Graduate Center

When applicants sign on to take the training, each commits to volunteer a minimum of 40 hours to the campaign or cause of their choice. Rising Tide grads haven’t just met their commitment- they’ve blown it away by logging well over 15,000 volunteer hours making calls, canvassing neighborhoods, distributing literature, putting up signs, and registering voters.

All one needs to do to gauge the success of A Rising Tide’s program is to ask one of our graduates what their experience has meant. For some, the training was a kick in the pants- a reason to get more civicly involved. But for others, it has been a turning point- a crossroads from which to choose a course.

Just look at some of the things that our grads have gone on to do:

Campaign Professionals:
Emily Boyle, Political Director, Adam Cote for Congress
James Cote, Campaign Coordinator, Peter Mills for Governor, 2006
Brandon Maheu, Maine Democratic Party,
John Merrill, Field Organizer, Senate Senate Republicans, 2006
David O’Heir, Field Organizer, Maine Won’t Discriminate, 2005
Alex Pringle, Senate Democratic Campaign Committee, Deputy Caucus Director
Rick Redmond, Maine Democratic Party, Deputy Finance Director
Anya Trundy, Maine Democratic Party, Director of Operations

Activists:
Cara Bilodeau, Community Organizer, Stand for Children
Andrew Bossie, Exec. Dir, Maine Aids Alliance and Board President, Opportunity Maine
Darlene Huntress, Public Policy Director, Equality Maine
Rob King and Sadie Kitchen, Yarmouth High School students who worked on their own campaign to encourage Maine to divest its retirement holdings from Darfur, Sudan
Jonathan LaBonte, President, Androscoggin Land Trust
Rachel Myers, Former Community Organizer, Maine Civil Liberties Union
Christine Rice, Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator John Kyl
Meredith Segal, National Director, Student for Barack Obama

But ART grads aren’t just running other people’s campaigns- they’re running their own and they’re winning! Take a look at some of them:

Candidates:
Kate Austin, Board of Selectmen, Peru
Alex Cornell du Houx, nominee for State Legislature, Brunswick
Peter Eglinton, School Committee, Portland
Terry Hayes, State Legislator, Buckfield
Duncan Holley, School Board, Bar Harbor
Terry Morrison, nominee for State Legislature, South Portland
Robert O’Brien, School Committee, Portland
Dan Skolnik, City Councilor, Portland
Sarah Whitfield, School Board, Wiscassett