Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., Governor of Utah
Utahns elected business leader and former United States diplomat Jon Huntsman as Governor in November 2004.  Governor Huntsman is working to breathe new life into Utah by bolstering economic development, enriching public education, maintaining unparalleled quality of life, and enhancing confidence in public service.
           
Presiding over one of the hottest economies in Utah’s history, Huntsman continues his efforts to complete tax reform, support and fund innovation, and create the most competitive environment for growth in the West. Governor Huntsman strongly supports public education and often refers to his own six children as his personal experiment in public schools.  He has worked tirelessly to prevent Utah from becoming a nuclear waste dumping ground and has led efforts for a Western States Primary election and immigration reform.  He currently chairs the Natural Resources Committee of the National Governors’ Association.    

Governor Huntsman earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.  His public service career began as a White House staff assistant to President Ronald Reagan and has included senior appointments in the Commerce Department and the State Department, as well as service as Deputy United States Trade Representative.  He has twice been unanimously confirmed by the Senate as a U.S. Ambassador.  He speaks fluent Mandarin.
           
As a public servant, Governor Huntsman begins each day with a renewed devotion to do what is best for Utah’s growing population.  He and his wife, Mary Kaye, have six children, one of whom was adopted from China. 

Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico

Bill Richardson was elected Governor of New Mexico in 2002 by the largest margin of any candidate since 1964. During nearly four years in office, Governor Richardson made good on his campaign promises to improve education, cut taxes, build a high-wage economy, develop a statewide water plan and make New Mexico safer by getting tough on DWI, domestic violence and sex crimes. Governor Richardson is continuing to move New Mexico forward in 2006, working to improve access to quality health care, implement an ambitious school reform plan and make the state a leader in renewable energy and clean energy technologies. As a result, New Mexico is now a national leader in job growth and economic momentum. The state has a balanced budget and one of the highest budget reserves in the country.

During the campaign for Governor, Bill Richardson broke a world record. He shook 13,392 hands in an 8-hour period – shattering the record that former president Theodore Roosevelt set on inauguration day in 1907. With his wife, Barbara, at his side, Governor Richardson was sworn into office January 1, 2003 at the historic Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe – the nation’s oldest seat of government.

Governor Richardson was recently re-elected to serve a second term as Chairman of the Democratic Governors’ Association. Governor Richardson is also past chairman of:

Western Governors’ Association
Border Governors’ Conference
2004 Democratic National Convention

In addition to his duties as Governor, Richardson teaches a course at New Mexico State University, where he provided students with unique perspectives on the inner workings of state government, the importance of public service and taught them about the realities of today’s political environment. Richardson previously taught at the University of New Mexico, Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, the United World College in Montezuma, NM.

Governor Richardson served for 15 years as New Mexico’s Representative in the 3rd Congressional District. Governor Richardson served in 1997 as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and in 1998, he was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy. Governor Richardson has been nominated several times for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Marc Ambinder, The Hotline
Marc Ambinder is associate editor of the Hotline and edits Hotline's newswire, On Call.  Before joining the Hotline, he was a producer for the ABC News Political Unit and was a co-founder of ABC's The Note.

Steve Collins, Brigham Young University
Steve Collins is a graduate student in the Master in Public Policy program at Brigham Young University. During the summer, he gained practical experience in his field as an intern for the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C.   

Michael Gehrke, Executive Director, Senate Majority Project
Before joining the Senate Majority Project as its Executive Director, Mike Gehrke served as the Research Director for the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and for Senator John Kerry’s Presidential Campaign.  He was the Director of Communications Research in the Clinton White House from 1999 until January 2001.

Natalie Gochnour, V.P., Policy and Communications, Salt Lake Chamber
Natalie Gochnour serves as the Vice President for Policy and Communications at the Salt Lake Chamber, Utah’s largest and longest-serving business association. In previous roles, Natalie has served as a Counselor to Secretary Mike Leavitt at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Christopher Hull, Georgetown University
In addition to teaching at Georgetown University, Christopher C. Hull is a partner in a Washington, D.C. public affairs firm.  His dissertation, “How Presidential Candidates Win State Nomination Contests: Explaining and Predicting the Iowa Caucus,” was nominated for the E.E. Schattschneider Prize.

