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Youth Shaping Future Government

May 5, 2010 by

[HTML1] Mark Strama is a state representative from Austin, Texas, who has spent his career in public service encouraging young people to be involved in their government and politics. To that end, Mark founded Campaign Academy, which gives high school and college students an opportunity to work inside a high-profile campaign.

Strama joins Keeping Up with Gen Y to discuss the role of young people in the 2010 midterm elections, and how this generation has the talent and potential to change the world.
More about State Representative Mark Strama
Mark Strama began his political career working on Ann Richards’ successful campaign for Texas Governor in 1990 and went on to become chief of staff for Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis. In 1995, he left government to become director of programs at Rock the Vote, where he helped register more than a million new voters. Soon after, he founded the first company to register voters online, which helped to empower over 700,000 Americans to vote in the 2000 election cycle.
In 2004, in an attempt to return to politics, Mark campaigned for state representative in Austin, Texas, and won by just a few hundred votes. Two years later, he was re-elected with an overwhelming majority. His campaigns have earned national attention because of his effectiveness in registering voters and mobilizing young activists. Mark also founded Campaign Academy, which gives high school and college students during the summer an opportunity to work inside a high-profile campaign.
During the 2009 legislative session, Mark served as  Chairman of the Technology, Economic Development, and Workforce Committee and as a member of the Energy Resources Committee. He has fervently supported legislation in support of renewable energy and education, and hopes to continue being a leader on these issues in the years to come.
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About Tamara Bell

Tamara Bell is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Y Gen Out Loud, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that provides a platform for Generation Yto discuss national politics and public policy issues.

Tamara began her journalism career as a staff reporter for the Dallas Times Herald. A few years later, she moved to York, Pa., as a political reporter for the York Dispatch, covering local, state, and national government as well as writing investigative stories for the mid-sized daily newspaper.

A Texas girl at heart, Tamara returned to Dallas a year later to work as press relations director for the re-election campaign of U.S. Rep. John Bryant. The next year, she moved to Austin and the Texas Legislature, where she stayed for 15 years. While at the Legislature, Tamara worked for Democratic House members as Chief-of-Staff and Press Secretary, and as a Senior Policy Analyst for the Senate State Affairs Committee chaired by a Republicansenator.

In 1996, Tamara became co-owner of a political newsletter covering state issues and elections. As Editor-in-Chief, Tamara helped shape the weekly publication into a must-read for state officials, legislative aides, and lobbyists. More recently, Tamara wrote a regular column analyzing coverage by the Texas Capitol Press Corps for an online political publication. She also works as a lecturer in the Advertising Department at The University of Texasat Austin.

Tamara has also been a judge for the 2010 Bright Ideas Award given by the Texas Daily Newspaper Association, served as a panelist at the Society of Professional Journalists 2010 Region 8 Conference where the theme was How to Save Journalism, and has been a guest lecture for the Advertising Department’s Internship course, speaking about the jobs outlook for graduating seniors.

Tamara earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Journalism from The University of Texas at Austin, and her B.A. in Journalism from Texas A&M University. She resides in Austin with her son, Jackson.

Tamara Bell is also the Host of Keeping Up with Gen Y on WomensRadio. Keeping Up with Gen Y offers discussions, interviews, and commentary about important issues of the day from the perspective of Generation Y (18-to 30-years-old). Aimed at all generations interested in learning about and inspiring young people, this show features professionals, experts, researchers, and members of Gen Y who share insights and experiences about the topics on the minds of today’s young adults.