bill@bill-lynch.com
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bill@bill-lynch.com
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Bill Lynch, founder and Chairman of Bill Lynch Associates, LLC, has more than 30 years of experience in local and national politics, government operations, labor, and public policy.

Mr. Lynch successfully managed the mayoral campaign of David N. Dinkins in 1989, serving as Deputy Mayor for Intergovernmental Affairs from 1990-93. In addition to his responsibility for everything from the Community Development Agency to the Mayor's Action Center, he oversaw the mayor's federal, state and municipal legislative affairs offices. He had earlier been Manhattan Borough President Dinkins' Chief of Staff.

In 1990, he coordinated the mayor's urban national agenda, convening a meeting of 38 of the nation's mayors. In 1992, he was one of the leaders of the team that brought the Democratic National Convention to New York.

When Nelson Mandela was released from prison in South Africa in 1991, Mr. Lynch coordinated the massive New York welcome celebration for the anti-apartheid leader. He was a key adviser to Mr. Mandela during his election campaign for President when South Africa's black majority was first able to vote.

Prior to his work in government, Mr. Lynch served as Director of Legislation and Political Action for District Council 1701 of AFSCME, and managed successful campaigns for Major Owens for Congress and Frank Boyland for Assembly as well as playing key roles in the Presidential campaigns of Jesse Jackson and Walter Mondale. He was Deputy Campaign Manager for John Kerry for President in 2004.

President Bill Clinton appointed Mr. Lynch to the Democratic National Committee in 1997, where he served as Vice-Chair until 2003 when he was appointed to the New York City Charter Revision Commission by Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

Mr. Lynch serves on the boards of Advancement Project, Children's Defense Fund, Long Island University, Museum of African Art, Shared Interest, the New York Organ Donor Network, and the Hamilton Heights-Sugar Hill Historic Commission.

bill@bill-lynch.com
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Advancement Project

Advancement Project, a policy, communications and legal action group committed to racial justice, was founded by a team of veteran civil rights lawyers in 1998. Our mission is to develop, encourage, and widely disseminate innovative ideas, and pioneer models that inspire and mobilize a broad national racial justice movement to achieve universal opportunity and a just democracy.

Advancement Project partners with community organizations bringing them the tools of legal advocacy and strategic communications to dismantle structural exclusion.

www.advancementproject.org

Children's Defense Fund

CDF is the foremost national proponent of policies and programs that provide children with the resources they need to succeed. We champion policies that will lift children out of poverty; protect them from abuse and neglect; and ensure their access to health care, quality education, and a moral and spiritual foundation.

www.childrensdefense.org

Museum for African Art

The Museum for African Art is dedicated to increasing public understanding and appreciation of African art and culture. The Museum is recognized worldwide as the preeminent organizer of exhibitions and publisher of books devoted exclusively to historical and contemporary African art.

www.africanart.org

National Council of Negro Women

Founded in 1935, the NCNW mission is to lead, develop, and advocate for women of African descent as they support their families and communities. NCNW fulfills this purpose through research, advocacy, and national and community-based services and programs on issues of health, education, and economic empowerment in the United States and Africa.

www.ncnw.org

New York Organ Donor Network

The New York Organ Donor Network is dedicated to the recovery of organs and tissues for people in need of life-saving and life-improving transplants. We are committed to increasing awareness and fostering understanding of organ and tissue donation among health care professionals and the general public.

www.donatelifeny.org

Shared Interest

Shared Interest's mission is to mobilize the resources for South Africa's economically disenfranchised communities to sustain themselves and build an equitable nation.

www.sharedinterest.org

Colin Campbell joined Bill Lynch Associates in 2010, working in the areas of government relations and campaign consultation. He studied political science at New York University and graduated cum laude in 2009. During his undergraduate years, he interned with the congressional office of Nydia Velázquez and President Barack Obama’s historic campaign in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He began his professional career as a field organizer for Bill Thompson’s mayoral campaign and looks forward to continuing his involvement in New York politics and government affairs with BLA.

josiel@bill-lynch.com
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Ms. Estrella has been with Bill Lynch Associates since its inception. In 2009 promoted to Associate, and her work focuses on Latino communities, including political campaigns, communications and special projects. She also works on production and buys for the media division of BLA, developing messages and content for campaigns and projects.

She served as Special Assistant to Bill Lynch for a decade. She has planned book signings, labor events, rallies, political campaign events, fundraisers and press conferences.

