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For most people, “elections” are something you think about every 4, maybe two years. But in most parts of the nation, there are multiple elections every year, for local offices and ballot initiatives that have significant impact on day-to-day affairs in our communities, where we work and where we live. Turnout for these are often so low, 5% of the voters end up determining 95% of what we all have to live with in our towns and cities!

Despite their importance, these ‘small’ elections are won not by giant multimillion-dollar national campaigns but by everyday concerned citizens. What if I told you that you, as a Project Manager, have the skillset our town council hopefuls, school board candidates and local activists need to bring voters to their side? In this presentation, I will go over some quick translations from Project Management to Campaign Management, give you basic knowledge of how your government works for those who participate, and let you know how I, as a part-time volunteer, have used PM skills to impact elections at the local, state and federal level – and you can too!

About our guest speaker:

Shafer Gaston is a PMP-holding member of the PMI Upstate NY Chapter. He has held many professional roles including US Navy Submarine Officer, Nuclear Operations Instructor, Maintenance Planner, and Operating Engineer – and has never once been hired full-time to work on political campaigns. He believes that government that works best is the one that engages with the most people – and that PMs have a unique skillset to help make that happen!