Board of Directors

Chris Kelly, NLC Board Member & Chairman, Loyal3, Director

CHRIS KELLY is a Silicon Valley attorney with a long track record of representing innovative companies and making the Internet a safer place for kids and adults alike. As the first Chief Privacy Officer, General Counsel, and Head of Global Public Policy for Facebook, Chris helped the company grow from its college roots to the ubiquitous communications medium that it is today.

Chris’ development of the site’s safety and security policies around real world identity and deployment of a highly-trained staff for rule and law enforcement are credited as critical elements in the company’s success. At Facebook, Chris worked with Attorneys General in all 50 states to develop safeguards protecting children from sexual predators and represented the company in complex situations involving privacy and intellectual property in the digital age.

Chris left Facebook in 2009 to seek the Democratic nomination for Attorney General of California, garnering 16 percent of the vote in a seven-way race, his first run for statewide office. Since the June 2010 primary, he has become an active angel investor in companies seeking transformational improvements in technology, media, and finance. As a policy advisor for President Clinton in the early 1990s, Chris advanced critical domestic programs, including the successful initiative to put 100,000 new community police officers on America’s streets and the formation of AmeriCorps, a network of national service programs that engage Americans to improve education, public safety, health, and the environment.

As an attorney in private practice before his time at Facebook, Chris represented Netscape in the Microsoft antitrust case and Diamond Multimedia in the groundbreaking suit over the MP3 player that furthered personal use rights over digital content. Chris received his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University, a master’s degree from Yale University, and his law degree from Harvard University. Raised in Santa Ana and San Jose, he lives in Atherton with his wife Jennifer, an entrepreneur and former prosecutor, and their son Aidan and daughter August. Chris also serves on the Board of Directors for the San Francisco 49ers Academy, an alternative public middle school in East Palo Alto.

Mark Riddle, NLC Board Member & Executive Director

Named a “Rising Star” by Campaigns and Elections Magazine in 2006, Mark Riddle is recognized as one of the leading political strategists in the country.

Riddle is the founder of Mark Riddle Consulting, LLC (markriddleconsulting.com) a full service campaign, strategy and media company. Riddle is also a partner of the Bluegrass Group (bluegrassgroupinc.com), a government and public affairs firm working with companies, grassroots organizations, and associations around the country.

Recently, Riddle has served as the media consultant for several high profile projects including the BP Deepwater Horizon Settlement Fund Supplemental Information Program, Coventry Cares of Kentucky, and Century Aluminum.

In addition to his private sector business, Mark Riddle is the Executive Director of New Leaders Council (newleaderscouncil.org), the nation’s premier leadership training organization for young political and business entrepreneurs.

Previously, Riddle was a partner with the media firm Fletcher Rowley Riddle, Inc., where he wrote, directed and produced award-winning television and radio ads in some of America’s most competitive campaigns in 45 states. His clients included numerous Members of Congress, the Democratic Governors Association, State Party organizations, and dozens of state and local officials.

Nationally, Riddle got his big break in politics by working as the Political Director and Press Secretary at New Democrats Network from 1998 to 2002, where he was responsible for recruiting, training, funding and promoting candidates for all levels of government.

Riddle also served as General Wesley Clark’s Arizona State Director in his 2004 presidential campaign, as a trainer for Democracy For America, and was active in the Democratic Leadership Council.

Cutting his political teeth in Kentucky while working as a field coordinator for Governor Steve Beshear’s 1996 U.S. Senate campaign, Riddle has since served as senior strategist and media consultant roles for Attorney General Jack Conway, Congressman Ben Chandler, Mayor Jerry Abramson, Mayor Jim Newberry and numerous local officials. Mark is a former Executive Director of the Kentucky Democratic Party.

A native of Maine, Riddle is a graduate of the University of Kentucky. Mark currently resides in Simpsonville, Kentucky.

