Job update: Change.org

Hi all,

I’m thrilled to share that I will be joining Change.org in December as VP of Product Management! I’ll be overseeing some newer initiatives related to voter education for elections, creating transparency and accountability for elected officials, and increasing the visibility and impact of petitions created on Change.org with decision makers.

I was drawn to the role because of the mission, and being able to work with really stellar people that I know, like, and trust.

Mission: I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that politics these days is less about left vs right policy and more about the question of whether we want to live in a society where political power comes top-down or bottom-up. I staunchly believe in a democratic society, where the government exists to serve the will of its people¹ .

One of the most powerful tools we have, as a people, is our engagement with politics, starting at the local level, and extending up through state and federal government. I’m incredibly motivated by the opportunity to help people make more informed voting choices, to create transparency so that constituents know how their representatives have acted and how well that aligns with their own values, and to give people a louder voice to be heard by decision makers.

People: Steve Dziedzic — whom I first met in 2017 when we both worked at The Knot — has built an incredibly impressive Product org, and I’m honored to be a part of it. Every member of the team that I’ve met, which includes several more alumni from The Knot, are at the top of their game. Principal PMs, former Heads of Product, former founders. It feels so good to be aligned on product philosophy, culture, and values.

It feels really good to know that, come December, I get to wake up every day, work with amazing people, and do what I can to move our society to a more democratic future.

As always, a heartfelt Thank You and loving gratitude to my wife, Karla, for her guidance, support, and strength during this job search. And a massive shoutout to Jen Garfield for recruiting me and for her advocacy of me during the interview process.

I’ll resume these newsletters in the New Year, once I’ve had a month to get settled at the new gig. I appreciate all of you for sticking around and for your support.

Dave

1  We’ve had several times in US history when the opposite theory of government dominated — the belief that a smaller group of rich and powerful knew better, and that society would be better off if shaped by them. We had this in the late 1850’s, the late 1880’s, and the late 1920’s. Each time, after great pain — the Civil War of the 1860’s, the Gilded Age Robber Barons of the 1890s, and Great Depression of the 1930’s — Americans came together and fought back, defeating aristocracy with a democratic government “of the people, by the people, for the people” (to quote Lincoln).

I highly recommend subscribing to Heather Cox Richardson’s substack if you’re interested in this kind of thing. Her post from Nov 16 is my source for this framing.