BORDC Board of Directors
Lisa Graves, president, became the executive director of the Center for Media and Democracy in July 2009. She previously served as a senior advisor in all three branches of the federal government, as a leading strategist on civil liberties advocacy, and as an adjunct professor at George Washington University Law School.
Timothy Smith, vice president, is an organic farmer as well as founder and chairperson of the BORDC chapter in Tacoma, WA. Tim is also a retired US Army Chief Warrant Officer with 25 years experience in the field of intelligence collection, analysis, and dissemination. He served as an intelligence advisor to Generals Barry R. McCaffery and Wesley K. Clark and was assigned to operational assignments in South Korea, East and West Germany, and the Balkans. For the past 10 years he has focused on government transparency, oversight of state and local police abuses, and grassroots organizing to resist immigrant detention.
Steve Abrams, treasurer, is a practicing CPA with extensive experience in nonprofit accounting and tax matters. He is a former member of Amnesty International USA's board of directors.
Allen J. Davis, secretary, is the executive director of the Greenfield Community College Foundation in Greenfield, Massachusetts.
Kit Gage is the former director of the Defending Dissent Foundation, which is an amalgam of the First Amendment Foundation and the National Committee Against Repressive Legislation (formerly the National Committee to Abolish HUAC), which Kit directed previously. Kit edited and wrote the epilogue for First Amendment Felon, a biography of NCAHUAC founder Frank Wilkinson by Robert Sherrill.
Jennifer S. Holmes is an associate professor of political economy and political science at the University of Texas at Dallas. She received her BA from the University of Chicago and her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. Her major area of research is political violence, terrorism, and political development with an emphasis on Latin America and Southern Europe.
Khurshid Khoja is an attorney in the San Francisco office of Reed Smith LLP, where his practice focuses on the development, construction, and financing of wind power and other renewable energy projects. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Asian Law Caucus and the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area, as well as the board of trustees of the North American South Asian Bar Association Foundation. Khurshid received his J.D. from the U.C. Berkeley School of Law, his M.A. in international relations from The University of Chicago and his B.A. (with high honor) in political science from DePaul University.
Joan Mandell is a documentary filmmaker, educator and activist based in Detroit, MI, where she directs Olive Branch Productions. Her ground-breaking documentaries include Tales from Arab Detroit, Voices in Exile: Immigrants and the First Amendment, Gaza Ghetto (about the impact of war and military occupation on family life) and One Million Postcards (about how children can become involved in grassroots organizing and activism).
Michael D. Ostrolenk is the founder and national coordinator for the Medical Privacy Coalition. He is the co-founder and national director of the Liberty Coalition, a transpartisan coalition of groups working to protect civil liberties, privacy and human autonomy. He is also co-founder and president of the American Conservative Defense Alliance.
Jon Pincus is an entrepreneur, writer, and activist in Seattle and San Francisco. He has previously worked as a software developer with Microsoft and his latest project is qweries. Jon has worked extensively in online activism and was instrumental in founding Get FISA Right. Read more on his website.