Robert J. Abernethy, NLC Board Member, President of American Standard Development Company and Self Storage Management Company and Managing Director of Metropolitan Investments, LLC

ROBERT ABERNETHY is Chairman of American Standard Development Company and Managing Director of Metropolitan Investments, LLC. Robert received a B.A. from Johns Hopkins University, an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, certificates in Real Estate and Construction Management from UCLA and was formerly employed by Hughes Aircraft Company.

Robert is a member of the Advisory Council of the School of Advanced International Studies in Washington and Bologna as well as a Trustee of John Hopkins University. He serves as a Vice-Chairman of the Atlantic Council of the United States and is on the executive committee of the Pacific Council on International Policy. He is also a member of the Chairman’s Forum of the Council on Foreign Relations and the US Department of State Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy. Robert is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Brookings Institution and serves on the Boards of Directors of the RAND Center for Global Risk & Security and the New Leaders Council. He is also a member of the Advisory Board for The Truman National Security Project.

Previously, Robert served as Commissioner of the California Transportation Commission, the Los Angeles Telecommunications Commission, and the Los Angeles Planning & Zoning Commission and was Director of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Metropolitan Water District. He was a Member of the California State Board of Education and of the California Arts Council. He resides in Manhattan Beach.

Leslie Barkemeyer Myers, NLC Board Member, Assistant General Counsel, US Department of Justice, Federal Prison Industries

LESLIE BARKEMEYER MYERS is the lead negotiator on long term energy contracts for the provisioning of large-scale renewable projects on behalf of the various federal agencies and components of the Department of Defense. Her practice focuses on third-party project finance and contract formation. She served as lead counsel for the Department of State on a first-of-its-kind energy contract, which represented a paradigm shift in the way the federal government procures energy.

Prior to her current position, Leslie was a civil litigator at a boutique wrongful death / medical malpractice firm in Chicago, Illinois. Leslie started her career as an Assistant District Attorney in Nassau County, New York. She graduated from Cornell University and The Beasley School of Law of Temple University.

Leslie has won the Barrister’s Award and the Victor A. Jasun Award for Trial Advocacy. She is a member of the Energy Bar Association, the Women’s Energy Network as well as the Naval Officer’s Spouses Club of DC. She founded the Chicago chapter of the New Leaders Council in 2010 and currently serves as its National Expansion Director. Leslie resides in Washington, DC with her husband and cat. Her most honored roll is that of Navy wife.

Adam Borelli, NLC Board Member, MBA Candidate in the MIT Sloan School of Management, Founder of NLC and Former Executive Director

ADAM BORELLI is an MBA candidate in the MIT Sloan School of Management’s Class of 2013. At MIT Sloan he has taken on various leadership roles including as the Managing Director of the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition, the Sponsorship Co-Director of the MIT Energy Conference, the Mentorship Co-Director of the MIT Clean Energy Prize, and the Speaker Director of the MIT Sloan Politics and Policy Club.

Prior to enrolling in Sloan, Adam was the Founder and Executive Director of New Leaders Council (NLC). At NLC Adam took the organization from founding to 19 chapters and over $800k budget in just six years. Before that Adam worked on the Investments Team at Google.org as the Investments Researcher on renewable energy investments and grants. In his work at Google.org, Adam managed the Driving Experiment, a project that was highlighted in national and international media and highlighted at prominent electric vehicle and energy conferences.

This project, for the first time, proved that plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 50%. In terms of investments, Adam participated in over $6m of early stage investment deals in clean technologies. He previously worked as a Research Manager for Tiburon Strategic Advisors, a research-based strategy consulting firm to financial institutions. Before that, Adam worked for We the People, Inc., a 501(c)4 organization, served as the California State Coordinator for Generation Dean, and the National Committeeman for the California Young Democrats.

In 2011 Adam received the Gerbode Fellowship, a prestigious award given to the top five nonprofit leaders. Adam received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of California at Berkeley.

