Matthew Fitch, Executive Director: Matthew Fitch has been involved in conducting elections since 1990, when he was an analyst and supervisor for the I.B.T. Election Office. He has held a wide array of independent supervision roles for such organizations as the I.B.T., LIUNA, SEIU and many others. Since co-founding Merriman River in 1998, Matt has developed proprietary VoterEdge software using barcode technology based on the FileMaker Pro platform that has proven to be a significant time and money saver for clients while improving accuracy and record keeping. Matt also consults on polling, media and field organizing for political candidates and has managed dozens of successful campaigns. He resides in Hamden, Connecticut and maintains an office in Los Angeles, California.

Luke Henrici, Director of Technology and Data: Luke Henrici joined Merriman River in 2005 and is our in-house lead for all data and IT operations. Luke has provided phone and opinion research service to a wide variety of political, labor and corporate clients, and has served as an election supervisor for a number of Merriman River Elections, including the SEIU 2006 Unite to Win reorganization vote in California, the 2006 IBT Officer Election, and the 2008 FOP Labor Committee election in Washington DC. A recent graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Luke splits his time between western Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Tasha Iglesias, Project Supervisor: Tasha Iglesias joined Merriman River Group in 2009, after almost a decade in the labor movement. Tasha worked as a student organizer and office manager for the California Faculty Association while earning her undergraduate degree and holds a Masters degree in Sociology from San Diego State University. She later served as a worksite organizer for an SEIU local. Tasha resides in San Diego, California.

Jorge Simpson, Project Supervisor: A retired Master Sergeant with the United States Marine Corps, Jorge Simpson has been lending his organizational skills to Merriman River since 2006. Jorge coordinates logistics, transportation, replacement ballot requests and postal compliance, In addition, Jorge, who is bilingual, is responsible for all in-house Spanish translation and interpretation. He is a graduate of Marine Corps University & Westfield State College. Born in Honduras, he grew up and still resides in Boston, Massachusetts.

Seth Rosenthal, Director of Polling: Dr. Seth Rosenthal is Merriman River Group's Director of Polling. He is the lead author of the National Leadership Index survey published annually by the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School. Seth received extensive statistical training while receiving his Ph.D. in experimental psychology from Harvard University. He continued his focus on survey research, attitude measurement, and political leadership as a research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School's Center for Public Leadership. He has authored academic book chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles on the measurement of racial and ethnic attitudes, the measurement of narcissistic personality, on leadership, and on trust. Seth resides in Hamden, Connecticut.

RoboSara™: Although you may never see her face, you will hear her voice as Merriman River's main voice-over artist for automated polling, reverse 911 notifications and public service announcements. She is versed in a variety of American English dialects to provide the right sound for your locale and has recorded messages from New York to Hawaii. Sara also provides graphic design services. Born in the Midwest, she resides in one of the flyover states, close to a Great Lake.

Support Staff

MRG is supported by a strong group of talented professionals:

Joe Mike	Pete Vining	Ally Gillette	Bob Harrington	Cira de Castillo
Dennis Henderson	Ellen Zoppo	Hank Murray	Julie Mike	Maureen Hart
Megan-Marie Henrici	Rachel Gillette	Tracy Nista	Walter Nakasato	Mick McGarry