Jim St. George (MN '79)

Jim St. George (MN '79) is the Managing Partner of Voter Activation Network, Inc., the largest provider of voter file software and database technology to Democrats and progressives.  Started in 2001, the company now employs over 50 people.  Through national contracts with the Democratic National Committee, the AFL-CIO, and a progressive coalition known as America Votes, VAN technology is used by Democrats and progressives in nearly every competitive race in the country.

Increasingly, VAN is also working with labor unions and progressive non-profits to provide membership management and various e-advocacy tools.

During the 2007-2008 Presidential election, VAN had a unique perspective of the Democratic nominating process, insofar as it worked directly with both the Clinton and Obama campaigns, ensuring they had access to all the field tools they needed in their battle for the nomination. From June 2008 through November, VAN worked intimately with the Obama field operation, providing the software tools to manage the campaign’s voter contact and volunteer management programs nationwide.

Jim came to VAN – a company started by his husband in 2001 – after 15 years working as an analyst and advocate for progressive public finance policies, including involvement in a number of initiative campaigns around tax and spending policies. He has worked at the state level as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, the national level with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and, for three years before joining VAN, in developing countries and emerging democracies with the International Budget Partnership.

Jim has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Minnesota and a Master in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He was named a Harry S Truman Scholar while an undergraduate and a John F. Kennedy Fellow as a graduate student. He has never won an award named for a Republican.