Noah Doyle, NLC Board Member, Financial Adviser, Merrill Lynch

NOAH DOYLE leads Doyle & Associates at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. Noah has been in the financial services industry since 2005 and joined Merrill Lynch in September of 2011.

Prior to entering the financial services industry, Noah worked at International Labor Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, focusing on labor and international trade policies. Noah also founded and serves on the Board of Directors of New Leaders Council, an organization dedicated to promoting political entrepreneurship in young people and is a Fellow for the Truman National Security Project.

Graduate of Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and Brooklyn Law School, Noah lives in New York City. Noah is Series 3,7, and 65 securities license and is Bar in the State of New York.

Nathaniel Loewentheil, NLC Board Member, Yale Law Student

NATE LOWENTHEIL hails proudly from Baltimore, Maryland. In early 2005, while in his sophomore year at Yale University, he helped found the Roosevelt Institution (now the Roosevelt Campus Network [www.rooseveltcampusnetwork.org]) and later served from 2007 to 2009 as fulltime executive director, helping to support Roosevelt’s network of 75
campus chapters and 7,000 student members around the country.

In 2010, Nate moved back to New Haven, where he is currently enrolled in a dual degree program with the Yale Law School and Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Nate sits on the Board of Directors of the College Democrats of America Alumni Association. He also sits on the advisory boards of the New Leaders Council and Fundación Sodis, an international NGO focused on water provision in developing nations.

In addition, Nate serves as a special advisor to the Bolivian municipality of Pasorapa. He has submitted testimony to Congress on topics like Social Security, published with the Center for American Progress and in the Review of Policy Research and contributes to The Huffington Post. He is a member of the Royal Society of Arts of England and the Sandbox Network.

Nate is also the editor of a recent book, Thinking Big: Progressive Ideas for a New Era.

Michael Moschella, NLC Board Member & Secretary, Political Director for the Truman National Security Project

MICHAEL MOSCHELLA currently serves as National Political Director for the Truman National Security Project, leading efforts to build a strong political infrastructure for progressive security and foreign policy leaders across America. With the Truman Project, Michael has worked with hundreds of candidates at all levels to master tough fear-in-politics communications and to improve organizing efforts in veterans and military families communities.

Michael has been at the forefront of progressive leadership development efforts for the last decade. He is a founder of the New Leaders Council and helps guide curriculum for NLC’s 20 Institutes. Michael serves as Treasurer of the Board of Directors of the Netroots Foundation, the parent organization of Netroots Nation. And Michael is a board member of two major political action committees that support candidates with progressive foreign policy credentials: VETPAC and America’s Impact.

Michael’s early career focused on campaign management and political media. He has led Congressional campaign efforts in FL and MA, State government races in CA and MA, and a Gubernatorial effort in MA.
Before managing campaigns, Michael worked with the New Democrat Network on a variety of projects including the NDN PAC, building the New Politics Institute, the NDN Hispanic Project which funded Spanish-language media efforts, and the Restoring America’s Promise campaign to better brand the Democratic Party in “red” states.

Michael is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and Boston College High School. He is a Boston native and an ardent Boston sports fan.

Claire Silberman, NLC Board Member, Philanthropist

CLAIRE SILBERMAN is a philanthropist and former lawyer who supports many progressive organizations. Claire practiced corporate litigation and banking law until 1997. She occasionally consulted in the financial compliance area of Promontory Financial Group, a consulting firm for global financial services companies, from 2002-2006.

Claire has a short attention span, so she serves on several non-profit Boards in addition to the New Leaders Council. These are: the Voter Participation Canter/Womens Voices Women Vote; The Eagle Academy for Young Men Foundation (which supports a network of boys’ schools in New York City); the Citizens Union Foundation; StreetWise Partners (which builds mentoring relationships between low-income individuals and business professionals); the Friends of the High School for Environmental Studies (NYC); and The Tank (a performing arts venue for emerging artists).

