Steve Clift

Steven Clift is a founder of E-Democracy.Org in 1994 and served as Board Chair through 2008. He is an online strategist on the use of the Internet in democracy, governance, and community. One of world's leading experts on e-democracy, he has presented hundreds of times across 27 countries. Through his Democracies Online e-mail announcement list and Publicus.Net web site, he shares knowledge, practical advice and original articles and presentations directly to thousands of subscribers and visitors. Steven has been named among “The 25 Who Are Changing the World of Internet and Politics” by Politics Online and in 2006 received a fellowship from Ashoka, a global association of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs. He has served as advisor to the Markle Foundation's Web White & Blue online election information partnership and organized a major online presidential debate in 2000. He coordinated the State of Minnesota's government portal effort from 1994-1997and served as executive director of the Minnesota Government Information Access Council in 1997. He graduated from Winona State University, with a B.A. in Political Science and attended graduate school at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota where he also worked for the Center for Democracy and Citizenship and helped launch the online Public Policy Network in 1993. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.