Jim Gerstein

Jim Gerstein is a founding partner and consultant with Gerstein Agne Strategic Communications. Since 2001, he has been the Executive Director of Democracy Corps, a "non-profit organization founded [in 1999] by Democratic strategists James Carville, Stan Greenberg, and Bob Shrum that conducts public opinion research and provides strategic advice to Democrats and progressive organizations," his Gerstein | Agne biography states. 

"Prior to his work with Democracy Corps, Gerstein was the Executive Director of the non-profit Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation where led public education campaigns, congressional visits to the Middle East, and convened Middle East diplomats in the United States for meetings with political and business leaders. Gerstein also established a non-profit counterpart for the Center, called the Institute for Peace and Security. The Institute provided financial, organizational, and strategic support for various Arab-Israeli projects, including meetings between retired generals from Israel and Arab countries, peace initiatives with Israeli business leaders, and dialogues between Jewish and Arab municipal leaders in Israel.

"During the 1999 Israeli Prime Ministerial campaign, Mr. Gerstein took a leave of absence from the Center to join Ehud Barak's American consulting team. He served as the U.S. team's person on the ground and oversaw the polling, paid media, and message development for the Barak campaign.

"Mr. Gerstein has also worked on several American political campaigns and held different positions in the Democratic Party. In 1992, he worked on the field campaign for Carol Moseley Braun's successful run for the U.S. Senate in Illinois. He later moved to Washington, DC where he became the Deputy Director for Jewish Affairs at the Democratic National Committee. In 1996, Mr. Gerstein worked in the press office for the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and then directed the Clinton/Gore campaign for the north side of Chicago and northern Illinois.

"Mr. Gerstein received an M.A. in Middle East History at Tel Aviv University and a B.A. in philosophy at Colgate University. He grew up in the Chicago area and today resides in Washington, DC," his Gerstein | Agne biography states.