As CEO of Soapbox Consulting, Christopher Kush has trained hundreds of thousands of citizens from all over the United States to effectively influence Congress, state, and local governments. He has helped design sophisticated key-contact networks, Lobby Days, and grassroots training programs for many national associations including the American Cancer Society, Human Rights Campaign, Easter Seals, Goodwill International, United Way Worldwide, and the American Wind Energy Association. Mr. Kush is the author of three books on grassroots organizing including Grassroots Games (ASAE, 2002) and, most recently, The One-Hour Activist (Wiley, 2004). He has appeared on National Public Radio, ABC and Fox-news affiliates, CSPAN’s “Book TV,” and in U.S. News & World Report, The Los Angeles Times, and on the Sirius Satellite Radio Network.

Erica Farage is Vice President of Political Affairs and Grassroots Advocacy for the International Franchise Association. Erica is responsible for elevating FranPAC, IFA’s political action committee which supports pro-business, pro-franchising candidates at the federal level, as well as the association’s grassroots advocacy program the Franchise Action Network. Prior to joining IFA in January of 2012, Erica was a senior director at The Herald Group, a public affairs firm representing a variety of clients including trade associations, corporations, and coalitions supporting pro-business initiatives in Washington. Previously, she held several positions with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Political Affairs division where she managed various aspects of the Chamber’s $20 million voter education, issue advocacy, get-out-the-vote, and fundraising campaigns. Erica received a bachelor’s degree in political science from The University of Richmond and a master’s degree from the George Washington Graduate School of Political Management. She resides in Washington, D.C.