Editors

Jane Susskind

Jane is the current Community Manager at IVN, in charge of all social media channels for the network. With a B.A. in Political Science and Religion from the University of California, San Diego, she has always been involved in politics, working as a government relations intern in the Sacramento Office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and down in the San Diego Office of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Focusing on the growing importance of online communications in the political sphere, her role is to facilitate conversations, allow for open dialogue, and update you on what’s going on with IVN and in politics.

Kymberly Bays

Kymberly is currently Editor-in-Chief at IVN. Raised in North County San Diego, she earned a B.A. in Political Science and Journalism from Temple University. Kym is an active blogger, recipient of two Collegiate Keystone Press Awards, and her 2008 election coverage for The Temple News was featured on CBSNews.com. Her interests lie in multimedia production, technology and foreign policy. She is an avid traveler and proficient in French. Politically she leans left and is a recovering Democrat, now formally No Party Preference voter.

Matt Metzner

Originally from Orange County, California now living in San Diego, CA. Spent significant time in Washington, DC working on foreign policy issues regarding elections and human rights. Third-year law student, surfer, outdoorsman, and conservationist. Politically moderate attempting to apply constitutional principles, common sense, and long-term thinking to modern issues.

Chad Peace

Over the last five years, Peace has managed and developed campaigns to increase grassroots voter involvement, to ‘draft’ candidates to run for US Senate, to promote California’s Proposition 14 (the Non-Partisan Primary Initiative), and to reach out to otherwise ignored and disenchanted voters. Chad graduated from UCLA with degrees in Economics and Philosophy. He has worked as a property manager, an asset manager, and is the president of Independent Voter Contact, a San Diego based political consulting firm.

Capitol Correspondent

Lucy Ma

Lucy graduated from CSU Chico with a double major in International Relations and International Economics. She first got her start in CA state politics as a writer for then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. She has since gone on to serve as a Communications Director in the CA State Assembly, and as a political fundraising consultant based out of Sacramento. Lucy now joins IVN staff as a contributor focusing on CA state politics. As a registered Republican, her political leanings are right of center.

Regular Contributors

George Mitrovich

George Mitrovich is president of two leading American public forums, The City Club of San Diego and The Denver Forum. In addition, he chairs for the Boston Red Sox ‘The Great Fenway Park Writers Series’, as well as chairing the team’s annual birthday tribute to Jackie Robinson. A writer and contributor to leading North American newspapers, he is also a public speaker of note, with four speeches published in Vital Speeches of the Day — a distinction held by few Americans. Long active in San Diego civic affairs as well as the faith community, he served as president of the San Diego County Ecumenical Council, an organization of 125 Christian churches. Mr. Mitrovich was a press aide to Senator Robert F. Kennedy in the presidential campaign of 1968. He has an extensive history in local, state and national politics.

Chris Hinyub

Christopher graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic University with a degree in history and political science, distinguishing himself as the institution’s Frederick M. Supper Honors Program’s outstanding graduate in 2007. After college, he settled in Central Florida on a small homestead where he gardens and pursues his independent studies in agriculture, law, and economics.He is an advocate for local food economies, focuses his writings on the need to decentralize America’s corporately dominated system of politics, and plans to relocate to the San Francisco area. Christopher supports libertarian-minded candidates for public office.

Alan Markow

After 30 years as a corporate communications executive, Alan retired in 2004 and started his own company, AM Communications. While he handles a few clients for PR purposes, he has focused most of his time on free-lance writing, emphasizing issues about seniors. As a corporate executive, he was awarded top accolades in his profession including the PRSA Silver Anvil for excellence in public relations and the IABC Gold Quill for excellence in employee communications. Alan is a registered Democrat who holds liberal views on social issues and moderate beliefs on economic matters. He has been married for nearly 50 years (to the same woman), is the father of three grown children and four grandchildren all of whom he loves dearly. He holds a BA in journalism from the University of Richmond (VA) and an M.ED. in educational media from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He frequently works with non-profit agencies and teaches seminars in non-profit marketing.

W. E. Messamore

An entrepreneurship major and graduate of Belmont University, Wes believes that small business, innovation, and creative thinking are required to solve problems and improve our world. One of America’s growing number of Independents, Wes has never registered with any political party, but describes himself as a libertarian (note the lower-case “L”) and holds individual liberty as a key ingredient of good public policy.

Bob Morris

Bob has been blogging since 2003 on progressive politics, the economy, renewable energy, cleantech, and antiwar matters. He helped organize antiwar protests from 2004-2007, some of which were massive. A registered Independent, his politics tend towards left-wing populism. He has lived in Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Francisco, currently splitting his time between San Jose and Utah. He is especially interested in issues that transcend party lines and bring people together.

Damon Eris

Damon is an independent blogger, covering the opposition to the entrenched, two-party system at Poli-Tea as well as Third Party and Independent Daily.