Brandon Levey
SSDP Board Application
The Basics
School: University of Maryland, College Park
Email: BrandonALevey@Gmail.com
Major(s) / Minor(s) / Areas of study: History/Israel Studies- Pre-Law
Current year in school: Senior
Expected graduation year: 2012
What are your tentative plans after college?:
I plan to take off a year and do something related to the 2012 election, as I did in 2008, and then to go to law school, where I plan on participating in, or starting, an SSDP chapter.
Leadership Experience
Describe your advocacy skills and experience. Include work outside of SSDP.
Before I was involved in any drug policy work or had even heard of SSDP, I was very active in political causes, and was the youngest volunteer to travel alone to Iowa for the Dean for America campaign when I was 14 years old. After this and more volunteering work, in 2006 I became a field organizer for the Oz Bengur for Congress campaign. Two years later, I was a field organizer in New Hampshire for the successful Shaheen for Senate campaign, which merged with Obama for America before the election. I have also done, and continue to do, extensive work with Tru Blu Politics, a political consulting firm that helps progressives get elected. Now that I no longer have an official position within my SSDP chapter, I serve on the Student Senate, and am one of 26 undergraduates representing the 26,000 undergraduate students at UMD.
How do you plan on balancing a busy schedule as a student, an SSDP activist, and a board member?
In the past two years, I have devoted as much time as possible to drug policy on campus and statewide, and I plan on continuing to do this. Next semester (spring 2012), I will have a very light course-load, and then I will be graduating, so I do not think balancing my schedule will be an issue for me. Since I became involved in SSDP, being an activist for this cause has always been my top priority, and I will continue this dedication if elected to the Board of Directors.
SSDP Chapter Experience
What formal positions have you held in your SSDP chapter? When?
I was co-treasurer of the University of Maryland chapter of SSDP in 2009-2010, and co-President in 2010-2011.
Describe your leadership style, particularly within your chapter.
Because the positions on college campuses generally only last one year, leadership is different than other non-campus based organizations. From the beginning, I immediately was looking for who would step up and take charge of the chapter after I was gone, and giving them opportunities to help out. I opted for a more inclusive style of leadership, where everyone had a voice in the direction and activities of our chapter and each person's input was valuable. Having said that, when something needed to get done, it was done, and our chapter had an extremely successful year, passing an alcohol-only Good Samaritan Policy across campus after a four-year struggle, and organizing large events with great media coverage that made SSDP well-known to everyone on campus.
Describe one project that you led or are leading. What was/is your role? What has this project accomplished?
I am leading the campaign to expand the Good Samaritan Policy on our campus to include all drugs, rather than just alcohol, and I am leading the campaign to make this statewide as well. While the campaigns are still in their planning stages, we have already secured good media coverage, an endorsement from our school paper, the endorsement and active support from the President of our SGA, and the likely support of State Senators and Delegates. From these developments, we have influenced a the marked change in our campus dialogue, and many across our school- both students and administrators- are finally coming to the conclusion that this policy needs to be expanded, and that saving lives needs to be the top priority on campus.
What fundraising or revenue building experience have you had in the past?
In the 2006 election cycle, I organized a “meet and greet” for Oz Bengur, a Congressional Candidate in my hometown, that raised a significant amount of money. As a freshman in high school, I raised over $5,000 for the Howard Dean campaign with personal appeals to friends and family, an accomplishment for which I was named “GenDeaner of the Month.” I also have been involved in getting Progressive clients for a political firm I do work for, and as a Junior at UMD was involved in fundraising work for our school’s Alumni Association.
The Board
Why do you want to serve on the SSDP board?
Since I came to the University of Maryland and heard about SSDP, I knew this was something I wanted to get involved with, and since then, drug policy has been my life at UMD. SSDP is incredibly unique in that it is run by students, and is something that I think I can greatly contribute to. Now that I no longer am directly leading our SSDP chapter and instead am working from within the Student Senate, I want to continue my involvement in changing our failed drug laws. We are at an incredible time in drug policy history- when much of America is finally realizing just how counter-productive our “war on drugs” is- and being on the SSDP national board will allow me to play an important part in the coming end to the drug war and a return to more sensible, fair, and just policies. Additionally, I have ideas that I would like to pursue while on SSDP board that I feel will greatly help SSDP and expand its reach.
What do you believe are the board's most important functions?
An organization as large as SSDP cannot be entirely reliant upon a small (albeit amazing) staff to run smoothly. I believe the board’s most important functions are making sure that SSDP has a coherent message and strategy, and also to outreach to others- be it potential future SSDP chapter leaders or other organizations that can help expand the organizational reach. Additonally, any non-profit like SSDP is reliant upon its board of directors to stay financially solvent, and through organizing fundraisers, reaching out to potential donors, and making sure that money is being spent wisely, this is surely one of the most important functions of the board. Lastly, the board plans conferences and evaluates the Executive Director, both of which are essential to keeping the organization strong and growing.
What are your goals for your board tenure (be as specific as possible)?
The main, overarching thing I would like to focus on during my board tenure is outreach. SSDP would be greatly benefited from more outreach to other organizations- be it those within the drug policy sphere and those outside it. The vast majority of public-interest groups can relate to our cause, and the key is to tailor our message depending on who we are reaching out to. Doing this will allow us to expand our base of supporters, members, and potential contributors, greatly improve name recognition for SSDP, and build an effective and diverse coalition. The drug war negatively affects everyone- whether they currently realize it or not- and it is absolutely essential that we develop campaigns and strategies to get more organizations across the country on board.
If elected to the board, would you retain a leading role and/or formal position with your chapter?
I would retain a leading role within my chapter, however would not have a formal position. My position and role within my chapter would remain the same as it is now. I would remain on the University Senate, and continue the campaign for sensible policies both on campus at UMD and throughout our State.
