Ilya Sheyman (born June 1, 1986) is a community organizer, formerly Executive Director of MoveOn Political Action, a candidate for Illinois's 10th congressional district for the United States House of Representatives elections, 2012,[1] and is currently the CEO of The Good Food Institute.[2]
Ilya Sheyman | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 1, 1986 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Organizer and strategist |
| Title | CEO of The Good Food Institute |
| Spouse | Sara Haghdoosti (m. 2015) |
Life and work edit
Ilya Sheyman was born in the former Soviet Union and immigrated to the United States with his family at the age of four as Jewish refugees.[3] He graduated from McGill University with a joint degree in Political Science and United States History.[4]
In 2012, Sheyman ran for the Democratic nomination for Congress in Illinois's 10th Congressional District, coming in second in a four-way race. As the Chicago Sun Times described, "Sheyman did well—he gained 38.6 percent of the vote to Schneider’s 46.9 percent—demonstrating that there is a substantial progressive base vote in the district."[5]
In his race, Sheyman was endorsed by former Vermont Governor and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean,[6] former Senator Russ Feingold, Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chairs Representatives Raul Grijalva and Keith Ellison, and Representative Danny Davis. Other notable endorsers included Democracy for America, MoveOn.org, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, the Sierra Club, the Council for a Livable World and Citizen Action/Illinois; AFSCME Council 31, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, Sheet Metal Workers Local 73, the United Steelworkers and the International Longshoremen's Association-AFL-CIO.
Previously, Ilya worked as an organizer for A+ Illinois, a statewide advocacy organization that worked to improve the quality and funding of public schools,[7] for then-Senator Barack Obama as constituent services intern in veterans' and military affairs,[8] as online organizing manager for TrueMajority.org/USAction, as the field director for Democracy for America and as National Mobilization Director for Moveon.org.[9]
In 2013, Sheyman became Executive Director of MoveOn.org Political Action. Under his leadership, MoveOn.org launched a million dollar effort to draft Senator Elizabeth Warren to run for president, endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders for the Democratic Nomination and launched an unsuccessful multimillion-dollar United Against Hate [10] campaign to defeat then-candidate Donald Trump.
Sheyman became president of The Good Food Institute U.S. on February 22, 2022[11] and CEO in October of the same year.[12]
References edit
- ^ "Waukegan Dem announces bid for congressional seat". The Daily Herald. April 28, 2011. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
- ^ "Ilya Sheyman". The Good Food Institute. The Good Food Institute. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ "Ilya Sheyman's Progressive Run". The Nation Magazine. March 7, 2012. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
- ^ "From Montreal to Washington A McGill Gran Runs for Congress". McGill Tribune. Jan 16, 2012.
- ^ "Sweet: Schneider, Rotering have differences, aim for same goals". Chicago Sun Times. Feb 3, 2016. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016. Retrieved Feb 3, 2016.
- ^ Rodriguez, Kim (May 27, 2011). "Ilya Sheyman Earns Endorsement of Gov. Howard Dean for Illinois 10th Congressional District Seat". Winnetka/Northfield Tribune Local. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
- ^ "Political Briefs". Lake County News-Sun. June 20, 2011. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
- ^ "About Ilya Sheyman". Ilya Sheyman Campaign Website. May 27, 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
- ^ "Electing Progressive Democrats - Ilya Sheyman for Congress". Winning Progressive. June 30, 2011. Archived from the original on July 3, 2011. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
- ^ MoveOn.org (6 September 2016). "It's time to unite against hate".
- ^ "Former MoveOn head, coalition builder, and expert strategist Ilya Sheyman joins GFI as president". The Good Food Institute. The Good Food Institute. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ "Fall 2022 reflections from GFI founder and president Bruce Friedrich". The Good Food Institute. The Good Food Institute. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
External links edit
- Sheyman for Congress official campaign site
- MoveOn.org MoveOn bio
- A Look at Ilya Sheyman
- Run Warren Run