Building e-democracy one e-mail at a time.(Clift photo)
Steven Clift - Publicus.Net
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About Steven Clift

Steven Clift is an online strategist and public speaker focused on the use of the Internet in democracy, governance, and community. For the last decade he has worked to fundamentally improve democracy and citizen participation through the use of the Internet.  He seeks to change the world one e-mail at a time....   Read my biography or a list of highlights below.

Information about my consulting and past work as well as links to media coverage are available. Photos for use in print are available: formaltechnology - speaking

Honors and Awards

Biography

(Please shorten as appropriate if used in speech introductions or conference programs.)

Steven Clift is an online strategist and public speaker focused on the use of the Internet in democracy, governance, and community. For the last decade he has worked to fundamentally improve democracy and citizen participation through the use of the Internet.  He seeks to change the world one e-mail at a time.

One of world's leading experts on e-democracy, he is actively networking people around the world determined to make a difference with this new media. A frequent media commentator, Steven Clift speaks publicly with meaning, energy and enthusiasm while providing accessible and useful information.  He has presented hundreds of times across twenty-three countries.

Through Democracies Online, he shares knowledge and practical advice directly to thousands of subscribers on his DO-WIRE e-mail announcement list.  His Publicus.Net web site contains dozens of original articles and presentations, including his E-Democracy E-Book.  Behind the scenes, he supports peer-to-peer online networks for parliamentary online leaders, civic online consultation facilitators and others. 

In 2002, Steven received the Minneapolis Award. In 2001 and again in 2003, he was listed among “The 25 Who Are Changing the World of Internet and Politics” by Politics Online and in January, 2000 he was selected as one of Minnesota’s 100 rising stars of the decade by Minneapolis St. Paul magazine.

From 1998 through 2001 he advised the Markle Foundation's Web White & Blue online election information partnership.  In 2000, Web White & Blue organized a major online presidential debate.  He provides advice to foundations, governments, civic groups and others on an ongoing basis.

He volunteers as Board Chair of Minnesota E-Democracy.  E-Democracy is a non-profit organization that hosts some of Internet's most highly regarded citizen discussions on state and community affairs.  In 1994, E-Democracy created the world's first election-oriented web site and online candidate debates.

For three years until September 1997, he coordinated the State of Minnesota's government portal effort and served as the Executive Director of the Minnesota Government Information Access Council in 1997.  He served as Co-Editor for the G8 Democracy and Government Online Services Publication that was released January 1999.

After a session working in the Minnesota Legislature, he attended graduate school at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota.  He worked for their Center for Democracy and Citizenship from 1991 to 1993 and built his online experience with the launch of the online Public Policy Network in 1993.  As a graduate intern in the U.S. House in 1993 he was among the first users of their e-mail gateway to the Internet.  He graduated from Winona State University, a state college in his hometown, with a B.A. in Political Science in 1990.

A fourth generation Minnesotan born in 1969, he was raised in the Twin Cities and the Mississippi River town of Winona, Minnesota.  When not speaking abroad, he works out of his home in the Uptown area of Minneapolis.  Recently married to Laurel Clift (formerly Waldoch), a fellow E-Democracy volunteer, he has come to realize that his hopes and dreams related to the information age have wildly exceeded his expectations.

Contact Information: 

Steven Clift 
Publicus.Net 
3211 East 44th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55406 
USA 

E-mail: clift @ publicus.net 
Web: http://www.publicus.net 
 

Clift Highlights
 

  • Helped create the world's first election-oriented web site in 1994 and current host of active citizen-based online Issues Forums - E-Democracy.Org
  • Inducted as an Ashoka Fellow, the premier international network of social entreprenuers, in November 2006.
  • Public speaker with hundreds of presentations across 26 countries
  • Editor of DoWire.Org – the Democracies Online Newswire e-mail announcement list.  Started in 1998, DoWire now reaches over 2750 e-democracy/e-government/e-politics practitioners and experts in over 80 countries
  • Global media source on e-democracy with hundreds of appearances and interviews including a recent interview on BBC World television
  • Produced extensive research on "E-Government and Democracy" for the United Nations 2003 World Public Sector Report
  • Leading Global E-democracy Best Practices research effort through March 2005 for the UK Local E-democracy National Project
  • OECD E-Government Project Advisory Group Member in 2002-2003
  • Co-Editor, G8 Democracy and Government Online Services Publication
  • Twice listed on the list of the "25 Who Are Changing the World of Internet and Politics" by PoliticsOnline.com
  • Consultant on e-democracy for the Markle Foundation from 1998-2001. Included the creation of an online Presidential campaign debate in 2000
  • While employed with the Office of Technology/Department of Administration in the State of Minnesota 1993-1997 he was the Government Online Project Coordinator (managed the first web portal) and staffed then served as the Executive Director of the Government Information Access Council
 
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