Prior to joining BLA, Ms. Estrella worked in the Community Affairs and Educational Resources Department at WNET Channel 13. Previously, she toured with the National Theatre of the Performing Arts, and was a producer for BRONXNET. She worked in Affiliate Relations for Luna Entertainment, a Spanish syndication broadcasting company. Ms. Estrella was also editor in chief of a community newspaper in Washington Heights, and hosted and produced a radio show in upstate New York for four years. Ms. Estrella values her time as an intern in the CBS newsroom, and her training in the Air Force ROTC.

She has volunteered for programs helping children, the homeless, the elderly and those with mental health issues. She is the Founder of the Injury Prevention Awareness Project and the Executive Director and Founder of "Reading is Progress," a club for the working children in the Dominican Republic.

Ms. Estrella has a background in Public Communications and Theater. She is a graduate of Syracuse University and a Yale O'Neill Studio alumna. She was also a participant in the Film and Broadcasting program at NYU.

jacob@bill-lynch.com
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Jacob Gross joined Bill Lynch Associates in 2008. He earned his BA in Political Science from Columbia University, where his range of interests included American Politics, International Relations, Comparative Politics, and Military Science. His interest in political activism has sent him around the world, including volunteering in Ghana and Ukraine, and he is an active member of the Manhattan Young Democrats. In 2009, Jacob ascended to his first elected office, becoming a member the Democratic County Committee of New York (feel free to address him as "Your Honor").

In his spare time, Jacob studies improv and sketch comedy, and performs throughout New York City.

andy@bill-lynch.com
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Andy Humm has been with BLA since 2003. A veteran journalist and gay rights activist, he has advocated for civil rights and health issues before the City Council, the state legislature and the federal government for decades. He has served as a City Human Rights Commissioner, and taught courses on community organizing as well as public health and the media at Hunter College’s graduate Community Health Education Program. He was director of education at the Hetrick-Martin Institute for LGBT youth for nine years and knows the non-profit and education worlds well. He has been host of the weekly national "Gay USA" cable news show for 25 years.

Andy's op-ed pieces have appeared in all of the city’s major dailies. His print and broadcast skills help BLA clients communicate their messages more clearly and effectively. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia and has a Master of Public Health degree from Hunter College of the City University of New York.

Andy has been accorded numerous civic honors, including from the City Comptroller and Public Advocate as well as having been named an Arkansas Traveler by then-Gov. Bill Clinton. Andy lives in Chelsea.

wlynch@bill-lynch.com
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The son of founder Bill Lynch, William has more than 20 years of experience in local and national politics, city government, labor and media.

William developed and produced community-sensitive media and advertising, including commercials for Hillary Clinton's senatorial campaign. Previously he produced the "Mark Riley Show" for WLIB Radio. William worked for DC 37-AFSCME, New York City's largest public employee union, for over a decade, where he worked as an organizer, grievance representative and lead newsletter writer. William worked at the New York City Council, Member Services Division, as a liaison between the Speaker and members of the City Council. He has played an active role in several New York City mayoral campaigns, New York State-level races, as well as the last three presidential cycles.

yvette@bill-lynch.com
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Yvette McKenzie joined BLA in August 2009 as Special Assistant to Chairman Bill Lynch. She has more than a decade of experience in serving in an administrative capacity. Prior to her joining BLA, Yvette worked in the Robin Hood Foundation for 13 years as an Executive Assistant, working with a prominent board of directors, major donors, and two Directors. Most recently she worked with Atlantic Philanthropies, also providing administrative support. Yvette attended Borough of Manhattan Community College and Metropolitan College of New York, pursuing a degree in Business Administration.

Yvette was born and reared in Harlem, NY where she currently resides with her family.

rebecca@bill-lynch.com
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Rebecca Miller has an extensive career of leadership and management with labor that includes electoral campaign work, training and negotiations. Most recently, Rebecca served as the Pennsylvania State Director for the progressive electoral coalition, America Votes, Inc. Previously she was the Executive Director of SEIU 1997, a 6,000 member public sector union in Riverside, CA and earlier worked as Political Director of SEIU 790, northern California's largest public sector local union. From 1998 to 2002 she was Chief of Staff for the California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO. Rebecca began her political and leadership career in 1984 when she began working for Local 1199, National Health Care Employees Union in New York City. She was recruited to the staff of 1199 as an activist member from Albert Einstein College of Medicine where she worked as a Research Technician after graduating from Bard College.

