Rick Claypool Email & Phone Number

As a research director, Rick's work focuses on how corporate power distorts democracy in the U.S. He has been quoted and his research has been covered in Bloomberg News, USA Today, NPR, The American Prospect, McClatchy, Vice/Motherboard, Politico, The Wall Street Journal and numerous regional newspapers.

Washington, D.C. / Pittsburgh, Pa. (Remote)

• Organize coalition engagement in grassroots actions against corporate targets
• Lead online activism efforts among issue-based coalitions of national progressive groups
• Speak before diverse audiences to raise awareness and engagement in advocacy efforts
• Advocate policy priorities at lobby visits with legislators and testimony before regulators
• Launch online grassroots campaigns to activate network of 200,000+ activists
• Co-manage organizer and interns assisting with grassroots advocacy efforts

Washington D.C. Metro Area

• Acted as spokesperson to news media and members regarding grassroots activism
• Formed and nurture collaborative partnerships with other national public interest organizations
• Wrote email and web copy and maintain Congress Watch division websites
• Managed email campaigns to engage subscribers in legislative priorities and grow membership
• Found new and innovative ways to use social media to engage and empower members
• Co-managed Facebook page (38,000 page likes) and Twitter account (24,000 followers)

Washington D.C. Metro Area

• Organized press conferences with coalitions of national consumer advocacy groups
• Wrote press releases, press statements, newsletter articles, video scripts, and online content
• Maintained website with regular updates using content management system
• Acted as primary liaison between news media and organization issue experts

Greater Pittsburgh Area

• Conducted outreach in low-income communities to promote food stamps and tax assistance
• Organized “poverty simulation” events to educate the public
• Launched organization’s blog and blogging strategy to ensure regular updates
• Wrote and edited newsletter articles, press releases, outreach materials, and grant proposals
• Recruited, trained, and supervised dozens of volunteers for various projects

Toledo, Ohio Area

• Wrote cover stories as well as features, reviews, and other pieces as needed
• Edited copy in articles, calendar, and classified sections using Adobe InDesign and Quark

Toledo, Ohio Area

• Composed and presented lectures for social science / humanities course
• Encouraged critical thinking skill development through writing assignments and discussions

Bowling Green, Ohio

• Assisted in organizing annual national conference on holidays, ritual, festival, celebration, and public display
• Composed and presented lectures for social science / humanities course

M.A., Popular Culture Studies

Received teaching and research assistantships; conducted ethnographic research and media analyses to gain an understanding of the.

B.A., English

Graduated magna cum laude; served as English Club president; was a founding member of Students for Social Justice