From Center for American Progress - Faiz Shakir
Faiz Shakir is the Research Director at the Center for American Progress, where he serves as editor of ThinkProgress.org and The Progress Report. Over his tenure, ThinkProgress has seen its readership grow nearly seven-fold, and was recently named best political blog in the 2006 Weblog awards. Meanwhile, The Progress Report e-newsletter has established itself as the must-read daily information guide for progressives.

The Progress Report and ThinkProgress� popularity can be directly attributed to the leadership Faiz provides his team, and thereby the progressive community in arming it with one of its most reliable and credible weapons in the daily political and policy battles. Colleagues have come to depend on his keen intellect and quick instinct for shaping how we look at the world of Washington each day.

Faiz holds a B.A. degree in Government from Harvard University and a J.D. degree from the Georgetown Law Center. Faiz has previously worked as a Research Associate for the Democratic National Committee, as a Legislative Aide to Senator Bob Graham (D-FL), and as a communications aide in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. His writings have appeared in the Jerusalem Post, Florida Today, and Salon. Faiz has appeared on CNBC and BBC Television, among other places, and has been a guest on many radio stations, including NPR and BBC Radio.

From National Council of La Raza - Jennifer Ng�andu
Jennifer Ng�andu joined the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) in 2004.  In her capacity as Senior Health Policy Analyst, Ms. Ng�andu leads efforts to improve the health status of Latinos by advancing federal health proposals that address systemic problems that create health injustice for Latinos.  Specifically, Ms. Ng�andu concentrates on creating parity in health care by increasing health coverage in the Latino community and improving access to quality health care.

Further, as part of her work to enhance public health, Ms. Ng�andu works to strengthen anti-poverty initiatives and federal nutrition programs.  In December 2006, she co-authored Sin Provecho: Latinos and Food Insecurity, raising the profile of hunger in the Latino community. Ms. Ng�andu�s work has been featured in a broad spectrum of radio, print, and television media including the New York Times and Washington Post.

Outside of NCLR, Ms. Ng�andu also engages in activities to strengthen the health care in the U.S.  Currently, she sits on the National Physicians Alliance Board of Directors and Council of Consumers to encourage service, integrity, and advocacy among the medical professions.  She also participates in the Coordinating Committee of the Herndon Alliance, an organization dedicated to creating sound solutions to affordable, accessible health care for all Americans.

Prior to joining NCLR, Ms. Ng�andu worked at the National Immigration Law Center and helped to advance legislation that improved health and social services for low-income immigrants and increased educational opportunities for immigrant students.  Ms. Ng�andu holds a B.S. in Psychology from Duke University.

During this time, she served as an intern with the Advocacy and Community Outreach Department of the Capital Area Food Bank. She worked on the food bank�s Food Stamp Initiative (FSI) by recruiting sites, volunteers, and scheduling trainings. She began work on updating the Community Resource Guide, while also learning how to facilitate the poverty and hunger workshop called, Face Hunger. She played a significant role in helping to coordinate Hunger Awareness Week activities in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia for the food ban.

In the fall of 2006, she was hired as an Advocacy Associate. Her work expanded to include the introduction of a new program, The Benefit Bank which will support the FSI.

She conducts outreach and training programs with a variety of community-based organizations in the Washington Metropolitan Area. Her work provides an on-going information and resource linkage with all departments of the Capital Area Food Bank. Additionally, she helps expand the visibility and work of the food bank with policymakers and locally elected officials.

From Congressional Hunger Center - Elizabeth Whelan
Elizabeth Whelan works at the Congressional Hunger Center (CHC). A member of the 10th class of Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellows, Elizabeth now serves as Program Associate to the Mickey Leland International Hunger Fellows Program. Before joining CHC, Elizabeth volunteered in rural Haiti for Partners in Health, an international public health organization whose mission is to provide a preferential option for the poor in health care. She worked on a nutrition program for children with severe malnutrition. She also provided program support for the Patient Mother to Child Transmission program. In addition, she worked on a survey comparing the food security status HIV positive and negative patients, and she conducted assessments for potable water projects in over 15 local communities.

Elizabeth graduated from the University of Virginia in 2003. She has a B.A. in English (poetry writing) and Religious Studies. She is a writer and photographer and hopes that her work will help raise public awareness on behalf of those whose voices are too rarely heard.