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OfficersPresident | Richard Parker
Chair, National Executive Committee | Allen Kukovich
Treasurer | Jim B. Clarke
Secretary | Maria Wilkinson
Counsel | Jack Blum VICE PRESIDENTS Elijah Cummings, Member of Congress, Maryland HONORARY PRESIDENTS Joseph Duffy |
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Richard is Lecturer in Public Policy and Senior Fellow of the Shorenstein Center, Harvard University. He has worked as an economist for the UNDP, as cofounder of Mother Jones Magazine, and as head of his own consulting firm, serving congressional clients, including Senators Kennedy, Glenn, Cranston, and McGovern, among others. His books include: The Myth of the Middle Class, a study of U.S. income distribution; Mixed Signals: The Future of Global Television News; and the intellectual biography, John Kenneth Galbraith: His Life, His Politics, His Economics. His articles have appeared in numerous academic anthologies and journals and in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, New Republic, Nation, and Atlantic Monthly, among others.
Allen served in the Pennsylvania General Assembly for 27 years. Initially as a member of the House of Representatives, then as a member of the Pennsylvania Senate, Allen’s priorities of economic development, regional transportation, human services, senior and child care, and health care resulted in landmark legislation such as the Pennsylvania Economic Investment Program; the Mortgage Assistance Program; and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which later served as a model for other states, and which provides hundreds of thousands of children in Pennsylvania with free or low-cost health insurance each year. After leaving elected office, Allen served for 5 years as director of Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell’s Southwest Regional Office. He is currently executive director of the Regional Visioning Project in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Jim B. Clarke lives in Culver City, CA and works as Director of Federal Relations for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Previously, he served in Washington, DC, as chief of staff to two Los Angeles-based members of Congress -- Diane E. Watson and Brad Sherman. In addition to serving as director of the California Clean Money Campaign and the Southern California chapter of Americans for Democratic Action, Jim's political involvement includes being chairman of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, secretary of the California Democratic Party and president of the California Democratic Council. He holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from Cal State Long Beach and a Bachelor's degree from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT. He is also a graduate public affairs fellow of the CORO Foundation and a retired Commander in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. He has served on the ADA National Board since 1997.
Maria began her life of liberal activism demonstrating against the Viet Nam War as a college student, while getting a degree in French Literature. Although working in non-political management positions at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh most of her adult life, she devoted free time to volunteering on political campaigns, coordinating volunteer efforts for City Council and U.S. Senate races, and serving on Allegheny County and PA State Democratic Party Committees. In addition to campaigning, Maria currently focuses activism on global trade issues and is a founder of the Ohio Conference on Fair Trade. She serves on the Executive Committee of Cleveland Jobs with Justice and as Chair of the Northeast Ohio chapter of Americans for Democratic Action.