Sam Patten

Sam Patten "is a political consultant who combines experience with U.S. congressional, senatorial, gubernatorial and presidential races with a background working to advance the prospects of freedom in transitional countries around the world. He is currently a senior associate for US races and director of international ventures for Marsh Copsey & Associates.

"Recently, Patten served as resident political director for the International Republican Institute in Iraq, from March 2004 through February 2005, during the preparations for that country’s first democratic election. In Iraq, he served as chief technical advisor on the USAID voter education project, initiated a political training program that involved over 100 Iraqi political entities, oversaw a vigorous public opinion research project gauging Iraqi opinion on a monthly basis and founded a media center to produce Get Out the Vote commercials and allow Iraqi political actors greater access to political communications.

"Prior to Iraq, Patten was IRI’s country director in Moscow for three years. He has also served as a legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Susan Collins advising her on foreign policy and defense issues and as Maine state coordinator for the Bush-Cheney campaign in 2000.  He has also worked as the speechwriter to U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe, also from Maine.  For nearly four years between 1996-9, he lived and worked in the Central Asian republic of Kazakhstan, where he advised commercial interests on public and government relations strategies.

"Patten attended Camden-Rockport High School and is a 1993 graduate of Georgetown University. Over the past several months, he has spoken about democracy building at Georgetown’s Graduate School of Foreign Service, Dartmouth College’s Rockefeller Center and the World Affairs Council of Maine."