Kelley Boothe from SouthernAlpha
iCitizen, the civic engagement platform, has announced the addition of Bruce Starr and Derrick Kitts as Vice Presidents of Government Relations. The two will expand iCitizen’s outreach to elected officials as the company prepares to launch the second version of its product in early fall.
“Our duty is to demonstrate the power of the iCitizen platform to elected officials, showing how they can foster better communications with their constituents,” said Bruce Starr.
Starr has 16 years of experience in the Oregon Legislative Assembly. He served two terms in Oregon’s House of Representatives before being elected to the state Senate in 2002, where he went on to serve three terms. Throughout his time in the Oregon legislature, Starr became known as a pre-eminent expert on transportation issues, overseeing the passage of the monumental Oregon Transportation Investment Act, providing $2.46 billion to modernize infrastructure across the state.
Kitts has served in a variety of roles throughout his career in politics. Shortly after graduating from college, he ran a successful campaign to re-elect Joe Scarborough to the United States House of Representatives, going on to serve as the congressman’s deputy chief of staff and political director for two and a half years in Washington, D.C. Upon Kitts’ return to Oregon, he was twice elected to the Oregon House of Representatives, where he chaired the Rules Committee and served as majority whip. In December 2011, Kitts was hired to produce a biweekly segment for MSNBC’s Morning Joe titled “The Polling Place,” focusing on data and polling results surrounding the most relevant issues of the day.
“Both Bruce and I have been in the political trenches firsthand” said Kitts. “I believe we have a fundamental understanding of the communication gaps in our current system. We are excited about introducing iCitizen as the means to fill these gaps.”
Kitts and Starr will lay the groundwork for a successful rollout of iCitizen version 2.0 as part of the next phase of iCitizen’s technology. The next version will provide an in-depth analysis of survey results, built-in communications tools and many other features to help policy makers understand and engage with their constituents.
“Derrick and Bruce are the best of the best when it comes to their job,’’ said Russell P. Reeder, CEO of iCitizen. “While the coding and design behind the platform are vital, it is equally important to ensure that elected officials are aware of the value iCitizen can bring to their role as representatives of the people. I could not picture any other two professionals leading our efforts.”
The post iCitizen adds two VPs of Government Relations appeared first on SouthernAlpha.
