the right way to go. It helps to elevate the profession, and instill strong values of hard work, ethics, and an historic understanding of Florida ...
- Tom Rooney (UF/PC 1996)“The Political Campaigning Program enabled me to understand politics in a way that most candidates would not. Running for Congress is extremely difficult, but the program at UF taught me what to expect and lent insight into the strategy that we are using in our campaign.” Read more "Tom Rooney (UF/PC ...
- Michael Luethy (UF/PC 2003) General Consultant- Oak Grove Campaigns. Raleigh, NC“I frequently return to the truths I learned at UF. The Campaigning Program equipped me with a fuller understanding both of the larger, environmental factors that shape elections and of the strategies and tactics that define successful campaigns. There’s no substitute for experience in campaigns, but success within that experience ...
- Ian Rayder (UF/PC 2003) Senior Manager – Government Affairs at Cisco Systems, Washington D.C.“The Political Campaigning program at the University of Florida provided me with the practical skills and academic foundation necessary to jump-start my career in the field of applied politics. The strength of the program was it’s focus on the strategic and tactical approaches that ultimately enabled me to better leverage ...
- Lyndsay (Jones) Monstur (UF/PC 2003) Associate Director for Major Gifts- Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA“As an international student, the campaigning program at UF provided me with a unique opportunity to gain practical U.S. campaign experience and to make valuable connections. It taught me the value of professional relationships, provided me with mentors, and the academic coursework gave me confidence in my decisions. Although I ...
- Jenny (Materio) Mesirow (UF/PC 2006) Vice President, Government Affairs at Farm Credit Council, Washington D.C.“The UF Political Campaigning Program provided me the perfect balance of political theory and tactical skills I needed to launch a career in politics. The curriculum ensured that I was exposed to all aspects of political campaigns while allowing me the flexibility to dive deeper into the topics that were ...
- Joe Pileggi (UF/PC 2005) Political Director, Republican National Congressional Committee“The Campaigning Program really fostered a desire to work in electoral politics and has thus far led to an exciting career. Having a degree in Political Campaigning definitely got a lot of people’s attention when I was first getting started in the field, and the relationships I made in the program led ...
- Scott Simpson (UF/PC 2003) Managing Partner- Resonance Campaigns, Washington, DC“The Campaigning Program at UF was one of the best decisions I ever made when choosing to pursue a career in politics. It helped to give me a strong foundation and better understanding of the things that happen in politics every day. The network of alumni is wide but tight-knit, ...