luther@bill-lynch.com
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Luther A. Smith has over a dozen years of government and political campaign experience. He has served in the office of the Manhattan Borough President as the Director of Community Affairs and Chief of Staff. He worked previously as a Legislative Assistant and Executive Assistant to a member of the New York City Council. Mr. Smith is a veteran political organizer having worked on over a half-dozen campaigns on the local, state and national level. He served as Field Director for the Mayoral campaign of C. Virginia Fields. Most recently, Luther was Manager of David Paterson's campaign for lieutenant governor. Luther is a native New Yorker and attended NYU School of Law and the City of University of New York.

arelis@bill-lynch.com
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Arelis joined Bill Lynch Associates in 2003 as Program Associate. She manages and assists with client projects, drafts materials for internal and external distribution and has coordinated many large events for the company, including book signings, labor and campaign events, fundraisers and press conferences. Prior to her position at BLA, she worked as a legal assistant at several New York City law firms, specializing in criminal, real estate and entertainment law. She attended CUNY's Borough of Manhattan Community College where she majored in Writing & Literature. She is involved in the Latino Community, especially in the Lower East Side where she spent much of her youth.

Arelis currently lives in East Harlem with her daughter, Angelica Mercedes.

karen@bill-lynch.com
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Karen M. Torres joined the BLA team in July of 2009. Karen attended Long Island University, where she studied child psychology. As BLA’s office manager she makes sure everything runs smoothly. In her spare time Karen likes to dabble in pastry arts. Karen resides in the Lower East Side where she was born and raised.

kevin@bill-lynch.com
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Kevin P. Wardally is the Senior Vice President for Political and Government Affairs at Bill Lynch Associates, where he has the responsibility of providing strategic development, leadership and counsel to BLA's clients ranging from corporations, not-for-profit organizations, and political candidates to labor organizations and community based groups.

Since joining the BLA team, Mr. Wardally's work has included: helping steward Columbia University through New York City's ULURP process by developing and garnering both community and government support for the successful re-zoning of 35 acres in West Harlem, one of the largest development projects in the City's history, and the successful election of Congressman Keith Ellison – the first African-American from Minnesota and the first Muslim ever elected in the U.S. Congress. He serves as the lead strategist for New York State Senator Malcolm Smith, the former Democratic Majority Leader; and provided strategy and analysis for the creation of radio and print ads for the successful re-election of former U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton.

Campaigns are second nature to Kevin. His savvy and instincts have helped to elect countless candidates to office. He engineered a statewide door-to-door effort to increase the level of voter participation among African-Americans by designing and running one of the largest voter contact programs in U.S. history. In 2004, Kevin was tapped by the Democratic National Committee to manage the Democratic Response to the Republican National Convention in New York. These efforts included daily press conferences, rallies, interviews, and large scale events to spread the Democratic message and counter the messages presented by the Republicans.

Mr. Wardally began his political career in the office of Congressman Charles B. Rangel, where he honed his skills. He then worked for the New York City Council for nearly a decade. There he diligently worked his way up the ranks as Senior Political Advisor, Director of the Member Services Division and eventually Deputy Chief of Staff before his departure.

Mr. Wardally earned a master's degree in Organizational Management and is a proud graduate of Syracuse University, where he earned a degree in Political Science and Economics. He resides in Harlem with his wife and two children, Emerson and Qiana.

darryl@bill-lynch.com
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Born and raised in Harlem, Darryl's early years were filled with activities that created the foundation for his commitment to community service. He was a very active member of Resurrection Church and the school that he attended.

After graduating from Louis D. Brandeis High School, he immediately went to work at Fairchild Republic Company, where he served as a Production Control Supervisor for an aerospace manufacture, while enrolled in the Business Management program at night at Elizabeth Seton College.

In 1992, Darryl began working as a Community Liaison for then-State Assembly Member Albert Vann of the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. Darryl became an active member of the V.I.D.A political club. He helped to organize a number of voter registration drives, including the 1995 Voter Jam at which numerous recording artists gathered to promote voter registration efforts for V.I.D.A. Over 3,000 residents were added to the roll of registered voters in the Bedford-Stuyvesant community. Darryl has worked as campaign coordinator and director for several campaign efforts in Brooklyn including ones for Charles Schumer, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Eliot Spitzer, New York State Democratic Coordinated Campaigns and, of course, Al Vann, just to name a few.

Darryl White joined BLA in 2008, bringing years of community and political experience that are an asset to their political and government affairs operation. Darryl has three daughters.