Karen Hicks
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Karen Hicks is a Democratic political operative specializing in campaign field strategy and organization.
After attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Hicks held positions in a variety of political organizations and campaigns, including Executive Director of New Hampshire Citizen Action (1993-1997), Political Director for Governor Jeanne Shaheen’s gubernatorial (2000) and U.S. Senate (2002) bids, and Governor Shaheen’s Health Policy Advisor (2000-2002). Hicks rose to national prominence during the 2004 Democratic presidential primary when she served as the New Hampshire State Director for Governor Howard Dean’s campaign. Her innovative tactics [1][2] and exceptional leadership abilities [3] earned her wide acclaim, leading ABC News’ political newsletter “The Note” to comment that, “Karen Hicks has captured lightning in a bottle in New Hampshire for Dr. Dean.”
Hicks’ national and international reputation has continued to grow through her work as Deputy National Field Director for the Democratic National Committee and John Kerry for President (2004), and for Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Labour Party of Britain (2005). After victoriously returning to the United States, she led the petitioning drive to win Gifford Miller a place on the ballot in the race for Mayor of New York City (2005).
Hicks worked in late 2005 and most of 2006 at Catalist, a national voter database company founded by Harold M. Ickes which was originally dubbed the Data Warehouse project[4]. Leaving the political world briefly, Hicks joined the Institute of Politics at Harvard University faculty as a Resident Fellow for the Fall 2006 term. In December 2006, media reports indicated that she would join the Hillary Clinton for President campaign.
Hicks’ long-term plans remain unclear, though she has told John DiStaso of the Manchester Union Leader that she has not completely foreclosed the possibility of running for office herself.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Nagourney, Adam. [1] "Dean Organizers Take Lesson From Labor." New York Times, December 5, 2003, Page 35.
- ^ Shapiro, Walter. [2] "Dean looks to Iowa but may have to turn back to face Clark." USA Today, January, 11, 2004.
- ^ Klein, Ezra. [3] "Get a Job: Karen Hicks." Campus Progess, May 16, 2005.