Claire is also on the Stanford Law School Board of Visitors and the Sierra Club National Advancement Council and is a member of the Women Donors Network. Claire previously served on the Board of The HOPE Program, a welfare-to-work organization in Brooklyn, New York. Her philanthropy is focused on at-risk populations, progressive organizations and environmental groups. Claire also volunteers with the Stanford University Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society.

Involved in local politics, Claire serves on the State Affairs Committee of the Citizens Union of the City of New York.

Claire holds a BA and JD from Stanford University, and has lived in Brooklyn Heights with her husband and kids since 1988. She was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama.

Mike Traxinger, NLC Board Member, Des Moines, Iowa Co-Founder and Co-Director

In 2010, MIKE TRAXINGER founded the NLC Des Moines Chapter and currently serves as co-director. He was a NLC Washington DC fellow in 2009 and the NLC Progressive of the Year in 2011.

Traxinger has worked for the United States Department of Agriculture, the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and as a legislative correspondent for a member of Congress in Washington DC.

In 2012, Traxinger received the Drake University Law School Diversity Award and the American Bar Association Law Student Division Silver Key Award. He presently serves on the Drake University Law School Board of Counselors and is a member of the American Agricultural Law Association, American Bar Association, American Simmental Association, Drake Journal of Agricultural Law, and the National LGBT Bar Association.

Traxinger will receive his J.D. from Drake University Law School and received his B.A. from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

He continues to maintain a small herd of cattle on his family’s farm operation, Traxinger Simmentals, located in South Dakota.

Louis P. Valerio, NLC Board Member & Treasurer

LOUIS P. VALERIO is a member of the New Leaders Council Board of Directors and Treasurer (2011 – Present). He is also the Co-Founder of Park Avenue Sports and Entertainment LLC and Founder/Chairman/CEO of Progressive Financial Services, a phone bank service that works with the federal departments of Education and the Treasury as well as several municipal governments, colleges and universities, to collect debt and which maintains call centers in Aberdeen, SD; Tempe, AZ; and Philadelphia, PA.

Louis also serves as an Executive Board Member for the GlamourGal Foundation, is active in many local projects and causes and is the author of a monthly blog dealing with elder care issues. He has formerly served as a board member for ACA International and the Arizona Collectors Association, including as the Association President in 2008.

Mark Walsh, NLC Board Member, CEO of GeniusRocket

MARK WALSH is the head of a small venture capital firm focusing on interactive/internet technology and services, Ruxton Ventures, LLC, and CEO of GeniusRocket (www.geniusrocket.com), an internet advertising platform.

Mark has been in the internet industry for over twenty five years, heading up consumer internet efforts for GE, running AOL’s internet and business to business efforts, and as CEO of VerticalNet, a business to business internet company which he took public in early 1999.

Since 2001 Mark has been active in politics, serving as the first Chief Technology Advisor for the Democratic National Committee, then internet head for the John
Kerry for President Campaign, and then as founding CEO of Air America Radio. For the last six years he has co-hosted a weekly political talk show called “Left Jab” on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio. At his venture capital company, he has invested in a number of small to medium technology/startup companies and serves on a number of their boards.

Investment and/or board highlights include NutriSystems (NASDAQ: NTRI), Blackboard (NASDAQ: BBBB), Half.com (sold to eBay), Day.com (sold to Adobe), Spectrum K12 Software (Sold to Scantron), Hook & Ladder Brewing Company, MobilePosse, Transactis and ARPU. He is also active in a number of non-profits, serving or having served on the boards of the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony, the Bipartisan Policy Center, and In2Books.

Mark is chairman of the advisory council at The Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland Business School, and is chairman of the New Leaders Council. He started his business career in television, as anchorman and News Director of a CBSTV affiliate, and as New Business Development director for HBO in NewYork.

Mark has a BA from Union College (where he serves as chairman of the board of trustees) and an MBA from Harvard Business School.