Pam Inmann, Executive Director, Western Governors’ Association
Pam Inmann became Executive Director of the Western Governors' Association in March 2004.  Ms. Inmann previously worked as the District Director in State Government Affairs at Altria Corporate Services, the parent company of Philip Morris USA and Kraft Foods, Inc.

Martin Kasindorf, USA Today
Martin Kasindorg reports on national politics and national affairs from the Los Angeles bureau of USA TODAY. He joined the newspaper in 1997 after six years as White House correspondent at Newsday and 20 years at Newsweek, where he was a correspondent and bureau chief in London, New York and Los Angeles. He has covered every presidential campaign since 1976.

Daniel Kemmis, Senior Fellow, Center for the Rocky Mountain West
Mr. Kemmis was formerly Mayor of Missoula, Montana, and a former Speaker and Minority Leader of the Montana House of Representatives. Mr. Kemmis is the author of 3 books: Community and The Politics of Place; The Good City and the Good Life; and This Sovereign Land: A New Vision for Governing the West. 

Daniel Levin, University of Utah
Daniel Levin is associate professor of political science at the University of Utah, where he has taught since 2000.  He previously taught at Boise State University.  He is the author of Representing Popular Sovereignty: The Constitution in American Political Culture.

Eddie Mahe, Jr., Strategic Communications Counsel, Foley & Lardner, LLP
Henry “Eddie” Mahe, Jr. is a strategic communications consultant, with extensive experience in both the political and corporate arenas, based in Foley & Lardner LLP’s Washington, D.C. office.  Mr. Mahe served as deputy chairman of the Republican National Committee, and has consulted on numerous state and federal candidate campaigns, including those of Presidents Reagan and Bush.

Quin Monson, Brigham Young University
Quin Monson is assistant professor of political science and assistant director of the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy at Brigham Young University.  His research and teaching is in polling, public opinion, voting behavior, elections, campaign finance, and religion and politics.

Doug Nilson, Idaho State University
Doug Nilson is an associate professor of political science at Idaho State University.  Most of his teaching and research fit under the rubric of American politics.  He was the recipient of the University’s Distinguished Public Service Award in 2005.

Barbara Norrander , University of Arizona
Barbara Norrander is a professor in the political science department at the University of Arizona.  Among her publications is Super Tuesday:  Regional Politics & Presidential Primaries which investigates the southern regional primary held on March 8, 1988.

Travis Ridout, Washington State University
Travis N. Ridout is assistant professor of political science at Washington State University. His research on political campaigns, political advertising, and presidential nominations has appeared in the American Journal of Political Science, Political Behavior, and in several book chapters.

Brandon Rottinghaus, University of Idaho
Brandon Rottinghaus is an assistant professor of political science and director of the Bureau of Public Affairs Research at the University of Idaho.  His research interests include the public presidency, presidential leadership, the media and public opinion. 

Michael J. Stratton, President, Stratton & Associates
Michael J. Stratton has played a leading role in five presidential campaigns and represented a variety of clients including numerous Fortune 500 companies, trade organizations, and labor unions. He operates the Stratton Companies, principally involved in public affairs, real estate development, and business consulting.

John Weaver, Senior Strategist, Straight Talk America
John Weaver, considered one of the nation’s leading communication and political strategists, serves as the chief political advisor to Senator John McCain and as senior strategist to the Senator’s Straight Talk America Political Action Committee. In addition to his work on behalf of Senator McCain, Weaver represents other corporate and organization clients on communication and political strategy.

Sven Wilson, Brigham Young University
Sven E. Wilson has been on the faculty of Brigham Young University since 1997.  He is currently associate professor of political science and economics and is director of the Master of Public Policy program.  He is also a research economist at the National Bureau of Economic Research.