The Fulcrum Democracy Forum Meets Nick Penniman, Founder and CEO of Issue One

Nick Penniman is founder and CEO of Issue One an organization fighting to protect U.S. elections, lessen political polarization, limit the influence of big money over politics, and improve the ability of Congress to solve problems. The organization raises awareness about these issues, advocates for legislation and federal action, and produces

Prior to founding Issue One, Nick was the founder and executive director of the Huffington Post Investigative Fund, director of the Schuman Center for Media and Democracy, publisher of the Washington Monthly Magazine, director of the Alliance for Democracy, and an editor at various publications, including the American Prospect and the Lincoln Journal. He is coauthor of “Nation on the Take: How Big Money Corrupts Our Democracy And What We Can Do About It,” published by Bloomsbury in 2016, and writes and appears regularly in various media outlets. He serves on multiple nonprofit boards, including OpenSecrets, and is a trustee of St. Lawrence University.

Connect with Nick and David on LinkedIn

As one of the initial driving forces behind the Bridge Alliance and as chairman of the board, David L. Nevins brings business acumen, vision and a tireless this-must-and-can-be-done zeal to the burgeoning movement to bridge divides to transform the political process.

As a business leader, Nevins excels at building bridges between people and organizations from the right, left and center for civilized conversation and then action.

He co-founded the Bridge Alliance because, as he says, “No matter how well managed and how well funded any one organization is, significant political reform will not happen without an alliance to further collaborative interactions. Together we can and will raise the collective impact of all.”

Nevins is also co-publisher of The Fulcrum, a daily new publication committed to protecting democracy by educating the public on issues that matter. The Fulcrum is a key piece of a larger strategy to build a pro-democracy constituency of millions of Americans by making it easier to find and act on civic engagement opportunities. The Bridge Alliance, The Fulcrum, and Citizen Connect are all interconnected in their support of the ecosystem of our community of pro-democracy organizations and concerned and engaged citizens.

He established and continues to work with The Nevins Fellow program at The Mccourtney Institute of Democracy at  Penn State University. The Nevins Fellows program allows students to complete internships at organizations that bring people together to solve common problems. In this program students begin by taking a Democratic Leadership class that introduces them to a different side of democracy—one that focuses not on campaigns and elections, but on bringing people together to work on common problems. Students learn about organizations doing this kind of work, and develop the skills necessary to facilitate conversations about community issues.

He is a member of the Aspen Institute Society of Fellows, with a focus on the Aspen Rodel Fellowship in Public Leadership.

Nevins graduated with honors in economics from Penn State in 1969 and received an M.B.A. in finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1971. He continues as President of Nevins Real Estate Management.  Nevins is married to Catherine Moyal Nevins.  They currently reside in Palm Beach Gardens Florida and Cape May New Jersey.