Podesta Briefing Memo - 12-9.docx

To:	John P and Team
Fr:	Dwight and Mary Ellen
Dt:	December 8
Re: 	Background on Cooking with John Guests

We wanted to give you a quick blurb on the folks we know who are coming to dinner, just as background.

-Kristen Leonard:  newly named Chief of Staff to Governor Brown.  Brought in to rescue what has been a little unfocused.  Former lobbyist for folks like SEIU, one of the most highly trusted folks in Salem.  She’s also a parent at Terence’s school.   She and her husband Kevin Neely are pals.

-Kevin Neely:    Kristen’s husband, runs a political software company that does bill tracking software.  Also is the lobbyist for the District Attorneys.  Very thoughtful political insider.

-Bill Lehman:  Very good friend of ours, ND law grad, east coaster from PA, and the lead litigator for Blue Cross Blue Shield in the Pacific Northwest (they call it Cambia Health here).

-Allan Garten:  Former Chief of the White Collar section at the USAO here, hired me.

-Neal Keny-Guyer:  Executive Director of the relief agency Mercy Corps, based here.  You know Neal from the Aspen Institute – and you will know a million people in common, from Strobe to Papendreou.

-Alyssa Keny-Guyer:  Neal’s wife and a State Representative.

-Shahriar Ahmed:  President of the Bilal Mosque, and an engineer at Intel.  Born in Bangladesh, and now a USC – and a great American in every way.  He was a key partner of mine in working with the Muslim community to defeat radicalization here when I was US Attorney.  Shahriar is a great friend.

-Mussè Olol:  Musse is the leader of the Somali American Council of Oregon (SACO). We have a huge Somali community here.  SACO was formed after we arrested the Tree Lighting would-be bomber, and has take a very sober view of radicalization – SACO stunned the limo liberal crowd here by publicly urging the City Council to re-join the Joint Terrorism Task Force.   Musse is an engineer, and a good friend.

-Bruce Carter:   Bruce is a lead producer of the hit TV show Grimm – about vampires or something like that, set in Portland.  He’s a great guy.  And he’s a childhood friend of Mark Warner’s.

-Paul Lewis:  The Public Health Commissioner for the big metro counties.  A pediatrician and very good partner of mine on prescription drug abuse.

-Ann Scott:  Paul Lewis’ wife, an OB in town.

-Darin Sands:  Young partner and civil litigator at the firm which housed me when I ran (Lane Powell).  A mentor and coach in the We the People high school debate program.

-Harry Wilson:  Young partner at the Markowitz firm, mainly plaintiff’s side but not exclusively.  He is leading the litigation against Oracle over the Oregon healthcare.gov debacle.   Harry also chairs the Board at the leading addiction treatment center for indigents in town, St Vincent de Paul.  Meg is on the Board.

-Leslie Golden: education and tech guru who is on my Board at Lines for Life.

-Sharon Meieran:  An ER doc and a lawyer, works with me as a partner on prescription drug abuse issues.  Sharon ran for state legislator but lost to someone much less substantive.  Now considering a run for Multnomah County Commission, a big job she’s perfedt for.

-Fred Cirilo:  Sharon’s husband – also an ER doc.  Very nice guy and a jazz musician.

-Susan Mandiberg:  Assistant Dean at Lewis and Clark Law School, was a colleague when I taught there.  Crim law specialty.

-Richard Harris:  Susan’s husband, former head of City Central Concern, another great addiction treatment agency.

-Kristen Tranetzki:   Young partner at a hot boutique firm specializing in white collar criminal work.  Came here from New York and Debevoise – where she worked with a partner named Podesta…Also on my board at Lines for Life.

-Julie Engbloom:  Partner at Lane Powell, the firm that housed me for my run, very nice.

-Jon Dunbar:  Another partner at the Markowitz firm.  Lon career in the Oregon Department of Justice.

-Matt Donohue:  Another partner at Markowitz – a foodie who took a sabbatical to do cooking training.

-Susan Pitchford:  Highly regarded civil litigator, very active in Federal Bar type stuff.  Her husband is also coming; I don’t know him.

-Ellen Stevenson:  a pediatrician friend and fellow Brown grad, and a parent in our cohort at our kids’ schools.  Her husband Scott Stevenson is coming too.